DEB AND HER CAMERA

a halloween in williamsburg

2009-11-09T15:45:00.010-05:00

Spent Oct. 31st driving down to the Outer Banks to meet my bestessest friend Becca and her family.

On the way we stopped in Colonial Williamsburg for some lunch and a quick, rainy walk through DOG street. W&M next door is where BD went to grad school. Where I came for visits, weeks at a time for several years before finally leaving Maui. Where I sent long, sappy letters (addressed to: wmsbg. bburg. the burg. willsburg. billsburg.) Where we lived together one Spring-to-Fall.

Where we got engaged.

For BD, it was mostly intense work - and the road was lonnnnng. But looking back, it was also a beautiful time. Simpler. I miss that slower pace and college town feel. We took long walks at dusk. Enjoyed outdoor seating with a pitcher and cheese plate at one of the Taverns. Cheered with the other girlfriends/wives at his softball games, ending up at the College Delly. Spent summer weeks with friends at the Outer Banks. Took long, pretty drives to PA.

We rented a tiny hole of an addition with our landlord's retired cop father. A bedroom the size of a full bed, a living room maybe 3 times that, and a kitchen we shared with big, good-hearted, messy Carl. We drove past that house and spotted a wheelchair in the garage. Didn't feel like stopping by unannounced, with so little time to spend, but just knowing he's still around made us feel good.

We'll see you again Billsburg.

Pretty pricey for just the semi-fancy!

is it real...

2009-10-27T09:25:00.004-04:00

or is it Memorex?

I like:

Her abstract pansies and writing.

The exact details on Isabel's face.

The adding of blue background behind Isabel.

From the book, A Style All Her Own.

Written by Laurie Friedman, illustrated by Sharon Watts.

daddy and bean treats

2009-10-25T06:58:00.002-04:00

Came home last saturday from a mommy day out to find these waiting on the counter:)

chocolate chip cookies

2009-10-24T06:51:00.000-04:00

Cookies for our local firehouse where Bean had a field trip last week. I decided to try some in a muffin tin and loved how they turned out - perfectly round and easy to pack:)

paris q & a

2009-10-06T07:12:00.003-04:00

She is one of the first blogs I ever found when I was doing research for our first trip to Paris. I think I googled Paris blogs and her adventures as a French au pair came up. Very quickly I fell in love with the very honest and beautiful way she writes. And of course the helpful information she offered through her own Parisian experiences.

Now she's planning to write her own guide book - and she's requesting help from her readers .

I have enjoyed reliving our 2006 trip and daydreaming of our trip next year. You should enter too! I'm sure she'd love all the help and information she can get.

PLUS there's a cool Parisian surprise gift to win:)

Here are my answers:

That time we went to Paris

•Where did you stay when you visited Paris? The Latin Quarter, in an apartment on rue Laplace. It had a very busy nightlife, lots of college kids walking the streets and in surrounding apartment buildings. The noise from street lasted well after midnight. We were alone then and didn't mind it, but if we had our daughter, it wouldn't have been the best choice.

•Are you most interested in apartment rentals, hotels, boutique hotels or hostels? Apartments mostly since we like having some meals in to save money (mainly breakfast and coffee). I caught a stomach bug one day and it was nice to go to the corner grocer, buy a packet of soup, and fix it at "home" instead of running around trying to find a restaurant to buy it.

•How long do you usually stay when you visit Paris? We stayed for 6 days, plus 2 in Toulouse. For our visit next year, I'm guessing about the same amount of time or less, with trips to another area (France or beyond - not sure). Would also love to know about easy day or overnight trips outside Paris.

•What are your favorite spots to visit? Versailles, Le Marais, Rue Cler, outdoor markets, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Monmartre, just walking or sitting along the Seine with food and drink, people watching.

•What kind of restaurants would you like to know about? Reasonably priced, vegetarian options, smaller places (especially family-owned). I'd love to have a list of yummy street venders, particularly for lunch, since we're usually on-the-go at that time.

•Do you visit any markets when you come to Paris? There was one in the Latin Quarter but I can't recall the name. Bought some fois gras and luggage there. I'd love to see a section of markets and even favorite stalls.

•What shops interest you most: food shops, clothing stores, jewelry stores or other? Food first! I liked browsing and buying little tins, candies, etc. as gifts. Women's clothing stores intimidated me there so I didn't go into any . . .other than Petit Bateau. I'd also love to find more quality craft/gift and home goods shops. I tried to find some kitchen linens but couldn't.

