A friend of mine just got back from a vacation on Long Island with his family and in-laws. He writes for a weekly newsletter, and shared this about his investigations at local farm stands:
At my favorite stand they sell “sugar plums,” a small, sweet fruit I haven’t seen anywhere else. Each one’s about the size of a fig. They’re more pit than fruit, but absolutely full of juice. When they’re ripe, the skin will peel off in your fingers. You can eat three or four of them in a row, ideally standing over the kitchen sink. (You’ll need a mop to clean up if you eat them anywhere else.)
I wasn’t familiar with sugar plums, and you might not be, either. Check them out.
These are what we might think are sugar plums, but aren’t. These are fresh sugar plums.
Last summer I spent a week or so in Ontario, visiting Goderich, where my friend Norah had rented a cottage on Lake Huron, and then Guelph to visit Samantha, Sarah and the whole crowd there. At Guelph I learned about musk melons, which were in peak season exactly when I was there.
Musk melon was a new term for me. Turns out it’s what Canadians call cantaloupe. The term also refers to a family of melons that includes honeydews and persian melons. We bought what looked and tasted almost like cantaloupe, and I made melon agua fresca with mint for everyone. Yum.
I have not had very satisfying melon experiences in New England. Nor peach encounters, either. Luckily, there are options, all of which involve going right to the source.
I traveled to South Carolina about two weeks ago and, on my way to my mother’s house from the airport in Charlotte, stopped at McLeod Farms in McBee (pronounced MAC-Bee). They have many varieties of perfect peaches (forget Georgia– SC has the best peaches, says the great-granddaughter of a SC peach farmer). But there are hidden treasures to be found in their supply of the fresh and limited supplies of hyper-local produce. That included large, perfect, not-expensive cantaloupes.
I squeezed and sniffed candidates until I found one that suited me. It rode the rest of the way to my aunt’s house, sitting on her counter for a couple of days until it achieved cantaloupe perfection. I then cut it in long, thin wedges to serve to happy family members.
Some add salt, which they say enhances the flavor, but I prefer to take my cantaloupe straight up, no salt.
Musk melons from Ontario.South Carolina cantaloupe– my hometown melon.
At my McLeod’s stop, I also bought muscadine and scuppernong grapes. They have tough outer skins, and very sweet green flesh, with seeds. They make you work for it. But the work pays off in a combo of sweet, juicy, and bitter that brings me back to my childhood.
My great aunt Mae used to make a scuppernong cordial that was (once I was old enough to taste it) absolutely vile. But the grapes themselves (grown in an arbor outside her kitchen) were delicious.
A disembodied hand holding purple muscadine grapes.A disembodied hand holding green scuppernong grapes.
Boiled peanuts were a staple of my childhood in SC, and they don’t travel well, either practically or gustatorally– I’ve brought them back to Boston a few times and people were notably underwhelmed. Hmphf. Their loss.
I bought green peanuts (different from raw peanuts) fro McLeod’s and boiled them for 75 minutes in an InstaPot with a lot of salt and a little Cajun spice (I recommend the Slap Yo Mama brand). They are basically Southern edamame, great warm and perfectly good cold as well. The best way to eat them is in the backyard, throwing the shells into the bushes. We forbore, though, and disposed of them more responsibly.
Fresh green peanuts (different from raw).Boiled peanuts– soooo gooood.
Fresh green peanuts and freshly boiled peanuts have a very minimal shelf life. They should be cooked right away, and then eaten right away. I always comply.
Now that I’m back in New England for the time being (school starts in two weeks), I’ll be keeping an eye out for concord grapes– the locally grown ones with seeds and tart outer skins. They are available generally late August to early October, depending on the weather that year.
I couldn’t find a picture of a disembodied hand holding New England concord grapes, but I think this will do.
Pretty much all of hyper-local and hyper-seasonal produce is like this– available for short period of time and good for eating NOW, not later. This means we have to stop what we were doing and turn to the preparation and subsequent massive enjoyment of these tasty treats of nature. And can you think of a better pastime for mid-late August? I can’t.
