IN SEARCH OF - A more glamorous life

These days traveling is much less glamorous than it used to be. You get herded into your seat and, if your lucky, a bag a stale pretzels may come your way at some point during flight. So whenever we travel we like to bring a little bit of glamour with us. I pack a cheese plate! Mid flight when hunger strikes, I lay out my french linen tea towel and mini cheese board, order some wine (or champagne) and instantly my mood brightens. It's great to observe the flight attendant's reaction when he sees us sipping our wine and enjoying our little picnic at 3,000 feet. 

Would you do it? I highly recommend you give it a shot on your next trip!

1. mini cheese boards (set of 4) - $64

2. french linen tea towel (set of 2) - $50

3. cheese selection - varies

4. saucisson - 8.99

5. bubbly (or wine) from on board selection

6. baguette

SNAPSHOT: Cape Cod weekend and other adventures

This past week was packed with little adventures, good food and preparation for a weekend away (prettying toe nails in this perfect shade of red/orange polish). So when Friday arrived, I sped off to Cape Cod for a weekend of laughs and relaxation with girlfriends. On the way I couldn't resist stopping at my favorite spot in Hyannis for a light dinner. This amazing hidden away gem is a French bakery by day and transforms to a warm cozy bistro by sunset.
The weather was warm and summery and after the long drive arriving at my air conditioned room was a nice reprieve from the heat of the day. And then the weekend began.
We stayed here, strolled along the beach and ate here. It was quintessential Cape. On my way home I stopped for some Salt Water Taffy. My favorite is the honey flavor. Super tasty. There is nothing like spending summer weekend on Cape Cod. The sea grass instantly calming with a little help from the lull of the ocean. I felt refreshed and ready to tackle a rainy Monday. Hope you had a great weekend too!

Vacation Photos: Napa Valley Part 2

By 8:00 am the Napa Valley sun is shining warm and the air is still damp from the coolness of the night. It is my favorite time.

We started our second day of the Napa Vacation with breakfast al fresco. There was yogurt and fruit, and if you have never had avocado in your yogurt, try it! It's a revelation. We had goat's milk and a glass of bubbly brought at Shramsberg the day before. The morning was warm and perfect.

Ridge Vineyards was our first stop for the day. We drove into the hills and were thrilled to discover the trellised porch where we had our tasting. The view is spectacular here and the breeze cool and relaxing. One of the most surprising things I discovered after many trips to Napa is how incredibly "non-touristy" it is. Of course, we all hear it's a tourist trap, and with 4.5 million people visiting each year, you can understand where that comes from. My experience however, is the complete opposite. Maybe it's a matter of choosing the right spots and time of year to plan your trip.

It can get overwhelming. There are so many vineyards to see and wine to taste. So, I thought I'd share a few tips I've gathered for a great "non-tourist" trap 3 days in Napa:

1. Try to arrive as early in the day as possible. This means leaving Boston at a ridiculously early hour of the morning, but it's worth it. Driving into Napa at night when your tired is no fun.

2. Rent a house with a kitchen. The farmer's markets in California are always stocked with amazing produce you don't want to miss. Restaurants in Napa are expensive, so this will not only be a great treat but will save you a lot of money.

3. Pick ONE vineyard you really like and want to visit on each day. They should be in different areas. Schedule that visit and then explore small unknown vineyards that surround it.

4. Limit yourself to 3 per day! Ya, did I just write that? It can get overwhelming and I find that my taste buds are shot after three.

5. Dine out at least once at an amazing restaurant! A few of our favorites; Mustards, Farmstead, Ubuntu, Solbar, JoLe.

Finally, and most importantly, go with someone (or a group) who likes wine...and have fun!

We are clearly having a great time in the photos above at Ridge Vineyards. And it's no surprise, the wines here are incredible! Ridge wines are available in New England so next time you are at your local liquor store grab one...any one, they are all amazing. You won't regret it.

The last two vineyards where great unexpected stops. Mazzocco Vineyard and Winery is renowned for its Zinfandel. The wine did not disappoint and with SEVEN different zins to taste, we were glad we went. And then there was Mauritson. That's us sitting outside the tasting room after a lovely couple of hours with Ken. He was the guy who did our tasting and told the most entertaining stories about the vineyard. See what I mean about "non-touristy"? You just have to get off the main drag and explore a bit. There are hundreds of tiny, family owned vineyards that no one talks about. Those are the ones you leave remembering.

Vacation Photos: Napa Valley

Two weeks of vacation is a marvelous thing!  While Charles' held down the fort back in Boston, we headed to Jamaica where days were spent on a beautiful beach, reading books and letting our winter parked skin soak up the 85 degree moist air. We headed back to Boston, there was a day to play with Penny, and repack, and we were off to Napa Valley for the second half of the trip. This part of the vacation was all about wine and food! Yippee!

We arrived at our cottage in the outskirts of Calistoga and were instantly in love. We lounged on the stone walled yard, sipped our LMR Cabernet Sauvignon bought at the vineyard that morning and watched the sunset.  

