Mother-Daughter Days in California

Spent a few glorious days in Southern California.  One of the wonders of being a parent is seeing your children grow into  happy, successful adults who ask you to come and visit - yippee! 

Here we are - CA daughter (holding the all-important morning joe) at Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic store.  I do so love me some Rachel Ashwell and did inquire about just moving in!  All that vintage white and  pink fabric and worn to a patina furniture - what's not to like?  Check out the lamp shades - old crinolines!  What a fun idea - maybe a smaller tutu shade for a little girl's room? 

I'm standing at the Palisades Park , next to these fantastic Australian tea trees (yes, these are the trees that produce tea tree oil).  Their gnarled roots grow on top of  the soil, making great root sculptures.

The Santa Monica Farmer's Market is just like our local one, that is, if our local one were on steroids!  Established in 1981, it has over 100 vendors, is open twice a week, and offers all kinds of unusual produce  along with the usual suspects.   We found some fresh French fageolet (try saying THAT 3 times!) beans and turned them into a yummy salad with a recipe from The Splendid Table.  The dragon fruit flesh looks like a dark pink kiwi and tastes like a very mild combo of kiwi and mango.  We got a lesson in selecting the best okra from a savvy shopper and made oven baked okra as a treat for southern- born son-in-law. 

I love, love, love plam trees and  desert plants.  In late summer (this is less painful for me to say than "early fall") trees and flowers are in full-on bloom, with no sign of winding down - what's not to like?  From left, artichokes going to seed,  palms,  century plant blossom, and a succulent easily 2 feet wide. 

Consistently warm temperatures without humidity or radical highs and lows, no ice or snow, gorgeous  trees and flowers, and a perfectly good alernative to the East Coast ocean - a girl could get used to this!
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(Trying out the collage-making capability on Picnik, thanks to CA daughter sharing the link.  It's quick, fun, free [upgrade available for not too much $$] and easier than scrolling through all those pictures!)

Can We Just Move In?

The Captain and I decided on an impromptu get-away this week and he found an inn in northern New Hampshire that looked promising.  The Adair Country Inn in Bethlehem, NH delivered on every promise! 

The Inn was the private home built for Dorothy Adair and where she lived with her husband for decades.  In 1992 it was converted to an inn with 9 quest rooms  the care of owners  Nick & Betsy Young and innkeepers Ilja and Brad Chapman.   The Chapmans are the perfect inn keepers- friendly, knowledgeable, professional , and interested in their guests without being intrusive.

We stayed in this room - the Huntington.  Attention to detail makes this Inn special - fresh flowers, beautiful linens, ribbon-tied towels, and a  personalized welcome sign.  The special tradition of warm cookies on the bed at turn-down is quite a treat!

The view of Mount Washington from our room:

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Dorothy  was a fashionista of her day, with a thing for hats.  They are displayed throughout the house with this fun group  on the stair- landing perched on little stands.  Note all the books - one of the largest private libraries of the day.

The gardens were designed by the Olmsted brothers, designers of the gardens in Central Park.





Fortunately the weather was spectacular, so we were able to eat out on the terrace, overlooking some of the gardens. 

Again, attention to details make all the difference- who could resist this sweet cup?

These popovers were the best I've ever had.  I tried to squeeze the secret out of Brad Chapman, the Popover King!  Turns out he has a few tricks - not over-mixing the batter , in fact, leaving it pretty lumpy (I've been doing mine in the blender!), refrigerating the batter overnight, and baking the popovers in heavy Pyrex cups sprayed with Pam.  Since I had to chisel my last batch out of the "non-stick" pan, I've thrown it away and am on the hunt for the heavy glass cups.  I also took home their cookbook, so I hope to be turning out some of these beauties soon.

We're already planning a return visit - maybe for fall foliage time. 

(In the interest of full-disclosure,  the Adair did not pay me for nor solicit this glowing review !)