Juniper Disco

On a walk home from getting my hair done at the salon, I encountered this fun little spectacle. Located on the grassy area above the entrance to the Big Dig tunnel (I still call it that. I’m guessing you do, too!) is The Fence. A smaller, “curated” version of the outdoor exhibition of the same name in Brooklyn. 

Photographers were invited to submit photos that capture the “essence of community.” The images themselves are wonderful and looking at them in the context of “community” adds a whole new dimension to their meaning. Think about it as you look at the photos. (In case you are interested, my favorite series is Snowbirds by Mika Goodfriend.)

This past weekend the Mr. and I stayed in the city. As I was looking over my photos, I realized it was all about what we ate and drank, a book, and the pool. Not a bad combo for a wonderful June weekend.

The Legal’s in Harvard Square opens up a great outdoor bar in the summer. We were sitting in front of the guy chopping mint. All that fresh scent made us crave mojitos.

I visited The Fence (a curated selection from Brooklyn’s outdoor photography exhibition of the same name.) More on that later in the week.

I also tried an Australian meat pie at Cuppa Coffee on the way back from the exhibition. Very tasty — the crust was really flaky and buttery.

We spent a chunk of Saturday at the pool. And I have been immersed in this book since I bought it. Have any of you read it? It’s sort of Hunger Games meets Harry Potter. I cannot put it down!

I treated myself to a Drumstick!  I think it’s been at least a decade or so since I’ve had one. What a summer treat!

My new tortoiseshell highballs arrived (which you saw in yesterday’s post.) They are perfect for sipping iced tea.

We had date night at Orinoco in Harvard Square.

It is such a little gem with it’s pretty, enclosed patio in the back, away from all the traffic.

I fell in love with the arepas and this super garlicky aioli sauce. 

We also had brunch on Sunday at 75 at Liberty Wharf (the sister restaurant to our beloved 75 Chestnut nearby in Beacon Hill.)

The place is tiny and does not take reservations. We were so lucky to get an outdoor table overlooking the harbor. I had the fish tacos and a very tasty summer cocktail made with Privateer silver rum, muddled strawberries and mint, rhubarb syrup, and lime juice.

Because it was overcast and we were so close, we walked down the street to check out Harpoon’s new Beer Hall.

We both had flights that are served on harpoon-shaped paddles (see the Vine). The Mr. enjoyed his beloved IPAs and I ordered the specialty flight of all their pilot beers, including the Mid-Summer Fling, which was a sweet, floral (elderflower) light summer beer. Hope it makes it to the market!

They also make the most amazing soft pretzels! We ordered the salty version (you can also order the sweet) and had the maple cider cream cheese dip and the IPA cheese dip. SO yummy!

After some naps (yay, summer naps!), the Mr. cooked us another fabulous feast. This is the base for his strawberry rosemary sangria.

And the finished version.

We also had pulled BBQ chicken that he had in the slow cooker all day, watermelon, and this amazing corn. The spread is made with Greek yogurt rather than mayonnaise and it packs a spicy punch. We’re definitely adding this to the summer rotation!

I don’t think I could have asked for a better summer in the city weekend! Hope you all enjoyed yours, too!

Some of the randomness on my mind lately …

My new tortoiseshell highballs — I found the perfect ones! Just the right weight in your hand and perfectly tortoiseshelled. Checking that off the summer list, which keeps getting bigger.

The trailer for Magic Magic — Holy shit, George Michael! Who new Michael Cera could be so creepy!

Foolish Project online class — Remember my Mondo Beyondo class? Well, Andrea is teaching a new class that sounds pretty awesome. Nothing like planning something totally outrageous and completely meaningless to learn that anything is possible in life.

“A Better Way to Die” article in The Atlantic — “… healing people doesn’t necessarily mean saving lives.” This is a powerful and important article. Please read it.

