a life-size gingerbread house

December 14, 2018

Yes, I am a Food Network junkie. And, since I love to bake, I particularly enjoy any show that includes baking! Currently, that show is The Holiday Baking Championship on Monday nights!

I was recently lucky enough to meet a current contestant, 35 year old Lerome Campbell, one of 3 bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

At this time of year, Lerome is something of a local celebrity because of his part in creating a gingerbread house in the lobby of the Ritz hotel. Each year, pastry chefs at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort plan, bake and construct a life-sized gingerbread house. This year’s creation used 60,000 pieces of candy, 1,200 gingerbread bricks, 464 eggs, and is held together with 400 lbs. of icing! No small feat, the house required 1,000 hours to put together!

The first challenge on last Monday’s episode of The Holiday Baking Championship was for contestants to prepare a classic chocolate holiday dessert with the addition of two common pantry items. Lerome chose to create a chocolate trifle that incorporated potato chips and red wine…interesting combo! Coating the potato chips in melted chocolate and then sprinkling them with peppermint insured a crunchy, flavorful chip. He simmered the red wine into a thick reduction and layered it into the dessert.

Even with the twist of having to incorporate the secret ingredient of fruit cake into his second dessert creation of a pecan financier on the episode, Lerome was able to avoid elimination and is advancing to the finale.

I’m rooting for my new friend Lerome next Monday (December 17^th) when he competes on the finale episode!

I should mention, since the gingerbread house at the hotel is not available for tasting (it is lacquered after constructed – so it is totally inedible), I made sure to taste every one of Lerome’s creations while visiting his hotel! I probably tasted at least a dozen desserts and they were all beautiful and delicious! One of my favorites was the yuzu crème brulee.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Friday field trip and a glimpse of the 2018 gingerbread house created by Lerome Campbell and the bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a visit to the georgia aquarium

December 7, 2018

Living in a coastal state, I have always had a fascination with sea life. Visiting the Georgia Aquarium while in Atlanta recently was high on my priority list!

While there, we took in both the sea lion and dolphin performances, but the true star of the show for me was the whale shark exhibit.

The aquarium is the only institution outside of Asia that houses whale sharks. After one look at these breathtaking creatures, it is easy to see why the aquarium, as a whole, was designed around the whale shark exhibit – one that contains 6.3 million gallons of water!

I immediately fell in love with the whale sharks. I am sure many visitors to the aquarium feel the same. Their sheer size is overwhelming! It is the largest fish in the world and the largest fish known to have lived on this planet! Their average length is between 18 and 32.8 feet and the largest accurately measured whale shark was 61.7 feet!

The Georgia Aquarium sits on 13 acres in downtown Atlanta on land donated by The Coca-Cola Company. It contains more than one hundred thousand animals, representing 700 species of fish and other sea creatures. It opened in 2005 as the largest aquarium in the world!

The Aquarium’s notable specimens include whale sharks, beluga whales, California sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, and manta rays. My favorites? Whale sharks were number one by a landslide, but I also loved the penguins and the jellyfish. The penguins were in an exhibit were you could actually go nose-to-nose (beak to beak?) with them! It was very cool! And, the jellyfish, though very common in Connecticut, are not displayed in nature against a beautiful deep blue background like they are in the aquarium! They look like works of art!

The Georgia Aquarium did not disappoint! I hope you enjoyed seeing a little peek from my visit on today’s Friday field trip.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a visit to atlanta botanical garden

November 30, 2018

One fabulous stop included on my Atlanta trip this fall was the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The best part was visiting on the tail end of the Imaginary Worlds exhibit.

Imaginary Worlds was a display of giant living plant sculptures!

These topiary-like whimsical sculptures were amazing to see and ranged up to 26 feet tall and 21 feet wide – including an enchanting mermaid, a trio of gigantic camels (my very favorite!), and a beautiful peacock!

The sculptures were made from steel forms covered in soil and sphagnum moss and planted with thousands of meticulously groomed plants – staged in 14 installations.

The process for creating the Imaginary World sculptures took nearly six months. After metal frames were fabricated, the empty frames were shipped to Atlanta, and the garden’s horticulturists began covering them with a mesh fabric and stuffing them with soil.

Then the planting started. More than 200,000 plants, primarily annuals, were inserted, one by one. Sculptures were built in sections that were planted inside a greenhouse just outside the city, then trucked to the garden in spring for assembling on site. Intricate irrigation systems beneath the surface of the sculptures allowed the plants to grow – and the creatures to flourish – in Atlanta’s summer heat.

I am sure the Atlanta Botanical Garden is always worth a visit, but I was thrilled to be able to visit during the Imaginary Worlds exhibit. I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of the display on today’s Friday field trip.

Though beautiful, we didn’t get the chance to see this goddess in full splendor – she was already being disassembled to create a holiday display.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall on beacon street

November 23, 2018

There are certain things you can do more than once while visiting a favorite city. In Boston, one of these things is taking a walk up Acorn Street.

