In case you were wondering what 70.5 inches of snow looks like (that is the total snowfall, I think there is less on the ground at the moment), here are a few shots from around the ranch last week. Today was the first of four days above the freezing point – hopefully by the weekend some of this will have melted away, God willing!
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A Valentine breakfast here at L’Abri…
Cereal, eggs, fruit, and chocolate chip muffins, of course! Everyone needs a little sweetness and cheer on Valentine’s Day…
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Another new year, another new L’Abri term, another New England Nor’easter! Two feet and rising…
Back patio I
Back Patio II
My Hero!
Lynbrook Road
The wood piles
49 Lynbrook Road
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Many of you may remember hearing about the sad demise of our dear L’Abri chickens this summer. The eight ladies of Pemberley… Jane Fairfax, Emma, Fannie Price, Eleanor Dashwood, etc (you get the picture) and their rooster, Mr. Wickham, were tragically killed in the night – only 9 days after their arrival – by a sneaky weasel who made his way in through the top of the coop. Now, I was never a big fan of the chickens. And I may or may not have been in cahoots with the weasel – only the weasel and I know for sure. But this fall we were gifted 4 new chickens (no rooster, thank goodness). All the single ladies… Beyonce, Ella, Mahalia, and Aretha. I mostly ignore them, but they do lay the most beautiful eggs. Take that, Martha Stewart!
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Where does the time go? I have been meaning to put up a few blog posts since the L’abri term started in mid September, and now here I sit on November 4 with nothing posted since the summer! Argh! Fall in Southborough has been beautiful and FULL. Here are some highlights (and a few lowlights) from the month!
Fall Foliage
It is hard to beat New England in the fall! I didn’t make it to New Hampshire before peak, but the foliage here in Southborough and surrounding areas has been beautiful! Below is a picture of the L’abri house with my favorite tree in full glory!
North Shore with the Bennetts
On October 1 I kicked off the month with a glorious day with my dear friends the Bennetts on the north shore of Boston. I met up with Doug, Tracy, and Claire for a trip to Russell Orchards for pumpkins and apple spice donuts, followed up by a stroll at Crane Beach in Ipswich, hands down one of my favorite spots in all of New England. My favorite baby was in fine form, rocking her jeggings and coy charm with all the other beach bums!
The Boss Turns FIVE!
Hard to believe, but my favorite woodland creature, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, celebrate his golden birthday on Oct 5 (5 on the 5th!). Fox had a glorious dinner party, surrounded by some of his favorite people and many, many gilted decorations. Nonies’s triple layer chocolate cake and mom’s gift of a microscope were the highlights of the evening. Happy Birthday Foxie!
Leah Gets Hitched
In the middle of the month, my fabulous Bible Study girls trekked up to New Hampshire for the wedding of one of our own, Leah, to the great Nate. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding – small and intimate, very personal, with lots of great food and music. We were especially smitten with the candy bar… I mean, when was the last time you ate hot pink rock candy?!
Ashley, me, Leah, Janese, and Tina
When you get kissed by a bus…
Aside from the poison ivy that has taken over most of my body for the past month (I’ll spare you the visual on that one), the other big low point of the month was last week when my car was sidewiped in Cambridge by a Harvard University bus. Luckily I was not in the car, or getting out of the car at the time, but instead watched the whole thing happen as I innocently fished for change for the meter on the passenger side of the car. Good times. My new best friends now are Andrea at State Farm and Bob at Brodeur’s auto body. Fun fun…
Us
Ever wonder about the whacky and wonderful people that I work with here at L’Abri? We took a “family photo” last week for the Christmas card we are sending out next month. Here’s the whole gang, looking about as good as is possible for us!
Back row: Luke, Nate, and Joe Morrell. Middle Row: Dick and Mardi Keyes, Sue Morrell. Front Row: me, Abby, Ben, Ellie, & Nickaela Keyes, Bekah
Whew! And now… bring on November!
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Whew. So my last stop in my California adventures was Orange County, specifically Newport Beach to see my friend Becky. While Orange County is primarily populated with fake tans, fake boobs, fake blonds, and many many tattoos, it also has lots of palm trees, gorgeous beaches, and nearly perfect weather – 85 and sunny almost year round. Becky and I had some great Mexican food and hit the pier at Huntington Beach (the US surfing capital!), and then an awesome beachside lunch at the Beachcomber (which I highly recommend) the next day in Laguna Beach. We were also able to check out a cool art show featuring many talented local artists, one thing Laguna is known for! And yes, I think Becky and I were the only brunettes in all of the OC…
Lone brunettes at the pier at Huntington Beach
beach volleyball, just like on TV!
