a visit to ben & jerry’s

October 14, 2016

A trip to Stowe, Vermont wouldn’t be complete without a tour of Ben & Jerry’s! A recent trip to attend a wedding gave me the perfect opportunity to be a real tourist and check it out! I am sharing today on Friday field trip!

The 30 minute tour started with a short video about how the ice cream phenomenon called Ben & Jerry’s got started and some history on its growth over the decades. Started by two guys in 1978 after they took an ice cream making course at Penn State, the first Ben & Jerry’s shop opened in Burlington, Vermont in a renovated gas station.

My favorite fact? Putting cookie dough in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was started after an anonymous tip was received from a customer in 1984!

Guests to the Ben & Jerry’s facility are asked not to take photos of the actual manufacturing room, so I am sorry I can’t share that part of the tour with you.

From there, the tour took me to the Tasting Lab. A flavor called Caramel Apple was in process for the employee Halloween party…sounds yummy! Fun fact: Employees can take home free pints every day! Of course, some tasting went on in the Tasting Lab…for me, Strawberry Cheesecake!

My favorite flavor has always been Phish Food, so I was surprised to find out the number one seller isn’t Phish Food but Half Baked!

Over time, I switched my Ben & Jerry’s purchases to the yogurt, then Greek yogurt flavors when those became available. Now I may need to decide which non-dairy flavor I like best – there are currently four available.

Surprisingly, the tasting was not my favorite part of my visit. The best part of my visit to Ben & Jerry’s was actually outside the factory – a walk through the Flavor Graveyard looking through the retired ice cream flavors!

I hope I have inspired you to make a visit to Ben & Jerry’s next time you are in Vermont! Or, maybe just to try a new flavor of Ben & Jerry’s from your local market!

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

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a connecticut vineyard

September 16, 2016

Connecticut may not seem a likely state for vineyards, but we do have them! Today’s photos for Friday field trip prove it!

Recently, I attended a meeting that was held at a vineyard. Although the meeting was held indoors – someone made a bad call there – I took a few moments to sneak outside to check out the view.

A warm summer evening was the perfect time to enjoy the lovely grounds!

I now have Gouveia Vineyards on my list of places to visit. I plan on returning when I have some time to really explore! This could be a perfect leaf peeping location!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a really marvelous weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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creating a change in perspective

September 6, 2016

How was your Labor Day weekend? Mine was great! I was able to visit a friend I don’t get to see often enough. I left my coastal town in Connecticut to spend some time at my friend’s log cabin in Dutchess County, New York. Though my usual time off is spent at the beach, my Labor Day off was spent in the woods!

Changing up surroundings is great for a change in perspective. Once I recognized this fact, it seemed I had examples of perspective changes all around me this weekend!

Did the yellow watermelon make you look twice? Great example, right? (This was purchased at a farmer’s market over the weekend – very juicy and very yummy!)

Probably the best example I found of a perspective change though; was on our hill walk. That’s right – not a mountain – just a small hill! You might think climbing a hill barely worth the time, but you know what? A walk up this hill – a mere 550 feet above the Hudson River – created an amazing change in perspective.

Just with this little shift in elevation from the top of the hill, a whole new perspective came into view – the Catskill, Taconic, and Berkshire Mountain ranges as well as much of the Hudson River Valley!

I am proposing that you create a little change in your own perspective. Something as simple as changing your usual route to work can be amazing! Give it a try! Be inspired to create a little change in your perspective this week.

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

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surf’s up!

July 15, 2016

I have shared some of my California trip from this past spring in previous Friday field trips. Today, I am sharing the last – but certainly not least – of visited spots during my quick visit to the West Coast.

Today’s Friday field trip is to the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente, California.

Conducting some research on surfing history prior to my trip made the visit particularly interesting. I read the book Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku by David Davis and was fascinated with Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku. To find out that Duke’s boards were part of the center’s collection was exciting!

Duke was the first to be inducted into both the surfing and swimming Halls of Fame and is considered the “father of modern surfing.” Being up close to Duke’s personal collection of surfboards – built in the day of wooden boards – was awesome!

These wooden works of art were magnificent to examine. The Flying “V,” circa early 1920’s, made from a solid redwood plank and signed by the legend was my favorite! It stands 9’ 4” and weighs 76 lbs.

