Dinner/Mischief Maker

   I was in the mood to cook tonight—despite being tired from a looong week at work and having a foster puppy underfoot—and I'm so glad I did. I stopped at the store on my way home and just picked up whatever looked good. Not only was it delicious, but I'll have leftovers for a few days too. Here's what I made:

• Roasted balsamic brussels sprouts with garlic, pancetta & cranberries (If you think you don't like brussels sprouts, you haven't had mine!)

• Sauteed balsamic-glazed portobellos and onion

• Broiled ribeye marinated in my secret homemade sauce

• Roasted sweet potato fries

• And a side of Mischief Maker Cab

(I'm the eldest sister, but that drawing looks more like me than Kelley, doesn't it?)

   The ribeye was a little fatty, so when I broiled it, it: a) set off the smoke detector just outside the kitchen (nice job on that positioning, former homeowners!) and: b) the grease flew up and hit the coils on the roof of the oven, making quick pops and flashes. Poor Aki was so afraid I wasn't sure I'd ever peel her out of the corner. But no harm done: dinner was magnificent and the house is still standing!

Jordan Pond: full circle

   And I like it even better in black & white... it amps up the Alice-in-Wonderlandy, storybook quality.

Deer Brook Trail

   One of the best parts of Acadia is the considerable variety of flora in the park, and the contrast of the neutral granite boulders against the brilliant trees; the intense flowers or mushrooms against ashy or earthy colors. And there's variety on every trail; each that I've hiked has had unique surprises in store. What a treasure!

Super Mario Bros!

This morning I awoke to discover that the rain had brought a bunch of very large mushrooms to my front yard.So the only thing to do was to photograph them and turn them into...

(Admit it: you're singing the theme song in your head right now!)