Fall's arrival

The end of summer is officially here. And what a great way to celebrate the coming of fall, with a beautiful day of apple picking. We found an orchard not too far from the city to go to this weekend. Of all the years living in New England, this was our first time (see post on experiencing the new every weekend). It was pretty great fun and the since we only picked as many as we could eat, we won't have to be making apple-everything for the next 2 months.

They had so many varieties of trees and the apples were just delicious right off the trees- juicy, crisp, and tart. And not to mention, the weather was just perfection- sunny, but with a cool, slightly brisk breeze. Really a perfect fall day.

Not only was the farm all about apples, but there were some pretty happy-looking chickens in the chicken run.

There were other crops, like fields of corn (not really for picking, but that was up for argument). Much to my dismay, peach season is over so no peaches to be picked, but we did meander through the peach orchard.

Free cron (no, not a typo) and the hill of apple trees in the distance.

Sampling a fresh apple off a tree

To top it all off, we had warm, freshly-made cider donuts and apple cider after picking! Donuts and cider may have been the driving force for going to the orchard in the first place!

La Renaissance

I read an article in Vogue (Sept 2012) about Chelsea Clinton. She talked about how when she was growing up, she and her family would do something new every Sunday- whether that be something quite minor (like cracking open a coconut for the first time) or major- like going to some new destination in the world. I think that this something-new-on-Sundays idea is a wonderful goal, however small or big. [Although, I may stretch it out to something-new-on-the-weekend].

This past Sunday, we spent the afternoon at a Renaissance-type festival in MA. I have been to a similar type of thing before, in grade school and had a blast. I couldn't wait to show Chris what a good time a ye old renaissance festival can be! It was plain fun- lots of people dressed up in medieval clothing, knights on horses, potions, swords, and fairy trinkets for sale. I especially loved that it was in the middle of a forest of trees- its own medieval village, almost.

We found a seller selling...swings! Not entirely middle-ages, per se, but (see previous post on swinging) fun nonetheless. (I had to convince Chris that we don't have room in the apartment for one)

total relaxation in the enchanted forest

swing with a swinging foot rest

Amongst knights' jousts and maidens in bustiers, we saw some pretty fun games like archery...

bull's eye

We also watched several gentlemen and ladies take a swing at the good ol' hammer and bell game, and lots of knife and axe throwing.

the shield and crest shoppe

Finally, it wouldn't be a proper faire without a proper feast- bloomin' onions and fried dough galore! (Actually, the fried dough was appropriately named "Peasants' bread.")

A perfect new-thing-on-Sunday event on a perfect fall afternoon. We'll be back next year!

Country mice

Recently, I've extolled the benefits of country living. It isn't necessarily that I want to move to the country (probably never going to happen), but I feel that ever since school, I've had a greater, new-found appreciation for the country. There is truly something to be said about being in isolation, enjoying the outdoors, and the slower, relaxing qualities of life. We try to at least once a year, get out to the country for a long weekend. Each year, for about 4 years now, we've headed out to the Catskills, rented a nice, quiet house with acres of land, and just enjoyed ourselves. This past Labor Day weekend was no exception.

cabin in the woods- total seclusion

Not only do we enjoy our time out there, but Harry absolutely loves "vacation," as we call it.

It's the only real vacation that Harry can enjoy with us and that's another big reason we love going out there. Even though we joke around about how much he loves the country, he actually does! He sort of perks up, has great run of the yards, plays outside, and just has an extra spring in his step. This time, we found out how much he loves swinging...he actually ASKED to go outside to get on the swing on the front porch.

frisbee time!

just. so. happy

 grilling in the evening

game time

 chelsesa and me, just hanging out on the front porch

We grilled, we ate, played cards, read, and just took it easy. Next, it's time to look for a vacation home in the country!

*first photo: Harry swinging on the front porch- didn't even get off of swing until I picked him up out of it 30 minutes later!

Sweet summer

The start of the summer always sneaks up on me. I usually can't believe that the first day of summer is as early as it is, because I tend to always think of summer officially starting with the Fourth. I think we've been trying more than in past years to really enjoy the warmer weather and have really gotten a lot out of our spring/summer months already.