The next day, after a delicious breakfast prepared by my amazing boyfriend (more on him later) we had a date with sparkling wine!

At Schramsberg we explored the underground caves and sampled lovely sparkling wine by candlelight. Our guide provided the perfect balance between education and entertainment. She told the story of the long history of this winery, one of the first three established in the valley. But, she kept things light and fun, as it should be when drinking bubbly.

Larkmead Vineyards was our next stop. This is our absolute favorite place. Their wines are unmatched and the tasting room and gardens are incredibly peaceful. We were met with two red rocking chairs set in the garden just for us. 

So, you may have spotted the guy in the photo above in previous posts. That's Patrick, my partner in crime. He has such a great smile, doesn't he?! He introduced me to Larkmead Vineyards back when he lived in Sacramento. Our love of Napa Valley started when we were dating long distance and would take trips down to Napa together. It doesn't get better than that! I think I'll keep him around for a while.

Ok, back to our trip...

Next stop was Sterling Vineyards. This is a pretty fancy place. We rode a gondola up to the top of the hill and arrived at a stark modernist building. The bell towers seemed like very, very distant cousins to those at Ronchamp. We sipped wine on outdoor deck overlooking the valley.

The sun began to set and we returned to our little cottage to make dinner, relax and enjoy our view from the top of the hill. It was a perfect day.

P.S. Stay tuned for lots more photos of the rest our trip! 

Summer is finally here.

It's hot outside. Just writing those words makes me smile.
The hot days lead to warm balmy evenings. Each is an opportunity to spend time outdoors. One of my favorite summer activities is an impromptu picnic.
Just grab:
a checkered table cloth (mine was a gift from my Aunt Maria...it has little roosters on it!!)
a baguette
some good stinky cheese
a book (about Paris, of course)
a sundress
and of course
a pair of aviators.

It's almost like being in Paris...
Where is your favorite picnic spot? I'd love to hear!

shopping.vintage

Last weekend I spent a crisp end of summer morning with my good friends Rebecca and Chris. Along for the treasure hunting was also their gentle greyhound Trevor. We strolled an outdoor flea market looking for beautiful things with a good story. I just love the moment when you spot something wonderful among of all the "other stuff".  Turns out, Rebecca and I agree on what falls into the wonderful things category and so a great collaboration begins....hmmmm, I like that.

We both fell in love with big old jars. I especially loved the printing on them.

And I just couldn't resist adding this deer antler to my personal collection. I plan to hang it in the light somewhere it can cast a lovely dark shadow on a white wall.
I'm missing Brimfield this week, but taking this little trip only a few days ago makes up for it!

library.card

I have been in the seemingly endless process of purging, remodeling and revamping my nest;  a long difficult process of disorder, chaos and constant head scratching wondering how it is that I have acquired so much stuff.
As you know, the kitchen cabinet painting has been ongoing. With the cabinets painted I can move on to painting the inside of pantry and selecting floor. Oh what fun!
But today, it's not the kitchen I want to talk about, it's my studio. It too has been turned upside down, purged of all things unnecessary and, eventually will be put back together.
I had to first find a cabinet/storage unit to put all the loose things that are necessary for a designing, visualizing, making studio. And as you can imagine there are A LOT of loose things.
Luckily I found just the thing! A Library Card Catalogue no longer needed by the Portsmouth RI Free Public Library.
After a short, but lively conversation with Rich the Librarian, the sale was made and the Oak Card Catalogue was mine!
That was just the beginning.
This morning I drove the 1+ hours to RI in light snow to retrieve my soon to be favorite piece of furniture. Admittedly a beautiful drive even if the sun was vacationing in the Caribbean.

Next, the task of putting the thing into the truck...(estimated weight 5,273 lbs.)

There it is in the truck. Trust me when I tell you that Carolyn, Mag and I do not add up to a strong team...it was a challenge, but we did it!
So there it sits...still. I have not had the courage to go remove it from the trunk and haul it up to my 2nd floor apartment.
Tomorrow.
Perhaps.

DAILY FACTOID** The concept and creation of the first cards used for catalogs occurred in France around 1789. 

away.away

Sometimes you just need to escape the chaos of city life and go someplace quiet.
For me Nantucket is that place.
For years I only came here in the summer. A group of us friends would pack up our city cars, drive to Hyannis, board the ferry and emerge an hour later on this island. We buzzed past the hustle and bustle of the center of town and darted for our little hideaway at Madaket beach.
The Duck Inn was our salt box and for a whole week we gladly left the world behind to just be with the ocean and with each other.
I hadn't been back to Madaket until today. It looks different in January. The wind is blowing hard, something my nose and fingertips don't appreciate much. But the magic of this place is still here, it's soul unchanged.
I do come to Nantucket as often as I can, and have come to appreciate it's quiet state of hibernation between the months of October and May.  My friend Kate lives here. (that's her in the last photo) When I'm here we congregate at the corner talking for hours in the sun with other year round island residents, go listen to the ocean, and gaze endlessly at the sky that is still as blue as it gets.
There is a peace here in the winter that calms the soul and mind of any restless city dweller. It certainly does mine.