Dear readers, what are some of your late summer produce delights? Or other seasonal pleasures? I’d love to know and file away the info for when I’m at the proper time and place to enjoy them with you.
the present/ is a feather/ on loan from the wings of time/ that only attention/ makes beautiful/ and only kindness/ valuable.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship to time (and work and rest), so when I read those lines from Maria Popova’s bird divination cards a few days ago, they felt like they were meant for me. I’ve been getting her newsletter for years and only rarely open it anymore. That I even clicked through to see the words had that divine timing feel (speaking of time again).
With sports, I’m diligent about taking one day of complete rest per week and balancing my workouts within the week. Where I’m not so attentive is when it comes to my work-rest balance. I am about to go away for five weeks. To spend time with family and friends. And alone. Usually work comes with me, anywhere I go. This time it is not. This will be downtime. I’ll be doing things I love, which fill my cup. Reading novels. Writing. Running. Hiking. Cycling. A meditation retreat. I can’t remember when I last took this kind of work-free time for myself. Part of me thinks, I’m not successful enough to take this kind of time.
My trip, as it turns out, is coming at either the perfect time, or exactly the wrong time. The planning happened months ago, before I knew that my work would be in quite the state of transition it is (good and much needed changes, yet …). My plate is not as full as I’d like. I’m not a person with a full-time job and salary. I don’t have a long waiting list of potential clients. That’s good, in terms of making it easier to get away. And not good, in terms of I don’t know what September will look like workwise when I get back. What if none of the seeds I’ve planted take root and I come home to nothing?
This choice feels reckless and scary. I am going anyway, stepping back from the hustle. Not getting paid. Fear will board the plane alongside me.
And what a waste it will be if Fear rides along the whole time, leaching the joy out of my days and agitating my rest. Can I allow myself this period of resourcing and renewal, without getting sucked into a vortex of self-doubt? Or worse, the spiraling worry of how I will be judged? I can’t bring myself to write out the verdicts I imagine.
Still, I’m going. How will Fear and I spend this feather of time?
Fragment of Maria Popova Bird Divination card
I’m counseling myself to be in the moment. In practice I find the present moment extremely hard to be fully inside of. Encumbered as it is by my past baggage and future plans.
This is my gentle challenge to myself: Can I quiet Fear and heighten my attention to the feather? Make each present moment while I’m away more beautiful. A respite from pushing and chasing. Should-free.
Can I find that kindness the poem mentions and offer it to myself?
It’s almost mid-July, but there’s plenty of summer left (I keep telling myself). And in fact, my two biggest getaway plans are ahead of me.
This week I’m going to Boone, North Carolina for a 4-day meditation retreat with my favorite meditation teacher Jeff Warren. It will be held at the Art of Living retreat center, which I’m looking forward to exploring. But I’ll be sitting a lot, which is kind of the point of being there.
I’m really looking forward to a dedicated time and space for stillness and quiet, and also walking and experiencing the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I doubt we’ll be meditating here, but I’m hoping for coffee or ice tea on this terrace. Picture from the retreat center website.
Naturally, I’ll report next Sunday on how things went.
In early-mid August, I’ve planned another getaway– this one to Quebec with my friend Felicity for cycling Le Petit Train du Nord cycling route. We are driving up together with our bikes and parking at the southern terminus of the trail, where bus service takes us and bikes and luggage to the northern terminus. We’ll ride at a leisurely pace down the 234-km trail, staying three nights and ending our trip with an overnight celebration in Montreal. I’m so looking forward to this trip! It’s easy cycling along with opportunities for swimming, strolling around little towns, experiencing nature, and breaking out my creaky French. In case you weren’t already envious, here’s a little Youtube video to help you along.
This trip will be more active and interactive and engaged, which is also just what the doctor ordered.
Dear readers, what getaways or dedicated staycations do you have planned for the rest of the summer? I’m always looking for ideas and inspiration.
FIFI readers may recall I’ve written before about ebike tourism – in PEI, Canada and in New Zealand. This time, I had a new ebike experience: my first ever ebike food tour.
My partner and I went during our recent holiday at my sister’s condo in Bucerias, where we also visited family who winter in nearby Puerto Vallarta. Our morning tour group of eleven buzzed slowly through town on pedal-assist bikes, stopping at locally owned spots for cafe de olla, birria, carnitas tacos, and crema dessert. Vegetarian accommodations were made for me without fuss. Our bilingual guide, Pepe, kept stories flowing, including tales of his own cycling tours throughout Mexico. When the annual chalk drawing festival took over the main strip, he adjusted our route without missing a beat.
