LOVE storms!

I think one of the greatest things about living up high, is watching the amazing storms roll in from the South and West. Some of last week's storms...oh, I miss the rain. :( C'mon Fall!

Cherry fig jam.

From figs we picked on the farm!

East Texas...finale.

While in Edom, TX, we perused many of the shops on the "strip" (read, 50 ft., at most! ha). There were cute little antique, jewelry, pottery, and craft shops. Including one of all birdhouses and hummingbird feeders, which are entirely made by hand! The bases of these awesomely fantasy-like birdhouses are either made from hollowed out tree trunks or gourds! Quite amazing work. Arbor Castle Birdhouses - check 'em out!

And then on the way home, THIS happened. :( We were all alright, just a bit startled to be sitting at a red light chatting away, and then BAM! All's good though, truck going into the shop this Thurs. morn. :) The other guy got a lot more damage than I...good ole' trailer hitch. :)

East Texas...c'td.

Shawn had heard about this lil' cafe in Edom, TX, called 'The Shed'...so we set the navigation, and on the road we were again. Edom is about 40 miles from Terrell, just after you pass thru Canton, TX (good idea to set up an East TX trip when it's Canton's First Monday Trade Days - kill several birds w/ one stone!)

There were so many great treasures to be found in Edom, as well as Ben Wheeler, TX, which is 8 miles before you reach Edom...pull over in these tiny towns, there are treasures to be had! More about those in the next post. :)

(l-r): Ben and the menu - sign behind him says 'whole pies $13.99'...and lemme' tell ya', they got pies! The list there has about 20 diff kinds of pies, and cobblers, and brownies, etc. I had the buttermilk pie and it was really good. Kanita poses w/ our lovely waitress.

East Texas...you should try it sometime!

Back at Akin Farm Organics, pickin' purple hull peas (l-r): Ben and Avi out in the field, a bee takes flight from a pea blossom, Shawn pickin' peas, Ben displaying our 5 gallon bucket bounty, and one of the cats on the farm caught a mouse, and the rest began to stalk him. :)
Then we were off to Ham's Peach Orchard to check out the harvest, lovely canned goodies, and their famous peach ice cream! (l-r): Shawn and Avi goin' in, Kanita, Shawn, myself, and Avi partaking of the peach ice cream...it was so good! :)

I miss Postino's in PHX, AZ. :(

Just me trying to mimick a few of my FAVE bruschetta's from Postino's in Phoenix, AZ this past week. If you ever visit, you MUST go here...so yum.

Warmed artichoke and pesto, and roasted red peppers on goat cheese...mmm.

It's time to can salsa...

Tomatoes are at their best pick, and my neighbor brought in the CUTEST pear tomatoes today! Gonna' go nicely with onions from the farm...more on that later. :)