nepenthe

As John and I 

headed out for our

Big Sur exploration day,

the concierge recommended

several places for lunch.

I had heard of one of the places ~

Nepenthe,

so we settled on that.

To be honest,

I had no idea what to expect.

When we approached the sign,

cars were everywhere ~

lining the PCH 

and filling the parking lots.

After circling twice,

John was determined to leave

and go to our second choice.

However, by that time,

there was no way 

I was going anywhere else.

If that many people were stopping,

there must be a reason.

I felt compelled to investigate.

Finally, the perfect spot opened up

and we were able to park.

We climbed the multiple sets of stairs,

higher and higher,

past the gift shop,

past throngs of tourists,

and into...

Nirvana.

Maybe it was the multi-colored umbrellas.

Maybe it was the fact that we waited 

for the perfect table.

Or maybe it was the 

 savory French rose'.

Whatever it was...

You know how,

in life,

you experience a handful of

fleeting moments of perfection.

This was one of mine.

*Nepenthe 

big sur

I have traveled to California

many times ~

 visiting

San Diego, LaJolla, 

Los Angeles,

Manhattan, Redondo,

and Venice Beaches,

Rancho Palos Verdes,

 Santa Monica,

San Francisco, Napa, Tahoe

and so on.

But 

I had never visited

Big Sur.

It has been on my bucket list for years,

yet I just hadn't made it.

Until two weeks ago.

Big Sur lived up to my every expectation.

We drove down the PCH

early one morning

and began to explore

the numerous state parks

and hiking trails.

At first, it was foggy, chilly,

and dreary.

Still, the paths were friendly

and the views serene.

As we drove further south,

the sun began to break through

and at each stop

we became more and more
 enamored
with Big Sur.

It is simply the most
spectacularly scenic
place I have ever been.

McWay Falls
was breathtaking.

Now that we've been,

we know that we must return

and bring 

Lyons and Carolyn.

It's too incredible not to share.

l'auberge

We drove south from Sonoma

through

San Francisco

to Carmel

by the Sea.

Our next hotel was 

L'Auberge.

concierge.com

We had left

the sunny skies of Sonoma

and arrived at the

foggy, cooler, coast

and

for the first several hours,

 lamented our

decision to come.

However,

it wasn't long until

we warmed up to 

L'Auberge

and

Carmel's charm.

The courtyard was enticing

and if you turned on the heater 

under the umbrella,

it was the perfect place to enjoy breakfast

after a long walk

on the beach.

Everything

about the hotel

was impeccable.

Besides

the uncommonly accomodating staff,

we loved the parlor best.

It was the perfect place for a nightcap

or to meet new friends

for cocktails.

Although,

my truly favorite part

might have been

the cookies and milk

placed by our bed

each night.

glen ellen, sonoma, and more

We fell in love

with the little town of

Glen Ellen.

It was just a short drive 

to Sonoma Square,

where we dined the first evening

at Della Santina's.

However, we preferred

the quaint town

and charming 

restaurants

only a short walk 

from the Gaige House.

We actually loved

everything about Glen Ellen.

Sonoma Valley Regional Park

was just down the road

and we hiked around the park

each morning.

I will admit

there was some initial trepidation

on our part

upon seeing this sign

at the entrance.

As we walked,

we were amazed 

by the beauty of the park

and the way

the landscape seemed to change entirely

around each bend.

After hiking,

we tried the wine tasting thing

here ~

where we tasted a delightful 

cabernet savignon 

and quickly realized

we weren't really 

into wine tasting.

We love an amazing meal

with wine pairings.

We love exquisite wines.

We just don't love tastings.

John ran a winery for eight years

and we know so many 

winery owners

and their compelling stories

from the North and South Forks of

Long Island.

John is partial to the story of

Christian Wolffer,

who created a winery

in an unproven area

on a former potato field.

the gaige house

After dropping Lyons off

at the Sacramento airport

to catch his bus to camp,

we drove east to 

Sonoma.

John had found a quaint inn

in Glen Ellen

and booked a room 

for several nights.

I thought it looked "nice"

and would be "fine."

I had no idea 

that we would

fall in love 

with this place.

Upon arrival,

we were told we had been upgraded to the

"Zen Suite"

and zen it was.

We followed a little path to a building

next to the main house

where we were shown to

our room.

The suite consisted of

an entryway

with a hallway 

leading to the bedroom

and sitting area.