We wait patiently behind our 11 bikes for enough seats to open up at this local taco cafe.
Bici Bucerias is owned by Canadian expats rather than Mexican nationals. At the same time, tours like the one we took still funnel money and visibility toward the Mexican‑owned cafés, taco stands, and dessert places that make the experience worthwhile. Some of the places we visited were quite small, or out of walking distance from where tourists stay, which meant we likely would never have chosen them otherwise.
One of my delicious meals: soup, tortilla, cheese, beans, and bread.
It was also my first time on a bike on cobblestone, and slow-rolling over the uneven ground with pedal assist felt surprisingly unsettling. I ended up turning off the assist on those stretches, feeling I had more control that way. I also spotted a few road cyclists out along the busy highway and marvelled at their nerve. It’s a good reminder of how much I take for granted the space and infrastructure that cyclists get in many parts of Canada.
Pepe reviews ebike technology and safety before the ride.
This week, I’m thinking about those who ride and own businesses that are shut down due to shelter-in-place ordinances following cartel-related property damage throughout Jalisco, Mexico. I hope Bici Bucieras can resume their tours soon to continue supporting authentic food culture and locally owned businesses in the area. As my sister who lived full time in Puerto Vallarta for 10 years says, Mexicans are resilient and good at recovering from challenges.
I knew my 16-day trip to Egypt with 3 midlife friends would be a fun, budget-friendly adventure, but it also became a test of stamina and strength for me.
We had no tour big bus providing a comfy, air-conditioned bubble. Rather, our ambitious travel schedule took us through half the country, hauling our backpacks up modest hotel staircases and navigating every natural and human-made obstacle in our path. Although we had quiet evenings, including a few days by a rooftop pool, by day our bodies were moving in lots of ways.
Our first of many tomb and temple visits, the burial chamber of Bannentiu, 26th dynasty (Roman Era) in the Baharia Oasis.
Bodies in Motion
In the desert near the Baharia Oasis we climbed up (then surfed down) sand dunes. In downtown Cairo, the honking cars, uneven pavement, and throngs of moving people in the street demanded constant physical manouvering. We toured ancient sites out in the hot sun, including Luxor’s Avenue of Sphinxes and Aswan’s Forgotten Obelisk. We also used steep ramps and narrow tunnels inside multiple tombs and pyramids, crouching under low ceilings carved over three and four thousand years ago!
Folks climbing a ramp in one of the Giza Pyramids, built for Pharoah Khufu in the 2500s BCE. Kim said the ramps were put in after her visit 16 years ago: before it was just dirt.
As well, we hiked three silent, stunning canyons in the South Sinai region that shimmered white, red, and multi-coloured in the sunshine. The next day, after a caravan of camels and their handlers got us most of the way up Mt Sinai, we used 750 steep steps to get up to its peak.
Riding Asfour (the Second), a 7-year old camel up the first 3000 steps of My Sinai was a highlight. And although Asfour did most of the work, my legs were still sore the next day!
Later, it was a relief to float face down in the salty water of the Red Sea over the most beautiful coral and schools of fish I have seen. We snorkelled twice: off the beach in Sharm El Sheik and off a glass-bottom boat in Hurghada. But even in and near the water, I had to be thinking about dehydration and sunburn.
Kimi and me snorkelling just off the beach in the Red Sea. Video by Lisa Porter.
Getting hurt could mean getting stuck. I nearly did a few times, once when I mildly rolled an ankle in the Coloured Canyon and when I jammed a finger on a tomb doorway at the Saqqara necropolis. But it felt good to keep moving. At least twice we saw a tourist who seemed unprepared or was having great difficulty getting through the tomb shafts.
Kim and Lisa going down the low-lit ramps in what I think was the Step Pyramid, built for Pharoah Djoser in the 2600s BCE. Video by Kimi Maruoka.
We covered thousands of steps per day, even on our 2- to 7-hour travel days. At the last minute I decided to leave my fitness tracker at home, and I’m glad I did. It helped me to make sense of how I was feeling in my body rather than by stats on a screen.