•Would you be interested in fun walking routes in each area? Love this. Also would REALLY love notes on where to find decent toilettes and places to refill our water bottles. We always ducked into McDonalds or other fast food places for potty breaks:)

•What are your favorite neighborhoods in Paris? The Latin Quarter and Monmartre - but really, there's something to love about each spot we walked through. Even the seedy Beaubourg shops advertising less-than-charming things had a certain . . . charm:)

•What kind of nightlife are you interested in? Not for us so much anymore (we'll have our 6 year-old with us on our next trip).

•Would you find a chapter or packing and safety tips useful? Absolutely! Maybe THIS will be the book that will finally get me to pack light;)

•Would you prefer a book organized by cool areas or precise arrondissements? I'd prefer arrondissements.

•What kind of layout would you find easiest to work with in a guide book? I like going through hotels, restaurants by price first. I also enjoy reading personal experiences, about service, favorites, etc - which is why I love blogs.

sunday style and arts - tutu's coconut

2009-10-04T08:33:00.004-04:00

On a Maui visit in 2004, we rented a cabin in Hana with my mom and her companion John.

We spent our days fishing and hiking, eating good meals from the grill and watching huge waves pound against the rocks.

The night was spent listening to the hard rain fall and geckos chirp and watching spiders on the wall and not sleeping;)

In the morning mom got up early to check out her fishing holes, but not before feeding her leftover cereal to the resident cabin kitties.

This is one of my all-time favorite photos.

my spooooky birds...

2009-10-02T17:21:00.011-04:00

won me something! Many mahalos, Smarts and Crafts:) and people who voted for the birdies!

Check out Lauren and Derek's lovely blog to see the other scary photo entries. . .if you dare!

busy-ness

2009-10-01T09:14:00.013-04:00

Kindergarten is shaping up to be a busy time. . . for Bean and mommy!

I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I signed up as Room Mom and Art helper. I thought I maybe I'd go in once a week and for the occasional holiday party. However, since it's an exceptionally big class this year (28 kids), the teacher and assistant requested two parents a day, four days a week, to be in-class.

I've commited to two days a week at the most. . .so far I've volunteered with assisting the "Apple Ladies" (they made applesauce there - mmm!) and helping in the Art class (LOVE!). Next week we start the more serious work helping with math, reading, computer lab, etc.

And I have to say, it's a lot of fun. Age 5 is a sweet, sweet time. It's been nice getting to know the kids in her class, and I love being able to see her world there, to watch her at work and play. Best of all I know she's in heaven having me in there. She'll pleadingly look at me every now and then with arms out for a hug, or wants to blow a kiss or wink at me - but other than that, she's a fantastic attention-payer:).

She really loves school. Loves doing her homework. Loves learning. Loves her new friends. I'm so relieved. I was concerned about the class size, but now that I see she's happy and thriving, I feel better.

Adding to the busy-ness are playdates. We had two already this week. At preschool, there were only five girls, and just two were her very-best buds. Here she names a new girl as her best friend every other day it seems.

Between that and afterschool classes - not to mention homework - I can see how easy it is to go overboard and do way too much. I need to start being selective about saying Yes. I think my day planner might be my new best friend:)

To sum up - I think that this is going to be a very busy but very fun year. If I'm not at my blog - or yours - you know where I'll be.

Happy October!

sunday style and arts - style

2009-09-27T20:13:00.009-04:00

While I was in the shower, she put on head-to-toe black, bobby-pinned her hair into a bun and did her own make-up.

And visions of junior proms danced in my head.

Let's try the black background on for size again, shall we?

dancer

2009-09-24T09:03:00.003-04:00

She is SO happy to be in a ballet class again. A real school this time - not through the parks and rec - with dress-codes and everything.

I think her true calling might be contemporary though.

P.S. - I just saw this on Katrina's blog - YAY, a new toy to play with! Thanks, K:)

Rollip polaroids

sunday s&a section - bean's explanations

2009-09-20T07:43:00.001-04:00

Self-explanatory;)

"Snowflake Clara is the owner of Christmas." We'd been reading doggy-turned-popular character stories (like Wooferella)- I think that might have been the inspiration).

America's second favorite Idol - Adam Lambert.

"Ariel finding the baby seal."

"When I won the (imaginary:) basketball game."

