Beer Island

In honor of Father's Day we spent a lovely afternoon at 'Beer Island'.

Beer Island is just off the boardwalk on Coney Island. It is a beer garden on sand with loud music, run down plastic chairs and tables, and a surprisingly great beer selection.

As previously noted in the Father's Day run post it was miserably hot and humid. (Compared to the heat we've been having the last few weeks it wasn't as warm, but it was very humid.) We decided to head out to the beach in hopes of cooler temperatures and maybe an ocean breeze.

Coney Island is a place that you want to be much nicer than it is. There is a nostalgia to it, but the reality is far different from the memory.

Lucky for us Beer Island wasn't too crowded and, it was cooler at the beach. We secured a great table, far away from the speakers and watched the Coney Island crowd go by. Even though the venue is on the boardwalk, you can't actually see the ocean from the tables. For some reason it seems people in NYC just don't get the allure of being by the water. Apartments that are closer to the rivers are less desirable than apartments that are closer to Central Park. Business don't take advantage of an ocean view - instead they have the tables facing a parking lot and the side of a building.

After spending a few hours looking at the ads on the side of the building, this was my favorite. Grandpa Chacha with his famous home style wine kind of reminds me of Big Daddy O.

And this was Michael's favorite ad - Project Safe Neighborhoods anti-gun campaign peeling down to reveal the Ciroc vodka ad - oh the irony!

Best Thing I Read Today

I just received this in the mail - it is a walking foot for my sewing machine. A walking foot allows thick layers of fabric to move evenly as they are sewn together. I need this to complete my quilts.

I laughed out loud when I read the small print at the bottom of the package.

In case you can't read it - it says, "Bonus! Includes Complete Instructions"

Wow - that is awesome, as a bonus you provided complete instructions (read some sarcasm in to that last little bit). Really they are so proud that instructions are included they are considered a bonus item? We'll see how hard it is to install, I'm sure I'll be thankful for those 'complete instructions' at some point in time!

Happy Father's Day!

Just for you Dad - and all of the other dads I know - I ran 5 miles Father's Day morning to support Prostrate Cancer research (that right, I ran for the junk behind the junk).

And I was not alone. There were 8,000 entrants with just over 5,200 runners completing the 5 mile course through Central Park. Many of the runners were father's running with their sons and daughters. I was really cute to see the father/kid pairs crossing the finish line together. I was in the same area as a father/son pair. The son was around 10 years old and his dad was really tall - he had really long legs and a huge stride. His son was enjoying the race about as much as I was, not at all! He was probably about as tall as I was too, so his stride was at least half the distance of his dad. His dad would encourage him "just run down this hill and then we'll walk a bit". The dad looked like a seasoned runner that could finish the race in 45 minutes or less but he stuck by his son, always encouraging him, and they crossed the finish line together just ahead of me.

It was super humid and harder than the half-marathon. I finished in about 1 hour 11 minutes (I just checked my official results - yesterday I thought I finished in 1:07, bummer I was slower than I realized) a 14:20 pace/mile. Over a full minute per mile slower than my half-marathon pace. I did learn I don't want to train or run in hot and humid weather;I'll stick to training in 40 degree weather or the air conditioned gym!

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party

The second weekend in June Madison Sq. Park hosts the Big Apple BBQ Party.

It has become one of our favorite events, absolutely something we look forward to each year.

This year we opted for the Fast Past system which basically allows you to pre-pay for a certain amount of food. It worked out well for us, but it was definitely more food than you can eat in one day. If you get the fast pass you need to plan for an entire weekend of BBQ for two people.

The event grows each year; the food booths now extend past the park and up to 27th Ave on Madison.





We started and ended our BBQ sampling at Big Bob Gibson's pit. He was serving up a tender pulled pork sandwich with a side of slaw. The real secret to his BBQ was the flavorful 'Championship' sauce. It was smoky and sweet with a strong tomato base.





One of those pulled pork sandwiches is for me - but I'm pretty sure Michael could have eaten them both. Big Bob Gibson's pit ALWAYS has a long line and we learned this weekend the food was definitely worth the wait.