Rope repelling, then a rebar ladder, just to get down into the White Canyon. Our guide admitted he used this to judge hikers’ readiness for this canyon.
Caring Co-Travellers
And my body did feel many things, as I was under the weather for a good part of the trip: first menstrual cramps, a head cold that turned to cough, then mild heatstroke after the first time snorkeling, and finally a stomach bug. On my worst night, I laid awake shaking with chills, sipping tepid tablet-purified water, and waiting for dawn (or death, I had thought self-piteously).
A short video of Cairo’s downtown streets at night. Our group kept close watch on each other to avoid getting lost or run over.
But I survived. As a white, English-speaking tourist with a credit card and travel insurance on a holiday, I was never really in serious danger. I saw many Egyptians who may have been facing economic hardships and health risks I will never have to deal with as a middle-class Canadian.
Nevertheless, I am so grateful for my three travel buddies, who showed each other constant care throughout our journey. We divided snacks, each bought rounds of water, shared everything from tissues to electrolytes, and carried the mood for each other until someone sick (usually me) recovered.
A cat next to my day pack and water bottle. I stayed hydrated with old and new friends!
Kim, who had planned the travel and booked the local guides and drivers, happily made last-minute arrangements to help me join later when an early morning tour of Isis Temple in Aswan wasn’t possible for me. This caring company was the heart of my trip.
Me in a feeling-better moment, making silly Instagram poses with the backdrop of the Red Canyon behind me. Photos by Kimi Maruoka.
Proof of Life
I believe that our greater exertions paid off in greater fun. In exchange for living out of packs and in our sore, dust-covered bodies, we got to see and sleep in neat places, including under the desert stars, where we felt extremely lucky to be there, together and alive.
Our remarkable view of the white desert at night. This photo was not taken with a black/white filter.
There’s a certain idea of midlife that says to slow down, be careful, rest more. This trip refused that. It demanded and invited all kinds of motion, reminding me how much the body can still do when it must. It turns out that I was strong enough for Egypt.
Lisa and Elan racing (falling?) down a sand dune in the White Desert. Photo by either Kim or Kimi.
And by the end of the trip, I used nearly every pill I’d packed and every muscle I had. But getting over everything became part of my adventure story. I came home with a mildly sprained finger, hardwon but still overpriced souvenirs, and a feeling that my flawed and frustrating body could still bring me much, much joy.
Our fearless foursome trekking in the desert. To borrow a phrase from Kimi and her sisters: “We did it!!”
I definitely snuck down to our car last Saturday morning to get some dumbbells. The oak stairs at the bed and breakfast creaked with each step.
Out of consideration for the guests below us, Michel and I modified our workout to be low impact.
Plain 5 lb dumbbells sit in front of a blue antique glass beauty set that includes a perfume sprayer. Boxes of Chanel No. 5 sit in the background.
We washed up then took our bags and weights to the car. Other guests, decked out in cycling gear were enjoying the 7 course breakfast. We went for a walk until our seating time.
It was worth the wait.
Breakfast of oatmeal, fruit, smoothie, coffee, juice all served in crystal drinks ware and blue and white chins. There were croissants and soufflé too!
As our trip through New Brunswick continued we worked out in the kitchen of our next stay.
This open kitchen meant we easily fit two sweaty humans in there.
The best spot, bar none, has been the two workouts on the deck of my parents’ house. They overlook the St Croix River that forms the US border with Maine.
5 lb dumbbells sit on the deck railing. Beyond is the lush riverbank.
Was is a bit quirky to pack our dumbbells into the car?
Yes.
Was it awkward?
Sometimes.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
We had committed to doing a 4 week strength program. I wanted to figure out how to make it work on our vacation.
It felt good to keep the consistency. It was fun to figure out when & where. Our families were very supportive.
I’ll definitely keep fitness as part of my vacation planning in future.
It’s so good that summer is three whole months long. And it’s also so sad that summer is only three months long. There’s so much we all want to do, including enjoying the fruits (in the benefit way as well as the watermelon way) of the season.
I spent some of my early summer traveling for family events and conferences, and July was more local, less organized, but pretty social.