This past weekend, Chris' parents were in town and we took them to Clink at the Liberty Hotel for breakfast. It was perfect because the city was just waking up and we had the restaurant much to ourselves to enjoy. I want to go more often for an a.m. treat, now that we know it's so quiet and cozy- and just around the corner.

We also relaxed on the roof deck in the evening hours for the first time in a couple of years! The excuse was always that it was always too hot or too cold- not this weekend!

:: Harry in his "lawn chair" as well ::

We have been occupied with graduation, the end of Chris' first year in school, a big birthday, the first of three weddings this summer, starting our jobs, and in between all of that, we've had a good amount of time to relax, as well. I'm usually the first one to suggest a night in after a hectic work week or just a night in watching 'Antique's Roadshow', but we've been trying to make the most out of a 24-hr day and our down time- it's been pretty splendid. Here are a few photos of what we've been up to: 

:: celebrating thirty at Sportello, one of my favorite eateries in Boston. potato gnocchi to die for ::

:: sitting dockside at the charles river. harry loves looking for ducks ::

:: enjoying the river up close ::

:: Chris' new bicycle- a vintage french model. the day we picked it up ::

:: wedding no.1 at the boston aquarium. penguins! ::

:: doggie social hour at the liberty hotel every wednesday ::

*first photo: memorial day 2012. boston common

Updated living

We recently took on some major home-improvement projects. The first: the mounting of the television! Boy, was that a job, but we were able to do it and the tv did not come crashing down in the middle of the night (nor any other night. Thus far...). Having no entertainment center really opened up the space and I am quite pleased with the results! We finally rotated the couch and it has made a huge difference. Why we did not do this sooner, I don't know. We always talked about it...but brushed it aside like it was completely ridiculous.  The living space is much cozier and well-defined. 

We finally were able to use our antique mantel (getting that to its current location was also a JOB and a half). Oh man- if I had pictures of that night...it would be beyond hilarious, but only in retrospect because at the time, we were tired, busy, and snippity. Imagine plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling, saw dust everywhere, Chris in ski goggles, manipulating an electric, rotating saw...IN our apartment. 

Since these pictures were taken, we have opened up both leaves of the dining table (a.k.a the greatest antique find in the history of antique finds).

In addition, we were able to take the butchers block away from under the bed and use it for a real purpose (the microwave...but since then, it's also serves as the "bar").

A view from the dining area into the newly rearranged living room

Also, with the spring, we have a return of fresh, colorful flowers!

Ranunculus-es! A fleeting find

California Beaming

Post Christmas, we spent some time in San Diego. The weather was great and the sun shined pretty much every day. My kind of vacation is the one where you sleep in late and have a leisurely time all day long with really no regard or need for knowing what time it is...and that's pretty much what we did. In my opinion, that type of lifestyle almost defines California ;) and what better place to spend it. Experiencing a complete change in pace in lifestyle is really such a luxury. I think these pictures capture that feeling well.

C by the beach in Laguna. I love this photo because it looks almost from the 1970's

me also by the beach in Laguna

at Dana Point, by the boat docks. I love a good boat name. I can't remember any of the ones we saw that day, but I adore them because they're usually puns and you know how I love a good pun...

Later that day, we headed to Balboa Island, which is a very cute community of homes by the beach. Since so many tourists walk by these homes, many were decked out in holiday decor. It wasn't the size of the homes that was so interesting more so than the individuality of them. This was one of the ones, for example: 

a cute, small gingerbread house- or shall I say, peppermint house

one of the homes on Balboa Island. TEA CUPS in the kitchen window!

Mr. Sandman. Balboa Island

for the love of dog. Balboa Island

Other activities that week included going to the gym. Of course, as I don't consider working out necessarily a vacation activity, I did get to spend some time by the pool at the gym, which felt fantastic in December. 

poolside at the gym

We would usually find a good lunch spot in the late afternoon. One afternoon, we had a meal to go at Roberto's and ate in the car, by the beach. I looked to my right and saw an amazing photo op- an old red Ford Mustang parked beachside. The colors were just brilliant and it was just so quintessentially Californian. Seriously, the state of CA should hire me as a promo photographer, no?

having lunch by the beach in Del Mar

outside Fidel's, my favorite Tex Mex fare in San Diego so far

We also went bowling. I was pretty mediocre, but it was great nonetheless. Bowling is something we  haven't done in AGES. My arm was actually sore the next day! I may have also tweaked my back. I love the old school look of the bowling alley in this picture. And C even commented how cool bowling shoes are. I couldn't agree more.

the bowling alley, despite this photo was PACKED.