This was one of Duke’s personal surfboards purchased from his estate in 1985 for $3,000. Built in the mid-1930’s, standing 11’ 6” and weighing 80 lbs., it was made from redwood, mahogany and balsa.

Dick Metz, the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center founder, served as our tour guide the day of my visit. A surfer from the age of eight, Dick helped inspire Bruce Brown’s landmark 1964 documentary surfing film The Endless Summer and surfing stories were in no short supply that morning!

If you have any interest in the surfing culture, I strongly recommend the Pulitzer Prize winning book Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan. (I read it on the plane ride home from California!)

Mahalo!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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lunch in laguna

July 8, 2016

Join me for Friday field trip as I take you on a little trip up Cliff Drive to Las Brisas – a restaurant with one of the most scenic views in Laguna Beach, California!

Las Brisas provides wonderful meals inspired by Mexico, and served with California freshness; using local ingredients.

The food is wonderful, but coupled with the view from a window table, the experience can not be beat! Of course, a Mexican inspired meal has to begin with a little fresh guacamole!

Even with a wonderful meal, for me, the focus was on the view! And, after the meal, taking in the view outside the restaurant is definitely in order!

Within a few walking steps, a gazebo with a lookout spot provides a clear view of Bird Rock.

A great spot to enjoy a little daydreaming…

And, to do a little bird watching.

Have a wonderful weekend friends! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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get out of jail free

June 28, 2016

Attending an event in Boston recently was exceptionally interesting because it was held in The Liberty Hotel, 215 Charles Street – the original site of the Charles Street Jail!

The hotel design retained much of the historic structure, including the famed rotunda. For me, the rotunda, making up the hotel lobby, is the most fascinating part of the current structure.

The hotel did a fabulous job of staying on theme with the original use of the site, including names like ‘Alibi’ for a bar and ‘Clink’ for a private dining area.

The Charles Street Jail, designed by architect Gridley James Fox Bryant and prison reformer Rev. Louis Dwight, was considered a model prison when it opened in 1851. The building’s high windows and wealth of natural light were part of the reason, and the original 33 foot-high windows in the hotel’s lobby are breathtakingly unique. The building is listed on both the state and national Registers of Historic Places.

In the 1970’s, the facility had become overcrowded and was declared unfit for occupation. The jail finally closed in 1991, and the adjacent Massachusetts General Hospital later acquired the property. It was redesigned and reopened in the summer of 2007 as a 300-room luxury hotel.

The hotel is also the site of the restaurant Scampo. If you follow all the food and cooking shows, like I do, you probably have heard of its famed, James Beard Award-winning chef, Lydia Shire. With Italian-inspired cuisine and a mozzarella bar, this restaurant has received many accolades, including the best Italian restaurant in Boston, as well as one of the best restaurants in the country.

I hope I have inspired you to make a visit to The Liberty Hotel on your next visit to Boston!

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

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first visit to texas

March 11, 2016

It has been a crazy week for me – a very busy time for two of my jobs! One was in Texas and gave me the opportunity to travel to the Lone Star state for the very first time. The Texas weather could have been better – the area I visited experienced some of the rain that has been so severe in parts of Texas as well as some other areas of the South.

In spite of the weather, I experienced many bright spots in my life over the past few days. It wasn’t the weather providing these bright spots…the sunshine was provided by the people I met! My job gave me the opportunity to meet many fabulous people and the experience made my heart sing!

I had to hit the ground running when I got back from my few days away – very busy with another job and trying to control the wave of sadness over the loss of a friend’s brother that really breaks my heart.

So, Friday field trip today is just a few quick glimpses of the location I visited in Texas. I thank those I worked with in addition to all the new people I met for making me smile during a week that ends with heartbreak – particularly for my dear, sweet, friend that lost her brother. xo

Thanks for stopping by. Remember to take pleasure in simple things and to appreciate those close to you, Jackie

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baita pop-up in nyc

February 26, 2016

If you happen to spend any time in New York City, you know about Eataly; particularly if you are a foodie. For those of you that may not be familiar with Eataly – it is the largest Italian marketplace in the world! A collection of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery, retail items, and a cooking school, Eataly occupies over 50,000 square feet near Madison Square Park.

For Friday field trip, I am taking you to Eataly, but not to the popular main floor. Today, we are traveling above the market to the 14th floor. Why the trip up the elevator? Because, from December to March, Baita, a pop-up restaurant reminiscent of the Italian Alps, has taken residence on the 14th floor and we are making a visit!

