My lovefest with Loggerhead Sea Turtles continues this week at the table. . .
Our family vacation to Harbor Island was most memorable due to all the turtle activity this year. . .
By the end of our week’s stay, the 3 mile-stretch-of-beach, had a recorded number of 64 turtle nests~ closing in on the record of 66 nests set in 1999~ twice as many than in 2010~
Since we’ve returned the number of nests has surpassed the record set in 1999~ bringing the nest count up to 67 :-)
The greatest threat to Loggerhead Turtles is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that cause disorientation during the emergence of hatchlings.
Other major threats include incidental capture in longline fishing, shrimp trawling and pollution. All shrimp boats in South Carolina are equipped with turtle excluder devices (TED)~ Yay!
I found turtle chocolate molds from Amazon, here, that I used to mold brown sugar~
Despite the threat to our waistlines~ white & dark chocolate hatchlings emerged to accompany chocolate & real shells on a brown sugar beach~
The turtle hatchlings are as challenged climbing the frosted cupcake as they are making their way to the ocean~
I’m afraid these particular hatchlings’ days are numbered. . .
Approximately 25 volunteers participate in the Harbor Island Turtle Project, searching each morning at sunrise for turtle tracks and nests. All nests are monitored until they hatch and data is submitted to the SC Department of Natural Resources and SeaTurtle.org
The nest is probed to locate the eggs. The sand is removed to confirm that eggs have been laid. If the nest is in a safe location, the sand is replaced and the nest is marked.
The eggs are then placed in a new hole that has been dug to the same depth as the original nest. The nest is staked and covered with a protective barrier net.
After 45 to 75 days the eggs hatch. The babies stay in the sand for several days before emergence. A characteristic indentation is visible when the babies have hatched and are beginning to dig their way to the surface.
The baby turtles usually come out or “boil” in the middle of the night.
A nest is inventoried three days after evidence of a “boil”. The hatched shells and the unhatched eggs are counted. If any of the unhatched eggs are considered viable, they are reburied.
Occasionally, there are stragglers found in the nest when it is inventoried. These babies are placed on the beach so that they will find their own way to the water.
You can’t help but cheer them on, keeping your fingers crossed, knowing how many predators~birds, crabs & fish~ they are up against.
It is estimated that only 1 in 1000 hatchlings make it to adulthood~ with mature females returning, sometimes over thousands of miles, to the beach where they hatched to lay their eggs.
Female Loggerheads lay 4 to 7 nests per season, typically about 14 days apart.
These little turtle napkin rings had just hatched from a UPS box during my visit there~
I snapped them up to protect them from any predators that might be lurking and released them onto my table :-)
Crabs, ants, raccoons, foxes, and birds target turtle eggs and hatchlings. If they are lucky enough to reach adulthood, sea turtles are relatively immune to natural predation, except for the occasional shark attack.
Dogs can be a threat to turtles nests, digging for eggs, if unsupervised on the beach~
Unsupervised dogs can also be a threat to unsuspecting starfish for tablescapes. . .
Bobby Flay, whose signature style~marrying the flavors of southwest with his love of grilling~ and known for his bold flavors & zingy spices, prompted a trip to the Farmers Market for this Cook-Along. . .
for a medley of veggies. . .
and for flowers. . .
Where I married my farmers market purchases with some bold, colorful patterns in salad plates, bowls & placemats for the table. . .
and blended some fruits for Sangria. . .
It’s always fun to play with my food~ economical & convenient, when today’s centerpiece is also this week’s dinner :-)
I spied this Bobby Flay recipe in the May issue of Food Network Magazine~
We enjoyed these and will definitely make them again! I made a few changes~ omitting the port, (using red wine only) ; substituting beef stock for chicken; and using only ancho chile peppers since I was unable to find cascabel & New Mexico peppers. After browning the short ribs, instead of turning on the oven & the heat up in the kitchen, I put everything in crock pot on low for 8 hours, turning heat up in the tacos with a few jalapenos.
Recipe for the Red Pickled Onions included in the Chile Short Rib Taco recipe:
Bring 3/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup each red wine vinegar and sugar, and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and let cool, 5 minutes. Toss with 1 thinly sliced red onion in a bowl; cover and chill at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Join me for breakfast~ it will be just us & the Chickens ~
What’s your pleasure?