August is looking active. In a good way. Here’s what’s on my agenda:
Continuing the physical therapy I started a week or so ago for hip and glute sciatica. It’s coming along. I like the place where I get PT (except for when Doug selects the playlist), and the therapists are friendly and know what they’re doing. I trust them and am doing my exercises faithfully.
More swimming. I went to Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester with friends Nina and Norah, and we are planning another jaunt in late August (and maybe I’ll squeeze in a trip in September). I’m also joining my friend Gal again at her apartment complex pool– yes, I was invited (although I’m not above self-inviting in this case). I must confess I haven’t been to Walden this summer. This situation will be rectified in August.
A group kayak jaunt in Hingham with friends. We did this a couple of years ago and had a fabulous time. It’s flat salt water with several places to explore and also to beach the boats for lunch or a quick dip.
A possible beginner sailing outing with the MIT sailing club. This is tentative pending an ok by the physical therapist. The MIT Club of Boston is sponsoring a sailing afternoon for people of all levels. I’m at the lowest level, which means I’d go out with an experienced person, learning a bit about sailing. Will report back if it works out– fingers crossed.
Canadian vacation! I’m in Ontario for a week in August, hanging out at my friend Norah’s cottage in Goderich (with more swimming in Lake Huron), and visiting Sam and Sarah in Guelph (with more quarry swimming if schedules and weather cooperate).
There may be other activities, but this looks pretty good to me. Readers, what are your plans for the most sweet and ripe month of the summer?
Welcome, dear readers, to high summer! It’s July 13, and all the produce is out-producing itself, offering us loads of opportunities for new and perennial favorite taste experiences.
Yes, I know this is not a cooking or gardening or farmers’ market blog. But here’s the deal: I am saddled with a flare-up of sciatica (likely brought on by too much air travel and car travel, but wha’cha gonna do…). This means it’ll be a couple of weeks before I’m okay to resume summer outdoor activity. For now, I’m enrolled in physical therapy, which is good for me if not good for the season. Sigh.
But, in keeping with the brightness and warmth and availability of copious amounts of beautiful fruits, I’m, literally making lemonade out of lemons. And other cold yummy summer beverages. Here following, several recipes and beverage projects I’m engaging in these days.
First, I always make sure to have plenty of freshly-brewed iced tea on hand. This means heating water in a kettle until boiling and pouring it into a container (I use a marge metal bowl), and then dipping tea bags into it to infuse them. I leave them for 5–7 minutes, then remove them. Once the tea has cooled, I transfer it into a pitcher for the fridge. It never lasts more than a day or two, so it always tastes very fresh and looks clear.
I use Earl Grey tea, but you can use anything you like, caffeinated or non, black, green, herbal, whatever.
Just. don’t. use. instant. Ever.
Potential variations: you can add sugar to the bowl before the boiling water, or honey (as I prefer). Amounts vary according to taste. You might also add a handful of fresh mint leaves if you like, taking them out with a strainer within 15–20 minutes. You can also leave the tea unsweetened, and make simple syrup for people to add to their glasses to taste.
Earl grey iced tea in vintage glasses with cute paper straws. I don’t use straws and any glass will do for me.
Basic simple syrup recipe: combine one cup sugar (any kind) with one cup water in a small saucepan. Heat up the pan and stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Take it off the heat before it boils. Then let it sit and cool. Put it in a container with a lid in the fridge. It will last several weeks.
Variations on simple syrup recipe: you can add so many things to simple syrup, like mint leaves, lemons, lime, basil, other herbs, you name it. Make sure to strain them out before storing in the fridge. Feel free to go wild. Here’s a link to some interesting syrups you can try. One I love is this tea-infused one, which I add to beverages other than tea…
Second, it’s great to have fresh-squeezed lemonade around as well, as it can form the base of fun fruity concoctions. There are loads of recipes online, but here’s what I do:
make simple syrup with 1-1 water and sugar
squeeze maybe 6–8 lemons, enough to have at least one cup of fresh lemon juice
mix together one cup of lemon juice, one cup of cold water, and 1/2 cup simple syrup.
