#CincinnatiVacay

One of the best parts about getting older is that the friendships you made in college gradually get more weight, more history. There is nothing better in the world than a friend who you've known for more than ten years; the sort of ease and comfort that happens when you're around people with whom you have a common history is just my favorite. When those people have a baby, it's even better.

I have known Lisa since freshman orientation, and Charlie since about two weeks after that. I was in their wedding, and when their son was born, I was honored to be asked to be his godmother. Teddy takes after his parents- he loves books, he's almost always happy (unless you're denying him goldfish), and he's generally a delight to be around. Unfortunately, the family lives in Cincinnati, which is altogether too far away from Boston, but I tried to make up for it by visiting them last week.

It was the perfect kind of visit; we visited the most amazing playground I have ever seen, went to a truly charming bookstore/cafe, ate delicious barbecue, and played with lots and lots of trains. It was relaxed and relaxing, the kind of vacation you can have with friends you've known forever. We cooked lots of food and drank plenty of pink wine, and spent lots and lots of time talking when Teddy was sleeping.

It should be noted that Lisa and Charlie just moved to Cincinnati from St. Louis, so Ferguson was on the forefront of all of our minds. We spent a lot of time talking about it; about where we go from here, how we deal with the fact that we live in a world where it is fundamentally dangerous to be black and male. I don't have any answers, but it's something I grapple with a lot, especially now. Talking about it with friends who have lived in St. Louis (Lisa is from there) gave me a new perspective.

Sledding Adventure

Happy New Year! I hope your 2014 has started out perfectly.

On Thursday, just as I was getting ready to go back to work after two days off, Boston got hit with a snowstorm and I got a bonus snow day. Who knew those existed when you were a grownup?

  

It was too cold to leave the house on Friday, so by the time Saturday rolled around, everyone was feeling a little bit of cabin fever. It took minimal convincing to get Elizabeth and Chris to agree to go sledding. We borrowed sleds from my mom's basement, trekked over to Danehy Park in Cambridge, and tried really hard not to end up in the weeds at the bottom of the hill. We failed, but it was still so much fun.

 

And then, at the end, I dragged Elizabeth home like a sled dog.

Not really.

California, part 3: Big Sur

 

 

You guys. Big Sur. I can't even.

I flew in to California on Thursday. The Tuesday before that, I convince Sinny to drive up from LA. Neither of us had ever been to Big Sur, so we decided to drive down Highway 1 for a little camping trip.

Except that there was nothing little about Big Sur. It took my breath away. (Kind of literally- we went on some STEEP hikes.) Every time we made a turn on the highway, we'd see another stunning view of the ocean and the cliffs. When we were hiking, we'd be in the middle of the woods one second, and then all of a sudden, we'd turn a corner and the whole Pacific ocean would be laid out before us. It was just so BIG. I love New England more than anything, but things just don't exist on that kind of scale in this part of the country. The cliffs, the mountains, the ocean- this is the kind of place that the word majestic was invented to describe.

California, part 2: Berkeley and a Wedding

True confession: a little part of me kept expecting to see the Bravermans when I was exploring Berkeley. I know you'll be shocked to discover that I didn't.

I've always had this idea in my head that Berkeley was the west-coast equivalent of Cambridge. It's not. I would say it's more like Northampton, but bigger. There, I did all my favorite things in a city: I ate breakfast at a little bistro, I explored the Cal campus, I drank plenty of Philz coffee and then, at the end, I got to go to a wedding in a castle. I'm at that stage in life where all of my friends are getting married, and I have to say, I kind of love it.

The Fisherman's Feast

Festivals in the North End are one of the highlights of summer in Boston. This past weekend was the Fisherman's Feast, so when Manoli emailed to say that he would be in town, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see some of my favorites and eat Italian food from a street cart.

There were a gajillion people there, which just added to the festive atmosphere. The temptation at any of these festivals is to buy the first food item that looks delicious, but we knew that the tastiest arancini and sausages would be somewhere in the middle of the crowd, so we pressed forward, looking at all of the stands before we made our decision. At the edge of the celebration, we found a stand that made absolutely the most delicious sausage with peppers and onions that I have ever had. We all got them, and we at them while admiring the Madonna statue at the center of the feast and being a little jostled by the crowd and dancing to middle-aged Italian-American singers, and they tasted like summer in a sub roll.

Lakes and Oceans

Anna recently wrote about how you are either a lake person or a beach person, and while I lean in the direction of ocean, I have a foot pretty solidly in each camp. Last weekend, Elizabeth and I decided to confirm that hypothesis.
 

We started the day at Devereux Beach. We loaded up on rasberry-lime rickeys, fish sandwiches, and blueberries, and mostly succeeded in dissuading the seagulls from eating our lunch. We read books and got sunburns and I jumped in the waves.

In the late afternoon, we traded ocean for lake. Chris joined us and we grilled steak and bread and corn and drank pink wine and ate the first tomatoes of the season. We jumped off the high platform and slid down the slide and watched the sun set.

I'm still not ready to make a commitment to one or the other, but any opportunity to spend a day in both salt and freshwater is a perfect day in my book.

A Weekend in Vermont

Last week, I went up to Vermont for the most glorious weekend.

Chris, Betsy and I were going to run a half marathon, which we did in the 85-degree heat (it was a little messy and a lot slow), but mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed a weekend with our friends. 
 

Elizabeth likes cooking even more than I do, so we ate well. We also explored and swam in a river (it was FREEZING, and I was a little worried about getting swept away by the current). I took a million and a half pictures and read almost all of this book.

I feel like now that I've been on that trip, I'm really ready for summer to begin. I plan on swimming a lot, reading even more, and spending plenty of time on my porch.

Fenway!

Last night my friend Elizabeth and I went to a baseball game. It was SO much fun. 

I've written before about how I think that a trip to Fenway is one of the most quintessential "Boston" experiences, and last night's experience reminded me just how true that is.

Even those of us Bostonians who don't really follow baseball really really love the Red Sox, so a trip to watch them play, drink a beer, and be in the presence of thousands of other Boston fans (including Natalie!) is pretty great stuff.

Elizabeth and I left before the Indians started to really beat the Sox (the final score was 12-3!), but we did see Papi hit a home run. That was pretty much the best.

First Burger

Over the weekend, Chris and Elizabeth came over to celebrate the lovely weather with a little barbecue.

I like to start grilling as soon as the temperature hits fifty degrees, but there is something about the first burger of the season that really reminds me that Summer is on its way. Especially if you eat it on your porch with friends who appreciate these things as much as you do.

Spring is pretty lovely this year, which makes me even more excited for Summer. I anticipate plenty of burgers on the porch with my buddies.

Photo Lesson

 

Two weekends ago, Tricia and I got together for a walk and photo lesson. We walked on my favorite little path and she taught me some basics of exposure and aperture and focus. I still have so much to learn, but I'm a little less scared of manual mode now. That feels like a step in the right direction.