Saturday, August 11
While we were in Paris, our apartment was just a block from Maison Kayser, touted by Gourmet as having the best baguette in Paris. And just last week our local donut shop here in Charlestown, one block from the house, was designated Simply the Best, in the recent Boston Magazine Best of Boston issue. How fortunate we are to have such prime locations for prime baked goods. Pictures of the two shops show their crucial difference. In Paris you walk to the boulangerie and line up to get inside. In Charlestown you drive and double-park on Bunker Hill Street while you run inside. But in both places you get the same sort of simply delicious, just yummy result. When I'm thinking maybe I won't bother with my next workout, I just imagine going without a Lori Ann's sugar raised doughnut, or passing up a Baguette Monge or Paline, not to mention the rhubarb tart, and I'm right out the door.
posted by Judy at 9:46 PM|link
Wednesday, August 8
What a great weekend we spent in Buffalo. If only it had been 100 years ago we could have actually attended the Pan American Exposition. Instead we saw a number of fascinating exhibits, particularly one by the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society housed in a building on Forest Avenue. The artifacts remaining from the exhibits and buildings of the Exposition are quite amazing, including an original lamp post with between fifty and a hundred individual bulbs on the top, some movie footage of the opening parade from the Edison Motion Picture Company, and the smallest building in the fair. Most of the Exposition buildings were only temporary but this tiny gate house was purchased by a local family after the fair closed. It stayed on their property through a number of owners and uses (playhouse, garden house, etc.) and, after ninety-five years, was restored and donated to the Historical Society by the current owners. We also spent lots of time enjoying the garden and relaxing on the backyard deck, amused by Bob's garden hose battles with a very persistent squirrel who was trying to sneak off with pears from the tree next to the door. We sat out late into the evening, warmed by the neon glow of whipped cream. The only reason Peter and Bob were dressed up in their photo was because we were on the way to Rue Franklin for dinner. On Sunday we went walking along the lake front, happy we weren't in the bridge traffic coming back from Fort Erie. Trudy posed in the park across the canal from this abandoned building. I liked its' graffiti covering, complimenting the walls painted to spur on west side rowers in their races. As happens so often with Buffalo/Boston flights, our return plane was cancelled, and an otherwise relaxing extra evening ended with great excitement when the house alarm was accidentally set off. Yes, the police really do respond.
posted by Judy at 7:57 PM|link
Tuesday, August 7
Lots of progress while we were off in Buffalo. Now the walls are framed and the size of the structure is more apparent, especially the height off the ground. Notice the ladder needed to get up onto the floor and the branches hanging right down inside that will require trimming. And of course, you'll see the inspector on the job measuring to be certain everything is going right.
posted by Judy at 1:11 PM|link