...it goes on

Since C desperately needed fall clothes,

we made plans to spend a day in Atlanta

last weekend.

I had visions of a 

ladies lunch

and

shopping at Lenox.

I also thought
we could view the

Titanic Exhibit

at
Atlantic Station.

However, 

my girl had different plans.

First,

she wanted

chicken and dumplings

from

Cracker Barrel.

Not my idea of a ladies lunch.

It also left me longing for my Granny,

and wishing C

could've had her homemade

chicken and dumplings.

The shopping she was most excited about

was this shirt:

Yes, she plans to marry Harry from One Direction.
(I don't think he knows.)

It was a gorgeous Atlanta day,

blue skies and warm weather,

with just a hint of fall in the air.

C fell in love with 

Atlantic Station.

She said it reminded her of

The Grove

in L.A.

It did me too,

a little.

C wanted to see the 

Bodies Exhibit.

It was kind of creepy,

but interesting.

The part that I found the most moving,

was actually seeing

a tumor in breast tissue.

To come face to face
with the culprit that has stolen 

so many lives,

was unfathomable.

Next,

we saw the Titanic Exhibit.

I have always loved learning about the Titanic

and must have read

A Night to Remember 

a hundred times.

I find

the heroism

and dignity

on that fateful night,

crossed with 

the history

and tragedy,

to be such a compelling story.

It was remarkable to see

items belonging to the passengers

on display - 

cups, books, socks, jewelry, perfume bottles

and so much more.

When we entered,

we were given boarding passes

with actual passenger's names,

what class we were traveling in,

where we were from,

who we were traveling with,

and where we were going.

C and I knew our chances weren't very good

because we were both mothers traveling in third class

with our children.

At the end of the exhibit,

we were able to scan the wall

to determine our fate.

Our names and our children's were on the perished list.

It brought heartbreaking humanity to the legend.

Afterwards,

we stopped at 

Rosa Mexicano,

sat outside,

and devoured some killer

guacamole.

All in all,

it was a perfect day

spent with

one of the people

I love most

in this world.

kris

I knew

the moment we met

that we were meant to be 

friends.

I can remember standing in my driveway,

chatting with you and 

Knowing.

You were smart,

a reader,

and 

 damn funny.

We would spend mornings

discussing books,

drinking coffee with chickory,

and eating

(too many) donuts.

You would drag me to the park,

which was hard work.

But not for you.

You

actually

Enjoyed it.

Always.

Always putting your children first.

You got it.

Faith and Family.

Good wine and good coffee.

Country Club - resigned.

Cotillion - not interested.

You invested in 

the most valuable 

assets ~

your children,

family,

true friends.

I will never forget the phone call

when we were still living in New York.

Breast Cancer.

I cried.

John cried.

And one of the reasons

I was happy not to teach this year,

was because I could spend more time with you.

After being gone all summer,

I was excited upon receiving your text

about getting together a few weeks ago.

I couldn't wait.

I planned on telling you that 

I was here.

Not leaving.

I couldn't wait to spend time with you this fall.

And as for those of us who have lived long enough,

tomorrow doesn't wait.

Our cocktails were cancelled 

in lieu of 

oxygen.

My dinner prepared,

you were in the hospital.

I couldn't resolve the limited time

with the limitless 

catching up

we were going to do.

You were so special.

Your family is 

exceptional.

Their support system 

for your children 

will be 

unimaginable.

It's not you.

You were the best.

But second best,

there is nothing like it.

You have a super cool family.

There are so many more stories.

So many laughs.

Tonight,

there is a gaping hole 

in the universe

where your blessed soul

resided.

I will never forget you.

I will  never forget our last moments together.

Of course, 

it was so like you

to be surrounded by 

family and friends.

People who flew in from

all over

to be with you.

You were That Special.

I don't understand it.

I'll never accept it.

But my life is better

because 

you were in it.

I love you, Kris.

where's waldo?

The words

"innate sense of style"

have never been used 

to describe me.

In fact,

I'm pretty sure

the words

"sense of style"

or even just

"style"

have never been used 

in conjunction 

with my name.

"Yoga pants?"

Probably.

So you can imagine my surprise

when we received a text 

yesterday morning

saying,

"Erin is in the style section

of the NY Times today!"

I also received this sweet e-mail:

"Way to go Erin - Bill Cunningham is a legend and only takes photos of people he thinks looks super.  And you my dear seem to be the focus of his photo!" 

