30 is the new 20 birthday bbq bash

the birthday that keely, allen, and sarah share (all were born within 1 week of each other) got started at our place for a late night bbq with beers.

sarah made it her business to meet the demands of the newly 30 yr. olds' red velvet chocolate cake demand. mine too. so so good.

for you who don't know, keely's bump is getting more pronounced (mike, dylan, and ashley in pic)

allen and josh sharing the "real" deal

yes, braggin' about the amazing cake.


life is good. cake is better.


"i told you so."

"oh really, think i can't top that?"
"you kids better listen"
"i'm given it to you straight"
and on, and on...

and still on, until keel and i went to bed. letting the party take care of itself.

the next weekend al threw his own rockin' party in brooklyn. his parties are real parties. i didn't go to sleep until 5:30am that night.

The Gang

Our good friends Josh and Mendy recently came back for a visit from Liberia. If you want to know more about Liberia, Josh's blog is excellent. They moved there almost 2 years ago and we miss them. Next week they are moving to Bangkok. And let me tell you, we are happy for them. I'm sorry Josh, but visiting Liberia never made it to the top of my list. But Thailand, now we're talking. We'll strap that new little Oona to our backs and go tropical.

Anyway, when the gang get's together and all are present, it's that much better. When Josh and Mendy were last here, we went to The Dickies (a local term), to jump off the many high cliffs into the Croton River that feeds the Hudson. It's a pretty amazing spot only 10 minutes from our house. Michael, a Croton native, gave us the secret password and directions to the cliff diving capital of Westchester.

A bunch of posers!

A couple days later we met up in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) for brunch. Nothing new here. Just good friends and good food. Hurry back Josh and Mendy.

Lining our nest with fairy wool

A lovely pregnant friend took me to an amazing toy shop, where I bought something called "fairy wool", and made some creatures from it. Unfortunately the cats think I've made the world's greatest toy for them. Little do they know who its really for...

Its getting bigger by the week!

Nesting

Since returning from our summer vacation, Timon and I have been in full nesting mode. This weekend we turned the Oklahoma dustbowl in front of the porch into a woodland garden.

Timon did all of the hard work, mainly transforming himself into a rototiller and making the soil a fertile bed. You might wonder why we are so busy nesting, and why Keely only did the pleasant planting work...

That belly may be from ice cream, but give a girl a break! She's eating for two now!

Historical Campwoods

We'll have pictures up from our trip to France soon, but in the meantime, here are some old photos of our kooky little community, circa 1875:

from this site.

"Camp Woods, which is now a residential neighborhood, was once the location of annual Methodist camp meetings. For two weeks each summer, thousands of people would gather on this site to hear thunderous sermons, sing hymns, pray and give personal testimony. Methodist camp meetings began early in the 19th century and continued well into the 20th."

winter still lives with wine and cheese

signs of winter:

Morning through the kitchen skylight

timon's wine blog is over here

Recent Art

This mobile I made hangs in the stairway.