Blueberry Goodness

This loaf is perfect for breakfast--moist, lemony, and blueberry-y. It's really easy to make, too...so get out there and take advantage of the blueberry bounty while you can. Here's the link to the recipe--now go, fire up the oven, and get to bakin'!

Oh, What a Weekend

It began (a bit early) on Thursday with the arrival of Miss D., all the way from L.A. We kicked off the festivities with what we like to call "foofitinis" (any sweet, colorful drink). These are actually dry champagne mixed with sparkling pink lemonade. Yum!
On Friday, Miss D. and Mr. B. headed off to Comic-Con . . . I went once, which was all I ever need to go, thank you very much (it's just not my thing). A good time was had by all . . .

Miss D. and I went off estate saling on Saturday morning. Not great scorage, but I did find this box of treasures. Yes, that is ribbon (NO! I don't have a problem!) on top of a whole box of vintage wrapping paper (including the most excellent "Tie-Tie Gift Wrapping Guide," which, among other magical things, has instructions for how to make ribbon rabbits. OMG!).
These are just two examples of the great vintage-y wrapping paper goodness.
The box also had a lot of these German paper Santas--I know they have a proper name, but we don't know what it is and so dubbed them "Santageschichten." Anyone know what these are really called? (Sorry the photo is on its side--oopsy; don't know how to fix it once it's posted here.)

And on Saturday evening: ROLLER DERBY! Oh, yeah! The league is the San Diego Derby Dolls; we saw a bout between the Diego Rollers and the Hard Corps. Grrrl powrrr, in spades. So much fun . . . we loved it.

Should I try out? Hmmm . . .

In addition to all of the fun stuff above, we had Mexican food, ice cream, peanut butter cookies, and lots and lots of good conversation. Here's to you, Miss D.!

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

The dog days of summer . . .

I Feel Like I Have a Chicken on My Head

Why, I do! Beautiful bird, no?

Ornamental

I got nothin' today, people. Work work work--makes me a dull (and cranky) girl, that's for sure! Only the prospect of coffee and perhaps some of my beloved McVitie's digestive biscuits is keeping me going . . .

This ironwork is from some government building in Washington, DC (I forget which one).

I Need Coffee

I really need some coffee . . . or perhaps some tea.

Anything to give me some of the above.

Birdy Num-Num

Check out this little dude (those miniscule feet!). Now that I look closely, I see there's something (a bit of wire, or . . . ?) perhaps stuck on his foot. Wonder what it is? We have at least three hummingbirds that frequent our back yard and this feeder. I think they are different species; this one is, I believe, an Anna's hummingbird. In typical fashion, the birds dive bomb each other all day long or sit in our nearby Australian flame tree and click repeatedly and loudly.

P.S. If you don't know what the title of this post refers to, drop what you're doing and go rent this movie. Go, right now! LOL, indeed!

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

This shot also qualifies as part of the "Color Week: Red and Pink" theme: check out that pinky darlingness around her nose. I have a personal obsession with dog lips, and Miss Tallulah Mae has a very sweet shiny bottom one . . . I know, I know--I'm odd.

A Week of Color: Pink and Red IV

Wow . . . just wow.

A Week of Color: Pink and Red III

Mmmmm--a strawberry-banana smoothie, the perfect pre-yoga breakfast. We get loads of strawberries from our organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, Be Wise Ranch. If you're not a member of a CSA, check into it. You're supporting local farmers and getting lots o' good food, usually picked that morning, and usually delivered somewhere right in your own neighborhood. It is, as my gal Martha says, a good thing!

A Week of Color: Pink and Red II

Look at this loveliness! Yum yum. Whenever I go to a farmer's market, my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach--everything looks good.

And I have to add to yesterday's post: my darling husband brings me flowers every week (but not roses, generally). This week, it was tulips . . .

A Week of Color: Pink and Red

These beauties are Reason Number 997, 842 why I love my husband so: he brought these home, for no reason at all. Just because . . . awww, isn't that so sweet?

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

This post could also be called "Florilegium V." Or "Canus adorabilus with Flora feltus." Or "Miss Tallulah Mae Contemplates: Flower, or Simulacrum?" (Sorry for that last one--I've been working too much!) Check out her little pointy white toes back there--cuteness!Bonus action shot: She's chewing on the flower . . . it has annoyed her. The end.

Florilegium IV

I do love me some coleus--it's one of those old-fashioned plants that never fails to please me. And the variety of cultivars is astonishing.

No bees in this photo, but I do think I spy with my little eye a fly...

Florilegium III

Check out (click on it to enlarge it) this almost-action shot of Ms. Bumblebee hanging upside down in order to fully enjoy the nectary goodness of this plant, which looks to be some sort of salvia. Buzz, buzz, buzz--speaking of which, I'm off to get my buzz on with a ginormous latte . . .

