Love In The Boonies (And Just A Little Sexy)
So we come to the day of big love, the day most folks either adore or hate. Being a total sap and utter romantic I welcome every possible excuse to proclaim love, utter gushing poems and dance around in romantic abandon….all of this done in the boonies of course, being by far the best place to do such folly.
So here I am. I’ve already seen hearts in the cactus, made a paleo-pancake breakfast for my hubby, whipped up a delicious butternut squash soup for lunch and baked gluten-free chocolate-chocolate chip cupcakes as a cheeky snack. Can you stay stomach love?
This day also (more or less) celebrates 17 years together with my soulmate, which makes me all the more gushy. I have no qualms sharing that he is quite the man, rather a handsome devil and my love for him has deepened every year we spend together. I feel a most lucky woman indeed.
But did I mention sexy??? Oh yeah, I totally forgot to set the scene. Imagine yourself with a wide, open view surrounded by rolling hills of golden grass swaying in soft waves as far as the eye can see. In the distance a majestic mountain, around you nothing but the silence of nature’s glory. As the day ends a slight flutter of birds, the soft passing of a few deer and the intense reflection of a neon sunset. This is sexy, is it not?
Ahhhh but I can’t give everything away in one post, can I now? Where exactly this little gem is and all the little secrets it contains are teasers for another post. Just know that we are in such a place and basking in the magic soup that is looooove, baby!
Here’s hoping you bask in your own soup today. Jump right in, gush, swim and get all gooey in it. There is no better tonic, my friends..
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!!
You forgot to mention running around the campsite in your birthday suits…..
Papa
http://www.papas-travels.blogspot.com
Of course I never said we didn’t 😉
Nina
Happy Valentine’s Day. I want to Boondock it up with the wife of 30 years…
294 days to Go til we retirement!
Have a great day u 2
And counting….the day will be here before you know it. Have a great day!!
Nina
This is a cruel post Nina. I am dying to know where that gorgeous grassland in your photo is. It reminds me of Las Ciengas. Happy V Day.
It’s actually very similar to Las Cienegas…but it’s somewhere else. Yup…total tease 🙂
Nina
What makes paleo pancakes, paleo ? Inquiring minds want to know. Looks like a great spot for your Valentine retreat!! Have a great one!
Well, they’re technically a bit of a “cheat”, but mainly it’s just because they’re gluten-free. I make the pancakes from eggs, almond flour, vanilla essence and kefir. No flour, no sugar. Very simple ingredients, but very yummy.
Nina
sounds good. I guess I am still a bit confused about the paleo diet. I thought it was all about eating a lot of meat.
Not quite. The basis of Paleo is whole foods…meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts. No grains, no added sugar and no processed foods. The pancakes & cupcakes are things we make on special occasions, otherwise we pretty much just stick to a whole foods diet. We eat lots of veggies, good meats, good fats…I’m also very much into fermented foods.
If you want to learn more about Paleo this is probably the best link:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
Nina
Share the love, oh no, I mean the recipes for…paleo pancakes
AND most important the chocolate cupcakes/muffins…been hunting for one of them:)
Happy V. Day!
OK….here’s the secret recipes 🙂
Paleo Pancakes
————–
2 large eggs
1 cup almond flour
dash of vanilla essence
1/4 tsp baking soda
Mix together. Depending on consistency of the almond flour I will often add a little bit of kefir or milk to give the mixture more “flow”. Cook & serve w/ berries.
Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
———————————
I use a recipe from Elena’s Pantry here. Only difference is I reduce the amount of honey (to about half) and I add chocolate chips to the batter instead of making the frosting (which I find too sweet). These are EXCELLENT!
http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-chocolate-cupcakes/
Nina
Hmmm that looks like the Babacomari area….Buenos Aires preserve…if so, one of our favorite areas….but be alert..some bad folks crossing the area with contraband,,,just saying..stay safe!
Enjoy your blog…
geo and Ruth HiKnoll Az.
Yup, that’s the area. Quite gorgeous around here.
Nina
I was going to wish you two “Happy Valentines Day” …but I see you are already having a he## of a great one!!!!
:-).
Thanks! To you too!
Nina
Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Paul, and the fur kids! Love that cactus!! Sounds like you’re in the perfect place to celebrate your 17 years of togetherness…enjoy!
Yeah, it’s pretty sweet here…and warm too! Temps just hit 81!
Nina
Happy valentines Day! Would Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge be a worthy guess?
Right on…that’s the spot.
Nina
Kim, Buddy and I send the 4 off you Happy VAlentines greetings, from Palm Desert, where today it is 90 degrees. Guess that is HOT love. Keep up the LOVE. Kim and I are celebrating 49 amazing years. Life is good. Hope to see you this summer, in Oregon, that is if we are still hosting. Happy travels, Else and Kim.
Love to you three too! Congrats on the 49 years, and hope to see you again down the road.
Nina
Just beautiful!