Hangar Travel Guide — If, like me, you like pretty things, design-y things, things that aren’t found in your normal travel guides, then you’ll love this app. Travel spots are recommended by kindred-spirit creatives. And the app itself is pretty gorgeous.

Frost Ice Bar — So this is happening in Boston. Super soon. And you have to buy tickets. I guess so you can wear one of those fancy coats.

Coral hosted the Real World reunion … and CT’s back in the next Challenge — Oh, right. You totally caught me. I gave up the Real World. For like 2 weeks. So anyhoo, Coral “I beat bitches up!” Smith returned to host the aftershows this year and the reunion. She’s my favorite. Next to CT. Who is back in the Challenge this summer. With Diem. (Check Coral’s twitter feed. She surely has a gift for words.)

To see more like this, see last week’s Random.

You know how I always say you have to look up? Tiny’s in Ptown is a perfect example of what you’ll miss if you don’t. 

Located upstairs on a second floor deck on Commercial Street, the place is easy to miss. Tiny’s focuses on local food (most ingredients are purchased within 150 miles) and has some amazing healthy and unique options for any foodie.

Plus it has a view of the water and of the street traffic below, which, if you know Ptown, is the best show on earth.

I had their lobster dog — house made lobster sausage sauteed in brown butter and topped with a dill slaw. It was delicious! And the fries were just perfect!

I also had the most refreshing basil and pink grapefruit soda made from fresh squeezed juice, basil syrup, and a splash of soda. 

I plan to return many times this summer so I can try other things on their wonderful menu! And remember to look up. You never know what you’ll find.

The summer season is so short here. Which is why I gambled on the weather forecast this past weekend and went to the Cape anyway. My schedule allowed me to leave Thursday night, just before the rainy bits of tropical storm Andrea were to arrive in the area.

The trip over was relatively smooth — a good omen for sure. We went to the Mayflower when I landed (hee! hee!). I had the most scrumptious broiled scrod with a completely non-virtuous baked potato on the side. Nothing like setting the right tone for the weekend right off the bat.

It rained all day on Friday. We made the most of it — napping, reading, enjoying the quiet time and the sounds of the rain on the wooden shingles lulling us into a cozy and calm state. 

And my mom made me Rice Kripsie treats! (I shared with Tipper — see the Vine.)

The next day, the clouds were gone by mid-day and a bright blue sky took over. I grabbed my camera and went out for a walk.

How fun was that? When I got back to the house, we decided to pile in the car and take a short road trip to the Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro where there were reports of a large tidal pool forming this year.

That’s the edge of the pool. It is enormous and cuts the beach in half!

We then drove over to Ballston Beach where there had been a major breach in March (incredible video here). They brought in tons of sand, forming a large dune barrier.

And then we went to PJ’s in Wellfleet for jumbo lobster rolls!

We hurried back to Ptown to get a seat on the benches outside Town Hall for the last Ptown Prom ever (the school is closing.) The last 8 grads were joined by alum and we clapped and cheered in true Ptown fashion as everyone walked up the steps in their fancy garb.

And Sunday was a Top Ten day! Bright, blue sky, cool breeze, warm sun. Perfect. Tipper and I went for a long walk at Herring Cove. Here’s a Vine I took at this exact spot. You can see Race Point Lighthouse in the distance.

And then I grabbed my camera again and walked around town. I had a wonderful lunch at Tiny’s and even tried their lobster hot dog (more on that later this week.)

As the sun shone on my face and the breeze cooled me down, I kept congratulating myself for making such a good decision.

And to cap off the weekend, I even got a window seat on the boat home.

Sometimes I pinch myself that I get to live here in this city where I get to go to Ptown as often as I want. Life is good, friends! And ignore those weather forecasts.

Some of the randomness on my mind lately …

My new red Saltwaters — These may look familiar for several reasons. 1) They’ve been around since the 1940s. 2) You probably wore them as a child. 3) Every blogger on the planet has a pair. And now I do, too!

