co-dough viral cinnamon buns

May 1, 2026

Okay, so it may seem crazy to devote an entire post to a cinnamon bun, but it really does deserve it!

I had heard the hype for quite some time about the sourdough cinnamon buns at Co-Dough Bakery in Newport, Rhode Island and I recently had the perfect opportunity to try them! I had a couple reasons to spend some time in Newport (one reason may or may not have been to visit The Farmer’s Daughter for a springtime visit) so Co-Dough was added to the list of places to stop!

I guess it worked out to my advantage to visit on a rainy, dismal day because the line to wait for the buns was not typical (as in super long!). There were only two people in front of me when I arrived close to opening time. (Though it did grow long very quickly!)

There is nothing like eating a warm cinnamon bun right from the oven! And, the sourdough cinnamon buns from Co-Dough are soft, pillowy treats baked from scratch and oh, so cinnamony! (Isn’t cinnamony a word? Spell check doesn’t seem to think so!)

Click here to see the buns coming from the oven!

In my opinion, the cinnamon buns at Co-Dough are definitely worth the hype! So, if you ever find yourself in Newport, RI, be sure to head over to Co-Dough first thing in the morning (8:30 am) to line up for these tasty treats!

Thanks for stopping by.

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

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visiting charleston landmarks

April 24, 2026

When I knew I would be visiting Charleston for the first time, there were a few things I wanted to be sure to include in my itinerary. I wanted to see some of the places shown on Southern Charm (a reality TV show that takes place in Charleston*), I wanted to see the Pineapple Fountain, and I wanted to walk across the Ravenel Bridge.

Guess what? I’m happy to say I was able to accomplish all three!

The Pineapple Fountain is a famous, relatively new (1990) landmark in Waterfront Park, symbolizing Southern hospitality, wealth, and the city’s recovery from Hurricane Hugo.

While in Charleston, I walked many miles. It is a very walkable city and I love walking, so it was a great fit! It was a nice walk from my hotel to Waterfont Park where the fountain is located. There are great views of the harbor and access to piers and boardwalks and some cool porch swings once arriving at the park.

Surprisingly, splashing inside the fountain is allowed! It was cool and windy the day I visited so I didn’t witness anyone in the water!

I never made a visit to the foundation in the evening, which is unfortunate, since the fountain is illuminated at night. Offering a dramatic contrast against the dark sky, I’m sure it must be beautiful!

One of the other nice walks I took was to (and across) another Charleston landmark – The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. It’s 2.5-mile span stretches across the Cooper River. In the spring, it hosts one of the largest 10Ks in the U.S. – the Cooper River Bridge Run.

The Ravenel Bridge opened in 2005, replacing two aging structures.

It connects Charleston with Mount Pleasant.

One of the most popular features of the bridge is Wonders’ Way, the dedicated pedestrian and bike path that runs along the southern edge of the bridge and made my walk across and back possible.

*Check my Instagram if you’d like to see the Southern Charm places I visited!

Hope you enjoyed sharing my Charleston landmarks! Thanks for stopping by!

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

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the charleston vibe

April 17, 2026

Charleston, SC has been on my bucket list of places to visit for a very long time and I had always planned to some day visit with my daughter. But, in the meantime; my good friend was attending a wedding in Charleston and asked me if I’d like to join her on the trip! Of course I agreed!

Our visit happened to be scheduled during the time of The Charleston Festival sponsored by the Historic Charleston Foundation. (In its 79^th year!) One of the festival activities included a series of House & Garden Tours. These tours gave access to privately owned historic homes, select interiors, and private gardens and we were able to book one of the tours in advance of our trip.

Although photos were not allowed on the tour, I was able to capture some photos during our walk around the city to give you an idea of the Charleston vibe. I am sharing some in this first Charleston post. (My next post will share a couple of my favorite Charleston landmarks.)

The fountain in front of the restaurant Husk.

One thing I had heard about Charleston was that there were plenty of beautiful window boxes. We were able to find some. It seemed it must have been the beginning of the window box season since we saw quite a few people planting window boxes while we walked around the city.

