bad postcards

shakespeare’s romeo and juliet meets the passionate music of singer-songwriter jeff buckley in the last goodbye. conceived and adapted by the talented michael kimmel, the show runs at the williamstown theatre festival through august 20. if you can’t make the trip to the berkshires, chances are you’ll be able to see it in the future on broadway. this is only the beginning for the last goodbye.

on a recent la visit, my husband and i found a great gem on abbot kinney in venice called the juicy leaf. with the help of owner, felix, i planted a succulent in layers of small stones in a cylinder vase. he carefully wrapped it for my plane ride and i am currently enjoying it in my home. the juicy leaf also hosts planting parties – and if a store opens in new york as felix hopes, i will be on that bandwagon.

photographs of the manor and grounds look like they were plucked from a story book. this elegant, exclusive hotel outside of nairobi allows visitors the experience of feeding giraffes at the breakfast table (literally). additionally, many species of birds, warthogs and bush buck can be found on the property and the surrounding 140 acres of forest.

sometimes a hotel is a just a place to lay your hat while touring the city. in this case, the giraffe manor is the vacation. magic!

every winter when the new york temperatures plummet, i consider my state of residency. why do i live here? why wouldn’t i live somewhere warm, like i don’t know, santa barbara? sb may seem a bit random but i’ve been coming across it recently. it was the picture perfect backdrop for the film, it’s complicated and in a recent sunset magazine spread, there was a feature on santa barbara architecture.

architect jeff shelton was featured in this article. i love his spanish / california style: the bright colors, tiles and iron are so warm and inviting. i can just imagine the bright community feel that this courtyard would offer. to see more of his gorgeous work, go here.

it began with a trip to the farmer’s market where i sampled many a curd, and my husband purchased several bags for friends. i learned that the orange color associated with cheese curds is really a dye; the natural color is white. later i learned that cheese curds that are fried and dipped in horseradish sauce is the most decadent and divine snack ever created. we tried this delicacy at the old fashioned , a jamming restaurant near the capitol. the bartender described them as fried mozzarella sticks, but better. indeed. we should have stopped here, but alas our meal was on the way – chili (served over spaghetti) and bratwurst. but no need to dwell on this over-indulgent, calorie infested meal…

let’s face it, sconnies love cheese, and who can blame them? whether it’s cheese curds in a plastic bag or artisinal cheeses from fromagination , it’s all delicious. just one of the many reasons why i love wisconsin.

photographs by william cronon, studier of american environmental history and the history of the american west. he is a professor at the university of wisconsin-madison, where i had the privilege of taking one of his classes and was recently featured as a commentator on ken burns’ the natural park series. for more stunning photographs – from wisconsin to iceland, go here.

when we first arrived in phoenicia, we ate at sweet sue’s. i had the “carrot cake” pancakes and made the mistake of ordering 2 cakes (1 was plenty). while waiting for my meal, i flipped through edible hudson valley and noticed a feature on the owner of peekamoose, a restaurant in big indian. i didn’t think much of it until a shopkeeper on main street recommended it – and later the owner of breathe inn just assumed we would eat there. nevertheless, i have already claimed peekamoose my favorite restaurant. we dined in the tap room, soaking in the cozy atmosphere, with the rain gently falling outside. we were unable to enjoy the best feature, however: the rain prohibited us from roasting marshmallows on the pit in front. you can bet i will be back to do that.

the teepee at breathe inn:

breathe inn decor:

pancake menu at sweet sue’s:

the perfect house (with a red door):

the bar at peekamoose: