crazy fun and crazy sunburn

Our full day in Staunton was mainly focused on a Lunatic Tour we had scheduled as a surprise birthday present for the beau at Polyface Farm just outside of town.  Up bright and early, a quick breakfast at Coffee on the Corner, and then on to Polyface Farm.

Joel Salatin led our hayride tour (along with some of the Polyface workers and interns) and we squished on the wagons with 100 of our closest friends for the sold-out tour.  If you are a Virginia farm-to-table fan, you've likely heard of Joel Salatin and his crazy ways.  Love him or hate him, he's a big personality and we had a great time hearing about the farm and its philosophy straight from the horse's mouth.  And we saw a lot in our two hours - egg-laying chickens, meat chickens, turkeys, pigs, and rabbits.  Sadly no cows on our tour, but maybe next time.  There were tons of children on our tour, as well as farmers (or wanna-be farmers) from all over the country.  And the beau had a Polyface hot dog at the very end.  Crazy fun.  And we got crazy sunburned.

After the tour we made our way back to Staunton for a delicious lunch at Cranberry's Grocery (always love places where I can get a tofu sandwich!) and then a walk around town.  There was a vintage car show going on down by the train station and the beau took so many pictures of the various cars and hood ornaments (if you follow him on Instagram you got a taste).

We had a little rest back at the hotel and then made our way to Zynodoa for a leisurely birthday dinner full of locally-sourced and in-season ingredients.  Mojitos for cocktails, then bibb salads for our starters.  The beau had duck confit ravioli in beet sauce.  When I made reservations ahead of time I indicated that I was a vegetarian/vegan and the chef had responded to my (and fellow veg diners that night) request and there was a special roasted beet entree with huge beets in a leek sauce with carrot puree.  Absolutely delicious.  Being in Virginia, we took advantage of the local wines and took the recommendation of our server for glasses of Ox-Eye Reisling from Swoope, Virginia (not too far down the road) - not too sweet like so many reislings can be.  And for dessert we shared the maple cheesecake (beau's pick, being the birthday boy and all).  After all that food we needed to walk and made our way around town in the dark and quiet.

All in all, a wonderful relaxing weekend away.  Although we know we can't do that every weekend, we do know that Staunton will be a favorite spot to revisit in the future.

little road trip

West on Interstate 64 from Richmond; slight north trip up I-81; and then on to the historic Stonewall Jackson Hotel in downtown Staunton, Virginia.  We had a little road trip the end of last week and into the weekend in an early celebration of the beau's end-of-June birthday.  Staunton (pronounced Stanton, not Stawnton in a snide British accent as it can only be pronounced) is a lovely little town.  The main street (Beverley) is lined with restaurants and antique shops and boutiques and coffee shops and two (yes, two) old movie theaters.

Our first night in town we just had to go for a trip back in time, complete with aqua toilets in the bathrooms, to the 1940s Dixie Theater to see Dark Shadows.  We were the only people in the theater.  Which meant we could make comments the whole time - the best kind of movie-going experience in my opinion.  Well, aside from the movie-going experience of Union Station in D.C. where viewers yell at the screen regardless of who else is around.

We walked the town a bit and grabbed a late dinner at The Darjeeling Cafe:  black bean burger for him and the guacamole, hummus, pico trio for me.  Good food, quirky environment (in a former piano store), and friendly staff.

More to come next time:  a trip to a local farm and more yummy food!  Plus a car show thrown in for good measure...

girls' weekend: nashville

Jenny, a friend of mine from high school, lives far away in Atlanta and we hardly ever get to see each other.  We've tried to make a point of getting together in Virginia or Georgia at least every other year or so.  But sometimes we've interjected road trips into the mix.  Our first was 5+ years ago to Savannah, Georgia.  And this spring we ventured to Nashville, Tennessee for the weekend.

 

Where we stayed:
Downtown Nashville at the Renaissance Hotel

Where we ate:
Margaritas and cheap Mexican at El Rey on Second Avenue
Cobb salads and fancy cocktails at Merchants on Broadway

Where we explored:
Centennial Park and the Parthenon
The Gulch district for shopping (two boutiques)
Union Station (now a hotel)
Downtown Nashville in general

Where we went honky tonkin':
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge on Broadway
The Stage on Broadway

I think Jenny and I must have walked 15 miles or more around and about Nashville.  We jogged some of it, but mostly just explored on foot all the ins and outs of the downtown area.  Was there much shopping?  Not at all, but we saw lots of neon, a whole lot of folks drinking at 10:00AM (young and old), and some pretty neat architecture.  We got manicures and had fancy cocktails.  Bought local Goo Goo clusters to bring back home.  And got to catch up on each others' lives.  A wonderful girls' weekend away.