Then add water to the mixture until you like the taste
serve in glasses with plenty of ice, mint leaf or raspberry or lemon wheel or something else festive
tip: maybe leave the mixture a little strong, as serving with ice waters it down a bit
Variations on lemonade: you can use mint simple syrup to make minty lemonade, or add pureed strawberries to make strawberry lemonade.
Fresh lemonade in vintage glassFresh limeade in old-fashioned glass.strawberry lemonade in lowball glass.
Or, you can use my list, substituting limes for lemons, for fresh limeade. It’s more work, as it takes more limes, but it tastes dee-licious.
Another pro tip: get ahold of a very good lemon/lime juicer for the job. Flimsy ones will just irritate you and make you give up and blame me. Here are ones I recommend:
This is what I use– buy a sturdy one!Wirecutter likes this one. Meh, but YMMV.For those looking to get an extra workout while juicing.
I don’t have a view on electric juicers. Readers, anyone have expert knowledge on this?
Third, you can combine the beauty of fresh ice tea with the tart sweetness of lemonade to make a drink called The Arnold Palmer. Yes, it’s named after this guy. He was a very great golfer. And, in the 1960s, according to this wikipedia article, he ordered a drink at lunch in Palm Springs made with 3/4 unsweetened ice tea and 1/4 lemonade. As the story goes, a woman copied his ordering the drink one day at lunch saying, “I’ll have that Arnold Palmer drink, too.” And so a drink was born.
These days, the drink is very commonly served in the summer at resorts and warm-weather locales. A variation of it with half iced tea and half lemonade is more popular, but you can be your own judge.
The Arnold Palmer, half and half version, with striped paper straw and lemon slice optional.
Fourth, and general variation on any of these beverages: you can add some razzmatazz by pouring a float of seltzer (or prosecco, or ginger ale, or whatever alcoholic or non-alcoholic bubbly you like). In fact, a version of this drink has its own name: the Raspberry/Lime Rickey. Just make whatever simple syrup you want, add lemon or lime juice or ade, and then froth it up with whatever bubbly you want. I love them- they say old-fashioned New England summer to me.
Fifth and finally, there’s the wonder of the homemade agua fresca, a Mexican beverage that you can make wherever you are. If you haven’t heard of this or tried it, you’ll soon very very glad you read on. Here’s some information from this article in the Mexico News Daily, and some pictures they shared of the wide variety of aguas frescas available:
Refreshing and flavorful, aguas frescas are a treasured part of Mexico’s gastronomic heritage. Sold widely by vendors, shops and restaurants, the non-alcoholic drinks are instantly recognizable.
People have been flavoring water with fruit and flowers in Mexico since ancient times…Many of the popular aguas frescas found in Mexico today — notably, jamaica and horchata — were made possible by the trade network the Spanish established during the colonial era. However, [many] aguas frescas developed regionally [with] grains and legumes like barley and alfalfa to nuts and seeds like almonds and chia and flowers and spices like hibiscus and cinnamon. Fruits were even more frequently used, of course, thanks to a natural bounty that included introduced plants like grapefruit, mango, melon, orange, papaya, passionfruit, peach and local ones including sapote, soursop, guava, tejocote and xoconostle.
from article: you can find aguas frescas in markets and street stands across Mexico. (Margarito Pérez Retana/Cuartoscuro)
My introduction to agua fresca came at La Tacqueria in the Mission District of San Francisco. You must go there if you are ever in San Francisco. The cantaloupe version is still my favorite. But I’ve made several kinds at home since then.
Unlike say, lemonade or limeade. agua frescas are made by pureeing actual fruits or vegetables (or combinations), then adding simple syrup and either lemon or lime juice. You put the whole mixture through a fine sieve (or cheesecloth, depending on your temperament– I go with the sieve), add water to taste, and there you have it– a pure, refreshing elixir of summer produce, made just for you.
A variety of agua frescas– cantaloupe, waterlmon, honeydew, and mango. But you can use all kinds of produce, as well as mix and match.
You’ll need a blender (or vitamix or food processor of something that will seriously puree your ingredients). Here’s a good recipe and guide to aguas frescas. But all comes down to this:
find some fruit or veg you want to make a beverage with (I’m trying cucumber mint next week)
peel, seed and slice it
puree it in your pureeing contraption with some water (1–2 cups?)
add some lime or lemon juice (a few tablespoons?) and puree again
adjust as needed, adding simple syrup if you want more sweetness or a different flavor
pour into container to chill for an hour in fridge
use in two days (but that really won’t be a problem)
Aguas frescas are their own world, and you can read more about them here to start if you’re interested.