There was a central

courtyard

off the hallway

with a soothing

fountain.

The bathroom

was divine ~
a slate and granite
heaven.

We loved how it 

 opened to the 

private courtyard.

Another cloistered patio
was located off
the main room.

The pool was

relaxing,

secluded,

and quiet.

Cocktails were served

in the main house

 every afternoon 

at 5:00.

Each evening,

  an assortment of 

fresh baked cookies

was placed in the foyer.

a little tin of happiness

There are so many places to see
in the world
and
so many things to do,
that it is rare
that we want to
return to a previous destination.
However,
this is one place
we look forward to
visiting again.

It is my new favorite place

to relax, rejuvenate,

and restore

~

mind, body,

and soul.

Zen

camp story

It all started with that damn

Bruce Willis.

We were in Sag Harbor

over Thanksgiving

and decided to watch 

the Bruce Willis movie

Moonrise Kingdom.

For once,

Lyons even joined us

sitting in front of the fire

on a cold November night

snacking on popcorn.

Moonrise Kingdom

 is a fun, funky, 

beautifully filmed, 

wonderfully acted,

retro flick about two children

who run away together.

The young boy in the story
runs away from camp

and there are many scenes 

of Camp Ivanhoe

in the movie.

While watching,

Lyons casually mentioned

that he'd "always wanted to 

go to a camp like that."

Immediately, an alarm went off.

Oh no!

We never sent Lyons to camp!

We had Failed as parents! 

How did this happen?

When did he turn 15?

How did we miss giving him 

this essential opportunity?

How could we fix it?

We decided to give Lyons
a trip to camp
as one of his Christmas presents.

John and I spent a great deal of time researching camps,

 acquiring personal recommendations, 

and watching inspirational videos.

We found the Perfect Camp.

It's a Christian leadership camp

for kids who have completed 9th grade.

We felt that 

this was IT!

It was gonna be Great!

We were so Excited!

However, when Lyons opened the gift,

he looked up at us
Horrified
and declared,

"I didn't say I Want to go to camp.

I said I Wish I Had gone

When I was a Kid."

Oops.

We have spent the past 7 months

arguing, cajoling, and bribing

Lyons to try to have a good attitude
towards camp.

It was going to be an Adventure.

An Experience of a Lifetime.

We flew out to California to drop Lyons off

almost two weeks ago.

Since then, we have received
 three short phone calls from him. 

He was Not loving it.

The last call was the night before a 

Three Day Hiking Trip

In The Wilderness

with a

24 Hour Isolation Period.

He comes home tomorrow.

It is my prayer

that this was a positive time of personal growth for him ~

even if he doesn't see that now.

It is also my prayer

that he's still speaking to me!

group for the east end 2013

We were thrilled to be 

back in NY

for the

Group for the East End's

annual event.

As usual,

the event was outstanding.

I recommend it to anyone

who spends time on Long Island.

I only took one photo that night.
It's of Alec Baldwin wearing
Hilaria's scarf.
He is a wonderful, funny, engaging speaker
and a devoted supporter of
Group for the East End.

John and I can be found here:

http://www.27east.com/photo-gallery/article.cfm/16895#71097

http://manhattan.smugmug.com/2013MostRecent/Dive-into-Summer-to-Benefit/30009419_sdDWxk/2579412301_LmD7mwM#!i=2581819169&k=GwZLSVn&lb=1&s=A

http://hamptons-magazine.com/galleries/dive-into-summer-Wölffer-Estate-Vineyard-group-for-the-east-end

It has been such an honor 

to be affiliated with 

an incredible

environmental group

that does so much to 

protect, educate, and advocate

for preservation

of critical habitats,

 clean water,

and sustainability

on Long Island.

things change

SOME THINGS CHANGE...

It's been a long winter 

with lots of changes.

In a nutshell,

we sold our Hampton house

in December,

so this is the first summer

in seven years

that we are not there

full time.

However,

we did go up in June

and stayed at the cutest cottage

on the water.

AND SOME THINGS STAY THE SAME...

Not long after arriving,

the magic began.

We called Stephen and Christina

and convinced them to

take the boat out.

As always,

we laughed and talked

until sunset.

After the sun departed,

we docked the boat 

and ambled towards

Tutto il Giorno

for 

more laughs,

meaningful conversation,

delicious food,

and 

the feeling of being

 right back

where we belong.