Summer Antique Show

Binoculars among the old cameras, photography is like that sometimes.

 Look at this cool P! I swooned over this blue trunk. 

 James and I are going to try and make some of these lamps for our little living room. 

Kristin and Eric invited us along to an enormous antique show in central Mass. In tents along a stretch of road for about 1/2 a mile people had antiques out for sale. We were a bit overwhelmed, but it was such a blast to look through all the treasures (and sometimes weird junk) for the afternoon. It was a hot and humid summer day and after we were done we decided to stop into this little pub for beers. I've fallen in love with the Sam Adams Summer Ale, and that plus good friends made for a lovely time sitting out on the porch.

These are two fun friends, and they enjoy to do a lot of the things we are excited about as well. It feels strange to introduce you to people via my blogging, as always, but better this than nothing right? I hope you are all soaking in the summer sunshine while you can.

Feels Like Summer: The North End

If ever there was a night to wander through Boston, Saturday night was it.

James and I went with the pastor of our church and his wife, Brian and Cathy Emmet, down to the North End in Boston, which is traditionally the Italian quarter. We took the T into the city and it was clear then that everyone else had the same idea. We walked up Hanover street, amongst crowds of laughing, yelling, happy people.

The breeze that drifted by us smelled of garlic bread and ocean mist.

We had dinner at Rabia's and like many of the restaurants there it is small, packed full of people, and the food is completely delicious. I had the butternut squash ravioli. I want to cry just thinking about it, it was that good. Butternut squash ravioli in creamy gorgonzola sauce with a balsamic reduction glaze.

Yum doesn't cut it.

After dinner we walked down and along the harbor filling ourselves with ocean air and ventured back up to Hanover. Now full of lights and music as well as people we decided to wait in line for cannolis. On my summer to-do list was "cannolis on the greenway" and we did just that. With sweet pastries we sat and looked at the Boston city lights, with two lovely friends, and chatted. I'm telling you, people here know how to do summer better than anyone.

My Goddaughter

 Only three months old on my wedding day. She's such a big girl now at six months! We talked on Skype a few days ago and she's doing all the I-really-want-to-crawl-to-you moves. Some days I'm tempted to jump on a plane and fly to her; and every time I see a new picture I just swoon.

Love you Nemmi!

Feels Like Summer: Walden Pond

Monday was Kristin's birthday! She decided to celebrate by swimming across Walden Pond, so great! Kristin is a new friend, we were introduced the night we went with to pick her up from the airport. She was returning from a trip to Israel and if I remember was pretty tired that night. We share a love for gardening, good food and the kind of fun that is free.

Walden Pond is made famous by the author Thoreau. He wrote a bit--Civil Disobedience and Walden are a few--he was an outdoorsman and like to hike out into wilderness and write about it (as well as his views about politics, the economy and the like). The places he wrote about are here, in the Boston area. What is left of his home in the woods is across this lake. Of it he writes,

"It is a clear and deep green well, half a mile long...a perennial spring in the midst of pine and oak woods, without any visible inlet or outlet except by the clouds... Walden is blue at one time and green at another, even from the same point of view. Lying between the earth and the heavens, it partakes of the color of both."

A picnic with cherries and water mellon, friends and swimming, a warm day at the lake--I'm loving the way New England does summer.

Feels Like Marriage

Last week I made some de-li-cious star sugar cookies for the Fourth of July (thanks for the best recipe ever Magen!) I was painting and baking and chatting with my sister-in-law, lovely!

On another note, isn't it the worst when the dryer stops working? Well, let's see, it works and spins but it refuses to dry our clothes. The experts at hand have said the heating element in the back needs to get replaced. Another project for us to work on completing during our time off. In the meantime I went to Home Depot (my favorite store) and picked up some line and clothes pins. So now our basement is full to the brim with clothes zigzagging across the ceiling.

I remember when I was little my mom used to hang-dry our clothes in the summer. The line stretched from the deck corner to a cedar tree about 30 feet away. It was on a wheel so we would clip things and scootch them on out until there was a full line of clothes. They came back stiff but full of sunshine.

I'm glad for summer.

Prospect Hill

"Wanna go for a walk?" I asked. 

James and I have a green-space behind our neighborhood. A nature park with trails throughout and probably about three miles of roads as well. The woods really. It takes about fifteen minutes to walk there but past the gate we're in a whole other world. 

Pine trees, oak trees, the ground is covered with needles and leaves. The trails are dirt, sometimes rocky and in the middle of this metropolitan area one would almost never know one was so close to downtown Boston. We walked up through our neighborhood--up to the left, up to the right, up up up--and then chose to wander around in the park for a bit. 

I breathed in deep the smell of pine needles on the ground and a fresh breeze. 

About halfway up to the top of the trail we turned a corner and had a fantastic view. The Boston city skyline and all the space between us and it. We live about eleven miles from the heart of downtown Boston. Up in the woods and down in the city, all in the same day. 

I like this adventure.

Niahmaya Lady

I just adore this little lady. So much spunk and charm in those little faces she makes. I wish I was close enough to play with her, to take her places and see her mom as much as I want to. Every time I get a picture text to my phone of this little girl I just die and show everyone around me. I can't believe how quickly she is growing. Already a reader, and artist and a shopper--there is no limit to what you can be dear!

I love you and I can't wait to kiss those cheeks again!

New Additions

Around here there is an unwritten rule that if items are left by the curb they are free for the taking. Most often there are TVs and used furniture. However the other day on my way home from the bus I saw these sweet drinking glasses in a box.

Snagged 'em!

We've aquired a few new things lately. Including a table to go by the door and collect mail, keys and the like. We now have CHAIRS so we can actually SIT in our home! We got a trashcan at Target with some lovely gift cards, a cutlery organizer and nice sharp knives that cut chicken (and my fingers) really well. I also picked up a soft, cozy sheet set for guests the other day--hint, hint.

We're moving up in the world! There are many possibilities still, a friend is going to let us go through her basement, we have a huge dresser to pick up, and I may even be able to snag a few coffee shop chairs from the store where I work.

Also, our doors are open, so if any of you would like to come and visit, we would LOVE to have you!

Boston

Aren't these neighborhoods amazing? 

 The Old North Church, where Paul Revere rode to in order to signal that the

 British were in fact coming.

 The Bunker Hill monument, here to memorialize the battle that began to turn 

the war for the American Revolutionists.

James, with the city behind him. 

We adventured through Boston with Rhi and her family the other day, and I finally took along my camera. We followed the freedom trail across the bridge, saw the U.S.S. Constitution and hiked up to Bunker hill. See that monument that looks like the Washington Monument? We hiked up in it! All 294 steps. Canoles at Mikes Pastry, shopping near Faneuil Hall, and lots of laughter. 

Miss These Kiddos

Full of giggles!

 I miss being silly with these two.

 Perfect.

 Levi's dinosaur face!

Special friends! Love you Alina!