Sea Turtles for A Dinner Theme? Why Not!
BY PAT BURNS
Now that travel has opened and is becoming more popular as in pre-pandemic times, I’ve begun thinking of far-away magical places with plans of visiting; places where sunsets take your breath away and swimming leisurely with majestic sea turtles is not that unusual.
To honor and hail these magnificent ocean creatures, I’ve set a sea turtle theme tablescape for this pre-summer month.
Having decided on this tablescape, I was pleasantly surprised that I already had much of what would be required. Using a blue and white underwater color palette, I searched online for melamine salad plates to complement my existing dinner plates. I have to admit, there weren’t a lot of choices. So, you can imagine my delight when I found a set of six salad plates featuring sea turtles on the Wayfair website. They enhanced the look of my existing dinner plates perfectly.
The only other purchases I made were decorative turtles for the table. As part of the theme, I had envisioned scattering glass pebbles along my table runner and placing the turtles end to end over the pebbles. Imagine my delight when I found beautiful sea turtles online at Home Depot. Blessings abound! What did we do before Google?
Ready to set the table I brought out my brown, leather-looking chargers and placed them on round blue placemats. The chargers are similar in texture to the shells of turtles, too! Booyah! The dinner plates were next and then the new sea turtle salad plates. Next I added blue goblets, then the brass and wooden flatware I purchased years ago in Thailand. The table was almost where I wanted it. 
For me, the color and design aspects explode with the finishing touches. Things like a unique set of turtle salt & pepper shakers, a rustic vase for the artificial hydrangea flowers, a couple of pieces of coral and, of course, the sea turtles with their little bit of bling added to the visually exciting lure.
For entertaining purposes, I selected a delicious recipe that goes so well with the sea turtle theme. Surprise! It’s NOT turtle soup. I just couldn’t image serving that soup while adorning the table with these lovely creatures. Instead, I found this recipe from Southern Living that WOWS everyone. It’s Skillet Corn with Shrimp and Sausage. It’s easy and made all in one pan. A fresh green salad with home grown tomatoes and a ripe avocado and it’s a meal worthy a summer celebration! (Editor’s note: For all of us who do not eat meat, there are other options for vegan sausage here.)
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Six of Many Interesting Sea Turtle Facts
- They don’t have teeth.
- They can travel up to 10,000 miles each year.
- They can be ginormous.
- Their young lives are a mystery.
- They always return home.
- They’ve been around over 100 million years.
Enjoy this video to learn more about these fascinating creatures.
And, if you’re having any problems falling asleep, start watching this video and you’ll pass out faster than you can say, “SEA TURTLES.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pat Burns is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Orange County Children’s Book Festival; a Celebrity Journalist, Film Reporter, the author of Grandparents Rock®. Also, a happy grandmother of four.
Read more from Pat here
