pie and roses

pie and roses, originally uploaded by isabelle gr.

Summing up May, a month which begins with handpicked flowers laid out on the front doorstep and ends with strawberries ripening in the garden, is best done quickly, before the delicate memories wilt under summer sun. This month brought lots of celebration, including an elegant mother's day brunch, several spontaneous and chilly barbeques, long distance graduation toasts, and a few relaxing evenings in our little "garden" with friends.

My friend Kim, an artist from Brooklyn, came to visit with KJ, another ex-New Yorker friend who lives here in Seattle now. These two were beyond gracious guests: Kim walked right into the kitchen and started baking a strawberry-rhubarb pie! The little rose next to the pie is our very first blossom of the season. I couldn't take a photo of our first strawberry of the season because I had to wrench it from the jaws of our beastie.

50th street bakery, in homage to sullivan street bakery

cauliflower focaccia, originally uploaded by isabelle gr.

Oh how we miss you, Sullivan Street Bakery! This humble offering is our first attempt at baking bread in the style of our favorite bakery in New York. Mmmm!

Beginning with a basic focaccia recipe, I added thick slices of cauliflower marinated in turmeric and curry spices, laid out symmetrically like book-matched wood veneers. I seared the cauliflower briefly in a pan before laying it over the dough just before baking. The bread rises around the topping and nestles it.

I made this for dinner last night when we had friends over. I'm so glad it turned out! We ate it with bell peppers stuffed with quinoa and almonds; and a lentil, spinach, and roasted tomato casserole thing topped with pappadams and a cilantro sauce. Yum!

on the auction block

sweet pea & chrysanthemum 1, originally uploaded by isabelle gr.

My friend Brittany invited me to donate artwork to benefit the Washington Park Arboretum. Each year they host the Northwest Flower and Garden Show at the convention center, which kicks off with a big gala the night before the official public opening. In addition to thousands of plants over six acres and lots of fancy snacks and about 400 guests all dressed up, the gala includes this benefit auction. I am so excited to participate!

Here are the two pieces I donated, titled Sweet Pea & Chrysanthemum I & II. They are each about 6 inches wide and 8 - 10 inches tall. They are framed and archivally matted; the first two pieces of a new drawing series I am working on.

The Arboretum is a gorgeous 200+ acre park in the heart of the city. It was founded in 1934 and designed by the Olmstead Brothers, sons of the Olmstead who designed Central and Prospect Park. The Arboretum's history notes that the construction of the Olmstead Brothers' beautiful landscape provided work relief to Depression-stricken Seattle laborers. Today, the Arboretum features expansive trails and countless native species as well as an elegant Japanese Garden. I just love it, and I'm pretty jealous that Brittany gets to work there!

thanksgiving at the cabin

thanksgiving at the cabin, originally uploaded by isabelle gr.

We celebrated our first west coast Thanksgiving together in the new cabin with Nick's mom and dad and Jupiter, who is sulking under the windows in the photo above. There are more photos of the feast, the ingredients, and the beautiful setting on belle's flickr page.

days twelve and thirteen: san francisco

at the deYoung Museum, Golden Gate Park


In Santa Cruz we stopped for a decadent Italian lunch at the home of our friends Jody and Terry. We sampled delicious olives, bread, and soup, surrounded by Terry's beautiful collection of blue willow china in their cozy dining room. We ate figs and apples from their garden. Afterward, we visited Terry's studio where she is working on drawings of apple boughs. It was great to see some of her most recent landscape paintings and drawings in real life. We felt so at home, and it was hard to leave! What a warm welcome to California.



San Francisco is a beautiful, moody city where each neighborhood not only has distinct shops and street life, but its own weather. We couldn't wait to meet up with Nick's oldest brother, Cody, at his Potrero Hill restaurant, Lingba. Since our last visit he renovated the bar and restaurant, and it looks fabulous! He continues to experiment and update the Thai menu, with luscious results. Our favorite thing to do in SF is hang out at the bar and sample something spicy.

These photos are from our visit to the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. The photo above looks across the plaza at the not-yet-completed earth science museum. On Saturday, we spent the whole rainy afternoon in the cavernous galleries and twisting observation tower of the city's newest architectural adornment. The space is perfectly suited to their current exhibition, the sculptures of Louise Nevelson.


