a stop at amelia island

February 10, 2017

This is a great Friday field trip! Why? Well, we are experiencing a blizzard here in Connecticut. And, with 12 inches of snow on the ground, I am transporting you on today’s field trip to a little resort town called Amelia Island in Florida. I thought these beach photos might inspire some daydreaming about warmer places on a day like today!

It was unfortunate that this first visit to Amelia Island was for a work trip since so little time was spent admiring the beautiful surroundings.

Seventeen hour work days don’t leave much time for leisure, but I did take a few moments each morning to stop and admire the sunrise.

And, as you can see by the photos, they were glorious.

The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island provided many beautiful views.

I hope today’s field trip has you thinking of some warmer weather or a favorite beach. :)

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air…” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things…like a beautiful sunrise, Jackie xo

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wild about harry

November 4, 2016

If you know me at all, you know my favorite entertainer is Harry Connick, Jr. I have watched him perform in person more than any other entertainer… in addition to seeing many, many of his concerts, I have watched him perform on Broadway – from the front row…and, I even sat in the audience for a taping of one of his holiday specials…and now, I can say I have seen a taping of his new daytime show, Harry!

For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing a few photos from my first visit to a Harry show taping!

If you live somewhere commutable to New York City, I definitely recommend requesting tickets to see the Harry show for yourself! Not only is Harry Connick, Jr. a great guy and a wonderful performer, but his show includes his full orchestra! A visit to a taping is like attending a concert…Harry singing with a full band…incredible! The band even performs during the breaks! And then, a few celebrity guests are thrown in.

Photos of Harry or the actual show to be aired are not allowed, so I can’t share that with you, but if you watch the show today, you may just catch a glimpse of me “backing it up” with Harry!

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

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a vermont country home

October 25, 2016

I must admit, I have never really considered a move further north than my home state of Connecticut. I have tent camped in every state in New England and I certainly appreciate the beauty of them all…but, to live?

Why would I never move to Vermont myself? That infamous four letter word…s-n-o-w. But that is exactly one of the reason’s my childhood friend Donna loves living in Vermont. Although skiing every day in the winter is not a motivator for me, it is part of the appeal of living in snow country for Donna and her husband!

stowe-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog-firewood

Ready for winter! Donna’s son and the rest of the University of Vermont lacrosse team made short work of stacking up this stockpile of firewood!

Today, I am sharing a little bit of the home that could actually make me consider a move! With a wonderful sense of style, great resourcefulness and vision, and unique collaborations, my friend and her husband have created an amazing home inside and out!

stowe-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog-plant

Though frost was called for during the week, a couple garden plants were still hanging on!

Starting with a wonderful respect for the view and using many reclaimed materials from the area, this couple has spent the last five years creating a home that is uniquely their own.

I hope you have enjoyed the photos of this home and its amazing views. If you want to see a few sneak peeks of the inside, I have shared a few photos on Facebook and Instagram…you will have to wait till spring for a full inside tour! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like visiting childhood friends, Jackie

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new england autumn splendor

October 21, 2016

Vermont is certainly the quintessential place to observe the beauty of autumn. I was lucky enough to visit during the peak of leaf peeping.

Even though the weather was cloudy during my visit, the beauty of the season was inspiring.

For Friday field trip today, I am sharing some of the beauty of Stowe, Vermont.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a really wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like enjoying the beauty of the season, Jackie

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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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surf’s up!

lunch in laguna

get out of jail free