Back from a nice trip to the beach – St. Simons Island to be exact. If you’ll remember from my last post, my back was giving me some trouble, so it was a good thing to have a week long forced layoff from mixing mortar and laying brick. Rest, Tylenol and Bloody Marys did the trick but it was disconcerting how long it actually took until my back wasn’t giving any sharp twinges.
We stayed at a condo complex right in the Village, so had lots of time to browse the shops. One of my very favorite shops is a hardware store – I think the name is Strothers. We browsed the aisles and found several brick laying tools, among which is my souvenir from the trip – a mortar hoe!
Souvenir Hoe from the Island
As you can see from the picture, a mortar hoe is different from a regular garden hoe in that it has two holes in the blade. These help mix the mortar efficiently and more easily than a solid blade hoe. This blade also has a slick coating on it that doesn’t let the mortar stick to it. That coating may come off with continued use but by that time I won’t be using it any more. I justified the $23 for this hoe by the pain in my back. If it will make the job easier, it will be worth every penny!
Also thought I’d share a picture of Vaughn relaxing on the condo porch and one of his pelican buddy on the pier with our condo in the background. We had some fabulous food, took some leisurely bike rides, I did some knitting, and we both read and enjoyed the aforementioned Bloody Marys.
Vaughn in relaxation mode
If you want a super Bloody Mary recipe, first make your own flavored vodka by soaking a couple of split jalapenos, a habanero, and a poblano pepper in a jar with a fifth of vodka overnight. Strain the peppers and seeds out, replace the vodka in it’s original bottle and keep the vodka in the fridge. When you’re ready to make the BM, mix a jigger of the vodka with an 8th teaspoon of horseradish. Add tomato juice and maybe a half jigger of water (to dilute thick tomato juice) to a tall glass of ice. Finish off with a grind of black pepper and enjoy! This is a Guy Fierie recipe from the Food Network so I can’t take credit – I can only pass along a very good thing.
Moocher the Pelican on the St. Simon
