Sh.. Sh.. Sh.. Sh.. SHAAARK WEEK!

SHARK WEEK

Just a little Shark Romance for Shark Week

(The shark wine bottles with some roses that Gordon gave me.) 🙂

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The DiverWhann SSSShaaaark!!!

(Cocktail, that I Julie, created for Gordon.)

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Also……

Blackened Salmon and Fish Burgers

(Recipe Down Below)

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Just getting into the Nautical mood for Shark Week…..

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We LOVE SHARK WEEK!!!

Every year we get excited when Shark Week rolls around.

Discovery Channel used to put on a fairly decent show but they have since run out of ideas and brought in the celebrities. Cause that’s what you do when you run out of ideas. Perhaps there are no more interesting things to do where Shark Week is concerned but we still like it. In a way we just come up with our own ideas and do our own thing. And that is what we’ve done here.

When I met Gordon and we started dating I learned that he was a SCUBA Diver. He had taken lessons as a young teen. His dream was to become a SCUBA Diving Instructor. Well, we got married, he then entered the NAVY as a NAVY Diver…..

Gordon as a NAVY Diver

We then moved to Hawaii…..

(Here we are at night on Waikiki Beach)

We Have Always Loved the Ocean Life

Me, with My Ferret, Romeo, in Jensen Beach, Florida

BEACH LIFE is the BEST LIFE

Gordon Recreational Diving in Hawaii

And Gordon Goofing Off…. 🙂

While we were living in Hawaii he left the Navy Diving and started Professional Diving and became a PADI Dive Master, while still continuing with his NAVY career.

Although he hasn’t been diving in a few years we got out the equipment for SHARK WEEK.

It was such a humid day when I took this photo that I had to keep wiping the lens off, it kept fogging up.

But I like the end result.

I am not a SCUBA Diver but I have always been a Snorkler. When you snorkel you can dive down to deeper depths with your snorkeling equipment, you just need to blow the water out of the snorkel as you surface.

I also tend to stay in more shallow waters looking for seashells.

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We always try to come up with some sort of drink or cocktail for everything that we do and Gordon found these Diver Down beer and we decided to add it to our Shark Week Diving Table.

Interestingly Enough Gordon was Always Know as DIVERWHANN. 🙂

The Beer Stein’s are our old ones from the 1980’s. They are so short compared to the ones that you see now. And the glass balls and floats are actually what we have found along the beach and kept all these years.

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The Shark’s Jaws I purchased back in the 1980’s on our Honeymoon to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

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JAWS

It wouldn’t be Shark Week without the JAWS movie franchise now would it?

My children tell me that I am the only one left who watches DVD’s anymore. 🙂

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JAWS (1975)

JAWS Magnet Veronica Gave Me

(There used to be a JAWS attraction at Universal Studios. But sadly, no more.)

Oh, and the fish bone above, I found on the beach years ago and turned into a magnet. I thought it was pretty.

When JAWS first came out at the movie theater we were living in Roanoke, Virginia and I believe I was 14 years old. I went to see the movie with a youth group that I belonged to. We had to wait in line to pay for our tickets. The theater was packed! There were NO empty seats!

I do remember being terrified! AND thanks to Steven Spielberg I no longer go out very far in the ocean. But if movie’s make an impact on our lives, this one certainly did mine!

JAWS is probably my most favorite Shark movie of all time.

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THE MOVIE POSTER

It was after watching this movie that I became a bit enamored by sharks and started doing some research on them. I learned that most shark attacks happen in less than 3 feet of water. A few years ago I was in the water out in Indian Shores, Florida in less than 3 feet of water when 2 boys were running down the beach screaming that a shark is coming towards me. Sure enough one was! He was about 5 feet long and headed straight for me! I didn’t exit the water but I did move further inland thinking that he would then swim on by. HE DIDN’T!! He adjusted his course toward ME!!! I THEN got out of the water!

A big thank you to those 2 boys for alerting me! I may not have died that day, but I may have been bitten and ended up in the Emergency Room!

Julie

P.S. Don’t look for some shark to come at you from the ocean toward the shore. The shark will come at you along the current. The current will flow from right to left, not front to back. The shark will most likely get you on your side, not your front or your back.

