My Elusive Garden Gnome

A little red garden gnome visits me quite often. I have been trying to take her picture forever, but she is notoriously camera shy.

But I came across a passage in an old book about the best way to attract gnomes: bubbles! Gnomes love bubbles--who knew? Once I broke them out, she slowly emerged from the woods.

The little gnome didn't quite know what to make of them at first, but she quickly fell under their spell and had to take a try herself.

It took awhile. She even gave them a taste, but nothing was working.

She began to lose hope.

But gnomes are a stubborn lot, so she stuck with it and eventually--success!

She was so happy, she even smiled for the camera.

There's nothing cuter than a happy gnome.

A Week on the Cape

It was the best of times.

 A week in Wellfleet, MA. A tiny run-down cottage across from the oyster flats. Grilled seafood. Casually pocketing five or six oysters to be eaten raw later. Catching sea bass on a fishing charter, and having your professional chef neighbor fillet and cook it for you. Seeing absolute joy on your daughter's face as she drinks in everything about the beach. Sitting outside and reading Thoreau's 'Cape Cod' while the two ladies nap. Crystal clear glacial ponds. Fish and chips. Sand castles. Cooler baths. Big gin and tonics with dinner. Being lucky enough to have a very cool couple with young kids renting next door. Managing to avoid all of the dreaded traffic. Daydreaming about owning a little place on the water. Relaxing. Making plans for going back. 

It really was the best of times.

Up close with a Monarch.

Big catch.

The freshest oysters evah!

Checking out a little crab.

She spent a lot of time happily shoveling.

Our little sugar cookie.

Ladies of the dunes.

This is the only way we could get her to stay still.

Impromptu bath tub.

That about sums it all up right there.

How to Hide a Propane Tank

There is a propane tank hidden in here somewhere.

When I was building this house, there were a million decisions that needed to be made on a daily basis, oftentimes when under the gun with a sub contractor waiting on your word or a backhoe idling in the driveway. And with what these guys charge, you want as little idling and waiting around as possible. So while some things were planned meticulously, like the way our kitchen flows into the dining room with an extra-large slate countertop peninsula between them, other things were decided on the fly. Like where to put the 250 gallon propane tank. Of course, it needs to be somewhat close to the house. But only a fool would put it at the head of the parking area, so it is the first thing anyone sees when they pull up to the house. And only a short-sighted moron would have this space also be perfectly framed by the kitchen window above the sink, where countless hours will be spent scrubbing pots. And only a...well, you see where this is going.