Another favorite BBQ pit was Jim 'N Nick's BBQ. They were serving up a spicy sausage with pimento cheese. I really don't know how to describe pimento cheese but I know it is a southern specialty. It appeared to be grated cheddar cheese, chopped pimento peppers, and mayonnaise mixed together. It worked really well with a bite of sausage.





This year we visited the Pappy Van Winkle area. It was a small roped off area with chairs, tables and fancy white tablecloths. They were serving drinks featuring Van Winkle bourbon. Crazy name aside, Van Winkle is a very nice bourbon - one of Michael's favorites. The company tightly controls the distribution of Van Winkle. Liquor stores only get a few bottles at various times during the year. Micheal is on a phone list at one of our local liquor stores; if they get a shipment they give him a call and he will pretty much try to get there as soon as he can to buy a bottle or two. It isn't ridiculously expensive but it is very exclusive.




We arrived at the Van Winkle area right as it opened and settled in to a table. While we were there the Crooners started to perform. Even though their name might suggest works by Sinatra they had a blue grass vibe; their music was fun and a perfect accompaniment to the BBQ and bourbon. Our timing was perfect, the area became more and more crowded and by the time we left it was standing room only. The drinks were delicious. I enjoyed just one as they were quite strong. It was a mix of peach and bourbon and maybe a little ginger - a little sweet and very refreshing.

The local BBQ restaurants in NYC were well represented at the BBQ Block Party. Blue Smoke had a full set-up with a food counter and a dessert counter. They also brought in bales of hay, tables, chairs, and carved watermelons. They had the nicest pit area. It seemed most people were skipping the New York based vendors because it was food you could get any time. The NYC based vendors definitely had the shortest lines. We were wondering if they will all show up again next year.





It was a great weekend and of course we are already planning for next year!

Roxy Powers Activate

Form of a curling stone!

Cherry Blossoms - Brooklyn Botanical Garden

With the crazy spring weather in NYC - warm days and then cold days and lots of rain - the cherry blossoms hit full bloom a few weeks earlier than usual.

Lucky for me I was in town (usually I am in CA for Mom's Day when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom) and we spent a lovely Saturday afternoon at the the Brooklyn Botanical Garden (BBG) wandering through the cherry trees in full bloom. The BBG has the largest concentration of cherry trees outside of Japan (that's right, even more than Washington DC).

When you first enter the BBG, you are on a hill above the grounds. The trees are in two main rows down below. When the leaves eventually fall off of the trees the ground looks like a pink carpet.






After my gum paste flower class I look at flowers differently. I like to see how many petals the flower has, what do the leaves look like, how is the calyx attached. I have to think in my head how I would make that particular flower.







Standing down among the rows of trees is just amazing. Every where you look there are beautiful pink flowers. It was very cool the day we visited and fortunately it wasn't too crowded.

I stood in the middle of the rows of cherry trees and tried my best to capture a 360 degree video - you get the gist.

One of Michael's famous self portraits!

The BBG also had a beautiful tulip display. There were so many colors and varieties on display.

This was one of my favorite tulips - the heads were really large and the bright pink color was just amazing.

They also have a conservatory with tropical and dessert gardens. While the cactus and rocks have their place I definitely preferred the lush Jurassic feel of the tropical rain forest garden.

Is that a dinosaur? No, just Michael! (The dinosaur is taking the picture....hee)

Best Thing I Read Today

"When life gives you lemons, make margaritas."

Only in New York

can you buy a golden mosaic bathtub shaped like a giant high heel shoe.




Seriously, who wouldn't want to soak in this beauty?

Easter Crafts

Chocolate dipped Peeps and Easter Packets!

Bex gave me this cute book on things to do with Peeps. Not only did I love the idea of chocolate dipped Peeps dusted with gold powder, but I already had the chocolate and the gold dust. I just needed to buy the peeps. The best things you can make are the things where you already have all of the supplies (a theme you will see repeated here).

I thought I was being very clever when I set them to dry on a rack (to avoid chocolate puddles on the backs of the Peeps) - unfortunately the part that touched the metal also stuck to the metal. I had to gently loosen them to save as much chocolate as possible and then I had to do repair work to fill in the holes. So much for being clever.

Once the chocolate was set I dusted them with gold dusting powder. I used a very soft new paint brush. I had extra chocolate and plenty of gold dust so some pretzels got the royal treatment as well. And really, who doesn't love a chocolate dipped pretzel - that salty sweet combination is a home run.