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JAWS 2 (1978)

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THE MOVIE POSTER

I do remember that when JAWS 2 came out that everyone panned the movie. Not many liked it. They saw it as some lame version. I however, did like it! It was, after all, a continuation of the first one and I liked that. The same main characters, and an introduction of some new characters. I’m not one of these people that get off from one explosion to the next. To me explosions are pretty boring. I prefer a nice plot, a theme, a continuation. And that is what this movie did for me.

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Roy Scheider as Martin Brody, Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody, I also really like Ann Dusenberry as Tina. You know, the beauty queen, the shark scream queen….. Don’t we all love the “Scream Queens?”

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THE MOVIE POSTER

JAWS 3-D (1983)

Filmed in Florida at Sea World.

I loved this movie for that reason. It was not as popular as the other movies but I liked it none the less. I am a water skier so the water skiing scenes do kind of freak me out. I do like the whole “theme park” idea.

This movie starred Dennis Quaid and Bess Armstrong as a married couple. Dennis Quaid’s character is the older brother from JAWS 1, and JAWS 2, he plays Mike Brody. John Putch plays the younger brother Sean Brody who comes down for a visit to Florida to see his brother and sister-in-law. Of course he meets up with the lovely Kelly Ann Bukowski, played by Lea Thompson.

Most people don’t like this movie but I do, that’s all that matters. 🙂

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Just a bit of after the dive wine…….

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Deep Tea Diving

The brass diver’s helmet I believe I bought on our honeymoon in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina for Gordon. The sponge I purchased from Tarpon Springs, Florida that was brought up from that area and sold as a souvenir. And the diving tea guy, I don’t remember where I found him but he is a cutie!

The Shallow’s, Starring Blake Lively

I really do like this movie. Blake Lively is a good actress and I like her character here. She plays a young woman who has had medical school training, who came down to Mexico from Texas to find her deceased mother’s favorite beach. She has photographs of her mother surfing on that beach. Apparently her mother discovered that private beach while she was pregnant with her.

I like that nostalgia part of her character that wants to surf in her mother’s footsteps. She is strong, honest, independent, smart, intellectual, caring, athletic, everything that I admire in a woman.

(Oh, and I forgot to mention, gorgeous!)

Blake Lively is also stranded on the rock with an injured seagull. Because of her medical training she helps the seagull and even puts the seagull adrift on a piece of broken surfboard because the tide is rising and the bird can’t fly. Even though she is hurting, she still cares about the seagull. My kind of person! And the seagull does make it to shore. 🙂

My motto is that it doesn’t matter who is the biggest or the strongest, it’s all about the smartest. And this movie exemplifies that logic. I also see the ending as realistic. In the end you see her surfing with her sister, while their father watches over them. The camera also focuses in on the big scar on her leg from where she was attacked by that shark in Mexico. It would have been unrealistic for her to go back to that beach because there are just too many sad memories that outweighed the good memories. Which is very sad to me. Her mother’s special beach was no longer special because she almost died there.

But I do admire her strength and her survival skills and her endurance.

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The DIVERWHANN Cocktail

(Sadly, we should probably call it the Shark’s Turd as that is all you see floating around in it.) 🙂

DIVERWHANN SSShaaaark!!!

If you ever need anything ocean related you will always find it at the Asian Supermarkets.

The Seaweed and the Octopus, perfect!

I was thinking that our vintage cocktail shaker kinda resembled a SCUBA tank here.

The Nautical things we have collected over the years.

The fish nets, star fish, drift wood, glass floats…..

The DiverWhann Ssshaaaark!!!

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DIVERWHANN Drink Ingredients

This was very easy to make. Although not pictured here I used 3 shots of Jim Beam Honey Whiskey, 3 shots of Blood Orange Margarita Mix, 2 shots of Mango Gourmet Nectar from Fruits of the Nile, and about a Tablespoon of Grenadine. I filled the glass with some dried cranberries in order to Chum Up the Cocktail…..

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Blackened Salmon, Blackened Fish Burgers

Blackened fish is a fast and easy way to prepare fish. It only takes a few ingredients and a cast iron skillet, and you too can prepare this great meal for your friends and family. Here we used Cobia and Sockeye Salmon.

