Garden of Words

SUMMER'S START

Summer arrives this Thursday, as the day's reach peaks in its longest stretch for the year and slowly begins to recede toward autumn. The old-timers on the web pish-posh Thursday, knowing full-well that June 25 (next Monday) is the historical midsummer. It's time to figure out how to spend all of those extra hours of sunlight, since we're not engaged in the practice of sustainable agriculture and dragging hundreds of pounds of tomatoes into the kitchen to be canned.

Green Grow the Rushes
Okay, so we don't have 40 acres and a mule. I have, however, made the mistake of reading the enjoyable, informative and mouth-watering new book by Barbara Kingsolver. "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" tracks a year of local harvesting in her family's life -- eating with the seasons, using food harvested within 100 miles or so of their southwest Virginia home. We're not going to such extremes, but there are a number of small sustainable steps we'll take this summer, starting with our own 300-square-foot garden.

1. We expect to pull in a steady stream of vegetables from our backyard this summer, and have already enjoyed a small boatload of radishes, lettuces, spinach and green beans. It looks like we'll be eating green beans for several more weeks, and the zucchini are beginning to produce. Just around the corner -- squash, two types of cucumber, six different heirloom tomato varietals and carrots. The peppers are running a bit late, and we hope to pull some beets and sweet potatoes from the dirt at the end of the summer. Nikole is very excited about her Thelma Sanders Squash.
2. Now that Nikole is selling jewelry at the 17th Street Farmer's Market, I have expectations of Thursday evenings becoming a sort of harvest celebration -- unwrapping bundles of free-range eggs, local honey and exotic local produce.
3. We're still in love with the Byrd House Market in Oregon Hill, and expect to spend at least a few Tuesday nights this summer browsing the local fare -- produce and eggs, fresh bread, crafts.
4. Last year, we overextended ourselves at the Westmoreland Berry Farm. This year, we expect a repeat performance.
5. Outside of what we eat, we both enjoy hanging out in the yard enjoying the explosion of color that our flower beds create week after week. During the spring, there was a lot of purple, pink and red emerging in the yard from roses and peonies and tulips and lilac. As summer arrives, the yard has turned yellow and orange, predominantly -- tickseed, daisies and mile after mile of daylilies (mostly the orange variety, but we have a wide range of pink, white, several shades of yellow and some deep red lilies from my father's yard).

On the Road Again and Again
To offset the good things we do on the food front, we will be on the road a bit this summer -- burning fossil fuels and contributing to global warming.

1. We'll be spending a week at Nikole's grandfather's house in Deltaville this summer, engaged in a bit of familial indentured servitude. His house sits on the water, facing the Chesapeake Bay, the Rappahanock River and Broad Creek (depending on which window you're peering through) and was a bit battered several years ago by a series of storms. Nikole's brother and I have coordinated our schedules -- and invited a large handful of hard-working friends -- to rebuild the pier, pull out an old jetty, repair another old jetty and begin repairing a wall that keeps the back of the property from collapsing into the Stingray Point Marina.
2. Our second week on the water will be a return to Cape Cod for another Cape Cod Institute workshop. Last year, I was mesmerized by and fell in love with Charlie and Edie Seashore; this year, I'll be studying at the feet of leadership guru Meg Wheatley. In between workshop sessions, Nikole and I will enjoy the Cape in slightly warmer weather -- August instead of early July.
3. We're also hoping to get to West Virginia for a long weekend, although now that summer is here we may wait until the slightly cooler weather of September to head for the hills. It's been a while since we've been to our friends' cabin above Franklin, and we'll try to figure out the right combination of friends to invite along for the weekend.
4. We've managed to not get down to Atlanta to visit Nikole's brother and his wife since they moved there last year, but are looking at a September trip to see their house and explore the bustling southern metropolis.
5. We really want to see the gardens at Monticello, but suspect that -- like most places on the East Coast -- we'll enjoy them better after the heat and the summer tourist crowds vanish. So, a day-trip to Charlottesville is probably going to be a post-Labor Day excursion.

 

Hobby Horse
As always, I have quite the list of things I'd like to do this summer -- many of them things left undone from previous lists.

1. Yoga classes with Kelly Trask. I had been such a dedicated student, regularly showing up week after week from the spring of 2000 until late 2005. Since then, I've been a relatively fickle yoga devotee and feel a strong need to get back into the rhythm of things.
2. Modern dance classes with Starr Foster. My dance debut last October was more an exposure to dancers and an exercise in movement for me, and I'd like to explore a different way of getting connected to my body (and pulling muscles).
3. Kayaking on the Chesapeake Bay. Before we start building a pier, I am heading to Mathews County's Bay Trail Outfitters for a kayak tour of Winter Harbor.
4. Build a community weblog. Nikole and I have decided to launch the North Richmond News, a local weblog focused primarily on Lakeside, Ginter Park and Bellevue (and adjacent communities). Several of our neighborhood friends have expressed an interest in collaborating with us on this project, and the Johnny Appleseed of neighborhood blog's, John Murden, went gangbusters last week building the site.