The One-Year, Alternative Graduate School Program — This is brilliant! And if, like me, you cannot stand to sit in a classroom with other people listening to their drivel, doing your own self-education program may be more suited to you. I’m a huge fan of Chris Guillebeau’s life philosophy chronicled on The Art of Non-Conformity, in his books, and his someday-I-will-attend World Domination Summit. Click around on the site if this intrigues you. A good place to start is his top 10 articles section.

“Differentology” by Bunji Garlin — I just added Trinidad and Tobago’s 2013 Carnival Anthem to my summer mix! I also would really like a helmet just like his.

Design in a Nutshell — Offered by the Open University, these short 2 1/2 minute videos give you a brief overview of 6 important movements in design history (Gothic Revival, Arts and Crafts, Bauhaus, Modernism, American Industrial Design, Postmodernism). You can take a quick quiz to discover your design alterego.) Mine is squarely in American Industrial Design.

The new version of the VSCO Cam app — You may have noticed that I’ve been experimenting with iPhone photos on my blog. VSCO is the only editor I use now. I rarely use the Instagram filters anymore (or I use them on top of VSCO.) Can’t wait to figure out all this powerful app can do now — thank goodness for the 14 minute walkthrough video! And if you had the old app, you can download the old settings for free for a limited time. 

The Pinterest boards of Fiona Rogers — I stumbled on this UK wildlife photographer’s Pinterest page by accident. Not a drop of color nor an African lion there, but her Spirals & Swirls and Grey on Gray boards are fascinating!

For more like this, see last week’s Random.

One of the things on my Summer List is to make lots of sorbet. This past weekend I started with a fairly simple recipe, a bag of lemons, and a ton of basil. The recipe I used is here. 

As simple as it was to make, there are a number of steps and a lot of down time in between them. Best to plan for a multi-day event so things have time to cool or freeze. 

The first step involves nothing more than boiling water and sugar and then steeping a cup of basil in the mixture for about 10 minutes. Your house will smell wonderful at this point in the process and you will want to eat All The Basil! The recipe recommends letting everything cool down before moving to the next step.

Easy to do because you have to take the time to juice all these lemons! And zest two of them, which really is not my favorite activity. Again, the lovely lemon scent will make your kitchen smell juicy!

Then you combine all the ingredients and let it chill in the frig. Chill it overnight, if you have the time. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and in 25 minutes you have a soft version of your sorbet. Freeze it to firm it up more.

It really is quite delicious — the lemon is tangy sweet and the basil adds just a hint of complexity and a fresh-from-the-garden taste to this awesome summer sorbet.

And I am just getting started!

Yesterday, I told you about my Martha Stewart weekend. One of the things I made was coconut butter. I found this recipe on Pinterest and, because it sounded both yummy and super easy, I decided it was worth the effort to give it a try!

It is seriously easy. All you need is a bag of shredded, unsweetened coconut, a food processor, and, if you are really ambitious, vanilla and salt.

Because I am lazy and also slightly intimidated by the blades and complicated mechanical safety measures that make it really hard to move anything on a food processor, I tried it with a mini chopper. Doesn’t work! You need the scary piece of machinery.

So, here’s how easy it is: empty the bag into the food processor. Turn it on for 20-30 minutes until it looks like this. Honestly, it turns into a paste!

Add a bit of vanilla and a little bit of salt to taste if you want, but be sure to take that little plastic thing out of the center of the food processing cover. Yeah, I didn’t and then saw that my vanilla and salt were sitting in there, rather than in the coconut. Seriously.

It’s pretty warm and gooey when you are done with it and it spreads nicely on crackers. I was expecting it to taste like the sweet innards of a Mounds bar but it tastes more like coconut flavored peanut butter. So tasty!

Here’s a little tip: store it in the fridge. It turns rock solid so you have to cut off chunks of it with a knife. Microwave it for 30-60 seconds and you are back to spreadable condition.