We were also able to spend a good amount of time with family. I love this picture for all the rich colors. The sun setting in the early evening really brought out the leaves and the colors of the clothes. A look of determination... 

Miles ready to ride

And speaking of nice cars...On our last day, we saw a FORD MODEL-T! Never in my life have I ever. I suspected it may have been, but I wasn't sure at the time. Doing some research afterwards, I discovered that it's probably a 1929 model. I was impressed- it was just in pristine condition down to the tires and side-view mirrors.

:: First picture: neighborhood orange tree in San Diego::

Holiday planning

(Apologies, because this is obviously late and after-the-fact, but really too important to just skip over, so here we go...)

This holiday season, even though we were busy up to our eyeballs with C's final exams, his early departure for California, my crazy rotation schedule, C's birthday, my brother's birthday, C's father's birthday, C's nephew's birthday, and my travel plans (what a month-ful!), we decided to make the holidays as stress-free and festive as possible here, in Boston, together. I chose these cute, holiday post-cards that I had planned ahead and bought over Thanksgiving. They arrived wrapped in simple red and white twine, which I thought was such a simple touch that made it so festive.

This year, we also picked out our first REAL Christmas tree.

When I was growing up, my parents were anti- real Christmas tree. We had a nice, fake tree that we put up every year because a real tree was...well, wasteful. According to them, this real tree grows all year to be chopped in December and a few weeks later, dumped on the side of the road to become garbage. Were they right? Of course. Nothing screams "the holidays are OVER and done-zo!" as much as a crispy, browning, former shell of a Christmas tree, lying on the sidewalk on January 1st. But really, we had so much fun this year. The pines smelled so fragrant and many days, the highlight of my day was plugging in the Christmas tree lights in the evenings and admiring the full, beautiful branches. Here are some photos we took while picking out our Christmas tree in Sommerville. 

me next to the tree we took home- what a true beauty! (the tree)

C at the tree-mart. Trees for all, trees big and small!

So, we drove it home on the roof of our car, carried it up 4 flights of stairs, and decorated it. We have a few traditional Christmas tree ball ornaments that we bought years and years ago from the drugstore but never used on a tree because well, we never had one! I used to place the ornaments in a shallow glass bowl on the coffee table during the holidays. They finally had a place on the tree this year. (Side note: unfortunately, Gregory, the cat, liked to bat them off the tree- peculiarly, only the gold ones. And I would find them shattered on the floor in the mornings)

One of the best traditions we started last year  is buying one new novelty Christmas tree ornament every year and putting that on the tree. Last year, on our winter trip to Philadelphia, we bought a wooden snowman ornament at the Museum of Art gift store (after seeing an interesting exhibit by Michaelangelo Pistoletto) that was carved by artisans from one single piece of wood!

This year, we went to see the Nutcracker ballet (another yearly holiday tradition we started last year) and bought the most magnificent nutcracker ornament. He sparkles and is a working ornament. He has a string behind him that makes his arms and legs move. C made the mistake of showing the moving nutcracker ornament to Gregory and one morning, C found an ARM on the floor and the rest of the nutcracker hanging happily from the tree!  That darned cat. The nutcracker is now fixed, fortunately, but the snowflake on his hat is secured with a green rubber band.

Traditions: our two ornaments. And the nutcracker in his better day

Silent nights. Our beautiful tree

We also enjoyed a great night of ice skating in Boston Commons when the entire rink was rented out for just for a few of us. It was a great night that was crisp and chilly, but not too windy at all. We also kept warm with some hot chocolate, french fries, and clam chowder. It was a great holiday season and though we weren't able to spend actual Christmas together, pre-Christmas-ing was pretty fantastic.

Monsieur Speedy learns to skate backwards this time

A rare moment of me not clutching onto the wall or C, and actually not skating at a snail's pace