D154 -- Are you for SCUBA

A wonderfully relaxing day in the TRNC. Thomas started SCUBA certification classes this morning. As I've mentioned on the blog before, my superhuman gag reflex precludes me from diving, so the Cashion kids and I were on our own all day. We went into town to run some errands, picked up some burgers, and took them over to eat with Thomas. After lunch the three of us lazed around on the beach while he finished up with class. The weather was fantastic – sunny but windy. In fact, the adventure of the day was trying to keep the wind from blowing our umbrella over and impaling one of our neighbors.

The water was clear, there were lots of little fish to observe, and there was this cool sea grass stuff covering the sea floor. When it washes up on the beach and dries out it looks like little rectangular tree leaves. It's like walking on instant mashed potatoes... fun!

Speaking of food, I've been dying to cook a proper meal for weeks and I thought it would be fun to try some Turkish dishes. Thomas volunteered to assist, so together we made some green beans with garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil, chicken kebabs, salad, and some zucchini fritters. The zucchini fritters had me quite frustrated. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to get the batter to stick together and form patties during the frying process. They just sort of turned into a gooey mass in the pan. Tasty but quite unappetizing in appearance. I was ready to give up on them but Caitlin thought dipping the batter in an egg bath would help. I was doubtful, but lo and behold... patties! She is quite resourceful in the kitchen.

-Elva