Green Thumb?

I have been wanting to enjoy the fruits of a garden for several years now. Not known for my patience or gardening skill, I was excited to read about the supposed ease of hydroponic tomatoes! Once settled into the rental house on MVY, I raced to the nursery to pick up the necessary equipment. Low and behold it was just as advertised... easy! So easy in fact that I decided to try two varieties of tomatoes AND an herb garden.

Freshly planted, lookin good.

A month later and there are lots of flowers on the tomatoes and we are enjoying the fresh herbs in our daily fare. Stay tuned for a tomato update. Yummmmmmmm.

G is for......

G raduation

R eally good friends

A wesome grads

D uke

U nabashed pride as parents

A trip down memory lane

T rucks, beer trucks

(Better known as Duke Alumni Commencement Celebration. Sounds dubious, is dubious.)

I nspiring speakers

(Yes, and...)

O verjoyed

(over served?)

N ew beginnings

We wish Cullen success in law school in NYC and Melissa success in Boston. We had a full weekend of parties and family celebrating the accomplishment and achievement of the two cousins who started together at Duke four years ago.

Gammas on the Green

Melissa has been asking me to participate in the Duke Delta Gamma fundraiser Gammas on the Green for 3 years. So this year, her last at Duke, we played and I hope we can make it an annual event for me and the girls (that includes you Colleen). We had so much fun! Who knew that Melissa was a budding golfer?! Okay, I'm not sure if she really liked the golf, or just driving the golf cart. But she looks pretty intent over this putt.

We began with a delicious dinner at Rue Cler in Durham the night before. Em flew in from Boston late Friday to join in the event. Saturday dawned early, cool and partly cloudy, perfect golf weather. We met Mel and her sorority sister Marilie for b-fast, a quick warmup, and we teed off in our matching attire. We didn't win any prizes, but we certainly were the best looking team there.

After golf Em and I relaxed and recharged poolside with a champagne cocktail at our favorite spot The Umstead Hotel and shared a delicious dinner and conversation. It was a quick visit, but worth every second. Now that we have gotten Mel on the course, I am glad to be able to share my favorite sport with the entire family. Hope we can get some rounds in this summer on MVY.

Easter

Our shared family trips and meetings in Durham are gradually coming to an end as time spirals towards May, graduation, and our imminent move to Minnesota. We spent the third year in a row celebrating Easter in Durham. We had particularly fine weather, the flora was in all its glory including the explosion of pollen. Everywhere and everything was covered with a fine coat of greenish yellow. Waves of pollen dust were even visible floating through the air. We cheered as the Blue Devils advanced to the championship, we sampled some tasty new restaurants and it wouldn't be Easter without poppyseed and Josh Early candy.

Cousins, minus Cullen:(

We enjoyed meeting Melissa's friend, Eric, who was brave enough to have dinner with the family one night.

Eric and Melissa

We missed Cullen, JoAnn, and Pete. Looking forward to the graduation extravaganza!

Welcome - Fall in Springtime

A very majestic live oak tree.

Live Oak or Evergreen Oak -- The name live oak comes from the fact that these trees remain green and "live" throughout winter, when other oaks are dormant, leafless and "dead"-looking.

It is that time of year again in Ponte Vedra, that time that never ceases to intrigue me - fall in springtime. There are not many deciduous plants in Florida so autumn is relatively a non-event. But in spring, as the live oaks push off the old leaves to make room for the new growth, the ground and gutters are littered with debris. Hence, fall in springtime. When Zoe was small, she loved to chase the leaves as I kicked them along.

Live oaks also contribute to the pollen count. As the leaves are pushed off, little clumps of flowers appear and as they fall off and new leaves emerge, yellow pollen is everywhere.

It has been a long, cold winter and I welcome all the new growth, including a little debris and pollen.

Massachusetts Dreamin

A fairly early riser, I am enjoying the quiet of the morning (even though it's raining, again) and reminiscing of my recent trip to MVY.

It was fun to leave the cold of Florida and venture to the cold of New England. With the exception of a little snow it wasn't very different -- the ground is brown, the trees are bare, the sky is gray. Or so I thought until I awoke my first day on the island. From my room I overlooked the glistening Edgartown Harbor as the sun peeked over the horizon to a fresh two inches of snow. I was thrilled until I went to the car and had to brush snow and ice from the windows. A not so small detail I forgot about many years ago.

I love MVY in any season!

I have never been on MVY in February, and although the ferry was full, the island seemed empty. Almost all the shops and restaurants are either closed for the season, or closed for the month for updating, repair, or for the owners to just get away for awhile. Luckily my favorite coffee shop was still open for a few more days.

I enjoyed a nice brisk, long walk (didn't see one other person for an hour). I walked by our property...

The view from our property.

checked out the summer rental....

Home for summer 2010.

So very beautiful and peaceful. I headed back to town for a movie (Valentine's Day), a cozy dinner at the hotel bar, and an early bedtime.

Back in PVB (still cold) I can only dream of summer on MVY.

Athletic Sisters

I have huge respect for my two sisters.

JoAnn, who has competed not just once, but three times in mini triathlons in the Carolinas. An event that includes a 250 meter swim, a 9 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run.

Kate a runner who has successfully completed many races including a half marathon and who recently ran and completed the 26.2 With Donna marathon last weekend. Living at the beaches in Jacksonville, Florida where the marathon is held, I was able to be a part of my sisters success.

The 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer is only in its third year, but has 10,000 racers coming from every state and all over the world participating in the marathon, half marathon, relay marathon and fun run to benefit breast cancer research at The Mayo Clinic.

It was quite a race and quite a weekend. Kate arrived Friday evening with her husband and biggest fan, Tom, in tow. We attended the expo to pick up the race packet and got pumped up getting the lay of the race course with all its twists and turns. The night before the race we had the requisite pre-race dinner of pizza (and a little wine). Tom and I planned our viewing strategy; Kate applied her running strategy-- the pace tattoo.

Getting ready. Pace tattoo in place, check.

Race day started at 0-dark hundred hours and was chilly. The racer is excited, nervous, and ready to run.

Breakfast of champions.

Waiting for the shuttle to the start line.

Kate crossed the 9 mile mark hardly breaking a sweat with a big smile. The band was playing, Tom and I had our cameras ready.

Looking strong after 9 miles!

The sun was shining as Kate crossed the finish line running. Her time: approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes. I think she was exhausted but ecstatic.

The happy runner and #1 fan.

We hot footed it back to the house to soak a tired and stiff body in the cold of the pool (second best to an ice bath).

53* -- Brrr but ahh.

We toasted her success with champagne, some Advil and an early bedtime.

Congrats and kudos to Kate and Jo. Proud and inspired. Gotta love my sisters.