Hello there!
I've moved my blog to www.tomoebookarts.com. Kurt was awesome and joined my website with my blog, so now you only have to go to one place! :) Thanks, Kurt!!!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The big 1-0
Last Friday was our 10th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to treat ourselves to a trip to New York City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I remember to take the camera? Of course not! Why would I do that?? :( But we had an phenomenal time nonetheless.
We arrived on Friday about midday and shopped at the Taschen store, where I got a bunch of cool style books like this one. We also went to the Anna Sui store and to Purl Soho, which was so cool! I finally got to see the physical store. We also went to their sister store, Purl Patchwork, which has what I really love: fabrics. I got a couple cute bag handles and a book called Zakka Sewing which has tons of cute Japanese sewing projects.
After that we had some bad Japanese food at a little restaurant and then kicked ourselves because right in the Theater District there were a bunch of Japanese restaurants catering to the Japanese tourists, so we made plans to go there the next day. That evening, we went to see Chicago the Musical and it was really excellent. We were able to get half price tickets online and we were in the second row!!!!!!!!! We were so close we could see the sweat on the performers' brows! It was amazing!! Now we want to see the movie version again so we can compare them.
We had a snack and a drink after the show at a little Irish pub, which was OK, but not the greatest, and then took the long and tortured train route (three trains, 30 minutes on one platform, and finally a taxi) back to the hotel. We thought we'd save money being across the river, but with the time and money spent on the trains/taxi, we might as well have stayed in town.
On Saturday, we decided to have breakfast at the hotel, since we knew that the train would be a long ride in, so we had a cold breakfast bar, with lukewarm eggs, sausage and some muffins and stuff. Blech. In the city, we went to the Frick Collection, which was amazing: Titian, Giorgione, Holbein, Vermeer, Ingres, tons of great art. I've never been so impressed with a small collection before. And the building (Henry Clay Frick's former residence) was pretty damn impressive as well.
Kurt and I were also drooling over his collection of books in the library. Every one of them leather-bound gigantic editions of classic books. And they were bound in dark-colored leather so they blended right in to the decor (dark wood paneling). It was beautiful. Then we went to have lunch at the ramen place we saw on Friday, and that was great. I can't believe it had been 7 years since we had good miso ramen! We then went to Kinokuniya, to continue the Japanese theme, and I got some Japanese craft books. Then we hopped on the subway and caught the wrong train, so we had to double back after heading all the way up to the top of Central Park, near Harlem. We got off at the right stop and walked up to the Met, where we only had a little time. All of the exhibits having to do with textiles and fabric were closed (evidently they have an amazing costume collection) which was such a disappointment! We got up to the 19/20th century paintings a little late (and in my case a little pissed because of the costumes), but they had Whistler, Mucha, Bougereau, Sargent, Van Dyck, all sorts of excellent work. But by the time we got up there, we only had about a half an hour, and we were both so tired that we really couldn't make the most of it. We went back down to the theatre district by bus, and we found a pub/restaurant there where we had a reverse dinner. (We had drinks and a dessert first, then realized we were more hungry than we thought, so we ordered some food.) And we took the train back again. I kind of liked the reverse dinner. You get to eat the dessert when you can savor it most. :)
Sunday, we decided to sleep in a bit because we couldn't really get in to town early enough to make it worthwhile, so we left around 11, stopped in Stamford Connecticut for breakfast at a greasy spoon, and continued on to New Haven, where we visited the Yale campus and saw their art collection. We also stopped at some of the little shops, where I saw some earrings that I loved but didn't buy (idiot that I am) and some glass bangles which I did buy.
We got back home at about 7 and picked up little Whiskey. (I missed her so much!) Bob and Susie, who dog-sat for us while we were away, said they didn't want her to leave because she had been so good! We were relieved that she had been such a lovable pup. Whiskey now has about 5 new toys. They really did spoil her. :)
Now we're back at work and wishing we could spend more time in the City. My friend Alex will be moving there in a while for a whole year, so guess who's going to be crashing at her place every chance she gets? :) My next Broadway show: Billy Elliot.
We arrived on Friday about midday and shopped at the Taschen store, where I got a bunch of cool style books like this one. We also went to the Anna Sui store and to Purl Soho, which was so cool! I finally got to see the physical store. We also went to their sister store, Purl Patchwork, which has what I really love: fabrics. I got a couple cute bag handles and a book called Zakka Sewing which has tons of cute Japanese sewing projects.
After that we had some bad Japanese food at a little restaurant and then kicked ourselves because right in the Theater District there were a bunch of Japanese restaurants catering to the Japanese tourists, so we made plans to go there the next day. That evening, we went to see Chicago the Musical and it was really excellent. We were able to get half price tickets online and we were in the second row!!!!!!!!! We were so close we could see the sweat on the performers' brows! It was amazing!! Now we want to see the movie version again so we can compare them.