And finally the packaging. I put two in a bag with a little bit of green paper Easter grass and sealed them off with a big Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit sticker. I have so many stickers I bought for scrapbooking and then I saved them because they are "too cute to use". Well I finally started using them - and they are cute but they look so much better on a completed project than in my sticker binder.

This year I didn't make Easter baskets - I made Easter packets. It was one of those "make it work" moments. I needed something cute for my Easter treats and I didn't want to buy and send baskets - just too much and people have so many baskets already, what would they do with them? I didn't have enough cello wrap to make basket-less baskets like I did last year. But I did have my great big roll of craft paper I bought over the holidays. (This roll of craft paper has been amazing, it's wrapped everything from Hanukkah and Christmas presents and now Easter treats. Plus I feel so 'green' using craft paper as it is easily recycled.) I thought I could wrap up the treats in the paper, sew the ends closed, add some ribbon and it would look really cute. And again I had all the supplies already.

I didn't use any tape or glue to seal the packets, just folding and sewing. I trimmed the edges with decorative scissors and added a cute sticker (yay for using more scrapbook supplies). The packets were so cute. I was really pleased with how they turned out (Michael can verify this, as I kept making him look at each one and tell me how cute it was once I finished putting it together) and they were a hit with the recipients as well.

I suspect there will be more packet gifts in my future. Not only are they easy to make and adorable they are very flexible making them oh so easy to fit in to shipping boxes.

Remember When We Had Snow Days

It's hard to believe just 6 weeks ago we were playing in the snow - lots and lots of snow.

In Vermont we tried tubing, basically sledding but instead of a small hard sled you glide across the snow in a big bouncy tube. I thought we could just use our inflatable tubes from the lazy river in Las Vegas - not so much. They would have been shredded after the first run. The snow tubes are made from super thick plastic and they are covered with nylon. The tubes offer ample cushion over rocks and bumps - a key improvement over the sled.

Behind our hotel was a small 'adventure' course. They had rope ladders, a zip line, an ice climbing wall, and a small basin for tubing or sledding. We signed up for two hours of tubing and rented our equipment. They are smart enough to require helmets.

We started off small and well, I kept my runs pretty tame. I had some cute video clips but I can't get them to load! It's so frustrating. I've tried so many times - I'm just going to post without video and if I figure out how to add them I will.

I was still in 1/2 marathon training when we were in VT. I counted tubing as my cross-training for the day. Getting myself and my tube up those hills was a workout!

There are ski resorts that have tubing runs, you hook your tube to a tow rope and ride to the top of a hill and then slide down. Based on the fun we had on the little tubing course in Vermont we would have a great time on the bigger runs.

Only in New York

A new on-going series of things you only see in NYC.

Last Thursday night we were coming home from the restaurant Fish. In the West 4th St subway station we were entertained while we waited for the train by.....

piano music! As I tipped the musician (you should always tip before taking a photo) I asked how he got the piano down in to the station - he just smiled and held up his arm and flexed his bicep.

He was a very good piano player and it was really quite a nice way to wait for the train.

Cutest Cupcake Presentation - Ever!

12 mini-cupcakes packaged in an egg holder. The cupcakes were my first ever from Magnolia Bakery. They were delicious - just about two bites each with almost too much frosting. They were a mix of chocolate cake and vanilla cake all topped with vanilla frosting. The color palette was so cute for spring and each cupcake had a different topping of sprinkles or sugar flowers.

And the best part is Melissa had them delivered post-1/2 marathon so I could eat as many as I wanted and not feel guilty! They were a perfect post-race reward.

Where's Beckham?

That crazy adorable cat is providing me with so much material lately.

In an effort to keep Sadie from going up and down the cat stairs we tucked them under the front entry table.

It took us a few minutes to find him in his new secret spot but of course Beckham decided this was a perfect place for a nap. He nestled himself under the table and in between the cat toy bucket and the recycling bag.

Why Is It...

when I buy a lottery ticket I always have expectations of winning?

I know the lottery is tax for people who can't do math - I know the odds of me winning any amount of money let alone the millions of dollars for the big jackpot are ridiculous. Yet every time I buy a ticket and subsequently check the numbers I am disappointed when I haven't won.

