A silly moment when wandering the back streets of Cantalupo di Sabina outside of Rome this summer.
My hubby and I do American Gothic en Italia.
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Category Archives: Random
Nanook of the North
Well, I finally gave in to the approaching winter at Fake Rock Farm (45th latitude), packed the Element up to its gills with fabric, paints, patterns, computer, audiobooks and snacks, and headed east to Meg Staley Handmade winter headquarters at our house in Cold Spring, NY. Definitely cozier than our wheezy Michigan barn in the nippy months.
Or so I thought. Until Saturday, when a freak snowstorm dumped 8″ of very wet snow on trees that hadn’t even begun to shed their leaves, and as soon as you could say “Uh-oh,” the power went kaput. And with the power went the news, the coffeemaker, the entertainment devices, lights and heat.
Since trunk show deadlines are looming, I kept on working until i was forced to crawl under the covers. By the second night I was ready for a hot meal and shower and my dear sister, Lynn, gathered me into her warm Central Park West apt.
Today, just after snapping this shot of me in my LED headlamp and other power-less accoutrements, the lights flickered on. Just about 48 hours and none the worse for wear. Now I can take off my Davy Crockett hat, headlamp and fingerless gloves and greet the trick-or-treaters.
Peaches and Figs
The weather at Fake Rock Farm is finally turning, and I’ve cut off the tips of thumbs, forefingers and ring fingers on my old red wool gloves to stretch my studio time out in the barn. After an hour or so of printing and cutting on my table, I retreat to the kitchen tap to revitalize manual dexterity. Soooo, I was wandering around in my i photos and when I found this picture my sister took at her home in Collevecchio in August, it asked to be posted as a melancholy reminder of summer passing.
roadside readerboard quiz
WHAT ARE WE ADVERTISING???
ANSWER????
OH. I GET IT NOW….
Most Beautiful Place in America? Really?
Well I knew it was pretty around here. But, get this: Good Morning America viewers just voted Sleeping Bear Dunes the Most Beautiful Place in America 2011. This is our backyard! My earlier post Urban Granddaughters Brave the Woods features one of the great views off the dunes, 6 miles from Fake Rock Farm.
Whoops. There goes the neighborhood….
Garden Squash
Fresh yellow zucchini!
pour olive oil to coat the bottom of a big saute pan. chop up a bunch of fresh garlic (5 cloves) and slice up a big onion and line the bottom of the pan, garlic first, then onion. turn on heat to low to mediumish and slow cook. when the onions are transparent, layer cross-sectioned zucchini (about 6 – 8 small/medium ones cut in 3/4-1″ thickness) on top of the onions and cover. Stir occasionally until the zucchini softens, but before it breaks down. Throw in a handful of fresh chopped oregano, maybe 1/2 cup, and salt liberally. stir a couple of times and serve. serves 6.
GARDEN PEAS
soon to become MINTED PEA SOUP….
SOLD OUT
4th of July weekend wiped us out.
Moonset at the beach
The universe gives us gifts all the time, but rarely are we paying attention. Last night Mother Nature wouldn’t let us ignore her. A wonderful dinner with new friends and old on the beach at Leland, Michigan yielded this photo and a forever moment. Every body, every morsel, every dappled view was perfect. Thankyou.
This is the end of our road
My son, Lucky Gretzinger, took this photo a couple of years ago and I asked him if I could steal it for the blog, because it personifies summer in Leelanau County.
Our farm sits in the middle of Leelanau Peninsula which juts out into Lake Michigan. Most of the shoreline here is federally protected and managed as Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. Miles and miles of white sand beaches are available for all to enjoy. Just a bike ride away!!
