Sealicious

spectacular jack o' lanterns

Last Sunday night, we were lucky to be able to sneak into the Roger Williams Park Zoo's annual Jack O' Lantern Spectacular. We had been a few years ago, but since then we've tried to go and gave up because it was a total mobscene. If you can get there at a less crowded time though (think early evening or a slight drizzle) it's a fabulous experience.

Because we had some connections, we were led in though the back gate, through the zoo in the dark. It was  exciting to tip toe by sleeping bald eagles and moon bears.

The theme this year was "A Journey Around the World." They had carvings inspired by different cultures accompanied by music specific to that country. It was pretty wonderful to stroll through India, the Great North, and Bieber Country (he had his own area), all while holding the hand of my love.

the leaves were on fire

Last weekend was an amazing one to spend in New Hampshire. It was unseasonably warm, but sunny and clear, and no one was complaining. Our campsite was located right off the Kancamangus highway. You could spend a day or two exploring all of the little overlooks and hikes located right off that highway. Jeff and I cooked an amazing mac and cheese dinner in our new cast iron dutch oven, and were relieved that everyone else liked it too.

We took it  easy and just went on a few mellow hikes around lakes and ponds. The sun lit up the green, orange, and red leaves, and warmed the ground so everywhere you went smelled like smokey leaves and pine needles. There were so many "tourists" around (like us) but it made me happy seeing everyone enjoy the White Mountain National Forest.

 

        

                                              

 

 

Bachelorette Party Sail to Nantucket

Memorial Day Weekend, I attended a bachelorette party that took place on a sailboat racing in the 40th Annual Figawi Regatta. I learned that Nantucket Sound is notoriously foggy that time of year hence the name, "Where the Figawi ?!" Because of this fog, the race's start time was delayed three hours, but things were gorgeous and sunny once it lifted.

 

 

I had sailed for a few years when I was younger, but since then I've only gotten to go sporadically whenever a friend is generous enough to invite me along. I loved being back on the water on a sailboat - it felt exhilarating and more familiar than I expected.

 

* this was more comfortable than it looks

  

You could use the Real-Time Race Tracker to go on a website and see how you were placing compared to the other boats in your class. We were doing pretty well (3rd in our class!) until the wind died about four miles out from Nantucket. It was getting late and they were about the call race if enough people didn't finish soon - so we dropped out along with several other boats. One of my favorite parts of the day was heading into the harbor on Nantucket during the golden hour.

  

That night was filled with craziness from the famously sloppy after-race party and the usual bachelorette party hijinx (which I cannot share photos of to protect the innocent).

We all slept on the boat and I woke up early to walk around a peacefully sleeping harbor.

 

A few of us rented bikes and rode around the island for a few hours. It was hot but I was in heaven.

 

So, this was a bachelorette party for a very special girl who will be getting married this month at a castle in Sweden. But I have to admit - I think the real star of the trip was an anatomically incorrect "blow up" doll named Rico. He was our mascot, our figurehead - the token male on a boat of sea wenches.  So many of the other racers were laughing and commenting and taking pictures of him. And apparently he was the talk of the ferry ride home too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

scenes from the weekend

I had an awesome Memorial Day weekend, I hope you did too.

I took another hike at Mt. Hope Farm, then Jeff and I got lost in the Simmons Mill Pond Management Area in Little Compton. We were so lost we decided to use our iPhones to navigate to the nearest road - and walk back to our car. This led us to bust out from the woods behind someone's tool shed. Unfortunately they were outside, and we almost got attacked by their German Shepard. Luckily, everyone was OK and the people were understanding (apparently it happens a lot). Maybe they felt bad because I was bleeding a bit from running through pricker bushes.

We get ourselves into these types of ridiculous situations all the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course I didn't mention my trip to Nantucket - it was fabulous and will get its own post :)

scenes from the weekend

This weekend was lovely. Very busy, but I felt satisfied in that I finally got some things done around the house and had lots of time to spend with friends and family.

Mt Hope Farm in Bristol gets more magical every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally used our Groupon to Battleship Cove. The U.S.S. Massachusetts was 5 decksworth of maze-like hallways, bunkrooms, kitchens, and offices. Some of the areas were still set up exactly as they were when the ship was active. In those rooms, T.V. monitors showed veterans describing their time in the service and what their particle roles were. It was an awesome way to tell the story.