P.S. all my Instagram photos taken with the Nashville filter ;)

tucked away

 

Last Thursday was a beautiful day weather-wise, and luckily it was also the day we picked to wander around Richmond (enjoying both being off work on a random weekday).  Tucked away in Byrd Park, the beau stopped the car amidst construction vehicles at the entrance to the Byrd Park Pump House and we tromped through the mud to explore the outside of the building, the canal, and surrounding pathways.  The area is well interpreted by wayside signage that details the history of the building, the use of the canal, and quarrying efforts in the vicinity.

The pump house itself, a glorious example of Gothic Revival architecture, is currently undergoing restoration, but they've uncovered the open-arched upper level on one side of the structure to illustrate how the building looked when the second floor hosted a dance hall in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.  It must have been amazing to float along the canal in your party dress and dance the night away overlooking the woods and water.  How I wish they would hurry up and complete the restoration so the tradition can start up again.

last day

Up early today, coffee made, and the dread of heading back to work hangs over me.  I wish I could stay home just a few days more.  Get in more lazing about; get more cleaning and organizing completed; just not have to be at work checking e-mails and answering phone calls and actually doing my job.  Le sigh.

For my last day of freedom we drank.  Horton Vineyards and Barboursville Vineyards wine tastings, to be exact.  I had made a vegan couscous and butternut squash salad and gathered together a picnic in one of my cute vintage tin picnic baskets, but the 30-degree weather meant a picnic was a lost cause.  Not that we didn't attempt it.  The beau was actually the voice of reason.  I had plans to shiver through my pain.  60-degree weather all last week or so, and now this?!  But small little snowflakes fell on us as we left the last winery, which made the cold seem a little magical at least.

lunches and bleating goats

If you are like me, you have a difficult time coming up with creative, easy, and tasty lunch packables.  I normally rely on hummus with carrots and pita or a frozen entree or some sort of leftover from the night before.  But wouldn't you know that if you plan and do a little research you can find other things to pack?!  Amazing.  Like a wrap of apple, arugula, and chickpeas in a balsamic vinaigrette inspired by this recipe.

In my continual flirtation with vegan eating, I omitted the cheese and hard-boiled egg.  Of course I forgot to also scan the ingredients of the whole wheat flour tortillas that I bought from Wegman's until the very last lunch.  Wouldn't you know that fish oil (anchovy & sardine) and fish gelatin (tilapia) were the secret ingredients?  Total bummer (and a little stomach-churning for this veggie girl).  Now I know.

We have been enjoying some decidedly autumnal weather the past few days.  A little chilly, but nothing that can't be handled by some layers and actually turning the heat on in the house.  We went to the Virginia State Fair over the weekend and enjoyed some old fashioned rodeo escapades and funnel cakes and people-watching.  Plus, we caught the middleweight meat goat show, which was decidedly like Best in Show but with bleating goats and teenage handlers.

oyster ice cream and rickeys

Lovely weekend in Washington, D.C. with the beau.  We are both foodies in some ways, so took a trip to see the exhibit What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? at the National Archives on Saturday afternoon.  Hot, hot walk from the hotel and long, long security line, but the exhibit was entertaining and informative and just a lot of fun.  You could really tell that the curators enjoyed themselves with the topic of governmental food regulation.  Sounds strange to say, but it's true.  Where else could you write/read a label with the phrase:  "...crimes against butter?"

We had reservations for dinner at America Eats Tavern that evening - the pop-up restaurant (in the former Cafe Atlantico space) linked to the Archives exhibit and with all proceeds benefiting the National Archives Foundation.  Good food for a good cause.  The menu reads like a history lesson of early cookery receipts and the food that resulted was a modern take on the historic dish.  For the beau (the meat eater), it was the spoonbread with oyster ice cream and caviar, the pickled sturgeon with caviar (good old Virginia-inspired recipe from Mary Randolph), and the mutton shoulder with oysters and catsups.  For me (the vegetarian), the vermicelli prepared like pudding, the Harvard beet salad, and the cobb salad (made veg).

For dessert we shared the Vermont Sugar on Snow, which was a pile of shaved ice with citrus zest and flowers that was embedded with maple candy and served tableside with pours of hot maple syrup that crystalized as you were eating.  Pretty crazy.  And made me think of that scene on the train in Holiday Inn where they are singing about snow...

The food was delightful and fun, but I was really impressed with the array of historic cocktails also being offered.  The traditional D.C. rickey was a fun start (pictured above), and my martini post-dinner was to die for.  Orange bitters = amazing.

crashing waves

The month I spent in England and Wales was fun and exciting but certainly not what I would call a vacation.  I was go, go, go from early in the morning until at least 10 o'clock at night, thinking and learning and just being 'on.'