We had a snack and a drink after the show at a little Irish pub, which was OK, but not the greatest, and then took the long and tortured train route (three trains, 30 minutes on one platform, and finally a taxi) back to the hotel. We thought we'd save money being across the river, but with the time and money spent on the trains/taxi, we might as well have stayed in town.
On Saturday, we decided to have breakfast at the hotel, since we knew that the train would be a long ride in, so we had a cold breakfast bar, with lukewarm eggs, sausage and some muffins and stuff. Blech. In the city, we went to the Frick Collection, which was amazing: Titian, Giorgione, Holbein, Vermeer, Ingres, tons of great art. I've never been so impressed with a small collection before. And the building (Henry Clay Frick's former residence) was pretty damn impressive as well.
Kurt and I were also drooling over his collection of books in the library. Every one of them leather-bound gigantic editions of classic books. And they were bound in dark-colored leather so they blended right in to the decor (dark wood paneling). It was beautiful. Then we went to have lunch at the ramen place we saw on Friday, and that was great. I can't believe it had been 7 years since we had good miso ramen! We then went to Kinokuniya, to continue the Japanese theme, and I got some Japanese craft books. Then we hopped on the subway and caught the wrong train, so we had to double back after heading all the way up to the top of Central Park, near Harlem. We got off at the right stop and walked up to the Met, where we only had a little time. All of the exhibits having to do with textiles and fabric were closed (evidently they have an amazing costume collection) which was such a disappointment! We got up to the 19/20th century paintings a little late (and in my case a little pissed because of the costumes), but they had Whistler, Mucha, Bougereau, Sargent, Van Dyck, all sorts of excellent work. But by the time we got up there, we only had about a half an hour, and we were both so tired that we really couldn't make the most of it. We went back down to the theatre district by bus, and we found a pub/restaurant there where we had a reverse dinner. (We had drinks and a dessert first, then realized we were more hungry than we thought, so we ordered some food.) And we took the train back again. I kind of liked the reverse dinner. You get to eat the dessert when you can savor it most. :)
Sunday, we decided to sleep in a bit because we couldn't really get in to town early enough to make it worthwhile, so we left around 11, stopped in Stamford Connecticut for breakfast at a greasy spoon, and continued on to New Haven, where we visited the Yale campus and saw their art collection. We also stopped at some of the little shops, where I saw some earrings that I loved but didn't buy (idiot that I am) and some glass bangles which I did buy.
We got back home at about 7 and picked up little Whiskey. (I missed her so much!) Bob and Susie, who dog-sat for us while we were away, said they didn't want her to leave because she had been so good! We were relieved that she had been such a lovable pup. Whiskey now has about 5 new toys. They really did spoil her. :)
Now we're back at work and wishing we could spend more time in the City. My friend Alex will be moving there in a while for a whole year, so guess who's going to be crashing at her place every chance she gets? :) My next Broadway show: Billy Elliot.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Whiskey's glamour shot
Whiskey got her first haircut today!! Here are the before and after shots:
Doesn't she look all cute and fuzzy? Here she is after:
Doesn't she look all cute and fuzzy? Here she is after:Talk about a glamour shot!! She's got the pose down and everything. She looks beautiful! Although I like her when she looks all curly too. :)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Whiskey De Bleu
Meet my new Bedlington Terrier puppy, Whiskey. Is she not the most adorable thing you have ever seeeeeeeeeen? She had a very, very busy day yesterday which included a trip to a couple of stores, two walks, lots of playing on the kitchen floor, her first steps in the ocean and her first bath at our house. She was pooped. Last night, poor little Whiskey kept us up a bit whimpering. The poor girl misses her mommy and littermates. :( I wanted so badly to run to her and pick her up and snuggle her close!
After thoroughly exploring the house, she's found a favorite place to sit: up against the counter behind the stools.
She sits back there and plays with her little lobster squeek toy. She's so adorable! She has her first vet appointment tonight. I hope she likes the vet! I'm sure it'll feel like someone's ripping my heart out when they administer her shots. :\ Poor Whiskey!!!!!!!!!!!!!Monday, August 11, 2008
Latest Bedlington photo
Little Whiskey is on the left. :) Isn't she ADORABLE??????????????? We pick her up on Saturday. Can't wait!Congratulations!
We spent the weekend in Maine and had a great time. My friend, Alex, and her boyfriend J. announced their engagement!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're very excited for them. :)
Felicidades, amiga. Te quiero mucho, ya lo sabes.
