Thursday, June 30, 2011

Mornin'

After an early morning bike ride at Tod's Point. No passes required before 7AM....

breakfast

thank you note writing (FINALLY found the box with the cards in them!)

and video chatting with my Ave baby, Laur, and McCarver :)

Pesto Messto


Yesterday I was super stoked to make a gorge pea pesto I saw on Smitten Kitchen. I was going to shell the peas myself, make the pesto, toss with a little pasta, top with some fresh basil and serve :) 

the peas were TINY. 

So I went BACK to the store and bought some walnuts, ditched the peas, and whipped up a walnut pesto. I got the recipe off Kiss My Spatula.

insanely delicious. 

So I cooked up some whole wheat pearled cous cous I already had. Diced some cherry tomatoes I already had, tore up some left over fresh basil, shredded a little more parm, and tossed all with the walnut pesto. This salad was SO good. I packed in a picnic for the beach last night, served room temp. I want to add chickpeas next time! 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

"office"

They came to set up the internet today! So long Starbucks! It took literally 7 minutes and the technician did a little Mexican jig around the room when he was finished. Hilarious.
I immediately set up in the sunroom, best view in the house. 
When I called to set up, the woman on the phone was so confused as to why I didn't want the cable set up. "Lady, you are going to go without TV for TWO months??" Yes...I think I'll make it ;) 

Visitors

A sister!

a great friend...

and a white cotton tail bunny :)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

First Day Home Alone in Suburbia


5:45 AM-Make breakfast and coffee for my dear hubby before his first commute! He walks to the train station. 

6:30AM-Find wet mildewing sheets that dear hubby left in the "on it's last leg" dryer. Re-wash. 

7:00AM-Pack computer, camera, etc. Walk to Arcadia, the one and only coffee shop in town. Jones-ing for a little Wi-Fi. (Dear hubby ignored the call to set our internet connection up at home....) Turns out their Wi-Fi has been out for a couple days now. 

7:30AM: Walk back home. Can't get into house. Get angry. Fiddle with the key in the front door for about 10 minutes. 

8:00AM: DEEP clean the bathroom. Supposedly in CT when you buy a home, it only has to be "broom cleaned". Even if you have a large shedding dog and it hasn't been deep cleaned since it was built in 1924.... 

9:00AM: Take a break, eat Chinese Noodles, leftovers from a BBQ at the Dank's last night. 


9:15AM: Call cab to come get me and take me to Brewer's where the boat is and Reinier's car, that he is so generously letting us borrow for the next few days. 

Struggle to lock the stupid huge old door. 

Yell at cabbie, who is lost and speaks no English. 

Start walking. 

He picks me up, "where going?" 

"I'm going to Brewer's Yacht Haven off of Washington Boulevard". 

Cabbie, "the library??" 

Me, "Ugh, no. Just drive, I will show you how to get there." Under my breath..."I have lived here for TWO days and I know my way around here better than you, and this is your JOB. This doesn't happen in the City." 

9:30AM: Pick up Reinier’s gorge Mercedes Benz. Can't figure out how to get it into 'reverse'. 

9:45AM: Outta there! Finally. Cruise around Stamford. Get lost. Find Bed, Bath & Beyond. Shop. 


11:30AM: Look for Wi-Fi to no avail. Find a Mexi spot, Lola's open for lunch. Dive in. Have delicious $8 chicken tacos :) 


Noon: Find my way back to I95 and back to Old Greenwich. Find Starbucks. Plug in :) 

2:00PM: Head home. Find the two sweetest housewarming gifts!

A new Greenwich friend, Virginia, sent me the cutest "Housewarming" cookies!! 


And my parents sent me this gorge pink plant. 

Look! Hansen's Flower Shop :) 

3:00PM: Met with Adam (insanely talented architect and brother-in-law) and the contractors. 



Later: Plan is to cook this on our new little Weber that dear hubby bought after only owning our house for a mere 20 minutes. 



Even Later: We pulled our little table out under our gorge tree, opened a bottle of wine Chris has been holding onto since he lived in San Francisco, 10 years ago. And we ate and drank and took in the view J


A-Frame, like our house! Weird........


Friday, June 24, 2011

Adios


movers coming in an hour....I should get up.


goodmorning skylight 


flowers given to me by a regular at Cluny on my last day :) 
view from the couch.

dined at Extra V last night for our last dinner in the hood while living at 242. I've noticed a trend....margaritas when we bought our house. margaritas when we married. margaritas when we move! 

 
last night brushing out teeth together at 242.


Thursday, June 23, 2011

Packing Break

Visited with sweet, artistic friends, Bob & Connie. They presented to me this GORGE housewarming gift. Bob painted our new little gingerbread house. It's perfect! 


Walked over to Imperial Woodpecker Snoballs. A New Orleans treat that just popped up in the my hood. 


Wild Strawberry!


REALLY red lips. 

Street Party




I had one of those random New Yorky neighborhoody kind of evenings last night. Chris got home around 6PM, we packed boxes and looked at wedding photos, and packed, and I looked at wedding photos, and he packed. Then we walked across to Tartine for dinner around 9PM. 

We frequent our beloved Tartine, not only because it's conveniently located across the street, but it's also delicious and BYO. We squeeze into the uncomfortable and rickety chairs at a tiny table on the street. There is a man eating mussels and fries behind me. (Side note: He dated our waitress for 8 years, they broke up a year ago, and now they're best friends....strange. He tells me this later). 

Chris and I crack a bottle, order our fave, and start talking about the big move on Friday, how excited we both are, how much we still have to pack, and how quickly we know our summer of squatting in our new home will pass us by. 

It turns into an inspirational and slightly exhausted lecture on "GOING FOR IT" from Chris on the subject of my photography. (This happens every now and then). I start making big promises of actually getting started, creating a website, taking it seriously. It continues on for about an hour. Him coaching and encouraging, me making excuses and promises. 

Anyway, to cut to the chase. Our fave waitress-Natasha, shows up on her night off to pick up our other fave waitress-Amanda. They have a hot date. We get a glass for Natasha, she pulls up a chair and joins us while she waits for Amanda to close up shop. She spots mussel man behind me, says hello and now we are all chatting and sipping our wine on the street. Turns out, he's an awesome photographer AND best part, he doesn't photograph PEOPLE. "Me either!," I exclaim. We engage in a lengthy conversation on the subject, share photos, and encouraging words. Check his photos out here: www.charlesjohnstonephotography.com 

It was awesome. I felt such inspiration, not only from my dear cheerleader husband, but from this amazing 60 year old photographer who has never taken a class, found his nitch, and has been written up in the Times AND had 3 successful gallery shows in Berlin, New York, and L.A. 

Will we have these encounters in the burbs? These lovely random evenings? Do they have BYO there?? 

Movers come at 9AM tomorrow.....