Anxiously awaiting our table at the Beachcomber
Whew! I think I would have made Sparky proud. And now back to life on the Right coast!
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After a great trip to the Getty and fun dinner with Tom, I hopped back in the rental car and headed northeast to Pasadena, practically spitting distance to LA. Pasadena is the home of Debbie Edgar, my former Cambridge roommate who is now a bona-fide Californian. I didn’t have much time there, but after church (where “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang was the offertory music – a first for me!) we were able to fit in a visit to the beautiful Huntington Gardens, a former private estate which is now a library, amazing gardens, and event venue. We also made a swing by the Rose Bowl, and I was able to finally taste California’s favorite frozen yogurt, Pinkberry. Those Californians are crazy about their froyo!
In the rose garden
the Rose Bowl!
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After my time in Santa Barbara, I made a VERY quick swing through LA – about 8 hours total! Before meeting my friend Tom for dinner in LA, I met up with Lindsay, a L’Abri friend, at the Getty Center. It is the new home of the Getty Museum, Getty Foundation, Getty Images, and few other business all stemming from the fortune and private art collection of of J. Paul Getty. The Getty Center itself is a stunning architectural marvel that seems to have grown from the side of a mountain overlooking downtown LA. Lindsay and I had a great time catching up, marveling at the design, and taking lots and lots of pictures. Lindsay is beginning a grad program in film producing at USC this fall and is a brilliant artist, so don’t be surprised if you see her face again one day accepting an academy award for best picture!
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Ok, so I’m technically back from CA now, but still catching up on blog posts. I couldn’t get online with my computer the last week I was there, unfortunately. So anyway, after a few great days in Berkeley, I flew down to Santa Barbara to visit my friends Andrea and Thomas and their sweet baby Kate. Just getting there was an adventure… my flight from SFO to LAX was delayed by 3 hours because of fog. FOG! Don’t they have fog every day in San Fran? If planes can take off in Boston in snow, when can’t they fly planes in fog? I do not understand. But after finally arriving at LAX, I met my cheauffer, a lovely 70-something retired gent named George who lives in Ventura and drives people to and from LAX as a little side job. He was a riot, and kept me entertained as we sat, yes sat, in the infamous LA traffic (due to abovementioned flight delay, George and I were headed out of LA right at rush hour.). George has spent most of his life in the central coast of CA, so he told me all kinds of stories, including the time he met former president Reagan when he was working for the county on the construction of the official Reagan Presidential library. A very proud moment for him.
Anyway, Santa Barbara was great, foggy mornings but sunny afternoons, with the ocean on one side and hills/mountains on the other. I kept my eyes peeled for both Oprah and Brangelina, all of whom live in the hills of Montecito (where Andrea works), but no dice. Andrea has lived there for 5 years and never had a spotting so I shouldn’t have been surprised, but my eye for celebrity is much keener than hers so I thought I might have a chance. Oh well! We spent most of our time just hanging out – cooking dinner, shopping, playing with Kate, etc. Not suprisingly, most of my pictures were of Kate so I don’t have much to show, but here are a few shots from my time there:
View out the window of my guestroom at Andrea's house
A foggy picnic lunch on the beach
Kate showing how big she is
Kate digging in the sand at Butterfly Beach
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After romping around the Peninsula with Kristen last week, I hopped in the car and headed east to Sacramento for the California L’Abri conference over the weekend. No photos unfortunately (who really wants pictures of L’Abri workers standing behind podiums?), but it was an awesome time of fellowship with new and old colleagues, seeing old friends, and engaging in interesting ideas. Once my brain was filled to the brim, I got in the car and headed back to the Bay Area to see my good friends Liz and Ryan Lincoln in Berkeley. We trekked all over Berkeley and ate some amazing food (I highly recommend Cheeseboard!), took a walk in Redwood Park, and drove north of San Francisco to the Marin Headlands and Stinson Beach. Foggy but beautiful!
Redwood Park
with Liz in Redwood Park
crossing the Golden Gate Bridge
with Ryan at Muir Beach
And now… off to Santa Barbara!
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