Plans Shaping Up

Friday, 7 December
US MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT — PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA
TEMPS: LO 50F / HI 63F (10C / 17C)

With most of the other campers gone to the graduation ceremonies, we had the campground to ourselves this morning.  Passing showers kept us inside — a perfect time to continue fine tuning things in the coach.  Not that the Phaeton didn’t already feel like home, but seven days into our new lifestyle, we feel more “settled” now.

After lunch, we took advantage of the brightening skies to go for a drive that took us first to Hunting Island State Park and then to the Lowe’s in Beaufort.

It’s 25 miles (40 km) from Parris Island to Hunting Island State Park; it was worth the drive.

Sherry and David (from In the Direction of Our Dreams) have been staying at Hunting Island and I was inspired by the photos in their posts to check out the campground in the hopes that it could be home to us for the next little while.  We drove around the loops and found several spots to our liking.  Selecting a site that we hope will offer some privacy, we made our reservation; we will be moving there when we check out from here on Sunday.

This pond at the Hunting Island visitors center office is supposed to be home to a
mama gator; no sighting today!

Since we had errands to run, we didn’t dawdle for long at the park.  Programming the GPS, we headed into Beaufort so Mui could pick-up a few odds and ends for re-locating the power outlet in the bathroom.  Then, it was onto the commissary at Parris Island to stock up on groceries before returning to the campground.  Our half of the campground is now completely deserted except for us; I wonder if we’ll get some new neighbors tomorrow?

imagesFor dinner tonight, we tried something new.  We’re not vegans by any stretch of the imagination, but we’re always open to healthy eating ideas.  Back in late November, Karen (of RV Travels with Karen and Al) mentioned making spaghetti with meat sauce using a Lightlife soy product that imitates ground beef.  Mui picked up a package from Whole Foods before we got on the roadScreen Shot 2012-12-07 at 7.27.10 PM and tonight we gave it a shot.  Mixing it in some store bought spaghetti sauce, we used it as a topping for the Ancient Harvest Quinoa spaghetti we prefer over regular wheat pasta.  A very satisfying meal that we plan to repeat.

As you can tell, this was a pretty routine day.  The highlight was the eagle I saw flying over one of the marshes as we were leaving Hunting Island.  No photos, I’m afraid; you’ll just have to take my word for it.  Perhaps I’ll get lucky with a photo op when we’re camping out there.

13 comments:

  1. What department do you buy the Smart Ground? The pasta box says wheat free. What does that mean? N

    I follow Karen and Al also. She seems to have a lot of pretty good recipes.

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    1. The pasta is made with a grain called quinoa ... good for you. We were introduced to this popular grain when we went to Peru a few years ago. The growing of quinoa dates back to the time of the Incas ... it has made a resurgence in recent years.

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    2. Had to ask Mui which department he found the Lightlife products ... you'll find it in the refrigerated area ... in the store Mui visited, it was in the area where they had the cheeses.

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  2. Love quinoa and the pasta made from it. I'm so glad you liked Hunting Island. I'd love to know what site you chose . I'll be looking forward to your great pictures from there.

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  3. GRJ and I were just talking foodstuffs yesterday. He loves that pasta and will probably have interest in the faux ground meat. Thanks for the tip.
    He recommended two new things from Costco, the sun dried tomato pesto and the TruRoots sprouted bean trio (dried, near the big bags of quinoa)
    Ps. Trader joe's Shiraz ! Good and such a buy.

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  4. I'm glad to hear you like the Smart Ground. We have had very good luck with the LightLife Products. We find them at all our regular grocery stores (even here in the Florida Keys) and they are usually near the organic produce and sometimes by the hummus.

    We recently tried the fake bacon. Not great alone but great for a BST (bacon, spinach and tomato) sandwich.

    I will also be interested in hearing what site you got. When we went by that park, it was jam packed so we couldn't tell very well, and didn't think we'd fit into many of the sites.

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  5. Mui is a tinkerer, he must love to whip out his tools and take on another project. Maybe if full time life doesn't work out for you, he can put his talent to work building Tiffins better. ;c)

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  6. Thanks for passing on the LightLife product. We are visiting our son who is very strange about cooking meat. I read your blog to him. Maybe he'll try!! We love anything with quinoa. What an amazing grain! Roland products makes several quinoa seasoned mixes which are very low in sodium...a rare find. I know Whole Foods carry them.

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  7. I've used the Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta but prefer the Andean Dream brand. It's a blend of quinoa and rice as opposed to the corn that is in the Ancient Harvest. It tastes more like traditional pasta to me. Give it a try! Their cookies are yummy too.

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    1. Thanks for the tip ... have added Andean Dream to the list of food items to check out.

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  8. Just don't get too close to that pond. Sometimes the only part of the alligator you might see is a little nose sticking out of the water. And it might be worse if you don't see it. Is it then hiding in the bushes? Yikes!

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    1. No worries; there's a boardwalk that is above the ground.

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