Are you a juice drinker? Orange or Grapefruit?
Or do you prefer your vitamin C from fruit?
Do you prefer coffee in the morning or a cup of tea?
If it’s tea, are you traditional?
English Breakfast or Earl Grey?
Flavored coffee or just plain old java?
Sweetener? Skim Milk or Half & Half?
Would you like a little protein to start your day?
If it’s the weekend~ a beautiful spring day, or a celebratory occasion like Mother’s Day, do you indulge in something out-of-the-ordinary like Eggs Benedict?
Maybe on a biscuit~ Southern Style?
With a serving of Hashbrown and Sausage Casserole with Carmelized Onions?
Thank you, Susan, for hosting such a fun event & providing dishaholics everywherewith a weekly fix ~
Although we are knocking on fall’s door (I hope!) my tablescape inspiration this week came from this book~ it gave me the excuse to pull out and play with my coastal-inspired dishes one more time. . .
Women and the Sea is a beautiful book that inspired me to share it in the form of an Edible Review atFood for Thought~ a wonderful & delicious blog for readers with an appetite for the written word. Hosted by my talented friend Jain, every two weeks, you are invited to join by sharing a book review in an edible fashion. It’s a fun place to play and visit~ where you can always find something feed your mind, your senses, and your tummy :-) You can read more about this book and see the complete book review, if you’d like here.
“In 2004, Claire Murray launched La Vie Claire magazine to celebrate women living creative lives pursuing their passions. It quickly became apparent that there were many others who shared her vision: women who had been enchanted by the sea and who built their lives around this inspiration. Thus the concept of Women and the Sea was born. In telling the tales of sixteen women, Women and the Sea pays tribute to all sisters of the sea.”
Sand Sculptor, Jennifer Rossen, is one of the sixteen women featured in this inspirational book:
“The sea moves with eternity but waves to ephemerality. No one understands this better than sand sculptor Jennifer Rossen. She spends days, months even, watering, packing, and shaping sand into hobbit-sized sandcastles. These fairy-tale palaces—with their carved domes, crowned towers, choir of steeples and spires—enjoy their day in the sun, inviting imaginations to visit and delight in them, and then they are gone.”
I was inspired to play in the sand myself. . .and played with brown sugar to create my own sand castle :-)
If the reflecting surface is very smooth, the reflection of light that occurs is called specular or regular reflection.
The laws of reflection are as follows:
The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the reflection surface at the point of the incidence lie in the same plane.
The angle which the incident ray makes with the normal is equal to the angle which the reflected ray makes to the same normal.
Light paths are reversible.
Understand now? :-)
Specular reflection is the mirror-like reflection of light (or sometimes other kinds of wave) from a surface, in which light from a single incoming direction (a ray) is reflected into a single outgoing direction. Such behavior is described by the law of reflection, which states that the direction of incoming light (the incident ray), and the direction of outgoing light reflected (the reflected ray) make the same angle with respect to the surface normal, thus the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection; mathematically this is θi = θr.
Any Questions ? :-)
Reflection is also defined as: a fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration. I’ve often reflected on why boaters rarely observe “No Wake” signs & buoys . . .
And if this Desperado has come to his senses. . .
And if we will ever rid ourselves of muskrats. . .read here.
Reflecting on my tablescape this week, I chose to go with water-inspired colors~ more Caribbean in color than Lake incolor :-)
I added some flat glass marbles to the table and plates for additional reflection~
Reflections of the porch railing in this wine glass. . .
And a marble reflection in this spoon~
The turquoise footed-bowls are Style-Happy from Home Goods.
The textured glass salad plate is by Murero, recycled glass, Italy~ Home Goods. Blue & White dinner plate ~ Kohl’s/Food Network. Aqua charger~Home Goods, manufacturer unknown.
Napkins are Badgley Mischka~ Home Goods. Napkin Rings & Blue & White glasses~Kohl’s.
Small aqua fish dishes and assorted vases & bottles~Home Goods. Blue wine goblets~ Dollar Tree :-)
More reflections by candlelight. . .
Reflecting on these turquoise dishes~something cold and creamy like sherbert or ice cream seemed to be in order, but I decided to resist and serve fruit :-)