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Click Here For: Our Southern Shark Week Table

Just a few great recipes that you can make for Shark Week as well.

AND,

Click Here For: Shark Week Feeding Frenzy

Just another one of our Shark Week Blogs.

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In our Backyard

The Blackened Fish on a bed of Grilled Asparagus

Gordon doing the grillin’ while I do the chillin’.

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Prepare your cast iron skillets by placing them directly on the grill and turn every burner on underneath them to get screaming hot! Do not place any oil in them at all as we are NOT frying the fish.

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You first start off with your seasonings. Here I used a few common brands such as old bay and Paul Prudhomme’s seasoning mix. I also used another brand that tasted good and wasn’t too salty. You will find the main ingredients are Paprika, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, so feel free to make your own mix!

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Here I simply mixed the spices in a bowl and set aside for later.

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Meanwhile, melt about ¾ cup of butter in a small sauté pan. Let it slightly cool then dip your fish fillets into the butter coating them well.

With the non-skin side up, sprinkle your seasoning mix over one side of your fish. You always want to cook the pretty side first for presentation.

Now, remove the seasoned fish from the melted butter, and place them seasoned side down in your very hot skillets. Season the other side of the fish and flip them after 2 to 2 ½ min. time.

You should see them cooked as shown…

Great picture Julie! These are nicely blackened, but not to the point of being burnt.

We placed them on a bed of grilled asparagus seasoned with Lemon Pepper and Olive Oil. How did I keep them from falling through the grill you ask? I used a wire cookie drying rack. The flames were able to cook the asparagus without me losing one through the grill grate.

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Sockeye Salmon is also a very nice fish to blacken.

Why pay the high cost of eating at a restaurant when you can cook it yourself!

Here I use the same technique using Sockeye Salmon.

Coat the fish with the melted butter on both sides and season the flesh side first as this is the side you will present or will face up on your plate.

Place the Salmon in your super-heated cast iron skillets and let them cook for ~2-3 min. Lift up the fish to check the color making sure it is black, but not burnt.

Here again, Julie took some more amazing pictures of the fish and what they should look like. Cook them skin side down for another 2-3 min. and you are done!

These were placed on a fish platter with some grilled vegetables.

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This cast iron skillet has grooves in it which when cooking anything will transfer the markings. It gives you the grilled look without having a grill. This is great for cooking food in your kitchen in the winter time as well on the stove top.

You can see the buns we used to make nice fish burgers with Dill from our garden and some tartar sauce, and some red cabbage.

Julie used some of our orchids to decorate the plate!

Enjoy!

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Cape Hatteras Honeymoon

Gordon and Julie, Married 33 years this June 22, 2018.

We did Honeymoon in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

We even bought this print of the lighthouse while on our Honeymoon.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Julie’s Shark Week Cocktail

This was so easy and delicious to make! Each glass requires one shot of each.

1 Shot Jim Beam Honey Whiskey

1 Shot Blood Orange Margarita Mix

1 Shot Mango Nectar, Fruits of the Nile

1 Shot Grenadine

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Gordon’s Nautical Carved Wood Hannah’s

Gordon has been a collector of carved wood Hannah’s since before I met him. The Hannah family were originally from Canada but migrated down to Vermont. They are a famous wood carving family. They also spent their summer’s in Bradenton, Florida where they continued to carve. You can occasionally find some of their wood carving in thrift and antique stores here in Florida.

Gordon wrote to Duncan Hannah many years ago and actually struck up a long distance friendship with him. The Hannah’s, who would migrate down to Florida even inquired about renting my mother’s condo that I used to manage but it never worked out because we already had our regular winter renters. But we would have loved to have gotten together with them. Sadly, Duncan Hannah died a few years ago. His family is a dying breed of folk art craftsmen. There are a few of us that still appreciate the talent and the time that it takes to create something beautiful and long lasting.

Our Nautical Nook

We have beachy all through our house but these sections are reserved for Nautical. Yes, there is a difference between beachy and nautical. Nautical is more fisherman, fish nets, sea captain’s, first mates, ships, whaling, treasure chests, lighthouses, …….