the peach

When peach season arrives I pretty much drop all other fruits. I will not buy a peach at any other time of the year. They have to be local. So when they're in season, I go crazy. I find a way to sneak peaches into everything. Add them into salads. Or by themselves with a little balsamic vinegar, some olive oil, sea salt, pepper, some basil, and a sprinkle of feta ~ divine. Grilled peaches and shrimp with curry and honey. Peach crisp, peach pie, peach tarts. . . and omg, peaches with blue cheese.

Ahhh. . . the peach:

* Georgia peaches
* peach gnocchi

Yum! I'm off to Maine tomorrow. . . where I hear blueberries are in season (okay, so I am fickle).

Cheers.

on a hot day

Some greens from the vegetable garden at Longwood. If I had a proper garden, it would look just like this! Some day perhaps.

At the moment I am wilting in the 103-degree heat. And tomorrow the same.

Stay cool friends.

Have a good weekend!

keeping it simple

Summer is about keeping it simple. It is too hot for anything else. A white linen shirt, an easy dinner of green salad and fresh corn, a spot in the shade. Bare feet!

Some things I love:

* a trip to Vermont

* the photographs of Rhine Allen

* and the Taste of Stilton Cheese !

Happy tuesday.

an evening walk

I love an evening walk, just as the sun begins to sink toward the horizon. Light sparkles through the trees, and the worst of the afternoon heat is over. Last night, the gentleman and I took advantage of the (relatively) moderate weather and went for a stroll in Georgetown. We lingered in the golden sunlight, tripping over brick sidewalks, and peeking through garden walls. Content.

The weekend was spent on the Eastern Shore with old friends, saturday evening by the bay with steamed crabs and the first corn of the season. On my way home yesterday, I stopped at a farm stand and picked up tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, corn, and big, fat blackberries! The blackberries picked that morning, still warm from the sun. Summer bounty.

And, while on the topic of food. . . I have been enjoying honey & jam!

Happy monday.

trouvée: at the shore

This was given to me by a dear friend, one of many photographs I will treasure. There is no inscription or date.

I am off to the Eastern Shore for the weekend with some old college friends. Not sure I'll wear my pearls, but my old straw hat will be a must! As will a pile of Maryland crabs and some cold beer.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and if you have time, check out the new Kinfolk magazine. Beautiful photography and recipes!

Cheers!

on a hot afternoon

I am dreaming of cool, green shade. After a week of days in the 90s and 100s, I am wiped out! Being a northern girl, I am not made for southern summers.

Ah, well, just looking at these beauties makes me feel cooler:

* parasols
* tea sandwiches
* radishes
* and some berries!

Happy Bastille Day to all of my French friends! Salut!

Cheers all.

into the woods

As much as I love the Maine coast, I love the Maine woods. The soft floor covered with pine needles and smelling just like a balsam pillow. Lichen and moss in all shades of green. Strange mushrooms in a shocking array of colors and shapes. Ferns. Oh, and pinecones in every size.

I spent a lot of time in those woods as a kid, hunting for elusive Indian Pipes and Jack-in-the-Pulpits (and avoiding poison ivy). I even had a moss collection (which always dried up in a rather disappointing way). The woods have a strange, other-worldly light that makes one dream up the most fantastic stories. There is magic in there. I know it.

Happy weekend!

I'm off to read some John Burroughs.

along the coast

I have to admit I miss the old wooden lobster pots. They are a relic from another age I suppose, now widely replaced with wire mesh. The half-barrel, wooden trap is said to have originated on Cape Cod in 1810, and served the east coast fishermen well for nearly two centuries. The new traps made an appearance about 10 years ago, and are far more efficient (lobsters having figured out how to escape the old ones!). Hard to argue with that.

More from Maine tomorrow.

Happy thursday.

even in the fog

. . . Maine is glorious. I love the sound of the fog horns, and the clanging of invisible buoys. The stillness of the water, and the smell of salt air. I love the comfort of wrapping oneself up with a blanket at night.

Sigh.

It was hard to leave.