The Mr. went to Vegas for a few days, leaving me with an entire weekend to fill as I pleased. It felt like such a luxury. Four whole days to do whatever I wanted. As I asked myself what exactly that might be, I realized there wasn’t much I wanted to do that I don’t normally do already. I may not have had to account for a Sox game in my itinerary or navigate someone else’s sleep schedule, but I filled my time with the activities I generally enjoy day-to-day already. And that is the biggest luxury of all — to live your life the way you want to.

Here’s what the weekend looked like …

I spent time at the pool. Our 1960s pool. Remove the high-rise buildings and replace the current trees with palm trees and you have the fixings for a Slim Aarons scene. (If I were in charge of this place, I would play up those cabanas alongside the pool. Maybe even in Saguaro style!)

The Mr. is the chef in our family so I had to fend for myself. I made a tasty and simple baked gnocchi dish with frozen gnocchi, marinara sauce from the Italian grocer next door, and lots of mozzarella.

And, even though I am on a no soda kick, I allowed myself one of my favorite treats. It does have 16% juice in it so we’ll just put it in the juice category.

I also went to see Kevin James. I knew the Mr. was headed to Vegas when the tickets went on sale so I bought only one. Here’s the thing about buying only one ticket: you can get awesome seats really easily! I was in the third row, which if you’ve been to the Orpheum, you know is practically on stage. And I laughed until tears were streaming down my cheeks and my face was completely wet!

I also went to Whole Foods bright and early on Saturday morning —it’s only a 5 minute walk from where we live. I get so overwhelmed there and end up buying the most random things. Luckily I came prepared with a list! (However, the crafty WF people almost got me: I almost bought sparkly sponges. Because they were just hanging there. And they were SPARKLY! I even dropped my basket on the ground when I saw them so I could touch them. Cooler heads prevailed and I snapped out of it before they ended up in the basket.)

I wore my cheery blue and white polka dot flip flops and walked in the grass. After getting a fun pedicure!

I spent more time at the pool. This time with my fabulous — and much coveted — palm tree sippy cup.

Even though I didn’t buy the sparkly sponges at WF, I did buy this cactus.

I also spent time reading by the pool and drinking this awesome juice. Have you tried it? It’s spicy, but not too spicy. And I love the packaging with that awesome font, left justification, and sky blue cap.

I made coconut butter. In the food processor. For real! More on that tomorrow.

I drank more blood orange Italian soda — WF makes a good one!

I bought peonies and watched them slowly open over the weekend. Don’t you just love these flowers? They are just so fluffy! And pink. Pink and fluffy.

I also napped on the couch and stared out our main window (you can see planes take off in the distance.) And I had a Soderbergh evening and watched Magic Mike and Behind the Candelabra. (Rob Lowe was the best in that, wasn’t he?) I also fixed our Netflix connection on our Wii since we got a new wireless setup so I could watch Arrested Development. (I may have cursed the Mr. who earns his living in IT for leaving me to figure this one out myself. And my terrible hand-eye coordination doesn’t help with that Wii thing!)

I ordered crepes for dinner. Sigh, I so love crepes and used to get them once a week when this place was near us. They closed the Beacon Hill location a few years ago so they are a real treat now!

And in the morning, I braved my extreme fear of the broiler and made some brown sugar broiled grapefruit. Delicious!

And then I capped off the weekend by squeezing ten million lemons to make lemon basil sorbet.

Which turned out awesome! More on that later this week as well.

So when the Mr. got home, I told him all the things I did. His response? “I leave for four days and you turn into $%@#ing Martha Stewart.” 

Some of the randomness on my mind lately …

Rijksstudio — You may have all seen this by now. I think it’s pretty awesome. You can create your own online collection from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (which is fantastic if you’ve ever been there!) And the best part? You can create your own products. Take a spin over there and check it out! (Especially the Master Matcher, which asks you questions about yourself and then suggests art works that may resonate with you.)

