Camping & Cookouts
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James It’s time to fire up the grill, swing at the shuttlecock, laze in the hammock, and commune with nature. Grown men finally have a valid excuse to play with fire, as they showcase their skills with spatulas and shish kebobs. From Top Chef to Hell’s Kitchen, inspired fledglings step up to the plate (pun intended) to flex their culinary muscles. This jaunty juggler skillfully shuffles the entire pantry in a dashing display of showman ship. Great fun! One...
Read MoreParisian Cuisine
“Lunch kills half of Paris, supper the other half.” Charles de Montesquieu A three hour lunch in Paris is not out of the ordinary. Perhaps not every day, but more often than you might expect. No, people don’t eat for hours. They commiserate, laugh, discuss, pontificate, negotiate, argue, teach, reflect, flirt, cajole, tease, write and read. They refresh, restore, renew, and enjoy themselves. Not once in the time I spent in Paris did I see a single individual eating ‘on the go’ as has become the standard practice in the U.S. Even when folks grabbed a croque monsieur and Orangina from a...
Read MoreLet the Games Begin
“Life is more fun if you play games.” Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald “One good thing about freezing sleet and rain” my friend Jane confided “is the family gathers around the fireplace for popcorn and hot cocoa.” I bring out the board games in an effort to compete with ipads and Xbox, and I sometimes succeed. There’s something about snuggling in blankets with sleet beating against the window that makes kids reach for an actual book, playing cards, dominoes or checkers. I love it.” Whether you indulge in a simple game of tick tac toe or roll the dice for backgammon, games are a sure fire...
Read MoreThe Randy Rooster
“Trying to sneak a fast ball past Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak the sunrise past a rooster.” Joe Adcock “Spring forward, fall back” is the memory trick we use for re-setting our clocks in order to capture the gift of daylight savings. Who doesn’t appreciate an extra hour of sunshine in which to frolic and play? Yet we pay a price to shed our hibernating ways, as we begrudgingly crawl from the cozy comfort of our snuggly beds. One steadfast harbinger who can rouse us literally like clockwork? The lusty rooster, trilling and screeching, until we have no choice but to rise. A...
Read MoreSkiing – from Sun Valley to Snowmass
Slaloming, Shredding, Schussing down the slopes … superb, sublime, splendiferous! This sport of champions didn’t always showcase spandex. Back in the day, the swells wore hand knit sweaters from Austria, wool knickers, and billed caps. At day’s end, zipping back to the lodge for an après ski toddy, one might spy the likes of (L to R) Mrs. Gary Cooper, Jack Hemingway, (Ernest’s eldest son), Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. When dressing for dinner ladies might sport a remembrance of their day in the form of a handkerchief tucked in a breast pocket or looped over a belt. This...
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