Enclosed by a retractable roof, the restaurant offers wintry views of New York City, including those of the neighboring Flatiron Building.

With cozy plaid blankets hung over chairs and smells of mulled cider, a snowfall would have been the perfect way to complete the Northern Italian atmosphere!

Seared Arctic Char with Beer Braised Brussels Sprouts & Roasted Hazelnuts at Baita in NYC.

It is a fun spot to visit. If you don’t have time for lunch or dinner, have a drink with a friend while sitting on an Adirondack chair facing the evergreen trees – still up and decorated with antlers from the holidays.

If you are lucky, your trip will take place during a good snow. ;)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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country living magazine fair 2015

June 9, 2015

I am so lucky. I get the chance to attend the best fair ever! The Country Living Magazine Fair is held in four spots across the U.S. each year and one of the locations is the Northeast!

The Dutchess County Fairgrounds are located in Rhinebeck, New York and each year, for three days in the beginning of June, it is host to the Country Living Magazine Fair.

The Rhinebeck countryside pleasure in simple things blog

Driving through the Rhinebeck, NY countryside.

This venue is amazing. Think lush, green grass and beautiful landscaping – with views of rolling hills. Think real, (not portable) nicely maintained restrooms. Think great food. (maybe a delicious chicken lemongrass salad for lunch?) Think free parking. Yes, it is amazing.

The Fair provides tons of great inspiration and shopping, seminars and demonstrations, and a chance to meet the magazine’s editors as well as some fun celebrities.

So, as I attempt to settle down from my busy weekend exploring the Country Living Fair and the community of Rhinebeck with friends, I am sharing some of my weekend inspiration with you.

I hope you enjoy these few photos from my weekend. You can also find some additional photos on Facebook by clicking here or on Instagram by clicking here.

vintage bride and groom pleasure in simple things blog

A vintage collection of wedding toppers caught my eye in a little shop in the center of Rhinebeck.

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

Sharing with Thoughts From Alice, and Finding Silver Pennies.

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glass blowing adventure

January 9, 2015

I love all creative arts. One place I had been eager to visit ever since I knew of its existence is Peter Greenwood’s Glass Blowing Studio in Riverton, Connecticut. Peter offers workshops for beginners with no experience and I really wanted to give it a try!

My idea was to visit before Christmas and create a glass blown ornament for my tree…how special would that be?! But, after discussing the workshop options with Peter before I made my visit, I decided to create a glass paperweight rather than a glass ornament. Yes, the ornament was an actual glass blowing experience, but if I took the workshop for the paperweight; I could actually make my piece from start to finish. I decided to go for the hands-on experience of forming molten glass and sculpting it into a paperweight – with Peter’s guidance, of course.

I am so glad I did. The process was fascinating.

A friend and I made the trip to the quaint little town of Riverton where Peter’s studio and showroom are located inside a historic stone church built in 1829.

I am sharing some photos from the visit on today’s Friday field trip, but I think the best way to really get a sense of the process is to watch the short video created from phone videos the day of my visit. In hindsight, I probably should have brought a video camera with me, but my friend Wendy was nice enough to take some video of my experience and I am thrilled to have it documented.

Click here for A Video on Creating a Paperweight in Peter Greenwood’s Connecticut Studio.

In some ways, I found creating glass pieces very similar to throwing pots because of the symmetry component, although working in conjunction with a 2,000 degree oven was a little more daunting! I was very much aware of the dangerous temperatures involved and was extremely cautious.

2,000 degree furnace glass blowing pleasure in simple things

The 2,000 degree oven used to create my glass paperweight at Peter Greenwood’s studio.

beginnings of a paperweight pleasure in simple things blog

The beginnings of my paperweight at Peter Greenwood’s studio in Connecticut.

glass chips from glass blowing pleasure in simple things blog

Glass chips like this are used to create the design in the paperweight…I used blue chips for mine.

When completed, the blue swirl I created in my paperweight glowed orange from the high temperature. Once cooled, the blue color would be apparent. The cooling process is done very slowly or the piece would have exploded due to the quick temperature change!

I hope you enjoyed today’s field trip. Peter is a wonderful teacher and I highly recommend looking him up should you ever want to take a trip to Riverton and experience some of your own glass adventures!