As discussed on the way to Storm King, the bed and breakfast that Triple Five Soul built.
Simple rooms in a Victorian house in the Catskills. I like it, in theory. It has a pool. One question remains, though, and it is kind of vital to my enjoyment of the great outdoors: can you have a weenie roast on those 19 acres?
I don’t know what to do. I love my little trashy looking road bike. I can walk it up stairs hanging off my shoulder like a purse, and though it’s fast as lightning, its best features are too subtle for bike-stealing thugs to care about. Tragedy struck this spring, and I am in need of new wheels.
No one loved my old bike but me. It was rusty and mismatched but super light and super fast. Opposite of bling. But I feel myself looking over into the world of the heavy (? I assume), comfy, beautiful bikes from Jorg & Olif.
It might be embarassing to have such a good looking bike. The J&O Friends photos snap me in and out of that fear. After cringing at the Meatpacking man in hat, a girl totes a basket of flowers on the front rack and doubles a friend on the rear.
As with everything important in my life, this inner struggle will ultimately be settled by default of economy: Bikes start at $645 + shipping.
Seriously, dream house. Makes my head spin thinking about ice cream and rope swings and gardens and barbecues and sewing bees, etc etc etc.
Holy Smokes.
about PV:
Tired of all impractical pretensions in fashion today, PERMANENT VACATION are inspired by the classic gentleman’s way of dressing; dapper, shapely, comfortable and useful, garments aimed to love, wear out and repair.
Coley Claire dress in nylon last month. I don’t know where to buy it or how much it costs. Sold out online.
The Abbey Cake, Dried Fruit Cake, Lemon Pound Cake, Traditional Sourdough Fruitcake, and the Walnut-Ginger Cake are all wrapped in cheesecloth and soaked in liquor. The Jamaican Black Cake contains six types of dried and candied fruit which have been chopped fine and marinated in wine and rum for several months. All are outstandingly delicious, and will keep and improve for years.
$40
It’s on a windy tree lined road that’s just completely green in the summer. I use Old Joy a lot as a reference point for setting the scene of places I like. The Jam Pot could definitely be down one of those roads they get lost on.
Excerpt from A Girl of the Limberlost
Chapter 9
WHEREIN ELNORA DISCOVERS A VIOLIN, AND BILLY
DISCIPLINES MARGARET
She led the way through the city to the grocery they patronized when they had a small spread, and entering came out with a basket, which she carried to the bridge on her home road. There she arranged the girls in two rows on the cement abutments and opening her basket she gravely offered each girl an exquisite little basket of bark, lined with red leaves, in one end of which nestled a juicy big red apple and in the other a spicy doughnut not an hour from Margaret Sinton’s frying basket.
Another time she offered big balls of popped corn stuck together with maple sugar, and liberally sprinkled with beechnut kernels. Again it was hickory nut kernels glazed with sugar, another time maple candy, and once a basket of warm pumpkin pies. She never made any apology, or offered any excuse. She simply gave what she could afford, and the change was as welcome to those city girls accustomed to sodas and French candy, as were these same things to Elnora surfeited on popcorn and pie. In her room was a little slip containing a record of the number of weeks in the school year, the times it would be her turn to treat and the dates on which such occasions would fall, with a number of suggestions beside each. Once the girls almost fought over a basket lined with yellow leaves, and filled with fat, very ripe red haws. In late October there was a riot over one which was lined with red leaves and contained big fragrant pawpaws frost-bitten to a perfect degree. Then hazel nuts were ripe, and once they served. One day Elnora at her wits’ end, explained to her mother that the girls had given her things and she wanted to treat them. Mrs. Comstock, with characteristic stubbornness, had said she would leave a basket at the grocery for her, but firmly declined to say what would be in it. All day Elnora struggled to keep her mind on her books. For hours she wavered in tense uncertainty. What would her mother do? Should she take the girls to the confectioner’s that night or risk the basket? Mrs. Comstock could make delicious things to eat, but would she?
As they left the building Elnora made a final rapid mental calculation. She could not see her way clear to a decent treat for ten people for less than two dollars and if the basket proved to be nice, then the money would be wasted. She decided to risk it. As they went to the bridge the girls were betting on what the treat would be, and crowding near Elnora like spoiled small children. Elnora set down the basket.
“Girls,” she said, “I don’t know what this is myself, so all of us are going to be surprised. Here goes!”
She lifted the cover and perfumes from the land of spices rolled up. In one end of the basket lay ten enormous sugar cakes the tops of which had been liberally dotted with circles cut from stick candy. The candy had melted in baking and made small transparent wells of waxy sweetness and in the centre of each cake was a fat turtle made from a raisin with cloves for head and feet. The remainder of the basket was filled with big spiced pears that could be held by their stems while they were eaten. The girls shrieked and attacked the cookies, and of all the treats Elnora offered perhaps none was quite so long remembered as that.
Ebay picnic basket is on the way.
My favorite picnic ever was the one in Girl of the Limberlost that her mom packed for her to share with the rich girls. She was really afraid to open that picnic basket because her mom could be so moody, and a good spread was not guaranteed. Instead her mom used a picnic basket she had hidden in the attic since her wedding day, with porcelain containers and miniature forks. Contained within was fried chicken and apple cider donuts. In a later volume in the series, her betrothed showed her how to eat dandelions with bacon. She collected moths for preservation while he picked the wild greens and mushrooms too.
Picnic Meatloaf
The only review of this recipe is funny ha-ha. I guess I would change the recipe. Cold meatloaf sandwiches sound good, and this one is so pretty.
Pickled Beets
My sister made these pretty pickled beets. I don’t know if I could get something like this ready for Saturday, but I think I could try. Raw food recipes for bread and butter pickles always turn out really well after just a few hours. I think raw cookbook browsing when I get home will turn up some beet ideas.
Origami Picnic Basket
No static link, but thank you 4ever Martha.
I think grilled cheese would be delicious at a barbecue, too.
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