 

 

 

 

scenes from the weekend

This weekend was all about installing our new windows. Windows, windows, windows with a yardsale and bridal shower thrown in.

 
*random shot of lilacs in our entryway

Before the installation madness ensued, I managed to steal away for a walk in Colt State Park with the dog. We took a new, beautiful trail down to the water and it was so clear you could see the seagrass below, waving back and forth with the lapping tide.

 

 

 

scenes from the weekend

This weekend, Jeff and his sister and I took an impromptu trip up to Portsmouth, NH to see his dad. His father and stepmom normally live in San Diego but were visiting family in New Hampshire for the week.

We got a room at a Motel 6 (superclassy, I know) and explored Portsmouth.

 On Sunday, we went to a Mother's Day brunch at one of the best breakfast places I've ever been to, The Friendly Toast. It was super kitschy and fun inside with lots of vintage paraphanelia to look at. The menu was extensive and offered lots of vegetarian and local ingredients. I opted for an eggs benedict with avocado on top of their homemade chile cornmeal bread. It was awesome!

We returned home Sunday afternoon and celebrated Mother's Day and Jeff's birthday at his mom's house. My niece played her first Hungry Hungry Hippos game, and got lots of rides in the swing.  The adults enjoyed lots of lounging on the porch in the nice spring weather.

 

 

 

scenes from the weekend

Unfortunately, I cannot reveal this destination because I was not supposed to be there with a dog (and I know better . . . )

 

 

 

 

 

Falkor rolled in a dead jellyfish - let's add this to the list shall we?

 

*Weird things my dog has gotten into*

 Rotting (unidentified) animal corpse

 Fresh deer leg

 Bones

 Decaying fish

 . . . I'm sensing a theme here

Portland and San Diego

My 10-day trip to the West Coast was amazing. I saw so many incredible sights, spent quality time with lots of close friends, and ate and drank the most delicious food and drink.

If I was a city, I'd be Portland. I had high expectations (from all the blogs I read!) about how beautiful, and cool, and tasty, and ecofriendly everything is there. I was still blown away. The first day we went to Cannon Beach, the second day we drove up through the Columbia River Gorge, stopping at several waterfalls. On our last day, we hung out in downtown Portland (and its outskirts), and I bought way too much of that famous Stumptown Coffee.

 
* Jam Cafe - we had an AMAZING breakfast and I ordered a biscuit just so I could try the pear-chai and mango-jalapeno jams.

 

 

* Cannon Beach

 

 
*Ecola State Park

 

 

*Ecola State Park

 

 

 

 

 

 
*Columbia River Gorge as seen from the Vista House

 

 

 

 

 

 
*Multnomah Falls

 

 

I felt a little guilty flying directly from one vacation to another, but it was pretty awesome. I went to San Diego to attend the 2011 International Sea Turtle Symposium. I met up with a bunch of friends from grad school, some of whom I hadn't seen in a year or more. I don't have many photos because I was attending so many talks while I was there, but I have a few from the hotel that hosted the conference. It was the Town and Country Resort in San Diego. I think alot of guests thought the hotel was outdated, but I loved how retro it was! The entire resort was covered in mature rose gardens and had sort of swinging 60's /English Country vibe.

 
*I was swooning over the California coastline as I flew south, especially when I could see kelp beds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I should be packing . . .

not blogging, but I realized I forgot to mention that this space will be even quieter than normal over the next week and a half.

I'm headed to Portland Oregon, and San Diego, CA.

I've never been to Portland, I have a feeling I'm going to fall in love with it and never want to leave. I've read about so many amazing shops, restaurants and farms in that town, but because the purpose of my visit is to see a dear friend, and I'll only be there for a few days, I've refrained from making any lists of must-see places. I know she'll show me some amazing stuff.

I somehow managed to extend my mini-vacation into a "working vacation" and will fly from Portland to San Diego to attend the International Sea Turtle Symposium.  It's an amazing conference, and I can't wait to catch up with some friends from graduate school.

I'm sure I'll have a gazillion photos to share when I return.