Our Hamptons 101 Day

I was greeted at 4:47 am EST by a beautiful garden sunrise, birds chirping and a bouncy, happy, chatty little girl...Italy B. decided to start her party early. I put her in the carrier and we wandered around the stables nearby. Later in the day, we all piled into our car (the third row is a BIG hit) and headed to the Shelter Island Ferry via Sag Harbor. We spent the afternoon at the amazing Sunset Beach Inn. We beached, read, and watched our littlest sleep on a huge daybed overlooking Peconic Bay. After a perfect lunch and our first pseudo celebrity sighting, we came home for swimming and rest before Apis and T cooked up a feast for twenty. We all ate on the porch with children running here and there. Another perfect summer evening!!

Away we go

What a twenty four hours. We flew out of San Francisco, landed at JFK, spent the night in Queens, got a ride to Teterboro, explored Washington Heights, lunched in Herricks and very happily arrived in Bridgehampton.

Our gracious hosts were there to greet us and we began our long weekend of adventure and fun! The house screams summer. It is covered in blue hydrangeas taller than me and a huge porcj where I am sure plenty of nothing will be happening. It is across the road from two Trees Stables, which has amazing polo fields and jumping courses. I am hoping there is some action to watch there over the weekend!

Miles travelled in the last twenty four hours (via air and road)=3060

Q. a movie character I'd play..

A. Etheline Tenenbaum.

and you?

On the road again

Although I was raised in the third row of a station wagon, let's just note that road trips were not part of my childhood. We were more of an A to B family. If we had somewhere to go, we got there. And then I met my husband.

After 11 years of life with him, it is all about new directions. Sunday drives, walks to the ocean, and a trip to the market all elicit new paths, winding roads, or a neighborhood I have never seen or heard of. Now, he is entrusting me with our children (and his mother for 1500 miles) to get from Boston to San Francisco in July in one piece. This is an epic non A to B trip for me. My own expectations are to explore and enjoy it, not just focus on the end result and just maybe find that tiny little market in a nowhere town that sells the best peach pie in South Dakota.

Fresh

A gorgeous Tuesday morning is upon me in San Francisco. Early mornings are a treasured time. Everyone else here is still dreaming. When their slumber breaks, we all pile into one bed to start the day. We discuss plans for the day, dreams from last night and always, tsah would like to know details of the breakfast menu. Until then, I have a dark coffee, a view of the garden, and thoughts.

These morning minutes of silence are my meditation. A mind-clearing, focused period of me. And today, I have road tripping on the mind. We leave in two weeks, for our summer holiday. A late flight to New York, an overnight at a JFK airport hotel, a car service to Teterboro and finally on to Bridgehampton for a new kind of Fourth of July. And while that weekend may or may not be the high point of July, it is officially only the beginning.

25 days and 2500 miles of open road. God help us all.

the aftermath

Mid-April hits me hard. It is not just the taxes and the pollen. The fabulous Easter celebration, followed by a week of bliss with just the littles, capped off by a weekend of family and friends. On Saturday afternoon, a storm blew in and our friends braved an outdoor picnic with rain threatening the entire afternoon. We laughed and watched the children run around causing havoc. We drank wine by the fire and walked down the lane. We ate cake, and planned dinners and holidays in the near future. Now, I am off the hook until December. But I am the littlest bit sad that the crescendo of spring festivities have ended. I suppose the gardens of Spring will just have to do.

Greens and Beans

In an effort to use up what we had before we start yet another holiday weekend of feasting, (gotta love a family whose Good Friday fast includes homemade pesto and tiramisu) the following concoction was created today:

2 heads of Swiss Chard, stemmed, rinsed and cut in a chiffonade
1 shallot diced
1 can of black beans rinsed
4 Sun dried tomatoes chopped

Saute shallots in a bit of olive oil for about 1 minute.
Add Swiss Chard (in batches if needed)
Add beans, sun dried tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes until chard is cooked to your preference.
Plate and shave a very tiny bit of Pecorino Romano on top

To customize this dish to your family's  palate, add or subtract  any type of leafy green, raisins, sliced almonds, white beans, chick peas or capers. Use your imagination,your crisper drawer and your pantry shelf.

After two helping for each of the children, they split a grated apple (instant apple sauce) with a touch of peanut butter for dessert. We sat and chatted about the Easter Bunny and what treats he may deliver on Sunday morning.

A lovely Thursday lunch.