irises

 It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.

~  William Carlos Williams   

Hurry-hurry, step right up!

It can be difficult to say farewell to close friends. But life is just like that, dynamic and unpredictable, shifting people and connections, tumbling us forward whether we feel prepared for the next adventure or not. We embrace, wish each other the best, and if you're anything like me, we throw a party -- a big one. (If you want the full effect, play this while scrolling through the rest of the post. I highly recommend it!)

There were games indoors and out, a face painting booth, and a strongman photo backdrop. Adults and children alike feasted on nostalgic treats -- sticky, sweet caramel apples, soft clouds of wispy cotton candy, hot dogs, fruit-filled fried pies, and the pièce de résistance, made-to-order funnel cakes, snowy with powdered sugar and served piping hot on a paper plate. Schmaltzy pipe organ music danced through the air carrying lightness and joy right along with it. Everyone smiled more freely and laughed ever louder. Those who stayed the latest gathered around a crackling fire to make s'mores and then danced to silly music. And in the end life tumbled all of us forward...a wistful goodbye made more memorable by the evocative merriment of a carnival!

Thanks again to all my generous & talented friends for their tremendous help and photography assistance -- we couldn't  have done it without you!

East Nashville

A few months ago, when snowflakes still flurried in the air, we spent a food-filled weekend in trendy East Nashville. It all began with a wonderfully entertaining concert by this virtuoso, and over the next few days we visited an airy garage-turned-coffee-house for superb lattes and pour-over coffee and wandered through a monstrous, freezing cold restaurant supply warehouse where we found pizza peels and bought a new wooden pepper grinder. We perused a quirky flea market located in a dated strip mall and came home with a pair of cobalt blue wire lawn chairs and a set of vintage coffee cups. We ate authentic and spicy Thai food served to us by an adorably upbeat lady and downed delicious sliders and unique cocktails mixed with fizzy house-made sodas at a local bar. Another meal included a hoagie stuffed with roasted pork, pickled jicama and carrots, and cilantro from an amazing delicatessen -- one that claims to have the best sandwiches in Nashville. We agree. Fried plantains, chicken tortilla soup, fish tacos, pineapple and cilantro agua fresca -- we sampled all this and more at a humble, hole-in-the-wall taco joint, and every bit seemed more tasty than the last! A classic burger meal was anything but at The Pharmacy where we feasted on burgers covered with mushroom bechamel sauce and sipped glasses of craft beer. One snowy evening was spent at a dinner party, then cozied around a fire playing goofy games. Another mellow afternoon we sipped Glenfiddich scotch and listened to the nostalgic scratch of vintage records.

It was a first-rate mini vacation, complete with excellent food, entertainment, sight-seeing, and company. And we love that Nashville is merely a short drive away, because I can hardly wait to sip another fantastic latte at Barista Parlor.

take five: April

 1) altocumulus

2) morning light

2) lazy afternoon lounging

3) sunset silhouette

5) baked pasta

spring 2013

We believed Spring might never come, or that it would only last an instant of time and than snap abruptly into a hot, muggy Summer. But arrive it has, and late or otherwise, the show has been spectacular.

Past Spring show-offs found here, here, and here.