Vacation, on the other hand, provides an opportunity to just relax and turn the mind off and do whatever you want, whenever you want.  Yesterday afternoon I arrived at my family's rented beach house and am already feeling more relaxed.  I slept last night with the bedroom windows wide open and the sound of waves lulling me to sleep.  Better than any sleep machine "crashing waves" sound effect.

Today we have big plans:  sit on the beach; eat; drink; chat.  I can't wait...

Btw, my good friend L. has designed a new, fantastic blog header for me, which you see in a cut-off manner.  Guess I'm going to need her mad skillz to help me understand how to resize, etc.  Please be patient with me - I'm on vacation!

I've been lucky enough to have an extra week after the Attingham program to spend in London doing more museum site visits. It is a bit whirlwindy, but I've been enjoying myself immensely - settling into the neighborhood and picking my way about the city on the tube. The John Soane Museum, Wallace Collection, Tate Modern, Hunterian Museum, and Dr. Johnson's House have filled the last few days and more are yet to come.

That's not to say I'm not ready to be home. See my loved ones and wear some new/different clothes. But in the meantime I'll continue enjoying my British adventure.

adventures

As many of you know if you've been following my adventures on Facebook (sorry Mom), I have been attending the Attingham Summer School these past three weeks. We've been touring the English/Wales countryside (Sussex, Derbyshire, Shropshire, North Wales), visiting country houses of all sorts to view their unique architecture and collections.

Since I am armed only with my iPhone, I've not really been able to blog during our adventures (tad too time consuming). But be assured I had a wonderful time and may try to share some of the better pictures once I'm home and settled. But here is at least one little post to say hello and assure you I'm still here!

(image: Attingham Park in Shropshire - visited on our very last day)

enchanted

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day in London - the sun was shining and the weather warm but with a breeze. Dressed in layers, I welcomed the opportunity to take off my cardigan and soak in some sun as I walked through Kensington Gardens. Stopping every so often to skip through fields of daisies (okay, not really, but I did wander through the fields a bit).

I took the afternoon to make my way to Kensington Palace for the Enchanted Palace tour. A turn on the traditional historic house tour (look at this pretty room full of old things, yawn), each of the open rooms provided a themed look at a person or idea found in the royal history of the palace. Given a map and a quest to find seven princesses, you wander through the spaces - listening, watching, reading, talking. I must admit I stepped into many of the rooms and just stood absorbed in the mood.

Unfortunately the orangery at Kensington Palace closed early for an event, so no tea for me. Instead, another fascinating veggie sandwich - Brie, grapes, cranberry chutney, lettuce, and mayo. A little heavy, but I'm determined to give them all a try!

veggie sandwich and Hyde Park

The past few weeks I've been getting ready for my adventures in England. First a few days in London and then three weeks of the Attingham Summer School (summer camp for historic house curators).

My arrival in London included getting a little lost on the tube (but was pointed in the right direction by a lovely gentleman who had visited Cinninati, Ohio before, and so we talked a bit about being stateside).

Finding the rental flat wasn't too bad, but dragging a 45lb suitcase up five sets of rickety stairs was quite a workout! Rainy afternoon, but I walked a bit, found a few shops, and bought myself a humous, carrot, and salad greens sandwich on wholemeal bread (just one of MANY veggie options) for dinner.

Today I was up at my normal time, went for a beautiful run/walk in Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens, and then got a croissant and iced cafe americano (very appropriate) to enjoy in the little square by the flat.

big city

I'm lucky enough to have a job where I get to look at pretty things. Anytime I want. And this week I traveled to New York to look at other people's pretty things. Ceramics fair and antiques show and museum visits. Good food. Cold feet. More soon...but here, a view from my hotel window to Rockefeller Center's skating rink. And a new book for the train ride home.

beach day

This weekend I went fossil hunting. Really. On the beach at Stratford Hall. I found a small shark's tooth (with help from a trained paleontologist!) washed up on the sand. The wind was blowing and the air carried that smell. You know the one I'm talking about. The damp beachy smell. Ahh.

I've decided that I was meant to live by water. I don't want to swim in it, I just want to be by it and smell it and hear the waves crashing (or lapping). When I lived in a noisy apartment, I had one of those sound machines that has a variety of atmospheres (rainforest, bubbling brook, etc.), but I always would pick the waves crashing one when it was time to go to sleep. Just so relaxing.

But because I live in a little house in a small city, I need to get my beach on when I can.

twig trellises and mounds of daffodils

Have you ever sat down and thought about how you came by your personality, loves, hates? I guess it's the 'nature vs. nurture' argument, but I think sometimes you are definitely born with some quirks. I, for instance, have somehow inherited my grandmother's love of gardens. Now, my mother is an avid gardener, but nowhere near her mother - who grows roses, and lilies, and azaaleas, and primroses, and tulips, and anything else she can get her hands on (and drizzle MiracleGro on).

I could talk gardens for hours. And I especially love natural/organic gardening (not so much in keeping with dear old Grandma). Now, I may not know my scientific names or how to grow all the things I love to look at, but I enjoy learning. I found myself wandering through the garden plots of Colonial Williamsburg today. What a beautiful day to explore the world of colonial Virginia gardening. Natural twig trellises and beautiful mounds of daffodils first caught my eye. Then lettuces in cold frames, and spinach sprouting under bell jars, and spring onions shooting out of their mounds. Crushed oyster shell walks. Glorious. I would love to be in this garden every day.

Any garden talk to share?

coming home

Back to reality. Well, not quite yet I guess. But back home at least and ready to get my gifts unpacked, thank you notes written, and laundry done. After six days away, I must admit that it is good to be back home. Although I do miss the coffee being hot and ready in the mornings without having to lift a finger. And I got to see some old friends while I was visiting as well. Always a joy.

I love the architecture and landscape of the rolling hills around Frederick, Maryland where I grew up. The grain elevators, the open fields, the old stone farmhouses and bank barns. Beautiful lush landscapes alongside industrial buildings. Aesthetically inspiring.

Home again

Back home again after an extended trip to visit the family in west-central Maryland. This Thanksgiving was a remarkable one for its list of firsts: my first Quorn roast for the Thanksgiving table, my first Black Friday shopping excursion where I was actually out of bed at 5:00am, and my first visit to Volt.

Creamy mushroom veloute to start, goat cheese ravioli with butternut squash as an entree, and an apple tart to finish. Delightful. My parents definitely were not telling tales when they raved about this restaurant - the waitstaff is perfectly orchestrated--the plates are set upon the table in unison--and the atmosphere is laid-back modern (Chuck Taylors with suits). Didn't get pictures of the food, but here you see mom and me with big smiles.

The minute I returned home this afternoon I set up the Christmas tree and hung my front door wreath (both faux versions). The cats were awfully glad to see me. So glad in fact that they promptly curled up on the bed and took long naps. Good to be home.

Rocky shores and paddling swans

I had such a nice long weekend visiting my lovely girlfriends (and husbands, babies, dog, and cats) up in Boston. Of course the biggest highlight was meeting little Ned and Penny - such personalities!

We also enjoyed a paddle around the public gardens with some swans and a jaunt up to picturesque Rockport for a walk on the beach. The weather was warm and humid (felt like home) and it was such a lovely time. Thanks girls!

Wilmington weekend

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Christine and I took a wonderful road trip to visit our dear friend Suzy in Wilmington, North Carolina - her new adopted hometown. Such a peaceful weekend spent with lots of wine, good food, and beautiful scenery. Downtown Wilmington has such a great vibe - I really do love towns where you can walk to shops, restaurants, and parks (although we did a lot of staying in too - Suzy's tortilla soup and sangria were just too yummy). We did make it out for some meals: dinner at YoSake for some great sushi and bubbly sake, breakfast at Barista Cafe with the best homemade potato chips ever (yes, chips are breakfast fare - I mean, they're just like hashbrowns right?), and brunch on our last day at not-quite-downtown Jester's. We didn't do anything cultural in the least (unless you can count watching hours of Tom Jones as "cultural") but next time I just might have to venture into the Cape Fear Serpentarium just to mix it up.

On our morning of departure I realized I hadn't taken a single picture - no crazy slumber party pics, but I did manage to snap some tidbits when I took an early morning walk before the others had started to stir...

Bluegrass on the green grass

After having it on my 'to do' list for quite some time now, I've actually done it. I've attended one of the summer concerts in Fredericksburg put on by the Bluemont organization. Saturday evening the sky looked like it would downpour at any second, but two friends and I braved it anyway, took our trusty blankets, my cute vintage picnic box (see above), and found a spot on the stadium's football field just as the concert began.

The performers: Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group.
The music: bluegrass.
The menu: egg salad sandwiches, black bean dip with chips, watermelon, frosted brownies, and sparkling pink lemonade and berry fizz (no alcohol allowed!).
The crowd: Old married couples and young families with cute young kids who ran around on the football field the entire concert.
The weather: beautiful...

Sunset captured by M.