As gardeners, we did take note that the window boxes were planted very full – many more plants per box than we would have expected. So, if you plant window boxes – take note that the ones with the most beautiful results did not skimp on the plants!

Other details we noticed at many of the homes were the gates and iron work as well as some pretty house numbers.

If you haven’t yet visited Charleston, I highly recommend a trip! Please enjoy the photos!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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more chanticleer

May 2, 2025

Today I am sharing more of my newest obsession – Chanticleer – a public garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

In my last post, I shared some photos from a recent visit. Today, I am sharing more photos – this time from one specific area of the seven garden areas at Chanticleer.

The seven Horticulturists at Chanticleer are each responsible for the design, planting, and maintenance of an area. The areas are continually evolving, each with its own feel, yet joined together as one complete unit.

The photos in today’s post were all taken at the area called The Ruin. The Ruin, one of the seven areas of the garden, is built on the foundation of Adolph Rosengarten Jr.’s home.

It is meant to look as if the house fell into disrepair. The Ruin has a focus on hardy perennials, both woody and herbaceous.

Of the 50 acres owned by The Chanticleer Foundation, 35 are open to the public. The remaining acreage is in agriculture, woodland, service areas, and staff housing. The main path is just under a mile in length.

I hope I have inspired you to think about planning a visit to this fabulous garden or maybe another beautiful public garden close to your home.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a dinosaur on the high line

December 13, 2024

Any day I spend in New York City usually includes a walk on The High Line.

My last visit to the city, planned as a day to enjoy the holiday festivities, was no exception.

I hadn’t been on The High Line since a particular piece of art, titled Dinosaur, was installed last October on the Plinth located above 10^th Avenue and 30^th Street. This celebrated spot is part of a contemporary art program that has been displaying sculptures in the heart of the city since 2019.

The piece called Dinosaur is a 2,000-pound, nearly 16-foot-tall cast aluminum sculpture of a pigeon created by Paris-based Colombian artist Ivan Argote. Argote’s pitch was selected from a group of 80 artists in 2020.

The sculpture’s foundation was laid in Mexico, and it was hand painted in New Jersey. It took a crane and a lane closure of 10th Avenue to position the pigeon on its perch (the concrete plinth).

Why is it named Dinosaur? Apparently, the sculpture is an ode to the pigeon’s distant past as the birds descended from dinosaurs. Who knew?

Anyway, my daughter and I really wanted to see the hyper-realistic bird in person and we hadn’t been on The High Line since before last October, so we used our recent visit as a chance to get an up-close view. I am so glad we did – despite the bitter cold!

The pigeon has to be one of my favorite sculptures I have seen on the High Line. (The two tons of Legos dumped on The High Line is still my very favorite installation! Click here to see.)

I feel lucky to live close enough to New York City to visit on a whim! And the holidays are always an extra special time to visit.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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a flirty restaurant

August 30, 2024

For me, this may be the summer of visiting restaurants with beautiful wall paintings! In my last post I showed you some beauties in Connecticut and today I want to share some I found in Massachusetts.

I found these paintings on a recent trip to Boston, when I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Coquette at the Seaport in the Omni Hotel. The food was fabulous and the aesthetics were just as great.

Right in line with the restaurant name (translating as flirt), the vibe was definitely flirty! My favorite part of the décor though were the paintings on the wall.

How pretty are these walls?

And, I had a major crush on these light fixtures!

Some other favorite décor details:

The chandelier in the main dining room, some of the large-scale paintings that truly added to the feel of the place, the ceiling above the bar, the toile wallpaper in the restroom, and the seahorse doorknobs!

If you should ever be at or near the Omni – even if you don’t eat at Coquette (which I highly recommend) – I would peek inside and check out the décor!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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philadelphia flower show 2022

June 24, 2022

I have been to the Philadelphia Flower Show in years past. Hailed as the world’s longest-running and largest indoor show in the country, it is hard for any flower lover not to visit at least once in their life!