Famished from looking at art, we went to a Japanese mall for noodles, soup, and hot tea. And to watch crazy hordes of teenagers dressed up like cartoon characters. There were several Totorros. Totorri? Cody treated us to a sumptuous feast at Oola, the restaurant he is a partner in, later that night. By Sunday morning he practically had to roll us back to the rental truck -- we were stuffed!

day three and four: tennessee landscape

tennessee landscape, originally uploaded by isabelle gr.

Basically, Tennessee is great. Dolly's from here, Loretta's from here, Isabelle's dad is from here. Gillian Welch isn't from here but she had the sense to move here. And so did the King. Nashville is here, which is just the coolest town, and it's where Isabelle's family has lived for a long long long time. We had so much fun running all over town with her Uncle Charles and Aunt Juanita Fentress and their daughter Karen. There is never enough time to hear all their stories that take place here, so we may just have to move here for awhile.

We stopped by our favorite print shop, Hatch Show Print! The printers inside were hard at work, sort of, and totally inspiring and welcoming, as always. The city was in mourning for Grand Ol Opry star Porter Wagoner (see the sign below Ernest Tubb's guitar).

Uncle Charles was on the Nashville City Council for many years, but with his encyclopedic knowledge of the place, you would think he was the mayor. We had a great time learning all about what Nashville used to be one time, and looking at all the new life sprouting up all over the city. Here he is with Sam Jones Fentress, named after Isabelle's great grandfather.

We visited Karen's work, where she is an assistant DA. If you have ever seen Law and Order, it's just like that, Fred Thompson even comes around from time to time. Aunt Juanita fortified us with a meal usually reserved for Christmas morning: her special casserole, delicious cheese grits (cheese grits!!!), and fresh baked Amish Friendship bread.

We were sad to go, but we had to forge ahead to Memphis. The gates of Graceland were closed for a private party, but we were welcome to stay in the parking lot "long as yall like". Even the security is hospitable in the volunteer state. We arrived at the banks of Old Muddy at sunset and crossed over that beautiful river into unknown territory: Arkansas.

road trip day one: baltimore

After one long day of packing we said goodbye to our friends and neighbors in Brooklyn and headed south toward Baltimore. Eva was part of our caravan, too! Our big yellow truck rolled into Balti at 3 am . Thanks so very much to all of our wonderful friends who helped celebrate Isabelle's birthday and make this big move fun.

Today in Baltimore we had the pleasure of watching our favorite musician, Delia, practicing her cello.

the best month of the year

pumpkin pile, originally uploaded by isabelle gr.

Happy October everyone! It truly is the best month of all. I know it will be an especially good month because of two auspicious - and hefty - appearances. The first is this mammoth pile of pumpkins that materialized like Cinderella's coach down the block from our house. The pumpkins in the front weigh about 75 pounds, so it's unlikely that they will be stolen.

The second good sign was tromping around Dumbo yesterday (DUMBO is the acronym for a neighborhood in Brooklyn. It stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.). I drove the car all the way down under the Manhattan Bridge O. and there met this unlikely Brooklynite:

He was in the hood to celebrate the Dumbo Arts Festival, but it looked more like he was having a lunch festival.

By the way, did I emphasize the fact that I drove the car? Like, drove? A car? On Flushing Ave! Talk about unlikely! It was my biggest excursion to date; the totally exhausting 9 minute drive even included parallel parking. Thank you Nick!

summer dinner ingredients

Heirloom toms, yellow and purple wax beans, red onions, tomatillos, and the greens: thyme, basil, cilantro, and scallions -- all from the greenmarket at Union Square. This morning's trip to the market makes the whole day look forward to a weekend with friends.

Dinner with Friends

lantern lights, originally uploaded by isabelle gr.

Last night we had dinner with the best of friends, Jenny and Erik. The place: Fada, on the corner of Driggs and North 8th in Williamsburg. We like this french bistro for its peppery, well-portioned dishes and quiet backyard. On the weekends they have great live music (aka French Gypsy style covers of Bjork).