Becky's photoblog

The Gardner Museum’s new wing is now two years old, and after two years of encouraging guests to take photos in the new wing (because that’s the only area of the museum where photography is permitted), I finally got around to taking my own photos! The morning light was absolutely gorgeous, especially with all of the light reflecting off of the snow.

The new wing starts with the front entry hall and the admissions desk. Beyond that is greenhouse which guests can view from a long corridor. Across from the front hall is the coat check and the gift shop, and then beyond that is the main staircase. To the right of the main stairs is the Living Room, to the left is the cafe and the art studio, and between the stairs is the corridor that leads you to Mrs. Gardner’s spectacular museum.

 

 

Our dear friend Becky is saying good-bye to Boston, and embarking on an adventure around the world. We hosted a send-off so that we could get a bunch of people together, and we spent a perfectly pleasant Sunday afternoon hanging out and snacking. Mel did it again with her delicious snacks … vanilla dipped strawberries and apricots, two different kinds of cheese dips and raspberry pie!

I just realized that I forgot to actually take any photos of our guest of honor because we were all distracted by the adorable toddler who provided the entertainment for the afternoon by repeatedly taking a running jump into the arms of any adult who would lift him up and turn him upside down  🙂

My sweetie knows that I love orange roses.

When friends need a hand, you can count on us to be there for them, even when it’s a lot to ask. We did our duty today, and headed up to Frederick’s Pastries in North Andover to taste-test several delicious cakes, fillings and icings to help our friends pick out their wedding cake. It was a rough afternoon, but did what had to be done. 🙂

 

Four of us devoured two of these at Blue Dragon. It’s a big melty chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream and caramel sauce. Delicious!

I asked Brian to pick up some flowers for the baby shower to go with the purple and green color scheme, and he did a great job (they look blue in this shot, but trust me, they’re purplish). These gorgeous flowers look amazing in the light.

Brian’s parents have a popular bird feeder, and the birds put on a little show for us while we are our breakfast. My favorites are the cardinals and the blue jays because I love the colors.

I love the little story that goes with a family’s Christmas tree ornaments, and Brian’s family has many lovely ornaments. Here’s a few of the photogenic ones.

 

Please click here for more photos from Thanksgiving and Hanukah

My sweetie got me roses 🙂

First attempt at making ravioli, and it went pretty well!

Fall is here and I’m working on perfecting my butternut squash risotto. Nailed it!

I love giving tours of the Gardner Museum to people who have never been before, and this week, I got to do that twice!

Our cousins were passing through Boston on their vacation, and they came to Third Thursdays at the Gardner while I was volunteering. The joint was jumping by the time they got there, and I gave them a whirlwind tour of the whole museum before heading out for a late dinner. It was so great to see them!

I love it when friends have family in town, and they ask me to give their family a tour of the Gardner Museum. I’ve done this a gajillion times, and each time, it’s such a treat to show the museum to a group that has never been before, and to see the museum fresh through their eyes.

Here’s yet another photo of the flowers in the Gardner Museum’s greenhouse:

When three of your cousins have all moved far away from home, and they’re all home at the same time, it’s a reason to throw a party! We drove out to State College, PA for a weekend filled with family, food, farm animals, fire … and bagels! We also got an architecture tour of Penn State from my cousin, an architect who graduated a few years ago.

Click here for more family photos (password protected)

Alex is learning how to make bagels and she’s gotten really good at it!

Creamy pasta without cream!

For the first time today, I tried a recipe that I found on Pinterest, and it was delicious! This recipe is perfect for a girl who loves avocados, and also loves creamy pasta sauces too much. What can I say? I was raised on mac & cheese! Creamy texture without actual cream … why didn’t I think of this? I have a few ideas for enhancing this recipe with rosemary tofu and sun-dried tomatos. More on that another time.

Click here to check out my For the Love of Pasta board on Pinterest and click here to visit the recipe for 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta on the Oh She Glows blog.

We spent the day in Deering, New Hampshire to visit the house that my aunt and uncle have right on Deering Lake. It rained for most of the day, so we spent most of the day playing games, but we decided not to let a little drizzle keep us from going out on the boat … even though it was windy and probably in the high 40s. We bundled up, and Captain John (right) gave us a tour of Deering Lake.

We also got to meet our newest cousin, Ted. Between Brian and me, three of our first cousins had babies this year, so we get to hang out with lots of adorable infants. This was Ted’s first time meeting several of his relatives, so we took lots of pictures.