Gyotaku: The ancient Japanese art of printing fish on TED — Oh, how I love this animated video about that ancient method of creating fish prints with actual fish. The site has some awesome interactive components, too, in case you want to learn even more than you did in the 3 1/2 minute video.

This necklace — I call it my swimming pool necklace. Because it is exactly that same color! 

Kevin James — On Friday night I saw Kevin James in an unairconditioned theater on a 90 degree day (seriously!) He is absolutely one of the funniest people on the planet (Have you ever seen his unlocking the car schtick? Freaking hilarious!). The Mr. and I saw him perform the last time he came to town with Vince Vaughn. Funny people are the best.

“The Manhunt — Boston Bombers” episode of Nova — I’ve probably watched everything out there to date on the Marathon bombings, but this one is incredible. It follows the investigation from the day of the race to the capture of that kid. I learned so much about law enforcement’s technological capabilities and saw some amazing footage I had not seen before. You can watch it online here.

Will and Grace Reruns — I’ve started recording all the Will and Grace’s on Lifetime so I have something funny to watch when I need it. Really, this show was brilliant! Loved it then, love it even more now! Karen Walker is my idol. (“Honey, she’s wearing synthetic plaid. It’s a four day drive and a boat trip to a place called Hope.”)

Blue Lizard and Coola sun products — I tan easily. Two seconds in the sun and it looks like I’ve spent the last month in Jamaica. I’m trying very hard to toast lightly this year and these are the best products I’ve found. And Hawaiian Tropic just smells awesome (and Blue Lizard does not!)

For more like this, see last week’s Random.

A few things on my calendar this month …

Paella Class — Yep! I’m finally learning to make paella!

Provincetown International Film Festival — I’ve already selected my 20 films for this year! There are some great documentaries. I Am Divine for you John Waters fans, Running from Crazy about the Hemingways, and Built on Narrowland about the Bauhas-inspired houses in Wellfleet are a few on my must-see list.

Taste of Cambridge — Cambridge has some great restaurants and here, you get to sample them all!

Chefs in Shorts — One giant outdoor barbecue in the city!

Odyssey Dinner Cruise — You may remember we took my niece on this to celebrate her birthday last year. We’re going again, this time with the Mr.’s new company.

Bruno Mars — I hear he puts on a great show! 

I think by now, you all know the drill. We open the summer every year with dinner at Front Street in Ptown. Somehow we always end up with an early reservation and then we stay for several hours — eating, drinking, eating, drinking. 

The menu changes every few weeks so my dining companions decided to check out the menu board before venturing in.

We had a cozy booth near the bar.

I started the evening with a Dirty Shirley.

We then launched into the feast with fried zucchini blossoms!

And burrata with proscuitto, tomato, and basil.

For my entree, I ordered the short ribs with manchego mac and cheese.

N had the tea-smoked duck.

The Mr. had a giant steak (au poivre)!

My mom had the chicken piccata.

For some reason, we all decided we needed our own desserts. Mom’s was the best, hands down! Toasted coconut ice cream. Tasted like pure cream!

The Mr. ordered the key lime pie.

N and I had sorbet — she had the triple berry version and I had GUAVA!

And we then rolled home, stuffed to the gills, and fully satisfied that we had initiated the beginning of Summer 2013 in the proper fashion!

Memorial Day Weekend, I just don’t know what to say. Two days of cold and one day of awesome. Well, we’re lemon drop people (lemons, lemon drops, you know) and managed to have a terrific time! Here’s how we spent our time…

Drinking the first spicy mango martini at the Chart House before the boat. (It’s off-menu, by the way, but they’ll make you one if you ask.) Sharing the experience with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece who were in town for the Sox game.

Observing the glow of the monument on our first night.

Snuggling with my soulmate, Tipper Marie McGee.

Loving the pink flamingos on the library lawn.

