Molto Bene'

To end our g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s Columbus day weekend on the island, an Italian feast seemed most suitable. The feast included a hearty bolognese sauce, crisp green salad and dad's home made focaccia bread! A warm merlot intermittently snuck in to cleanse the palate. The topic of conversation inevitably leaned towards our traveling adventures, especially our individual stories and sagas of Florence. Dessert was brought by my sister and her man- Gelato! Pistachio was the crowd favorite, seeing as the chocolate jalapeno (which included chucks of jalapeno's) was a bit too spicy for our liking!

And after much anticipation.. I'm back!

The smell of wood stoves burning and root vegetables roasting fill the lonely streets, which can mean only one thing: It is fall on the Vineyard. This welcomed stillness gives us the chance to catch ourselves up from the business of summer and begin to think about hibernation. Memories from the past summer will be stored in my iphoto albums, and I have picked a few yummy memories to share. The beginning of summer was carrot cake cupcakes topped with edible peonies, devoured at sunset by a group of friends at a beach bonfire. Next came my official drink of choice- prosecco with a splash of St. Germain liquor and a spritz of lemon. It is quite possibly the only drink I have come across that will never go bad. Ending the summer on a sexy note, I decided to whip together chocolate covered strawberries for a friend's birthday. They were well received by all, especially the one year old twin girls who went home wearing most of the chocolate, that had melted as they danced around the bonfire.

Don't Drink the Water

Yesterday afternoon while running errands, I noticed everyone on the street had a large pack of water in their arms. It seemed silly to me, seeing as it was hot out and the people looked to really be struggling with the weight of it, but it turns out, I was the silly one for not joining in the water-carrying fun. The city of Boston told us all to boil our water before drinking it, or to buy bottled water because the water supply in Boston is contaminated. Some people are going all out, not even going near the water until it is fixed, but I will risk it. One week in Paris with my sister last fall, and that is where we realized that my hair does not fair well without a shower. This water-shortage falls on probably the worst week. It is swelteringly hot out and everyone wants water. Many are opting to for-go the water, and rely on alcohol, which is going to get old very quickly for the rest of us H2O fans. Yesterday was gorgeous outside, so we took a walk over the bridge to Cambridge and then back home to make vegetable sushi. Delicious! What a fantastic vehicle to overload your body with veggies! A cookout last night, topped off with wonderful people, great food and a cold Blue Moon beer was the perfect ending. Hoping the weather channels are right and a thunder storm is headed our way tonight. Fingers Crossed!

When the Moon Hits the Sky...

It is officially a full moon tonight, and to top that craziness off, I am told that Mercury is in retrograde for the next two weeks! When mercury is in retrograde, technology is supposed to be wacky, and I am having major internet troubles lately (which may or may not be due to the fact that I have resorted to stealing internet from our neighbors so I don't have to pay another bill) but nonetheless, it isn't working as well as it could be. The full moon definitely is playing a part in this, but also, it is our last week of classes, so we are way more stressed than usual. This past weekend, cosmopolitans with Acai vodka helped de-stress, as well as delicious scallops. Always a great pick-me-up. My horoscope today told me that "You need to take the time on a regular basis to take care of yourself. If you don't, you won't be able to continue to help others." In that case, lets kick this 'tude with a good movie tonight and a large cup of green tea. Antioxidants work every time.

My favorite Color is Rainbow

This past summer while babysitting an adorable four year old girl named Charlotte, I heard one of my favorite kid-quotes of all time. I asked Charlotte what her favorite color was, her reply "Well... I have two favorite colors. Rainbow and Sparkle." After that, I knew she was going to be a fun little one to hang out with! We were totally on the same page. Who doesn't love rainbow and sparkle? I made a salad the other day that had a rainbow of colors in it, which made me think of Charlotte. So many veggies made a perfect salad, and leftover veggies were rolled up in a flax and quinoa wrap the next day. Yum. Its been so sunny out the past few days that I am loving being outside. Today was beautiful, and the thunder just rolled in, which sounds incredibly powerful and gorgeous. I've missed a lot of thunderstorms in my life because I sleep pretty deeply, so on the off chance that I hear one, I love every minute of it. Rainy days and thunderstorms make me want comfort food, so I made a homemade mac&cheese for lunch today. It is the simplest recipe I could have made up: Gluten-free (and fun shaped) noodles with olive oil, cheese, baby tomatoes and a sprinkle of salt and pep. It was dreamy! Perfect for today. Off to my last writing class of my college career (we're getting free frozen yogurt today!) Ohh how I love the end of the school year! Oh, and HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Ohmmm

Entering back to Boston after a quick trip to the island is always difficult. Even visiting for such a short time puts my body back into island mode, where I go to sleep early, wake up with the sun and have a generally calmer disposition about my surroundings. One honnnnnk of a truck speeding by and I'm back in city mode. It's a beautiful thing to have a city life and an island life, and I am honored to have and appreciate both. There is something so balancing about the island. Whether its because I am in a temporary food coma due to the delicious food there, or not, it is always a serene place, rain or shine. We did a few beach walks last weekend and the sound of the waves crashing and the pebbles being drifted back into the ocean is truly magical- it sounds just like a rain stick. As one of my yoga instructors always says at the end of each class: Adhi ohm shanti shani ohm- may peace fill your world.

The Windy City Visits the Island

I'm lounging in my bed this morning after an unbelievably restful night's sleep, now listening to the birds chirping outside my window. I am indeed at home and not missing the sounds of the city at all. My roommate and amazing gal pal, Meghan is from Chicago, and this is her first trip to the island! It has been a rainy one, but still beautiful. I love the chance to show someone new about the place I know so well, it also gives me the rare opportunity to literally drive around the island and see it again, through the eyes of someone new. Our first stop on Friday night was called Backdoor Donuts, which is quite literally the back exit door of a bakery which they open and serve fresh, hot donuts out of. Meghan's first time experience would not have been complete without an apple fritter, which comes about the size your head (we split it with the two of us and my sister- I don't need Meg to have a heart attack the first day on the island). The next morning, we ventured out to the Scottish Bakehouse to devour some breakfast sando's. Egg, cheese, spinach, tomato, onions and avocado on whole wheat toast was my hefty choice for the morning. Incredible, and it lasts until dinner, so $5 for all of that is a pretty amazing deal! After romping around the island in our rain boots for the remainder of the day, the breakfast sandwich was beginning to wear off around 6:00, so we headed to the newly opened Slice of Life, so Meghan could get her much talked about fried green tomato sandwich (I'm told the basil mayo makes the sandwich) and I, the asian salmon salad, where there are veggies piled high and a fresh cut of salmon on top. Delicious! Home for my dad's freshly baked cookies, large glasses of Shiraz and a girlie movie to top off the day.