And usually the longer I wait to check the numbers the more disappointed I am - because I'm just sure that old ticket is a big winner and I have been silly letting it age on my desk.

"A dollar and a dream" = great marketing!

Where's Beckham?

He's sleeping in the sun - and there is nothing cuter than a sleeping cat!

He was really tired - otherwise he wouldn't have let me shoot this video. Usually he wakes up, hisses, and runs as soon as he sees the camera. I love the twitching - is he dreaming about wrestling with Roxy?

Runner's Log 3.21.10

10 weeks of training...

179 miles.....

All for one step over the finish line, one big triumphant step a 2:53:08 - I didn't get swept and I finished under 3 hours.

Arts and Crafts

I was left to my own devices last weekend as Michael was enjoying the sun and Spring Training baseball in Tampa, FL. (He did get some rain too - one baseball game was cancelled and so was the round of golf. Boo hoo - and don't even get me started on his sun burn!)

I didn't make my usual plans to see a show, instead I had the biggest 'to do' list on the planet. Even as I was making the list I knew it was ridiculous. But I love a good list and I love crossing things off the list.

A friend of mine in San Diego recently had a baby - even before the baby was due I wanted to make her a baby blanket. Well little Colton was born before I was able to get the blanket made, but it was completed over the weekend and mailed yesterday - so he should get it before he is even a month old.

The front is a super soft fleece with embroidered dogs. They have the cutest chocolate lab named Tucker - I bet he is the best dog with the little baby.

The back is flannel with a tiny palm tree print - my homage to San Diego.

And of course the blanket is trimmed in shiny soft satin.

I hope he loves his blanky and yay for one more thing off of the list!

Roxy's New Spot

Yes, she has been caught several times in the kitchen sink! I think she is scavenging for little food bits (because you know she is starving and doesn't get served food 3 times a day) - but she will go in there when it is empty too. Maybe the little drops of water on the porcelain taste so much better than water from the big water bowl?

I even managed to catch her on video - what a silly cat!

Plan B - The Inn at Essex

And finally - some posts on our long weekend in Vermont.



After a 10 hour train ride that left late we arrived at The Inn at Essex. A full service resort that was charming and packed with amenities.

The front desk area had coffee in the morning and warm apple cider at night. There was a cozy library packed with books, puzzles, and games.








Thursday night we were assigned a wheelchair accessible room. This is not our preference so after breakfast Friday morning we asked for a different room. We were easily accommodated and ended up just down the hall in a red room. The sitting area is pictured below.

They also offered complimentary turn down service - but they didn't tell you that at check-in. We read it in the hotel information book and made sure to call for our turn-down every night. Housekeeping turned down the bed, turned the lights to low, set jazz music on the radio, and left Lake Champlain chocolates on the pillows. Who doesn't love turn down service?

The Inn at Essex had a beautiful spa facility. We spent most of Friday afternoon/early evening relaxing in the spa. We both enjoyed a massage and then spent some time in the lounge - we even shared a cheese plate. From there we went to the separate men's/woman's facilities to enjoy the steam room and sauna. The spa was really quiet and we almost had the entire place to ourselves, I can't think of a better way to spend the day.

The grounds at the Inn were pretty much covered in snow (although for Vermont it was hardly any snow), but there were plenty of great architectural features like the gazebo at the intersection of various walkways that we were able to enjoy.

And we're always suckers for a swimming pool. They had a huge indoor pool. It was the nicest indoor pool facility I have ever seen. It was clean, it didn't smell like too much chlorine, it wasn't musty, they had big fluffy towels and lots of pool toys.

And they had an outdoor hot tub! The hot tub looked better at night, with just a few lights and lots of steam rising up from the hot water. It was so cold outside, no matter how long you stayed in the hot tub you never were over heated. The night we went in the hot tub it was about 14 degrees outside - it was really cold going from the indoor pool to the hot tub, getting out was better as you were nice and warm from sitting in the hot tub for so long.

Vermont might not have been Dublin, but it was a great vacation. This was our second trip to Vermont and we know we will go back. Vermont has beautiful scenery, friendly people, maple syrup, and cheese - what else do you need in life?