Florilegium II

Lavender and a butterfly--two of my favorite things! Add a bee, a puppy, a chocolate shake, a stack of magazines, and Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Solos (plus my hubby, of course!), and I'm good to go!

Florilegium I

Crazy busy with work again this week, so a week of flower pix for your enjoyment--look closely: there are bound to be bees in many of the shots. I am mildly obsessed with bees and could watch them all day. These are, I believe, bumblebees rather than Apis mellifera, the honey bee. The flower, of course, is echinacea.

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

Bonus edition: two views of Miss Tallulah Mae in a lei. Here she looks mildly perturbed but game enough. Love the insouciant head angle and ear lift.
















In this photo, she's thinking, "Laugh away, humans. Laugh away..."

Aloha!

Tots Across America

What happens when a bunch of librarians (and several spouses) sit in a lovely French restaurant and begin to talk about other culinary experiences? The talk naturally turns to Tater Tots, and an idea takes hold: The Great Tater Tot Pledge. We all agreed to have a meal involving Tater Tots on the same day, each in our respective time zones. American ingenuity at work--behold how four different households chose to incorporate the Tots (beloved of children everywhere whose parents are going out to dinner and leaving them with babysitters) into their repasts.

We start in the East, in Virginia (at left). A simple and elegant presentation of the Tots.
















Our Kentucky representative--yay, Kentucky, my home state!--chose a much more minimalist approach. And who can argue with the simplicity of Tater Tots and Diet Coke, really?

The Iowa crowd partook of a different fizzy beverage. Check out their wide array of condiments. They also get extra points for having used a George Foreman grill.






















It being the hippie West Coast, the Californians had veggie burgers with organic ketchup.


















Tater Tots have come a long way since school lunch days. Check out the Ore-Ida website . . . Tots now come in shapes, flavors, and Extra Crispy (we're trying those when next the Tater Tots Across America Club convenes!). And there's even an Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Nascar car driven by Jon Wood; unfortunately, the car doesn't look like a giant Tater Tot on wheels . . .

Bon appetit!

Edited: I had this post up twice, so I deleted one of them--and all the photos disappeared from this one. ARGH!!! Clearly, I need to go out and get a copy of Blogging for Dummies ASAP.

Red, White, and Blue

Exhibit A














Exhibit B












Exhibit C

Washington Slept Here

Literally: Scenes from Mount Vernon.
I'm always fascinated by historic homes and sites, and Mount Vernon is a doozy. The "mansion," as it's called, is nice, but it's the grounds and outbuildings that are truly wonderful. I'm amazed that the property is owned and run by the Mt. Vernon Ladies' Association, as it has been since 1860 when they bought the house and grounds for $200,000. And they still operate it today--not the National Park Service or the National Trust, but the Mt. Vernon Ladies' Association.

This picture is taken from the side of the house; to the right is the Potomac River.






This is the lovely view from . . .













... here, on the back veranda. Nice! I can just imagine sitting here to watch day slip into night, then watching the lightning bugs flash.











This, I believe, is flax. There is a small demonstration area with various displays about agriculture at Mt. Vernon, including heritage breed sheep and cattle, and a reconstruction of a 16-sided barn devised by Washington to thresh wheat.








I had an earnest chat with this sweet mule.













And I strolled in these lovely, lovely gardens and counted myself fortunate that I wasn't wearing period clothing in the hot and muggy June weather.

I also thought about all of the incredibly hard work it took to maintain this property back at the end of the 18th century, and I thought about the many slaves who lived and died there.

All in all, a wonderful day--there were areas on the property where I didn't encounter any other tourists (in this garden, if you can believe it) , and I could truly imagine myself transported back to another age. History--it's cool!

The Travelogue Continues

Our DC hotel . . . well, if you can't say anything nice, show a detail of the very lovely mosaic floor in the lobby.











This darling young man was part of a pick-up band playing one evening at Dupont Circle; they all played brass instruments, except one tiny little girl (just visible at right) who "played" tambourine--mostly she wore it around her neck. Too cute!








Of course, Washington is full of marvelous museums (I can't recommend the Freer and the Sackler highly enough--gorgeous art and artifacts, uncrowded, and great gift shops).
I went the the American Art Museum and saw an exhibition by the Alabama-born photographer and sculptor William Christenberry, whose work I've always admired. Right next to his galleries was a fantastic show of folk art from the museum's collection, including this piece by James Hampton. Look closely: that's cardboard, tin foil, and sundry other materials. Amazing in person . . .

A sleeping lion outside the Corcoran . . .













Street art near Dupont Circle . . .

Stay tuned: trips back in time, and some gardens.