a trip east: day 3-philly

day three was a bit of a push for all of us. we'd spent the last 48 hours walking our feet into blistered and sore barney rubbles.

however, we did manage to make it back to the crepe place in reading terminal, to the liberty bell and most of the old city and even managed to get in a little shopping.

our last stop was the italian market (yes please!) where we picked up dinner fixin's. a lovely pasta with spicy ariabata sauce and shrimp. farris' friends made up a delicious salad and although it didn't quite go with our italian theme, i made fresh nann on their open fire grill. delish!

day 3 was meant for relaxing so we ate, enjoyed more of the beautiful weather in farris and andy's charming back yard (chickens, a pond and lots of skillfully arranged and lovely plantings). wednesday morning we were back on the road to indiana. we avoided toll roads on the way back...we agreed that we were only willing to pay that $15.35 toll once on the trip. what we were able to see on the drive was well worth the extra hour it took to get home. our highest elevation was 3200 feet and although it was foggy, we still saw some beautiful scenery and even drove through a town called pancake pennsylvania!

addendum: farris alerted me to the fact that i completely left out our visit to the Mutter Museum.  How I could possibly forget that i have now seen the worlds largest colon or the fact that i now know how to shrink a head! the museum admission was about $14 bucks and certainly worth every penny if cross sections of the human brain, fetuses and such don't bother you. certainly not for the squeemish but definitely for those of us who say "gross! i wanna see!!!" to various body parts and dead things.

a trip east: NYC-day 2

oh new york, how long till we meet again?

we took a megabus from philly to new york for a mere $14 bucks each. i highly recommend these clean, comfortable and sometimes double decker buses!

first stop, a french bistro in spanish harlem...as if my love for goat cheese didn't already border on psychotic, these folks have upped the ante for me. janel's herbed goat cheese, baby portabello on ciabatta with black truffle essence? HOLY SHIT. if you are in new york, go there! oh, and i'm convinced this place has the best smelling bathroom in the city.

we took a stroll through central park

we found army men glued to a brick wall....

saw AMAZING graffiti and also realized that new jersey is "the region" of the northeast. you hoosiers know what i mean

we also checked out the newly opened highline, which offers great views of the city and exceptional landscaping. we were also lucky enough to catch the van leeuwen gourmet ice cream truck...holy shit. the fancy schmancy ingredients and biodegradable spoons pretty much won my heart.

thanks to our awesome tour guide dave, we also checked out the oldest tree in the city. at 335 years, this elm has literally seen it all.

and the last stop was an italian cafe....just look at that little ball of deliciousness! the service was shitty, but the desserts and coffee were just right.

overall i give nyc two enthusiastic thumbs up...i wish i could have stayed longer. but thanks to dave, we probably saw just about everything we could in such a short time span...spanish harlem, the west village, the east village, greenwich village, soho, little italy, times square...i am eager to go back, to eat and explore more. janel and i are already talking about an east coast megabus tour. maybe boston, philly, dc and of course nyc.

a trip east: philly-day 1

last saturday, janel and i departed for philadelphia...driving over night, we arrived a little less sane than normal and naturally, in fits of laughter. after a much needed nap, we started off our first day in philly at the pride parade. the photo to the left is a group called "flaggots." they were probably my favorite part, especially mr. neon shoes over there...he had the most spunk of all. chipotle was there throwing what appeared to be free burritos from their float and disturbingly enough, we all got really excited. i mean, what could possibly be wrong with eating questionably stored food from a parade float in 80 degree weather? alas, they were not burritos, but t shirts wrapped up to look like one with the phrase "homo esta?" on the back...genius.






from there we headed over to reading terminal, where i was in full blown overstimulation mode. we ate some of the best crepes i have ever tasted. i am certain that one could get just about any type of food here...of course, i was in love.

we also hit up the fountain at logan circle and dipped our toes in the cool water.

then off to the museum and of course the famous steps from the rocky movie....i got to see my least favorite dali painting and a rousseau that stole my heart

and last but not least we had dinner at an excellent jamaican jerk place...i had a homemade ginger beer and the jerk shrimp....yummmmmm.

the garden

abby obviously has no interest in gardening, it's just not her thing...a relaxing nap on the patio however? just the ticket...

my garden is off to an amazing start, thanks to all the rain we've had it seems like every day things are getting bigger...

just last year i discovered how delicious kale is and while i've never grown it, it seems to be doing just fine. i've got my first squash, the jalapenos are already blooming and the tomatoes are daring me to fry them green rather than wait for them to ripen. oh do i love my garden!

oh you sweet dough

i've posted about bread before and i knew it wouldn't the be last time. i don't think i've referenced the recipe book that these amazing concoctions were born from, so a sincere suggestion is in order. This site will tell you everything you need to know...and they ain't lyin' when they say it revolutionizes home baking. being able to have fresh bread whenever the hell i please has made me a happy woman.

so here's the naan i made tonight

a little sparrow

i love watching this from my kitchen window...

this is half of the sparrow couple that's taken up in my birdhouse.

i like to imagine her saying things like "where the hell is he? i sent him out for worms 15 minutes ago...the kids are hungry and this fool is jackin around. i ain't got time for all of this...."