But I have never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show since COVID. And since COVID, there has been one huge change to the show – it moved outdoors from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Because of the change, I was especially excited to visit the show this year – my first with the outdoor venue.

The site for the show since COVID has been FDR Park – a 348-acre park located in South Philadelphia along the Delaware River.

The venue turned out to be really great – even though the day my daughter and I chose to attend was a 94-degree day! Yes, it certainly was hot, but we found some nice breezes and some shady spots to rest.

The food and drink options were fabulous with many great seating areas available. We chose to have a snack in the boat house which provided a shady spot with a picturesque view of the river.

Though I prefer white flowers over multi-colored and I am not particularly an orchid fan, the flower installation in the gazebo overlooking the river was my favorite! A profusion of multi-colored flowers, predominately orchids, dazzled in the space. The photos I share here are all from this installation.

My daughter and I hadn’t been to Philadelphia in quite a few years and we had many stops on our list! I am glad we included the flower show as one of our stops because it really was enjoyable – particularly because it was held outdoors.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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park hyatt aviara

March 25, 2022

It’s no secret that I am enamored with the state of California and It is always exciting for me to get the opportunity to stay in a hotel in there – especially when it is one that I have never experienced.

Recently, I had this opportunity during a work trip. The hotel I visited rivaled any hotel located right on the coast (my usually faves).

The hotel was the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad (about 30 miles outside San Diego). Even though I was busy working while there, the aesthetics of this hotel were hard to miss!

It is magical – from it’s foggy early mornings…

…to it’s late night “campfires.”

The food at the hotel is fabulous – with many healthful choices. I so enjoyed the assorted varieties of chia seed puddings at breakfast as well as the ‘chef’s choice’ of fresh juice each day. One morning this was a mix of orange, mango and banana. So yummy!

And, for cocktails, there are some fun choices from the “Mixologist’s Lab” – like my favorite: a Yuzu Jalapeno Popsicle – a cocktail containing a popsicle with a jalapeno frozen inside!

Unfortunately, because I was working, I did not have the opportunity to enjoy all the hotel has to offer. This includes a golf course, spa, and a Richard Blais restaurant called Ember & Rye (check my Instagram stories for some photos of this fabulous restaurant – overlooking a golf course and owned by one of my culinary heros).

I hope you enjoyed a little peek at this great resort in California!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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chihuly in the desert

February 11, 2022

Chihuly in the Desert showcases Dale Chihuly’s stunning, large scale glass installations. The pieces created by this amazing glass artist are currently nestled among the collection of desert plants at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona (see more on the Botanical Garden here).

Chihuly’s work features installations throughout the garden’s trails in addition to pieces displayed in an indoor gallery exhibit.

Yes – cleaning is required! Pieces are cleaned by garden staff regularly to ensure the brilliance of the glass.

If you follow this blog, you have probably seen photos of the artist’s 2017 collection (click to see) displayed at the New York Botanical Garden.

I was so lucky to have the opportunity to view Chihuly’s work again – in 2022. And, it was so wonderful to do so in the beautiful February climate of Arizona when, back home in Connecticut, snow was covering the ground!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of Chihuly in the Desert. I recommend never passing up an opportunity to see Dale Chihuly’s work! (Tip: If you visit the Desert Botanical Garden, try to see the exhibit at the end of the day when the bright sun is not as distracting to the works. Chihuly in the Desert continues through June.)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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life moves pretty fast

July 2, 2021

We are starting a holiday weekend and everyone is super excited because some of our COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed and people feel a little more ‘normal.’

I am grateful to our life with COVID-19 for teaching me to slow down a little bit.

For the weekend, I am reminding you of a few words from a very wise man: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

With these words in mind, I challenge you this holiday weekend to pick a single thing to find beauty in and really spend some time to examine it.

You may choose something aesthetically pleasing or you may choose a person. Whatever it is you decide to choose, spend some real time taking it in and examining it from every angle…appreciate the beauty in your choice.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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life moves pretty fast