singled out(house)

to list some firsts, my last task of today.

the first time i made a tarte tatin
the first (and second) time i used a cast iron skillet
the first time the food i made looked just as pretty as any picture i could find of it
the first time i hand rolled a pie crust

i love america, but the tarte tatin is superior any apple pie i've had. come over (only if i know you), i'll share it with you!

some birthday pics

jim and mary threw me a party for my birthday this year at their ranch in valley mills to celebrate 32. how fun, 30 of my closest friends plus their kiddos...

amy was a trooper, bringing 3 week old harper...

noodles and rafts...jse (left) taught youngdae (with the double noodles) how to swimon board the sinking canoedad and our close family friendstill one of my very favorite kids, drake, channeling justin bieber and early paul mccartney

yd, kristine, paul and 3 month old evan
betty and benjy bauer
mary with evan
blowing out candles, happy 32!

side step

sometimes i don't eat meat because i feel intimidated by all of the chewing it requires.

all that glitters

top 3 politically incorrect opinions
1. quality over equality.
2. fur is underrated.
3. recycling is overrated.

top 3 least favorite garment construction details
1. ruching
2. pagoda sleeves
3. epaulettes on civilian clothing

top 3 favorite words
1. clarity
2. time
3. lateral

top 5 favorite nuts
1. pistachio
2. pine nut
3. chestnut
4. almond (butter)
5. walnut (toasted)

top 3 books i've read this year
1. a farewell to arms
2. thus spoke zarathustra
3. the prophet

top 3 things i see that make me think of disease
1. squirrels
2. liza minnelli
3. yellow nailbeds

top 3 least favorite types of pasta
1. bowtie
2. spiral
3. shells

top 3 favorite pleats:
1. box
2. inverted
3. kick

top 3 favorite idioms
1. there is more than one way to skin a cat
2. throwing me under the bus
3. jew him down

so cute

the maine idea

marcy and me hitting the trail, right before we turned the wrong way.you can't see my face but i am very scared. i later tell marcy that i don't want to do that again.
making couscous in my long johns
marcy posing by the cursed cairn which we would be stranded by for two hours.
on the shore of acadia national park
southwest harbor, maine
the 40 ft long hinckley sailboat that the guys sailed from provincetown.
the crew: jeremy, reid and wendall
jse and me, on the deck
at the helm of the boat
the newly-constructed (seriously cool) institute of contemporary art in boston
more pictures and a better narrative...here

teaser

while we're waiting on photos, here's one that conveys the general overtone of the trip.