outstanding in the field

Almost as we speak, I am booking a flight to Austin.  My dear sister suggested that we try one of the seasonal farm dinners put on by Outstanding in the Field.  They have taken farm to table yet another step by travelling all around the U.S. & Canada, partnering with local chefs and farms...then they do this:

outstanding in the field

The dinner we are attending is being hosted by Erin Flynn & Skip Connett of Green Gate Farms.  They have restored this historic farm in East Austin, "transforming a rundown spot in a once-blighted area into a beautiful place for the community to gather and grow good things." Chef Todd Duplechan of Lenoir in Austin will be preparing dinner. 

Lenoir, Austin

This is how the team from OITF gets around.

Some loot from a farm share at Green Gate

Have a great day!!

just read

Just finished reading The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles and loved it.  The story takes place in 1930's Manhattan.  Such a great read that left me pining for old New York.  The book features a few photos by Walker Evans. Honestly, I couldn't put down this book. According to Towles, he wanted to show how the decisions we make in our twenties affect the rest of our lives. He does so beautifully.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a beautiful collection of Walker Evans photos.  

The Beresford

Mr. Towles has a beautiful website dedicated to this book with lots of extra info and a q&a.  I even found a playlist he created on Amazon; you can get it here.  He will even stop by your book club discussion of his book provided you are meeting in Manhattan between Canal & 34th streets. This, however, is not for the faint of heart! I suspect that Mr. Towles is even more well read than his heroin, Katey Kontent.

The Plaza

Have a great day!!!



Monhegan Island

Thank you for coming back!  Our summer travels are officially over...and everyone is back to school.  I tried to blog during our last trip of the summer.  However, we went somewhere in Maine without Wi-fi...and truthfully, electricity was kinda spotty.  So, now that we are back to the heat of Florida, I find myself fantasizing about being "cold" in Maine. 

If you have never had the pleasure; I highly recommend a visit to Maine.  One of our favorite stops was Monhegan Island. The 10-mile ferry ride to the island takes about an hour, but the views are so beautiful it seems like 10 minutes. Rocky shores, wildflowers and a stunning collection of classic shingled homes. There are only about 65 year-round residents, about 5 cars and many people remember when the island didn't have electricity. 

Artists were everywhere, standing at their easels; taking in the views.  Monhegan has a long relationship with artists and has been the part-time home of Edward Hopper, Rockwell Kent, George Bellows and Robert Henri.  One of Andrew Wyeth's descendants, Jamie Wyeth, owns a home on the southern shore formerly owned by Rockwell Kent.  Nearby Burnt Island, Allen Island and Benner Island are still owned by the Wyeth family.

via

The rest of these photos were taken by me with my trusty iphone.

Have a great day!

I'm the Decider

It's usually around this time of year that I start to notice things about my children.  The summer honeymoon period is just about over.   We are having a blast this summer; for sure.  But some things that I am willing to overlook during the school year really start to wear me down. My older daughter commonly argues with me as though before the supreme court.  Her points are often thoughtful, rational and funny.  I love this about her, but sometimes I just want them to listen.  The first time. 

Pamela Druckerman's book Bringing up Bebe (available here) has really opened my eyes.  Although the book focuses mostly on young children, I've really gotten a lot out of it. First, I cannot believe the beautiful meals the children eat at school in Paris.  This is taken seriously all over France.  There is no such thing as kid food and the children eat (or at least try) everything.  AND...they eat in courses.  One example Druckerman gives is: salad of shreded red cabbage and fromage blanc, followed by white fish in dill sauce and a side of organic potatoes a l'anglaise. The cheese course (yes, cheese course) is a Coulommiers cheese and dessert is a baked organic apple. Whoa.

Gateau au yaourt...we made it with chocolate chips.  Highly recommend for snacktime.

Karen Le Billon has also written about this very thing. You can get her book here.

Feast your eyes on this.



There are so many things that stand out in the book besides food.  For example, French children are expected to behave and the parents are in charge.  The phrase "I'm the decider," has already become my go-to.  It totally works.  Druckerman observes that the French have a completely different view of what a child is and what they are capable of doing.  It is very different from how we treat children here in the U.S. Is it perfect? Probably not, but there is definitely something to learn.

And sidebar; this is a whole thing happening on etsy.  You can get one here from Pamela Fugate designs.

 Have a great day!

on the road

We love road trips around here.  Really really love them.  So...we decided to hit the road for the 4th and headed to my sister's in St. Louis.  How cool are these fireworks?

One of my favorite things to do here is look at all the beautiful homes.  They are everywhere.  Check out this gorgeous sunroom by St. Louis interior designer Amie Corley.

Turns out that this is Amie's personal home.  Love the bookshelves around the window an her artwork arrangement so much.  The colors she used were inspired by the room's original terrazzo floors, which have a hint of pink.  Here are a few more photos of Amie's perfect 1907 home.

The mix of new & vintage makes her home extremely kid friendly. Her home was featured a while back on Design Sponge.  You can take the entire tour here. 

Have a great day!

Even the Clouds

Such an amazing place! We traveled to Kauai last week.  Let me tell you, it is beautiful.  I totally get why so many honeymoon there.  This photo has not been retouched...just cropped.

Now, I am still taking a blogging class and they are teaching me a lot of photo skills.  I will dazzle you with those later.  Right now, I'm just straight up posting photos.  This photo was taken from a boat off of the Na Pali coast.  Many many movies have been filmed there.  The photos below were taken by someone much more skilled.

We spent our first few days driving around taking in the sights. The locals were as expected; extremely laid back and friendly.  We stopped dozens of times at lookout points, roadside stands, caves, and beaches.  If you love to hike, some of the worlds most beautiful beaches are here and can only be accessed by boat or by hiking.  One of these is Hanakapiai Beach and was just featured in Coastal Living Magazine. You can read more about it here. 

Have a great day!!



Far far away

Hello friends! We are away on vacation and there is so much beauty to share! We get back next week, so my posts will be short until we return. There's so much to talk about. We visited Waimea Canyon today.