"Olden days singing, one of them is Mozart - see the guy playing the violin?"

"Hot air balloon on their way to sheep meadow."

dinner party pupu's

2009-09-16T15:47:00.002-04:00

labor day weekend

2009-09-16T07:32:00.003-04:00

Mesmerizing full corn moon on the drive to PA.

Nana's radio flyer.

Went to Harrisburg along the Susquehanna river for Kipona Festival. Part of beautifying the city. . .painted hydrants.

Fresh potato chips - yeah! This wasn't our mound, sadly. Next time.

Bean's "Hawaiian" shave ice.

Tall enough to ride herself.

Sunday we went for a little creek walk.

In the playground area you can purchase bricks, mostly family or pet names. But I liked this one the best.

never stop holding my hand

2009-09-08T14:08:00.004-04:00

I feel like I could sleep all day. My mind has been filled with worry over her new life at the big-kid school. Waking up in the middle of the night worry.

But today, she said her goodbyes without any tears, did not look back as we left the room, and came home exclaiming kindergarten is FUN and she had a great time.

WHEWWWwwwwwww.

Tonight I might hit the hay with her at 8:00;)

sunday s&a section; cupcake in stiches

2009-09-06T23:22:00.001-04:00

My humble cupcake. Not much to look at, but oh how much peace it brought me to create. I've been a crocheter since I was little, but lately my fingers have not been happy with all that repetitive movement. I loved that calm and meditative state you fall into, and embroidery seems to put me in that same stress-depleting zone. I'm thinking this could be my new craft-drug.

There are so many possibilities - fabric, beads, paper, paints, wood. Here are a just few of my Flickr loves:

sunday style and arts section - princesses

2009-08-30T08:26:00.014-04:00

I've decided to dedicate sundays to my favorite section of the Sunday paper. . . that little bundle that BD always hands off to me: Style, Arts, Books and Travel.

I've always hesitated making any sort of regular theme postings, but I have no doubt that this particular one I could easily handle. . .mostly because Bean's portfolio (aka kitchen drawer/fridge and designated door space) alone could fill up an entire decade of sundays. She starts an art class in two weeks - I'm SO excited to see what she'll turn out there!

Here are some of her latest princesses...you can see her latest obsession is making the perfect pair of lips.

kindergarten soon

2009-08-27T11:07:00.004-04:00

Been a little scarce lately. Bean has had almost daily swimming lessons for the past two weeks, and we've been busy with some back to school shopping. Let me tell you, a girl's love of shoes starts EARLY;) Next week I want to make the most of her free days before school starts on Sept. 8th.

I'll be back once my three hour, mommy alone time returns.

These three photos were taken on our last couple of days on Maui. In one spot along Front Street in Lahaina, there was this huge mango tree to my left, and the rainbow to my right.. . .followed by a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe, where BD and I had our first date so many moons ago. Thank you Aunty Lisa for another babysitting/sleepover night!

A hui hou.

bacon cupcakes

2009-08-19T12:30:00.003-04:00

Just saw this in the paper and had to share - doesn't it sound strangely YUMMY!?! I've never heard of it, but google tells me it's pretty popular. Might be making a trip to Alexandria soon. . .stay tuned.

shaken, not stirred

2009-08-17T16:45:00.002-04:00

and pink please. Pomegranate martini made by my husband. . .must have more of these before the summer ends.

julia child's kitchen

2009-08-12T06:29:00.000-04:00

In the Winter we visited the Smithsonian's Museum of American History and got to see Julia's kitchen. I thought it would be good to post these now, with the movie Julie and Julia out in theaters, although I'll be waiting for a lovely fall day in North Carolina to see it with a friend;) In the meantime I'll be studying these photos to see if there are any resemblances in the movie.

I just love the way everything is accessible. A couple of wall sections were filled top to bottom with hanging pots and pans. It was a little cluttered, but I loved what it said about her. Unpretentious. One day, when we get a larger kitchen, I'll be taking notes from Julia.

She and her husband kept a wine list in their pantry.

island food - the visuals

2009-08-11T10:46:00.007-04:00

So much good food, too little time. But we did manage to check off quite a few things from the pre-trip list. . . and den some!

Chicken katsu from Foodland - a little too heavy on the breading but my local-food starved taste buds didn't care.

Regular...

Strawberry. Any papayas will do.

