Sunday, July 15, 2012

Donavon Frankenreiter Plays Jonathon Edwards

We have been listening to Donavon Frankenreiter for several years and always keep an eye on his touring schedule.  Since he lives in Kauai, Hawaii, it is rare for him to play on the East coast.  To our delight he performed at an outdoor concert at Jonathan Edwards winery right here in our own backyard.  We packed a  picnic and walked up the hill to the vineyard.  

Donovan and band were gracious performers, and provide a fun and relaxing performance.  We had a preview of the next generation of Frankenreiter performers when his son Hendrix (Age 7) played drums on one tune, and his other son, Ozzy (Age 5), provided a little percussion on another. Yes his sons are named Hendrix and Ozzy, another reason to like Donavon.  We enjoyed a bottle of Chardonnay with a toast to staying local.






To see a  video clip of a the song "Free" click here.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Tune of the Month

it has been a while since we shared a favorite tune, but this one seems to be a popular ditty at HHR right now. it is by one of our favorite singer/songwriters and is from quite a few years ago. We hope that this tune gets stuck in your head much as it has with us! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_vTY67Wd9I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Weekend in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

In celebration of Canada Day and in advance of the July 4th holiday we took a long weekend to go to New Hampshire to spend time in the White Mountains.  We camped at Crawford Notch in the Dry River Campground and hiked some local peaks.   The campsite was nicely appointed and we tested our new tent purchased along the way when we decided it was time to upgrade a 20 year old tent for a bit more space.  The tent held up in the rain and we appreciated the space to read and relax on the first morning when we awoke to a light rain.  No need to check in at the Mount Washington Hotel just down the road.  The rain soon stopped and we enjoyed mostly dry weather the rest of the weekend.



On Friday we hiked to the tops of Avalon and Field on the West side of the notch.   The hike was mostly below tree line, but we had a few nice views to the top of Mount Washington.  On Saturday we did a nice loop to Mts Webster and Jackson and back via the Mitzpah hut.  To Bruno's delight the Mitzpah hut was serving afternoon tea.  We had one rest day and explored other areas for future camping trips and hikes that would take us above tree line.

View from Mt Avalon towards Mt Washington

On Monday we did a great ridge hike to the peak of Mt Jefferson.  The hike started in lovely boreal forest and quickly opened to a rocky ridge that afforded views and some rock hopping.  Kokee had a great time scrambling; we continue to be amazed what she can climb.  We had some patchy weather with a short downpour just at the peak of Jefferson that lasted long enough to pull out the rain gear.  The sun soon returned and we had a quick lunch on a rocky spur before heading home to Connecticut.

Ridge trail to Mt Jefferson

Bruno just below the base of Mt Jefferson

A tired dog is a happy dog

Find more photos of our weekend in the White Mountains here

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Happy Canada Day!

Best wishes to all our Canadian friends on this beautiful sunny Canada Day.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Raspberries Are Ripe!

Last weekend was spectacular, starting with dinner at the Mermaid Cafe, followed by a show at the Granite Theater.  Dinner was on the upper deck while watching the sunset.  The play was The Hallelujah Girls which was clever, funny and well executed.  Much of the cast was also in a play by the same group of writers called The Dixie Swim Club and they seemed will suited for their roles.   They had the audience chuckling and singing along.

Saturday we picked gooseberries which are several weeks early since they usually ripen about July1. No complaints of course, especially since they are the biggest berries we have ever seen at Hangman Hill Road.  We are madly trying to finish the last of the frozen gooseberries from last year, which resulted in a gooseberry tart Sheri made with her birthday as an excuse (even though we had Birthday Cake from Betty's).

Saturday night while Bruno traveled to Freiburg Germany for work, Sheri was treated to dinner by Mark and Jen in celebration of her birthday at Ella's, the new restaurant in Westerly. The food and service was excellent. There was a unanimous vote that a second visit with Bruno when he returns was only fair.  Many thanks to Mark and Jen for a great evening.

On Sunday, Sheri picked the first of the raspberries.  The garden has done well thanks to a nice mix of rain and sun over the last few weeks.  The asparagus is still trickling in, and the lettuce is ready to pick.  The blueberries also are a little early, and are now covered with tulle and are a pale shade of purple. 

Sheri and Kokee met Paul Luner and Sierra at Haley Farm late Sunday morning for a walk followed by coffee at Mystic Market.  Haley Farm is a splendid place for a walk and we should remember to go there more often.  Kokee and Sierra got along great and we were just glad to have Kokee bouncing around having been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis last week.   It was great to catch up with Paul and have an update on the Luner family.






Thursday, June 7, 2012

Sheri's Birthday

We celebrated Sheri's birthday starting with breakfast that included rhubarb from the garden to accompany our granola.  After work we went to Westerly to attend a yoga class at the WYCY followed by dinner at Sheri's favorite restaurant in Watch Hill, The Olympia Tea Room.  Despite the variable weather and frequent rain showers we enjoyed a very nice sunset with our dinner.  The celebration was complete with a traditional English birthday cake from Betty's compliments of Nick and Pam.








Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Virtu Art Fair in Wilcox Park

It was great to have Bruno back home and much of the weekend was spent getting back into a routine, and enjoying very summer-like weather.  On Sunday morning we strolled around Wilcox Park in Westerly, just a short distance from Spruce Street, to take in the Virtu Art Fair.  We have made this an annual tradition ever since we first attended the fair several years ago as a break from the renovations on the house on Spruce Street.  We have been to many similar events, but the Virtue Art Fair really stands out, mostly because it is always so peaceful.  Also, many of the artists are very local, or at least from New England which makes the experience all the more appealing.  We enjoyed meeting Mark Kuzio and talking with him about his Patio Flame pieces.   We couldn't resist buying one, and on Sunday evening after a really nice dinner we cooked on the grill, we relaxed over after dinner drinks with the Patio Flame on our deck.