Dashing through the rain to the South African restaurant, Karoo, for some awesome peri peri wings and monkey ribs — and fascinating husk people.

Checking out new places in town, like Frank-N-Fries. (LOVE the name!)

Shivering in the bar at Pepe’s while gazing over the harbor. Here’s my Vine of the experience!

Laughing at the Ptown bar rules!

Wanting to steal the turquoise owl in this outdoor garden.

Admiring this gorgeous tree.

Loving the new bright Tim-scapes shop location.

Photographing a time-tested Ptown tradition.

Enjoying a brief moment of sun and warmth on the deck at the Aqua Bar. (Here’s a Vine, too!)

Enjoying new foods from the new Brazilian food place, Uma Loucura. 

Laughing at more bar rules!

Trying to stay warm on the deck of the Aqua Bar.

Reminiscing about all the time I spent in this space when it was my mom’s store. It’s now Connie’s Bakery and they did a great redesign this year!

Loving the little touches around town!

Swimming through a rainbow. (OK, that was just me. The Mr. went around it.)

Resisting the urge to buy these lobster plates.

Gazing at the windows of the art galleries.

Wanting a grey shingle house so I can have a bright red door like that, too!

Discovering a new-to-us bar at the Waterford on the second floor.

Wondering where the hell our sunny warm weather is.

Sipping prosecco on a giant lobster coaster.

Grilling in pants and long sleeves.

Shivering in my coverup at the pool at 10am. Until things got better … see the Vine!

Swooning for the 10 millionth time over this view.

Wondering how you get your photo on the pier. And if I’ll look like that when I’m 80 with all the time I spend in the sun.

Not believing it was time to go home.

So, SUMMER, I think you are here but I am not quite sure. Perhaps those 90 degree temperatures this weekend will help convince me!

This Memorial Day Weekend has been COLD. Like 40 degrees cold. It’s left the Mr. and I with lots of time to walk around Provincetown, bundled up in sweaters and jackets. (Today is supposed to be really sunny and 68!)

This town just sings with quaint New England-y clapboard buildings with white trim. You can really miss it, though, with all that sparkly, glittery life around. I forget how awesome Ptown can look to fresh to eyes and I tried to remember what it was like to be new to this town as we walked around Saturday and Sunday.

This is the drag queen-free, clapboard version of the town. Happy Memorial Day!

Some of the randomness on my mind lately …

Beyond the Candelabra -- Guessing pretty much everyone will be watching this tonight. Cannot wait to see Matt Damon! And the costumes! And the sets! You may want to read this helpful Liberace primer on Vulture beforehand.

Ghost — Attention, Early Adopters and people angry about Yahoo taking over tumblr! There are still two days to get in on the Kickstarter campaign for this platform that everyone is calling the future of blogging. 

Wicked Road Trip — Massachusetts friends and visitors! Check out this Instagram contest: take a photo of something you did on a MA road trip and win “a great summer prize!”

Fandor — You know how much I love film festivals? You can watch all those films you couldn’t quite figure out how to work into your festival schedule here. For $10/month. AND you get 14 days free before you have to commit.

Penelope — “If Aaron Sorkin’s version of Mark Zuckerberg had a daughter with Felicity, she’d be the neurotic and meandering Harvard freshman Penelope.” — Daily Candy. SOLD! (Note: While I haven’t seen Harvard insignia on waffles, I have had ice cream bars with the big H on it.)

(photo: Lindsey Tramuta, Lost in Cheeseland)

The story behind this photo in this blog post! -- I follow the Lost in Cheeseland blog and completely fell in love with this particular story of these dogs in Paris. That German Shepherd is apparently something else!

Building Provincetown — Now that we’re back in the swing of things for summer (I’m writing from Ptown right now), I have to share this awesome site that details the history of almost every building in town. Start with the “highlights” section — I plan to check all those out this summer! The one in the picture is at the end of our street.

For more like this, see last week’s Random.