I was plagued with
 visions of my picture
with that dreaded rectangular box
over my eyes
and the caption:
'Fashion Don't'
soooooo ~
immediately after church,

John dashed into Kroger

to pick up a paper.

While waiting in the car,

I received a call.

"This paper is SIX DOLLARS!

And your picture is TINY.

It's not even a 

THUMBNAIL!

I don't think you need it."

As you can imagine,

curiosity was about to kill me!

I insisted he purchase One paper

because I actually

ENJOY reading the Times 

and miss our subscription.

It's true.

It's tiny.

I don't care.

It's there.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/09/09/fashion/09PARTY.html?ref=fashion

If you have a magnifying glass,

you may be able to find me.

Where's Erin?

hampton classic

John and I

 spent 

Grand Prix Sunday

hanging out 

in the 

VIP tent,

meeting up with friends,

meeting some celebrities,

enjoying lunch,

shopping,

 and seeing the exhibitions.

I even heard there was a horse show

going on somewhere.

classic - tablescapes

We had a marvelous time

attending the

Hampton Classic

last weekend.

As usual,

the tables were stunning.

Is that Wolffer wine I see?  Nice choice Mayor! 

However,

in my opinion,

this one was the best:

Wolffer's - of course!

Great job Sue!

give me five

The vivacious 

April Trigg

invited us to join her

at the

Cherokee Town & Country Club

in Atlanta

on Sunday night

to attend the

Give Me Five 

event.

The function was to

benefit

Share Our Strength's

No Kid Hungry 

campaign.

Cocktails and a 

Silent Auction

began at 5:00

followed by

a seated five course dinner

with wine pairings

by Atlanta's best chefs
and sommeliers.

We began with

Chef Anthony Gray's

 Beef Carpaccio

which was paired with

Muller Thurgau, "Dolomiti"

Alois Lageder, Alto Adige,

Italy, 2010

chosen by Dorine Buche of 

BLT Steak.

Next,

we were served

Refined Potlikker Soup

courtesy of 

Chef Kevin Gillespie

of the Woodfire Grill.

It was paired with

Perrin et Fils, 'Les Sinards,'

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc,

2009

chosen by Matt Bradford

of Canoe.

We delved into two delicious salads.

The first was by 

Chef Michael Deihl 

of 

East Lake Golf Club

and the second,

by

Eric Karell

of 

St. Ives Country Club.

Dinner was peppered with live

auction items

where altruistic donors

and generous patrons

raised money 

for the campaign.

At some point,

I forgot to take pictures.

However,

the main course was 

Cretan Crusted Agean Sea Striped Bass

prepared by 

Chef Pano I. Karatassos

of Kyma.

It was delightfully paired with 

Boutari Naoussa Xinomavro, 2008

chosen by 

Niko Karatassos

of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group.

Dessert was 

Milk Passion

created by 

Chef Heather L. Hurlbert

of 

HHDesserts,

paired with 

Hugel, Reisling, Vendage Tardive,

Alsace 2001.

John enjoyed meeting 

some of the chefs

while I enjoyed  

devouring the

extraordinary

 food and wine.

It was a wonderful evening

to raise money and awareness

for an

extremely worthwhile

cause.

Did you know

almost 700,000 of Georgia's children

live in food insecure households?

This means they lack access to enough food 

for an active, healthy lifestyle.

(Feeding America, August 2011)

It was one of those evenings

where I left asking myself,

'What do I do

that makes a difference?'

and 

resolving

to do more.

longing

I wish I was in 

East Hampton 

shopping

today

or

at Pierre's

in 

Bridgehampton

enjoying lunch.

Alas,

my table is empty ~

at least for

2 more weeks 

until

I go back 

for the 

Hampton Classic.

Counting the days...

legs

One of my favorite sites in

Sag Harbor ~

is the 

legs sculpture

at the home of

Ruth Vered

and 

Janet Lehr.

I don't know why,

but they make me happy

every time I drive by.

However,

the zoning board has

declared

they must come down

by September 15th.

I hope something changes.

I hope they can appeal.

I'd really miss those legs...

sunset beach

For me,

summer in the Hamptons

is never complete 

until we visit 

Sunset Beach.

So last Sunday,

with just a few days left,

John and I met up with the Ringelsteins

for dinner.

We sat downstairs

in the sand

so the girls could

have more freedom

to roam around.

The sunset was 

 still breathtaking.

Oh! What a night!