Maryland visit

We've just come back from a grand visit in Maryland, our old stomping grounds. It was a lot of fun visiting Aubrey who is growing like a weed. She's 18 months and a very busy girl. An amazing climber with no fear - keeps everybody hopping...

Granddaddy and Aubrey checking out the outside action

We rented a house on the water in Shady Side, the next neighborhood over from Heather and Brian. What a fantastic location. Right on the confluence of the West River and the Bay. A much better idea than an anonymous hotel. We don't use Airbnb often, but this was a great find.

A house with a comforting feel

The weather was not ideal - chilly and rainy most of the time, but Mark and I were there for family, and it is February after all. We found things to do anyway - playpark at the mall and some restaurant action. Aubrey does so well in these grownup places.

PF Chang's

We had wintering over friends at the rental home. Bald eagles, geese, and tundra swans. The tundra swans live in northern Alaska in the summer. That's 4200 miles of migration - some have been tagged and tracked year after year so it's legit. Amazing.

Next up golf trip to Hilton Head. Retirement is lots of busy fun so far...

Naples season madness, O'Keeffe, and special foods

2020 will go by in a flash if the previous years are any indication and I'm determined to pause and really experience what's going on. It's full on season here and all the crazy traffic and crowds. We're far busier than I expected so it's a bit of a challenge but's it all good stuff. And it's fantastic to have Mark around and not working. He's also determined to stop and smell the roses. Golf 4 days a week is a good way to start.

fresh pasta dept

Our new favorite grocery store. It's local and just opened after 5 years of building, yup you heard right, 5 years. It's called Seed to Table, the brainchild of Alfie Oakes who own Oakes Farms a huge food wholesaler in Florida. It's an experience to be sure, 74,000 sq feet, with in house pastry chef, bakery, fresh pasta station, in house restaurants, beef and fish galore, amazing produce-- I could go on and on. It's like Whole Foods times 10. And it's close, as most things are around here. Definitely appreciate that part.

Norton Museum of Art

What a great time my artist friends and I had going on a ladies side trip to Palm Beach to see the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit last week. She was an amazing artistic talent. Made the most of it, spent the night and had fun meals before heading back of to Naples. These are great ladies for sure.

these expandable baskets make grilling whole fish easy

grilled whole branzino with lemon and fresh tarragon

I'm definitely getting the benefit of Mark having more free time. Some elevated cooking happening, not that he didn't already prepare amazing dishes. Along with fresh fish, experimenting with Indian cuisine - Biryani so far - was amazing!, and special fresh pasta with shaved black truffles and grilled veal chops. Keep it coming!

We leave for Maryland in a week to see Heather, Brian, and Aubrey for a few days. Excited to see them!  Crossing fingers for decent weather or at least not a major snowstorm. I have to remind myself it's winter weather in most places. Yanking back out those warm clothes....