summertimes

I can’t believe it is August already! I finally went on a long neede vacation to Cape May with some girlfriends. I think we all needed it! Cape May is absolutely beautiful; such a cute resort town. I didn’t realize how much I had missed the beach- it had been ages (maybe 2 years?) that I had been to the shore, and maybe even longer that I got to spend more than 2-3 hours. I got my tan on, relax on, and finished a Maisie Dobbs book.

A flower field across the street from our motel, my FAVORITE house in Cape May (always something new in it though when I go there!), Cape May water tower, Cape May Lighthouse

After the gang left (post Mad Batter brunch, my goodness, what a send off!) I did some exploring on Sunset Beach and Cape May Lighthouse (pic above).

Whale Mandible

This little guy was waiting for me. I like saying ‘Whale Mandible’ too.

Zinnias are my favorite flower.

My most recent sojourn was to see my pal Katie’s house in Pennsylvania. We spent an afternoon at Terrain which is owned by the same folks who bring you Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie (the latter being one of my most favorite places to shop at). We ate at the Cafe at Terrain and oggled expensive soaps, Hungarian-made pottery, and lots of glass jars. I was very good and didn’t spend any money on glass jars!  I also was surprised to see two old pals from Rutgers! A great day, lots of pretty things.

Terrain at Styers, Glen Mills, PA; driftwood for sale, gazpacho in a canning jar/bread baked in a pot, in the hothouse

Perfect Day.

Goodness, today was absolutely wonderful. No neck pain, no stress, and a lot of fun! My foodie partner in crime, Mike came down to my neck of the woods and we went to one of my most favorite of places: Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ. It is a pick-your-own farm that is so much fun. It’s become a bit of a tradition among my friends in the fall to go apple picking, but Mike and I are two years running strong with our berry picking in the summer. Another visit is planned for later in the summer when blackberries are ripe and ready. We made out like bandits with our blueberry picking (I did about 5 1/2 pounds I believe) as well as treasures from the farm market (I scored on onions, vidalia onions, zuchinni, yellow squash, French green beans).

After our farm trip, lunch was in order in Princeton- eaten on a blanket in Palmer Square during a free concert. And of course what is a trip to Princeton without THE BENT SPOON?!

I was really excited to bring Mike to The Bent Spoon, as it is (hands down) my favorite place in Princeton. To eat, of course. They specialize in artisnal flavors made fresh every day from mostly local and all organic ingredients. They also have the BEST CUPCAKES in Princeton. Mike had the Passionfruit Peach sorbet and Lavender Mascapone ; I indulged in a triple with chocolate praline, coffee with cacao nibs, and mascapone. The mascapone has been my favorite as of late. I’m ready for sweet basil though.

We walked off our treats around Princeton U’s campus; it was particularly busy (it was absolutely beautiful out) and since it was the first (gasp!) time Mike has been in Princeton during the day, he wanted to take a look at the architecture, which is always a treat. The Richardson Auditorium is my favorite facade:

To end the day I really wanted to bring Mike somewhere really serene and beautiful. Washington’s Crossing State Park is a hop, skip, and jump away from downtown Princeton, so we headed over, checked out the Delaware River. You can also walk across the bridge into Pennsylvania. It had been Mike’s first time in PA since he was a youngin’. Next time our stay in Pennsy will be longer than 5 minutes. 🙂

A perfect day! The weather was on the side and long-needed date with my buddy. Now I have enough blueberries to last until probably December.