never before seen interview with sophia grace

for still photographs of sophia's birthday party and other summer fun with all the kiddies, click here.

there is something about...

going home to the garden...picking some veggies;

and some herbs;

and making some pesto;

and calling it dinner.

There's nothing better.

low flying objects

an NYDP chopper getting in the way of things.

eataly

Due to the heat wave, our plans to have another picnic at Madison Square Park were nixed and we lunched at Eataly's La Verdure.  In attendance was April, Lauren, Webmamma, and Ximena.  There was even a celebrity sighting...Sami from Days of Our Lives. Unfortunately, we were so enthralled by the scenery, the food and conversation that I never took any photos!  So unlike me.....I know.  

 La Birreria...eataly's rooftop.  

 signage.

 where beer is made at eataly.

 the only food photo of the day.

all stairs lead to a la birreria.

quite possibly the best little ice cream shop.

On one hot June day my co-worker brought me to her sister's new ice cream shop on Carmine Street.  The frozen yogurt is made from goat's milk and all of the ingredients are local.  I wasn't sure how the goat's milk aspect of this dessert would taste, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. 

I ordered rose petal frozen yogurt with pistachios.  The taste was subtle and refreshing.   

Little goat prints leading me to the counter.....genius! 

Love this little guy!

If you are in the area, visit Sophia and Victory Garden on Carmine Street.  

Victory Garden

dips and sauces

The second meeting of teachers on summer vacation involved a picnic at Brooklyn Bridge Park with a theme...dips and sauces.  It was pretty hot outside, but we made it a point to sit on the green pasture that would provide a landscape for the outdoor opera later that evening.  Goldie serenaded April with a little happy birthday tune with a mic she borrowed for the opera men.  All in all it was a great afternoon that ended with taking the east river ferry home.  

 mango salsa, guacamole, dill dip and some sinful napkins.

the spread... equipped with graduation plates. 

 with Goldie comes the hula hoop.

 birthday cupcakes.

 birthday hugs.

everyone needs a little hoopin' once in a while.

For more culinary snapshots, please click here.

the 1st inaugural teacher cooking club

Teachers all across America have one thing in common right now. . . summer vacation.  Very few of us are actually away for the entire summer.  So in between short trips to the shore and our parent's home, we are left with a lot of time on our hands.

There was a lot of talk all year long by the 6th grade chair and resident baker to get together over the summer as a group with something else to talk about other than students and school . . . how about food and drink?  Her vision came through yesterday with the inaugural cooking club event hosted by Webmamma.  Although we all love Webmamma's roof, the heat kept us inside with air conditioning.  We had a civilized meal at the dining room table with amazing food and Blue Point Summer Ales.

the official sponsor.

 fresh, seasonal and delish.

eyes: vegan chocolate chip cookie dough (april)

mouth: mixed seasonal berries (maura)

1 o'clock: field of greens with chopped cucumber and avocado; dressed with a lemon vinaigrette (lauren)

5 o'clock: mixed grain bread (webmamma)

7 o'clock: blanched asparagus with an asian green onion & sesame seed sauce (ribods)

10 o'clock: fettucini with grilled zucchini/squash, chopped tomato, basil, and smoked mozzarella (webmamma)

For more culinary snapshots, please click here.

i thank craig...

...and his list for introducing us as roommates.  

And today it's her birthday.  If it weren't for Craig and that list of his, I would never have a reason to celebrate tonight.

So happy birthday to you: the clean and tidy one, the professional who pays her bills on time with no live-in boyfriends. But this one is crazy....crazy for life, love, a meat and three sides kinda meal, a cold drink or glass of wine and taking photos.  Crazy for perfection, a laugh, a lifetime movie, lip gloss, ice, and sleeping late.  

Crazy to see the world and explore....

all friends are golden...

we played each other in sports in high school.

she will tell you greeley won, but i know somers never lost to the quakers.

at least it's comforting to know her mother teaches at my elementary school.

she came to gvms and moved into room 507; my former classroom.

years later, it was still a peaceful place for me to seek refuge.

she convinced me to come back to teaching.

we are homeroom teachers together.

she hula hoops. the kids think she is the crazy one and i the sane one.

we make them watch "we are the world" at least twice a week.

and when she takes attendance, they must answer with an animal noise.

she used to work at MoMA.

then became a member of

members only miscellaneous amazing-ness over brunch.

we fenced once...i beat her.  no shock there.

we went ice skating recently.  i fell.  she laughed.

then made sure i sought first-aid.

she asks me every night with a text message if i am going to wake her.

i call her every morning at 5:55am.

some might say it is selfish,

but she keeps me on the phone until she gets out of bed.

we like dumplings and hot sauce.

pizza and beer and thai food.

and once we took a food tour of yankee stadium.

come to think of it, she has the qualities you would ask any friend to have.

and you know all friends are golden,

but there is only one goldy.

happy birthday goldy.  oh and i made you a little motion picture.....

i've died and gone to...

...culinary heaven.  

Introducing the bacon waffle.

Thank you to magpie for bringing this amazing idea home. 

because sometimes you leave work...

...and feel like making fresh sauce, crumbling sausage, grilling mushrooms and rolling dough to make some pizza. 

she and her friends got talent

we could have sung happy birthday to you and been over with it, but there are so many other great hits and lets face it, we all just wanna be stars...

here are a few hits that come to mind...

happy birthday pretty, little lady.

a postcard, some snow and a few manatees

Postcards are one of those wonderful surprises that still find their way into a mailbox, not inbox, on occasion.  It seems like they could be the only hand written messages delivered by the USPS to survive the digital age.  E-cards, in my opinion, just don't hold a special place in my heart like postcards do.  

I returned back to my apartment after the post-christmas blizzard to find this treasure of a postcard.    The photos are fitting as they reminded me of the icebox I live in....as if the boots, scarf, hat, and mounds of snow were not a daily reminder.  On the other side, it gave me hope for warmer weather, travel to warm places, sand between my toes and the thought of being tan.  

I flipped it over to find nothing but a bunch of manatees playing a cruel joke on me as they pinched a nerve calling me "swan" after my cinematic scare in the theater watching Black Swan.  

Regardless, I loved this little postcard in my mailbox...I cannot wait to send the manatees one soon.  

glowing japanese maple

My dad wanted it to look like "the trees in front of the nice buildings in the city during the holidays."  

Well done Nick, I loved looking at this japanese maple in the snow at night on Parent Road.

holidays at home with a blizzard

the kids.

 thank god for snowblowers.

 what we make when there's left over manicotti stuffing.

 love those smurfs

‎"i am younger each year at the first snow. when i see it, suddenly, in the air, all little and white and moving; then i am in love again and very young and i believe in everything" - a. sexton to w.d. snodgras

 baby jesus.

the progression of the blizzard.

 nut cracker.

cleaning the legacy.

more holiday photos