Oh…No!

….It’s getting scary in paradise

Death and destruction…everywhere

The Machete is out…and being used

…New pictures soon…

very soon.

bwwahhahahah

Coconuts…..

I can’t get enough of them…

hanging and ripening in the trees…

The epitome of tropical.

inside…

And out…

But best in a sweet cupcake…..

Coconut cupcakes…a la Ina Garten

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut

What a heavenly fruit

Ambrosia of the Gods.

Yes indeedy!

…And don’t call me Shirley…

Talk about a fuselodge!

In the verdant jungle that fringes the ocean in Costa Rica

you can rent this most unique lodge...

With unparalleled views.

Grab a coconut drink…and come have a look-see!

Put your fear of flying to rest

’Cause this baby ain’t movin’…

anymore.

The fully outfitted, meticulously detailed, two bedroom, Boeing 727 fuselage suite.

This vintage 1965 Boeing 727 plane has been refurbished...

In its prior life it shuttled globetrotters around the world!

Now....Fully appointed with two bedrooms and a jacuzzi in the cockpit…

why not?

The wings were made into outdoor seating…

Costa Rican teak paneling from the cockpit to the tail. Furnishings are hand-carved, teak furniture from Java, Indonesia…

Deep breath in through the nose....then out.

fully appointed kitchen…

Flat screen tv for your viewing pleasure

Hmmm. episode of LOST, anyone???

Who needs the oxygen bag…

with this view?

Rent it Here.

Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.

Dr. Rumack: I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.

~Airplane! (the movie)

Find more fun and funky finds at Julias Hooked on Friday's

Icy blues for you…

It’s hot…Like an itchy wool sweater hot.

And while I can appreciate summer. I can dream about cooler places

Wouldn’t this be fun?…camping.

But not your typical stake your tent and build a fire and swat the mosquitos kinda place…

Nope.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort In the cool blue Mountains of British Columbia .

Promises the perfect pairing of soft adventure and soft beds -

a delicious blend of childhood wishes and grown-up dreams.

They boast tents and cabins….and comfortable.

oh. so. comfortable.

refined comfortable.

They cook for you….and clean up! And spoil you rotten.

Rotten I tell ya.

And Activities...EVERYTHING. Kayaking, biking,whale watching, massage,yoga

Horse riding…

Or just soaking in the cool cool blue

I’m cooler already.

Yep.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Race ya.

To find out where we are…where we have been…where the Heck we are going…

The old fashioned way

With Maps.

We have a few in our casa…

Our family room takes the brunt of it.

Some old and showing their age…

in a wise sort of way

Others new…and wordly.

at least 5 X4 feet…Ikea. Who knew?

Others…I grew up with

and if I look closely can see the pen marks where I planned a 7 year olds journey

A 3-D of the Swiss Alps

You always have to have at least a faint idea

of where you are going.

So say we…

In Sept we are off to Brazil and Argentina.

Yehaw!

So…It is a relaxed place…

Furniture stripped down to the most basic. Raw eucalyptus wood sofa…Bamboo blinds…a whale bone as art…

The kitchen …so fundamental that even the propane tanks

fit in.

Cement counters showing their use

not shy.

The pot rack with rope.

why not?

One of two perfunctory bedrooms

No frills.

…But the marine blue cotton and wet sand colored walls

mirror the view…just steps away.

Solitaire and a thermos of coffee.

Life is good.

Contemplate the simplicity.

yes.

Photos: Cote Maison/ Uruguay

Today’s yard waste moment brought to you….

…. By the letter C and the number 10.

C for Crinum Lily…and a pink ginger as a bonus!

the number 10 is an old gas station sign that never found a home and sits in the kitchen. Sigh.

again…just keepin’ it real for ya.

I’ve also realized that The Lime in the Coconut blog turned 1 year old this week!

Whoop-dee-doo

I need to think up a way to thank all of you wonderful, loyal and down right funny readers and commenter's and followers...

You make it all good. All fun.

You make my day. Everyday…and I wanna thank you for that.

So…stay tuned…Perhaps a give-away.

really really

{big smoooch}

Do you Bamboo??

Look at the groovy hula skirt on that last one!

We have a couple different bamboos growing in our yard…a Black and a yellow striped .

Quintessentially tropical.

Beautiful, yes…But also an amazing sustainable building product..a high yield renewable resource.

I was lucky to have recently won some bamboo sheets from Annechovie.

They. Are. Amazing.

Sooo soft, so breathable. luxurious. I am in love.

So, unfortunately, is the big black dog.

Yeeesch. Just keepin’ it real, folks.

BUT…

Linda Garland, who now lives in Bali REALLY bamboo’s.

She is an architectural, interior and landscape designer who builds homes made of Bamboo.

This one, in east Bali, was featured in the recent Architectural Digest.

Not a nail was used…everything is pegged together using traditional Sumatran architecture and building principles.

Even the walls are made of woven inky blue black plaited bamboo!

From the tented bed the owners can look out to the ocean.

Then…because everybody needs a guest house

she concocted this gorgeous morsel on the property, too!

Linda has been creating and living in Bali for the past 35 years.

Ooooh...I went off into pocketa pocketa dreamland on that sentence...I wanna be that Linda.

Her own estate is also made of bamboo…which she rents out…

Takers?

You, too, can learn to make or grow your own house out of bamboo here.

Seriously.

You must see…

What we salvage when we machete the back yard…

Amazing riches…

sometimes called yard waste.

“That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.”

~Henry David Thoreau

Cheap is good…

works for us.