Shaz by the Sea

Greetings from COCOA BEACH!! We landed in FL on Saturday and we are enjoying our vacation very much.  We have a three bedroom, two bedroom place a block from the beach - with a view of the ocean. We can hear the waves and enjoy the view from the deck out front. It is VERY relaxing. There's also a heated pool that the boys have been obsessed with - we are having fun! I can't believe how well the boys are doing here. They feel right at home - especially having lots of space, several bedrooms, and a big open kitchen similar to our house.  On Sunday night, I made chicken piccata. It is a combo of lemon chicken with capers and pasta. It was delicious! I prepped the chicken, tenderized it and sliced it up a bit to make smaller pieces.   I then dredged the chicken in egg wash and flour, salt and pepper. I sizzled each side in EVOO and flipped after 8-10 minutes. Then another 8 minutes on the other side. I added a ton of lemon zest and lemon...

Jimbo and I decided to road trip to Northern California. With flights costing an arm and a leg these days, and also realizing we would need a car while up there, we decided to spend the 8+ hours in the car together and rock it. Now the songs from "Dashboard Confessional" are in my head...does anyone remember them? I love the name of their band because some of the most serious and life-changing conversations are had while driving...whether you are talking on the phone or talking with your passenger sitting right beside you. Some of my fav Dashboard songs are mentioned in this MTV article from 2003, http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1474767/dashboard-confessional-happy-now.jhtml. Check it out! Getting back to the road trip to Northern California: I briefly mentioned home exchange back in my "Luck o' The Irish" post...but never really explained it. In short, we have our Cape house on the home exchange site (https://www.homeexchange.com/en/listing/225541) and we...

Our first home exchange was a SUCCESS! After purchasing our Cape Cod cottage in June 2011, I decided to make a listing on the home exchange site just like the movie, "The Holiday" with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. We exchanged with a lovely couple from Ireland, Helen and Ray.  We did a simultaneous exchange, but were fortunate to meet them over in Ireland when we visited.  Here we are at Uncle Tom's Pub near their house.   We visited the Cliffs of Moher and boy was it windy and chilly.  The views were absolutely spectacular. Here is Jim and I at the cliffs.   We spent a few days in Dublin and toured around in a double-decker tour bus.  Dublin reminded me so much of Boston! We spent a day at the Bunratty Castle, here I am with Mom and Dad: European phone booth smooch!  And my Dad apparently flipping everybody off.....   Temple Bar -- my favorite night out while we were in Irelan...