CAPE COD, BY GOD -- July 6: The Finale

Nikole and I just returned from a somewhat relaxing week in Cape Cod (see our photo album of the week for visual insights).

Thursday was our last full day in Cape Cod (I had a morning session on Friday, and then we were in the car for the next 13 hours). After class it was back to Jams Gourmet Grocery in Truro for lunch, and then on to Provincetown for the afternoon.

CAPE COD, BY GOD -- July 5: Rainy Day

Nikole and I just returned from a somewhat relaxing week in Cape Cod (see our photo album of the week for visual insights).

Wednesday emerged wet, wet, wet. I headed to class, while Nikole discovered that the Upper Cape doesn't have many coffee shops where you can linger over a latte and journal.

At the end of class, we did what you do when it is rainy and everyone's mood is a little muted. We mulled things over. Mediocre sandwiches from The Boxed Lunch did little to lift our moods, so we decided to drive down toward Chatham, which is alternately described as "quaint" or "charming" or "crowded," depending on the guide book. It was all three, despite the steady rain. We didn't do much but drive around, but it helped get us out of our damp funk.

By late afternoon, the skies were beginning to clear, and we left for Wellfleet for a gathering with some classmates. Charlie and Edie Seashore come to Cape Cod every other year to hold a workshop at the Cape Cod Institute, and they've landed in an outstanding cottage overlooking a marsh. About 20 students and their spouses/partners were there when we arrived; Nikole spent some time chatting with Charlie, while I mingled. The sun was out, a nice breeze was blowing -- a perfect Cape evening.

Dinner was simple and tasty -- beer and pizza at the Flying Fish in Wellfleet. The Flying Fish is a coffee shop and bakery in an old house in Wellfleet, and they do things the easy way; our beer came in plastic cups and our pizza arrived with paper plates.

Our evening closed on First Encounter Beach on Cape Cod Bay. We walked along the sand, picking up rocks, and watched the sun set.

CAPE COD, BY GOD -- July 4: Wellfleet

Nikole and I just returned from a somewhat relaxing week in Cape Cod (see our photo album of the week for visual insights).

We woke up at 9 on Tuesday morning. My class starts at 9. Oops. Fortunately, I clean up fast.

Nikole suggested we head to Wellfleet, the next town up from Eastham; she had driven through Wellfleet earlier and was captivated by its narrow streets, galleries and general rhythm. It was a hot, sunny day and we found a parking spot on the Town Pier, then went off in search of lunch.

We found it at The Juice, a hip little cafe at the edge of town. We grabbed a table outside in the shade, and both quickly raced toward the veggie burger on the menu -- mine with cheese, Nikole's with avacado. Our waiter was upbeat -- when we asked how his day was going, his first response was, "It's sunny. Everything else is just gravy." In passing he also suggested we check out the annual Reggae on the Bay concert at the Bookstore & Restaurant near the Town Pier.

We spent a couple of hours, fresh smoothies from The Juice in hand, walking the streets and popping into a few galleries and shops. Among our favorites was the Left Bank Gallery on Main Street, featuring eclectic clay sculpture by Colorado's Carey Reynolds, the softly luminescent landscapes of painter Gregory Kammerer, and the simple but fun landscape blocks by Jennifer Morgan.

As the afternoon progressed, the clouds began rolling in from the west. We headed back to the Town Pier, where I took a few photos of boats, then stopped briefly by the very crowded patio of the Bookstore & Restaurant where reggae was ringing in the Fourth of July afternoon.

We took quick showers at the hotel and put on our best Cape Cod linens for dinner at ABBA in Orleans. Before dinner, we spent a couple of hours in Orleans -- browsing the local organic store and a charming bookstore, driving out to see the boats at Rock Harbor and walking out to Nauset Beach.

We had stumbled across mention of ABBA in a guide book, then picked up a brochure for it during lunch at Jams in Truro on Monday. It was, by far, the best find of our week in Cape Cod.

ABBA's Israeli chef has created a fantastic Mediterranean-Thai fusion menu, and we were hard-pressed to choose between entrees (and actually made our waitress choose from several selections for us). We started with falafel with Israeli salsa and a tahini sauce, and a few spring rolls. The falafel was light and fresh-tasting, and much different than what I've experienced on the streets of Cairo and Beirut. The spring rolls were average, but the dipping sauce had a delicious tang to it.

Torn between the Thai Seafood Stew and the Lobster-and-Shrimp Pad Thai, Nikole turned to our waitress for help. It was a tough call, but she went for the Pad Thai (and loved it). I was split between the scallops and the wild salmon, but ultimately went for the scallops (another good choice). Dessert was another tough contest -- rhubarb napoleon or sticky black rice pudding. We chose decadence in the form of the sweet pudding with fresh vanilla ice cream and fresh pineapple. Outstanding.

Sated, we returned to the hotel and slept.