Cheers! It is indeed. Nina
Hope you’re soaking up the sun and some warm alone time with each other. Tonight is the full moon, perfect for dancing in the nu…, well for dancing any way you want to out in the boonies!
We just saw the sunset on one side of the rig and the moonrise on the other…spectacular! I won’t say what we were wearing 😉
Nina
Yes, he does indeed have a fine a…..swing, but can he hold flowers in his ears?
Sue
I don’t think he’s quite the man that Dave is in that respect. I’m going to have to stick with the a…swing 🙂 Nina
Your site wouldn’t be off Brown Bear Canyon Rd would it?
No, we’re further down but I did see there were a couple of sweet sites over there.
Nina
I notice that on some of these dirt roads off the main road there are cattle grates at the entrance. Will these hold up a 20,000 lb RV if you cross them? We’re headed out your way after a stint in TX – San Anton, Palo Duro Canyon and maybe Caprock Canyon, Carlsbad & west. I’ve been out west before but I’ve never RV’d out here so all of this is new from a 5th wheel point of view.
We’re 33,000 lbs and made it across…so I guess the answer is yes.
Nina
Very cute blog! So glad you and Paul had a wonderful Valentine’s Day.
Thanks! Hope you guys did too!
Nina
Another gorgeous boonie site! Thanks for sharing a few photos of your success in finding it. I can’t help look at those pics and try to imagine the sunrises and sunsets in that setting. Enjoy!
Most importantly, congrats on 17 years together for both of you. That’s even better. Continued love. (Hearts)
Thanks Rowanova. The sunsets have been pretty neat here (can’t comment too much on the sunrise being a rather lat(er) riser). Moonrises have been pretty darn awesome too.
Nina
I understand the not-so-many-sunrises thing, even tho I’m not there yet. Moonrises can be just as much fun! Nice to hear. Have you two ever tried moon photography? I’m sure they’d be sweet pics too, as all of yours shots are.
No, I’ve not really done much moon photography since I don’t really have the right lenses. I’ve done bits of night shots, just not moon shots. Maybe one day when I can afford to splurge on a big zoom.
Nina
Understood. My night skies and moon shots have all been…well, uhmmm, deleters. 🙁
Good for you! We have learned so much from you both and you are a true inspiration 🙂
Well, I’m just happy to bring a bit o’ sunshine into your life. It’s what I do 🙂
Nina
I love reading about your travels. My husband and I just retired yesterday so will be hitting the road very soon. We have two cats and I would love to know how you trained your cat to stay by your rig and not run off. I’m worried about ours doing that.
We started by leash training when they were around 6 years old. I bought a cat jacket and used that for many years, also when we started RVing. This taught them to stay close. We still use the jacket and leash when were in populated areas and RV parks.
Nina
Looks like you had a great Valentines Day…I know we did!
Glad to hear it Jil! See you soon.
Nina
Congratulations on 17 happy, sexy years! There’s just something about a man’s ‘swing’. My darling’s best feature too.
I couldn’t agree more 🙂
Nina
Another great post, love the love guys! We are definitely following your lead. Gari & I finally “pulled chocks” from work and into retirement last month. We wasted no time getting out of the single digit Maryland temperatures and are now in sunny Florida doing what we have learned from you two the last few years. We have the soul love too, and that’s the most important part!
Whoo hooo! Sunny Florida. Good for you! And happy to hear you have the soul love too 🙂
Nina
Ooh Nina…my heart does yearn on this day of love…for my 47 year dance with my soulmate who has taught me sooo much about the loooovvvvve thing, the natural abandon that boondocking allows and the quiet peace at the end of the day as you enjoy a sunset together. Still not there yet, but i can dream. Sweet, peaaceful dreams.
What a beautiful & romantic sentiment….thanks for sharing!
Nina
We’ve ridden our bicycles from Amado to Arivaca and back many times, but never knew the refuge was out there. Guess we’ll have to take a trip and go see it. Great post and a beautiful area.
The refuge is just to the west of Arivaca and it’s HUGE! Extends all the way to Mexico. I’ll be writing more about it soon.
Nina
Happy Valentines to everyone out there in boondock land! LOL
Cheers! To you too!
Nina
You and my wife have the same type of live, stomach love! She made us some delicious strawberry heart shaped pancakes for her breakfast for dinner and I have her some homemade marshmallows that she wanted! Here’s our video of it if you care to watch! http://youtu.be/toXTs_I_sXE … Looks like y’all had a great valentines day! Can’t wait for the reveal of where the heck you guys are!
Yum, yum, yum! Love the food love!
Nina
Looks like a beautiful place! As future boondocker a we love reading your adventures and seeing the great places you stay.
Cool! Glad to have you along for the ride!
Nina
I’m guessing you are back in the Sonoita area again–it looks lovely. Have fun!
Not quite…but close…Nina
Congratulations to you and Paul. Love the heart shaped prickly pear, too cute. Looks like a beautiful place, enjoy.
Brenda
Thanks Brenda! Enjoy your time in San Diego! Nina