Family and friends, please click here to see photos of Ted. The password is his middle name (all lowercase). 

After a long Spring semester and very long weeks leading up to Commencement, we took a much-needed getaway weekend on Cape Cod. Brian found a place in Falmouth (Sea Crest Beach Hotel at Old Silver Beach) which gave us exactly what we wanted: easy access to a quiet beach where we could sit and read and listen to the ocean. It was incredibly relaxing and refreshing!

Some of the photos below are from two churches that we saw while we were wandering around before an incredible dinner at the Glass Onion in Falmouth. We could hear the organist practicing as we got closer to St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, so we wandered around and discovered a beautiful little secret garden next to a chapel behind the church. There was no one else around and it was almost as if it appeared out of nowhere!

After a nice long Sunday morning reading on the beach with my coffee, we took a drive further down the Cape towards Chatham, passing through a memorable stretch of Rt 28 in Yarmouth where I’ve stayed a few times. Of all the little towns with cute little shops and galleries, Chatham is one of my favorites. We hit a few little gems – Yankee Ingenuity, Chatham Art Gallery – gazed longingly at the Impudent Oyster where we had an incredible meal last year, and then turned around and headed back to Boston.

Photos from our visit to Chatham in May 2012

Tons of delicious food for a wonderful Mother’s Day Brunch.

Also, here’s some photos from a very memorable Mother’s Day 2011, when we got our parents and grandparents together for the first time.

Snapped a quick picture of a really pretty flower in front of New Leaf, which is right next to Ten Tables where Merry and I celebrated our birthdays (2 days apart) together for the 20th time. The two of us and our boys had an incredible meal!

It was a madhouse at the MFA today. Gorgeous day, the semester’s almost over, the terrorists have been caught, the Samurai exhibit just opened, the Michelangelo exhibit just opened, and Art in Bloom is happening. For three days, gorgeous floral displays are placed throughout the galleries near the work of art that they were designed to be displayed with. They’re absolutely gorgeous, and it draws a huge crowd. In fact, I left just as a huge school group was arriving.

If I could have avoided the crowds, I would have, but I couldn’t wait another day to see Michelangelo’s drawings. Usually, I miss out on seeing Art in Bloom because I would rather avoid the crowds, but this year, I was right there with all of the other ladies oohing and aahing and taking pictures. The flowers were gorgeous, but my favorite shot from this group is the one on the right. The pattern created by the shadows of well-lit flowers, juxtaposed with the tile pattern of the fireplace behind it, took my breath away.

I learned a long time ago that when Mel has a good idea, you should just let her run with it. She wanted to host a family-dinner style potluck because friends and comfort-food are exactly what we needed after a crazy week of bombs and lockdowns. So she invited a bunch of people to our house, and everyone brought deliciousness, and it was awesome.

Every year, the Gardner Museum’s talented gardeners grow long vines of nasturtiums and hang these bright orange beauties in Mrs. Gardner’s gorgeous courtyard. Why? Because Mrs. Gardner did it, and it’s a wonderful tradition that the museum keeps up. It’s not Spring in Boston without the nasturtiums or the return of the Red Sox. These delicate flowers will hopefully hang in the courtyard until the annual celebration of Mrs. Gardner’s birthday on April 14th.

No photography is Isabella’s palace, but her brand new greenhouse in the new wing is fair game.

Passover 2013:

Click here for my photoblog entries from

• Passover 2012
• Passover 2011
• Passover 2010
• Passover 2009
• Passover 2008 1st night and 2nd night

 

A year after our wedding, we can look back and honestly say that we would not have done anything differently. Our wedding weekend was truly joyful, and we returned to the Hyatt Harborside to celebrate our first anniversary and enjoy those wonderful memories. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and breakfast at the Harborside Grill, and we still can’t get enough of that spectacular view! Brian’s family surprised us with a delicious antipasto platter and a bottle of champagne, which was a really sweet treat.

Brian planned a wonderful surprise of his own. He ordered a mini-version of our wedding cake from the bakery where our wedding cake was from, and we picked it up on our way to my parents’ house. He tried to get the bakery to decorate our cake with the same leafy design as our wedding cake, but it didn’t work out quite as he had planned. Instead, it was even better. They frosted the cake with the leaves of two full trees meeting in the middle. We had lunch with my family, and shared the cake with them.

Click here to see Maureen’s wonderful video slide-show from our wedding.

 

Not a bad way to start a Saturday …
I volunteered this morning at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the light pouring in to the greenhouse was absolutely gorgeous.