summertime in connecticut, part two

PART 2
one of my favorite times of year to visit my parents is the summer (my other favorite times are spring, fall, and winter). the trees are green, the farmers market is open, the lake is sparkling, and dinner is enjoyed at the beach. visiting them in the summer really makes me appreciate the landscape in which i grew up. this summer, mom and dad borrowed kayaks from a family friend so i got to go on my first kayak ride. kayak ride? do you go on a kayak ride? maybe it was a kayak trip? we didn't really go far enough for it to constitute a trip, i don't think. anyway, it was delightful. i hadn't been on the lake since my days on the high school crew team and it was great to be back out on the water.

summertime in connecticut, part one

PART 1
last weekend i was home in connecticut and made a trip down to fairfield county to visit abby. we had drinks at barcelona sono and dinner at barcelona stamford -- it's good to know people in barcelona corporate! we were wined and dined and everything we ate and drank was delicious. my favorite wine was the el coto rose. our seven-course dinner wasn't too shabby either. maybe i'll roast myself a garlic bulb tonight in homage to our feast.

the next morning we had breakfast at le pain quotidien in new canaan. over breakfast we wikipedia'ed new canaan and discovered that it's one of - if not the - richest towns in the country. this explains the sparkling clean gas station and assortment of preppy clothing stores (ralph lauren is the first store you see when you get into the downtown). but our breakfast was wonderful -- it was my first le pain quotidien experience apart from the west hollywood location. just wish i'd taken some more pictures!

venice

omg has it really been a month since my last post? either i've been very busy or very lazy. in reality, i suppose it's been a combination of both. the past month featured a trip to venice to visit amy. it was a weekend of eating yummy food, drinking good wine, looking at real estate, and discussing decorating. in other words, it was just my kind of weekend. amy had the brilliant idea to explore the area on rented cruisers, which is like riding on a cloud.

a real highlight was our excursion to malibu wines. in all of my trips to wineries, i've never found a place that captures the desire to sit outside and enjoy a bottle of wine so well. it's like one big picnic, nestled in the malibu hills. and the people watching is amazing.

another highlight was the discovery of bountiful, an antique store on abbot kinney. with cake stands stacked to the ceiling, it was a bit stressful to navigate the store, but their furniture gave us some good ideas for amy's new apartment.