sails on the sound

no editing, no filter...i could look at this lighthouse all day

another particular highlight of summer in fairfield county - getting out on the sound!

thanks to a friend from denison, i've been able to get out on long island sound several times now. 

words to describe it? relaxing. calming. rejuvenating. beautiful. lighthearted. 

new canaan itself isn't on the sound, but it's easy to get down to stamford or darien or norwalk for some solid waterfront. maybe one day i'll hop on a boat & actually step foot on long island? 

i've always loved living on or near water ~ whether it's lake michigan, the mediterranean, long island sound....or wherever else i end up in life. water has a refreshing, calming effect...often needed nowadays.

sidenote - looking forward to a long weekend in DC & maryland this coming week! then a day or so back in CT before heading up to Cape Cod :)
expect lots of lighthouses and beaches and boats and adventures!

bises xo

boatyard cocktails @ the sunset grille, norwalk

everyone should have cocktails in a boatyard at least once. 

i, for one, will be at this particular boatyard a ridiculous number of times this summer until they close.

http://sunsetgrille.net/

denison in the real world

As a Midwesterner on the East Coast, I tend to notice & adore nouns that are part of everyday life for the average friend or acquaintance here. A sunset in a marina, a bowl of fresh mussels, the occasional whiff of the sea, cheap oysters, & the relatively close proximity of…everything. 

One place that immediately captured my heart is this restaurant called Sunset Grille in Norwalk. It’s seasonal, has fantastically fresh seafood, good drinks (I loved the Nantucket Lemonade) and – this is the best part – is smack dab in the middle of a marina. I must have driven around the whole of Calf Pasture Beach before figuring out I had to drive through a boatyard. It’s been busy each time I’ve gone, which doesn’t surprise me. We sat there for a few hours, right through a beautiful sunset. Seriously – boats, sunsets, seafood & outdoors? This has got to be the gem of Norwalk. 

Well, now I just want to go there. 1pm drinks anyone?

bisous xo

& let summer begin

summer

a word that, for a teacher, can still mean everything it did when we were younger. beaches, books, travel, friends, getting reorganized, adventures, painting & doing all of those things we don't have time for when school's in session.

finished with the kiddos last tuesday & meetings on friday! i got so many wonderful, thoughtful cards from both kids & parents ~ although i was more than ready for summer, i will definitely miss my 18 3rd graders.

one particularly sweet letter :)

my gift from the whole class - each child gave a word/phrase

but...on to bigger and older kids! in late august i'll start in 5th grade. this means a few things: coaching soccer, longer books, deeper conversations, and hopefully less repeating myself? i'm also hoping this year can give me more direction, career-wise. perhaps teaching will work it's way back into #1 career choice. i'm incredibly excited to coach soccer, just getting back into the sport overall is sure to be a highlight of the year.

i'm getting ahead of myself - there are two and a half months of travel bliss ahead of me! here's what you can look forward to reading about:
         ~ cape cod
         ~ road trips to & from chicago (definite stops in pittsburgh & cleveland, hoping to stop in michigan, maybe rhode island, and perhaps a park or two on the way)
         ~ 3 weeks in the Loop, a block from the Art Institute
         ~ several days in the "countryside" of chicago - barrington. my familiar home away from home. my family retreat.
         ~ the western coast of michigan, assuming a kappa reunion gets off the ground
         ~ & hopefully some more jaunts around connecticut and new york city!

bisous! (& more to come soon!)