I ate fish tacos a lot this trip - with fresh, creamy island avos. Little birdy thought they tasted pretty good too.

Foodland has ono marinated beef! Got this three different times - on the grill, with cold beer, can't go wrong.

Da cold beer.

Mmm - chow fun from Cupie's. Greasy with pork slices and green onion - just the way I like it.

Lots and lots and lots of ice cold water.

Of course the spam musubi. And a chicken one to be healthy.

Seth's tacos - with the killer guac - featured marinated pork that his friend brought back from California. Isn't it nice when friends share they're loot with you.

POG, nothing like it. Even if we mixed all three juices here, it wouldn't taste the same.

The Portuguese make some goooooood sausage.

I wonder how many local people go for the brown rice scoop??

El and Pam's pulehu meat. Red meat was our middle name on this trip.

Okay - so I spent $7.99 on this bag of chips. . .I haven't eaten it in ages so I HAD to. But it wasn't as good as I remember - shocking! I have a suspicion it has to do with being introduced to the incredibly tasty Pennsylvania kettle chips. I do love the bag though, and have rinsed it out -thinking I'll frame it. Or paint it.

$7.99. Plus tax. 4.5 ounces. I have to do SOMEthing with it;)

Didn't see any fundraisers in the parking lots selling my beloved huli huli chicken, so had to get some from Foodland:)

Bought my manju and mochi like a good Japanese girl.

Pickled mango - mmmmm - karai(sour)! Can't look at a bag without my salivary glands going into overdrive. I've got half a bag left in my pantry. . .trying to make it last.

Sam Sato's. Dry mein. With dashi (broth). And an order of fries with the mayo/mustard mix and ketchup. This restaurant used to be in Puunene, the now-deserted town where I grew up. It was the only restaurant in town, so of course we used to eat there all the time. I savoured each sip of the dashi, the flavor is still the same as I remember. If you've never tried the mayo-mustard combo for your fries, I highly recommend it!

Eating our noodles at Iao Valley.

Our last day was Sam Sato's and Guri Guri - not a bad way to end our trip!

I like this explanation of what it is...even has a recipe if you want to try something similar.

Check out those prices!

Bean enjoyed her guri guri and looked at the rabbits in The Pet Shop window - just like her mommy and Tutu used to do 30 years ago. . .nice to know some things on Maui are still the same.

ulupalakua

2009-08-08T09:10:00.006-04:00

June 16, 2009

Always one of my favorite days on Maui....when we head up to Grandma's Coffee House, pick up some lunch, drive to Tedeschi vineyards in Ulupalakua, sit at one of the picnic tables, look out at that view, feed the birds, enjoy the cooler air, and watch paniolos go by on horseback.

Next time we'll have to remember to grab lunch here instead. . .the Maui elk burger sounds interesting. . . but how come I've never seen elk there?

These are by the late artist Reems Mitchell. His life-size artwork graces the doorsteps of the ranch store and winery.

This guy does a stellar rendition of the song Ulupalakua. Love his use of duct tape!

found some good light

2009-08-08T09:01:00.006-04:00

It's coming from the skylight in our master bath, if you stand just outside the door. Future Bean Christmas portraits taken here. . .but for now, I present my pink scarf:) August is here and I'm already smelling Fall around the corner.

dead toad as art

2009-08-04T08:19:00.003-04:00

Came across this guy on the way to Ulupalakua. He was sticking straight up and flat as a pancake - poor guy. Made for an interesting pic though;)

papaya jack-o-lantern

2009-07-31T08:37:00.003-04:00

I don't know why I've never thought of this before. . .we finally got ourselves a Hawaii library card! I LOVE that they still have the stamp-card method of reminding you of the due date, and then you need to de-magnetize each book yourself. Here in VA, we can do self check-out with the scanner:)

I had so much fun going through the children's books and seeing all the "buss up" copies of my youth, like Pua Pua Lena Lena and the Adventures of Kama Pua'a. When I worked at Maui On My Mind years later, we sold the illustrator's art work, a french artist named Guy Buffet. From time to time he'd stop in to see how his posters were selling. I don't think I ever told him I used to read and love his books as a child. I wish I did.

I also found this book, from 1974. Full of island-style supplies, history, legends, games to play, camp techniques, and things to do outdoors in Hawaii. Most were things I've heard of before . . .

but papaya jack-o-lanterns?? Those were new to me! Something we might have to try this Halloween:)