Felicidades, amiga. Te quiero mucho, ya lo sabes.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
4th of July
Our very first Lanesville 4th of July was a blast! We had a 4K race in the morning, a parade at 6 o'clock and an awesome bonfire with fireworks at 9 o'clock. The parade was more like a Halloween procession in July. Everyone was dressed up in the craziest outfits! Neighbors:
Babies:
Dogs:
Even Santa made an appearance!
The parade was complete with its own "band" of drummers and kazoo players:
Tambourines:
And of course bagpipes!
After the parade, we all gathered in the streets and sang patriotic songs. Despite the fact that no one knew the words, we all sang as loudly as we could!
Later that night, after a very yummy barbecue, we all went down to Lanes Cove for the bonfire and the fireworks. Here's the 3 story pile of pallets that was built earlier in the week:
Did you notice the piano at the very top?Right at 9pm it was set aflame!
The fire just got bigger and bigger! They even had to move the flag because it nearly caught on fire. We were standing across the Cove from the fire and we could still feel the heat. It was huge!
The fire together with the fireworks was an amazing sight:
The fire burned all night, until there was nothing, but a small pile of wood quietly burning. The smell was wonderful! I love the smell of a wood fire.
The next morning, all that was left was embers and the steel frame of a piano! I don't think I've ever had a better 4th of July!Thursday, July 3, 2008
Pup-tastic
Remember how Kurt and I were hoping for a Bedlington Terrier puppy last year? Well....This is the little girl we'll be picking up next month. Isn't she adorable??? We're thinking of the name Whiskey. What do you think? Any name ideas?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
St. Peter's Fiesta
This past weekend was the St. Peter's Fiesta in Gloucester. It was so much fun! Kurt and I got on the carnival rides, listened to live music, and ate fried dough. It was great. We also went to the beach games on Sunday, where we saw the above woman's VERY elaborate hat. And this one:
The detail on these hats was amazing. 
Everyone was hovered around them just looking at all the little scenes:
The beach games included seine boat races 
and the greasy pole contest. 
The boat races have 12 men per boat. They row out 1/2 a mile, grab a flag, then row back to shore (the boats are the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria). The first boat back wins. It was really neat to watch. Those men wanted to win so badly they looked like they were rowing for their lives!The greasy pole competition was even more interesting. Above you see the greasy pole as it looked from the beach where we were standing. Do you see all the boats anchored just behind the pole? Everyone with a boat (or kayak) got to have a much closer look!
The greasy pole contestants came around on a boat before getting up on the platform for the competition. They were all dressed in some sort of costume: spider man, iron man, poodle skirt and wig, you name it! 
After getting up on the platform, they each got to walk (or try to walk) 
across once to practice. Then it was the real deal. Whoever made it across the pole and grabs the flag first wins! There was only one guy who walked across and touched the flag during his practice go. And he was the one who then won the competition!
Very lucky! I'm told that the person who touches the flag during the practice walk isn't always the one to win the competition. Someone else might beat you to it.
After the winner fell into the water with the flag, the others jumped in to swim with him to shore. They lifted him onto their shoulders and brought him up onto the beach where everyone cheered!
We really had a good time! This weekend is the 4th of July celebration in Lanesville, our little community in Gloucester. We can't wait. We are told it's quite a riot with a parade, bon fire, BBQ, and race. Stay tuned for pictures!!Thursday, June 26, 2008
Amherst
My husband spent all last week taking a really great Master Class on painting at Amherst College. His last day was on Sunday, so I went up a day early to check out the town and campus.
I visited all the cute little shops on the main drag (got this awesome wooden bracelet - I'll have to get a picture of it), had a yummy breakfast at one of the cafes, treated myself to some very nice Riesling at a restaurant called La Tabella, and saw a movie at their tiny little theatre (I saw And Then She Found Me, which was not what I expected and totally depressing - you've been warned).
The campus is absolutely breathtaking. There are mountains in the distance, beautiful green fields, ridiculously gorgeous architecture, and even a perfect sledding hill!
That weekend was also the Taste of Amherst festival. I had some pork and leek dumplings which were amazing. I also wanted to get on this cool trampoline meets bungee jumping contraption, but we got rained out! (You can see the ominous clouds in the above picture). I was so bummed!
It's definitely a place I want to go back to for a day trip. I'd love to go hiking while I'm there too. If you have any suggestions on things to do in Amherst, let me know!Isn't this the coolest table?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Gardening
I was doing a bit of gardening and a friend decided to come along for the ride.
Here are the latest flowers in our garden: 
Here are the latest flowers in our garden: 
And best of all, we've picked fresh strawberries from our garden, which we sliced, sugared up, and ate with angel food cake. YUM!
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