Pro tip: if you have leftover sliced fruit that is maybe not as sweet or soft as you would like, puree it with some water and lime or lemon juice, and voila! instant agua fresca. Throw in whatever you want. The difference between smoothie and agua fresca is one of degree, so you are the boss of your ingredients and consistency.
Last comment: I hear from Samantha and Sarah that the muskmelons will be in season when I visit Ontario in August, so we will make muskmelon aguas frescas! Yum. Will report back.
Dear readers, what summer fruit beverages do you love and/or do you make? I’d love to hear any tips or recipes you might have to share.
Last weekend, I enjoyed some quality time swimming with and marveling at manatees in Florida. I gushed about it in not one, but two blog posts, here and here. Seeing these strange, sweet and enormous creatures underwater reminded me of how much I love aquatic environments.
Almost ten years ago, I had the most magical experience underwater, scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Exploring that quiet blue world and all its inhabitants, meeting up with sea turtles, fishes of every color, and even giant clams a meter in length gave me a deep sense of appreciation and wonder for our world.
Now, in 2025, I am in sore need of some wonder and appreciation for our world. You can relate, I’m sure.
So, I’m thinking about returning to scuba diving. I’ll need to get myself PADI certified; my last scuba course was 9 years ago and I didn’t end up finishing my open-water dives due to bad weather in Puerto Rico.
Scuba certification, for those who don’t know about this, requires three steps:
classroom or online course
pool skills course
open-water certification dives
The first two I can do here in the Boston area. The open-water part can be done off the New England coast as well, but I really want to go to a warm blue ocean environment for my open-water certification dives. I’m thinking about the Florida Keys or somewhere in the Caribbean.
So, now I get to do one of my other favorite activities: adventure travel planning! I’ll keep you posted.
I’m pretty sure I was a travel agent in a previous life.
Dear readers, if you have suggestions about lovely places to dive for a beginner, please do let me know. I’d welcome any comments about your experiences.
Hi readers– last Sunday I offered up some tidbits from my recent (I just got back home Monday at 5pm) trip to Florida to swim with and benignly interact with manatees. You can read it here if you missed it.
But, if you want more details, I am also here for you. Herewith my manatee trip narrative…
Origin story of trip: Honestly, I don’t recall either when I first found out that swimming with manatees was a thing or when I became set on this goal. But friends have told me I’ve been talking about this idea for a decade, so I’ll just go with that. I recently got refocused while listening to the podcast Field Trip last summer. I was so charmed and transported by the episode on Everglades National Park that I vowed to one and all (including you, dear readers, here) to make a pilgrimage to natural Florida in the winter of 2025.
At the time, I thought I might combine kayaking in the Everglades with swimming with manatees near Homosassa State Park. However, as time drew nearer, a shorter trip seemed more doable. So, on Travel Tuesday or Cyber Monday (I forget which), I booked myself a cheap airline ticket from Boston to Tampa. I was committed!
Trip planning: I love love love vacation planning. Poring over hotels, rental houses, novelty accommodations (e.g. treehouses,boats,shipping containers) is so interesting, both to see the various ways people like to work and play, and also to get in touch with my own preferences. For this trip, though, since I was moving around, I went with hotel accommodations (all with pools, of course).
I highly recommend the Hollander Hotel in St. Petersburg. Its prices were reasonable, its pool was lovely, its restaurant/bar had a variety of yummy food and its decoration was amusing and eclectic and friendly. Here’s the pool area.
Gorgeous refreshing pool just before I went in.Pool bar area with very nice bartender (not shown).Very Florida-y mural of sun and oranges and starfish, etc.
For our on-site manatee headquarters in Crystal River, I picked a local motel (advertised as resort, but don’t be fooled) close to our manatee trip meeting spot. It did the job, despite a sort of grim interior and moldy smell coming from the AC. No matter, we weren’t there to lollygag in the room.
I picked the tour operator– Nature’s Discovery tours— through Trip Advisor. They got great reviews. And I am adding mine to it. Our guide Brian and boat captain Jake were great. More on that in a bit.
