Happy Winter From The Houston's!

Melissa and Rob are Gettin' Hitched!

Hey, hey - Melissa and Rob are engaged. Rob sure is a lucky fella! Congrats you guys!

Shitakes from the Log

This is our very first harvest of Shitake mushrooms. Very exciting!

In Rochester

Lake Ontario Pier, Port of Rochester

Our Favorite Carousel

We got to visit Rochester this summer for the occasion of Colleen's cousin's wedding. No trip to Rochester in the summertime would be complete without a visit to Historic Dentzel Carousel right on the beach! It was built in 1905 and stands in its original location. Colleen rode this carousel every summer as a kid and so did her dad. There is wonderful pipe organ music and the paintings of animals are spectacular!

Lia Blowing Bubbles

More from Red River Gorge

The Unforeseen Wilderness

Andy bought me a book this year which I will recommend here - a collaboration of written essays by Wendell Berry and photographs by Eugene Meatyard with a focus on Kentucky's Red River Gorge. It is a lovesong to one of Kentucky's most beautiful places by two of my favorite native Kentuckian artists.

These pictures where not taken by Meatyard but rather by Ando himself from earlier this year. They share the same loveliness and essence as Meatyard's pictures taken forty years ago.

Earthquake?

The earthquake that centered from a fault line over Mineral, Virginia was felt here in Cincinnati by many. However Andy and I did not feel it at all. So I was wondering if we are not as sensitive as some to the earth's vibrations? Then it came up in conversation with a friend who suggested it may be because we are air and water signs. Maybe you feel the earth quake more intensely if you are an earth sign? Makes sense. Just curious about other's take on this?

A Leo Birthday

This is my favorite kind of dinner. Outdoors at one long table. I hope one day we live somewhere where we have a big enough yard to host parties like this. Until that day comes, we will enjoy any opportunity we get to eat over at Oliver and Alix's house. They are the most gracious of hosts and had a lovely gathering this past weekend. They hosted over 25 people most effortlessly.

Moving Day

This weekend, we helped Zach and Yuko pack up their apartment and somehow it all fit into a 16' moving truck.

They are headed to Boston. Zach will be attending grad school at Mass Art. We miss them already and can't wait to visit them and eat some chowda this fall!

To celebrate we had to finish off all of Zach's semi-drunk bottles of booze. Just kidding.

Cutest Nephew Ever!

We often are heard saying that we have the cutest nephew ever. We are pretty sure this is the proof!

mmmm...brisket

Last weekend we attended an amazing food happening. Our friend Steve opened a one night only restaurant where he served up homemade pastrami sandwiches on rye from blue oven bakery. I don't know much about making pastrami but I know it is at least a 5 day process where Steve salt cured the meat and covered it in spices and then steamed it. He also made homemade mustard, pickled green beans and homemade potato chips and rhubarb cake for dessert. Heaven.

A Night at the Races

To celebrate the Kentucky Derby, this year we hosted a small party where we made burgoo and mint juleps and banana creme pie. We watched the derby and then followed it up by watching some classic horse racing films in the garage - most notably the Marx Brothers 'A Day at the Races'.

Easter Bread

My family makes this bread together every year at Easter. It is one of my favorite traditions. Michelle mixed the dough by hand and it turned out beautifully.

The Shadone is our family recipe - an egg bread layered with lots of cheese, ham and raisins and then a lattice of more bread. Its delicious.

Quilt Show

I am hoping to work up the nerve to make a quilt and so I thought I'd visit the Quilt Show which came to town recently. I've also started hanging out with a group of ladies who are in their 60's who call themselves the Fibroids and meet monthly to work on their fiber arts projects. They are talented and a good influence on me, I hope.

At the show I saw some nice quilts. I especially like the variations of pattern in the stitching in this quilt.

Trapunto above and Applique below - such detail and so much work - don't think I'll ever be making anything like this

A cute lady in front of the quilt photo backdrop - there were lots of nice ladies like this at the quilt show.

Apple Orchard

Probably one of the best things ever - visiting an apple orchard in the springtime!