Acorn Street is said to be the most frequently photographed street in the United States. This narrow lane, paved with cobblestones, is located in the scenic and historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill. The beautiful Federal-style row houses of the area add a unique charm to this quaint New England neighborhood.

For today’s Friday field trip, since it is Thanksgiving week, I thought some fall shots of Beacon Hill and the infamous Acorn Street would be appropriate.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. My favorite Beacon Hill reference is in the story of Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Most of the story in the children’s picture book is set at the foot of Beacon Hill and it is commemorated every year in May by a parade through Beacon Hill to the Boston Public Garden, where the mallards nested.

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holiday at country living fair atlanta 2018

November 16, 2018

Last week on Friday field trip, I shared some photos of my trip to Atlanta to the Country Living Magazine Fair. As promised, I have a few more photos to share. Last week I shared autumn themed photos.

This week, just a few holiday themed photos from the fair, to give you a little seasonal inspiration!

Many of the vendors did create holiday displays. And, even in the rain, they were fun to enjoy!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a really fabulous weekend! Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…especially during the holiday season, Jackie

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country living fair atlanta 2018

November 9, 2018

If you follow this blog, you know I am a big fan of the Country Living Magazine Fairs.

The fair takes place in four different U.S. locations each year. Rhinebeck, New York is the closest location to my home and I have been to that fair every year since it started. It is a fabulous venue – with great food, real bathrooms, and plenty of green! The Dutchess County Fairground is just lovely!

You may remember my friend Wendy and I embarked on a road trip last year so we could experience a second fair location. (I shared plenty of the trip on the blog.) We drove out to Columbus, Ohio. It was a great trip. I think we caught the travel bug after that trip because we thought it would be great to check out a third Country Living Fair location this year!

So, I asked everyone in my family to gift me some travel points for my birthday this past year, and we made a trip happen! Where did Wendy and I decide to travel to for our third Country Living Fair destination? Atlanta, Georgia.

Do they not have hydrangeas in the South? I thought it was funny that several booths were selling hydrangeas…they grow like weeds in Connecticut!

I had not ever been to Atlanta (or Georgia, for that matter). The venue was Stone Mountain. It was a cool location, with paths through forests, that was contained inside a huge park.

The only thing that wasn’t so cool was the weather! Thinking Georgia was all hot sunshine, it was a little disappointing to have two days of rain. We didn’t let the rain slow us down though!

We were happy to have light rain the second day after experiencing torrential rain the first day!

We discovered that the beauty of the Atlanta venue was the open space. The crafters and artisans were able spread out and display their wares in fabulous ways…there was even enough room to fit a Volkswagen in a display space!

I hope you enjoy sharing some of my favorite fall images from the Country Living Fair in Atlanta on today’s Friday field trip! Next week I will share some of the holiday inspiration I found at the fair. I also have some other fun Atlanta stops to share! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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atlanta pumpkin tower

November 2, 2018

I know this is the time of the month when I usually post the monthly giveaway. I’m changing it up a little this month. Since it is Halloween week, I thought I’d post a pumpkin tower for today’s Friday field trip! Time to say farewell to all things Halloween!

A cool pumpkin tower has become the icon of the Country Living Magazine fairs. The one pictured here was at the fair in Atlanta, Georgia.

A rainy fair, but a great one nonetheless. I will post the giveaway as well as the winner of the pink velvet pumpkins in next Tuesday’s post. I also have more to share on the Country Living Fair – so stay tuned for that!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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change of season

September 7, 2018

It’s funny how much I love the change of season when it is becoming summer…but, when summer is leaving – not so much!

Nature is starting to send some subtle signs of the approaching season and it makes me feel sad…

Today on Friday field trip, the photos I am sharing are from my Labor Day weekend in New York state.

I hope yours was as good as mine!

Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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summer in the city

August 31, 2018

Are you gearing up for this holiday weekend? I look forward to my family being together for a laid back weekend with friends. We call it “No Labor Day” – a much more accurate name for the weekend activities!

I am doing my best to grasp every last, wonderful bit of summer! I hope you are able to enjoy some “No Labor Day” time as well. Have a wonderful weekend!

The photos today on Friday field trip were taken at Battery Park while attending a family party. It was a wonderful summer day in New York City!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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white flowers are the best flowers

August 17, 2018

One of the first perennial borders planted by the founders of White Flower Farm was pure white. (For a short time, the owners even considered growing and offering only white-flowered perennials and shrubs..I wish that was carried through!)

I call my all-white garden a ‘virgin’ garden. At White’s, the all-white garden is called a ‘moon’ garden. The white border is planted with a white tree wisteria and looks crisp and refreshing during the day and positively glows at twilight – the reason for its name!

This garden is my favorite at the farm, but visitors can’t get too close to admire it. This changes once a year when White’s has their open house. During the open house tour – and the best part of it – visitors can get up close and personal to the fabulous moon garden!