CAPE COD, BY GOD -- July 3: In the Class

Nikole and I just returned from a somewhat relaxing week in Cape Cod (see our photo album of the week for visual insights).

MONDAY, JULY 3: We were in Cape Cod so I could attend a weeklong workshop on consulting, coaching and change at the Cape Cod Institute. The workshop was led by Charles and Edie Seashore, two of the gurus in organization development, group dynamics, behaviorial psychology. My only expectations were shaped by a friend who had worked with Edie in a master's program; she said the program would be a "hoot," and that I'd enjoy meeting their dog, "Come On, Come Here." Unfortunately, "Come On, Come Here" passed away earlier this year.

I didn't really begin to form an impression of the workshop until the end of Day Three, so by the time lunch rolled around I was ready to explore Cape Cod with Nikole.

Our first stop was lunch. She had spent the morning scoping out the Upper Cape for us, and suggested we head north to the town of Truro and grab sandwiches at Jam's Gourmet Grocery. After lunch, we made our way to the Highland Light House, which is also known as the Cape Cod Light House. Our vantage from the lighthouse was my first view of the Atlantic from the Cape (though my legs paid for the climb the next day). Our final stop for the afternoon was the Highland Creamery, where we had a ridiculous amount of ice cream and sorbet crammed into tiny cups -- and watched a tiny, five-year-old girl cram a cone the size of a lobster in her face.

As the afternoon drew to a close, we met up with a group of fellow students/partners at the Salt Pond Nature Center in Eastham for a nature hike. By the time we wrapped up at 7, we were bug-bitten and starving, so we drove back to North Truro for dinner at Adrian's Restaurant, which sat on a hill with a great view of Provincetown and Cape Cod Bay.

One of the nicest moments of the week was when two older couples, who had been finishing dinner at an adjacent table when we sat down, walked over to tell us how wonderful it was to see two young people so in love and expressive. We were both startled and pleased by the compliment, and it really put a shine on the rest of the week.

Dinner paled in comparison, though it was good. Nikole had a shrimp-and-polenta dish, and I gave into the lure of lamb; I think I've had lamb twice in my life, and this third time was nothing extraordinary. Tiramisu, wine and coffee finished off the evening for us.

CAPE COD, BY GOD -- July 1/2: On the Road

Nikole and I just returned from a somewhat relaxing week in Cape Cod (see our photo album of the week for visual insights). Outside of some ridiculous holiday traffic and a too-early return home, it was a very relaxing week.

SATURDAY, JULY 1: We left Richmond after breakfast, jumping onto Route 301 just north of Richmond and following it to Baltimore at which point Nikole made the mistake of letting me "go with my gut." Actually, the mistake was traveling with a map that lacked details, and we wound up exploring parts of North Baltimore; we felt like extras in an episode of "Homicide: Life on the Streets." Our destination was a Hampton Inn in Absecon, New Jersey, just west of Atlantic City. Our friend Judy Anderson was having an art opening in nearby Avalon, and we were looking forward to spending some time seeing art at the beach. Traffic had other plans.

No sooner had Nikole taken over the driving duties than we hit a wall of parked cars on I-95. It took almost three hours to get through the narrow swath of Delaware between Maryland and New Jersey. We got to Absecon just after 5, cleaned up and headed for Avalon. Since I was driving again, we headed for Avalon by way of Atlantic City -- another of my famous around-your-elbow detours that got us lost, lost us time and gave us a snapshot view of a city we probbably will never visit again.

We were tired and famished by the time we got to Avalon's The Gilt Complex, a combination art gallery and frame shop on one of the small vacation town's main drags. Judy looked wonderful, and her work -- a collection of paintings from old photos of Avalon and other oceanside destinations -- more than filled the room. The gallery was also featuring an opening of works by another Richmonder -- Matt Lively -- whose works are simply amazing. I think Matt was in VCU's sculpture program with my friend Bob Gorman, but his painting is leagues beyond what VCU taught him to do.

Apparently, Matt hit the same traffic we did, but turned back for Richmond. If we weren't on our way to the Cape, we might have done the same.

SUNDAY, JULY 2: Pretty much a repeat of Saturday, minus the art. We left Absecon for Eastham, Massachusetts, around mid-morning. Nikole took the wheel as we headed toward New York -- just in time to creep through the NYC stretch of I-95 at a snail's pace.

We were startled when we drove into Cape Cod. Our expectation was that we'd be cruising serenely along a narrow road with gently sloping sand dunes around us and the ocean within view. Surprise. No, the view was pretty much of scrub pines thick as ticks. Because we came in on the main highway, it really wasn't until we hit Eastham that we got a glimpse of life beyond other passing cars.

It was almost 8 when we checked into the Captain's Quarters in Eastham, which looks very nice from the outside and very average from the inside. Our plain, spartan quarters were fine for sleeping but not exactly good for relaxing -- especially when the rattle of the window air conditioning unit kicked in.

A quick dinner at the Sea Dog Cafe -- fish and chips for me, clam strips for Nikole -- and we were off to bed.