A friend from college who lives and works in central Florida recommended the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, where we saw manatees who live there and some who are recuperating from injuries. They also have viewing areas for lots of other wildlife who were rescued after being injured or illegally taken from their habitats. It’s totally worth a stop for a half-day outing.
Side note: The Tampa-St. Pete area is pretty interesting on several fronts. There’s lots of excellent art to see in museums and galleries, good restaurants for a variety of cuisines, lovely Gulf beaches with old-timey motels and seafood shacks, and loads of natural areas for viewing flora and fauna. It’s also not hard to get out into the countryside for rail trail cycling, swimming in clear springs, kayaking, etc. It’s not all Disney all the time there.
The manatee swim: we opted for a 7am activity in the hopes that the manatee gathering spots wouldn’t be too crowded with boats and other swimmers. It turned out to be a good idea, even though there were a lot of other boats like ours and wetsuited hopeful manatee fans like us. The morning was beautiful, though.
The sun rising over Crystal River at King’s Bay.
We had been kitted out with 3-mil wetsuits and snorkeling masks. Once our guide Brian and captain Jake agreed that they spotted a manatee snout breaking the water, we headed in that direction. Then it only remained to get in the water and find that manatee.
Turns out this process is different than I expected. The water in the bay is green and murky, and the manatees like snuffling around on the bottom of the shallows, looking for yummy grasses to eat. So you have to get really close in order to see anything, even an 800-pound manatee. I mean really close. Like 8 inches/20 cm close. For illustration purposes, here are two pictures of swimmers with manatees: the one on the left is from advertising, and the one on the right is from my actual swim (taken with gopro by Brian out guide):
In this advert for a tour, everyone s crystal clear.Here’s one of my swim tour folks in the water with a manatee.
So what’s going on here? The answer is this: when the Gulf water is really cold and the river is cold-ish, manatees go to the clear springs, which are 72 degrees year-round. But the best food isn’t there, so they prefer the murky river shallows for grazing if the temperatures allow. And whither they goest, so goeth our group.
I can’t tell you how wild it is to be floating in the water, head down, and all of a sudden see what looks like an algae-covered submarine cruise just 6 inches beneath you. This actually happened, along with swimming in the slipstream of a manatee’s tail, and hanging out with one, snout down, while it was churning up sand to look for breakfast grasses. These pictures are all murky, but I hope convey how close we were and how awe-inspiring and strange the manatees were.
A shot of a manatee and front flipper from 1.5 feet away. This is how big they look close up.A great view of manatee about to take a breath.
We also headed to the Three Sisters Spring, hoping to find some not-very-hungry manatees just hanging out. And we did find one– a handsome brown and white speckled guy, along with about 15 other wetsuited folks floating and gawking. Sadly, our guide’s Gopro camera broke as soon as we got in the clear blue spring water. We could see the manatee clear as a bell, which was incredible.
But we only stayed a few minutes, because the boat tour folks limit their time in the spring. All of them work together to make sure everyone can get a glimpse at the manatees who are out and about. I really liked this about Crystal River– the tours seemed to all be run by locals who knew each other and helped each other get the best tours for their customers.
The whole tour lasted about 2.5 hours, which was plenty. We saw a total of three manatees, which isn’t a lot, but was very satisfying. If you want to see a lot more of them in one place, the locals told us that December and January are the best times, as the water in the Gulf is colder, so more manatees are inland.
Here are some photos of Three Sisters Springs (which has a boardwalk for viewing) on January 17, where you see a manatees parking lot in the spring, along with snorkelers outside the protected zone, enjoying the view.
A close-up view of manatees and the snorkelers who love them.A drone view of Three Sisters Springs on Jan 17, 2025 when the weather was colder.
Mid-February is usually a fine time to see them, but there was a warm spell, so the manatees took off for the Gulf. However, we were happy to see the manatees we saw. By March, though, most of them have returned to the ocean. So, if you want to plan a trip with an almost-guarantee of seeing them, go early in the winter.
I am definitely going back, and will go in January. Because if three manatees are good, thirty are better, and three hundred– I don’t know if I’ll be able to contain my delight…
