carrot love

I know this link has been posted on multiple sites, but I just LOVE it, and must share.

Go to the Magpie Studio web site to learn more about the project - it has a nice environmental message.  What I love also is this pic from the project:

The image of the child feeding the rabbit is all too precious. Seeing this great carrot display, what I would love to see is a continuation of the project, where you release a bunch of rabbits on the carrot rabbit and photo-document or even video-document what happens.

How long would it take for the rabbits to consume the carrots? Do they start on the perimeter and work their way in or do they just jump into the middle and start eating? Do they get distracted by other things around them or does the sight and smell of a field of carrots keep them occupied?

So many questions. I guess I would have to build my own carrot field and find a host of rabbits to find out myself. Maybe some animal behaviorist or rabbit expert might find this an interesting experiment and join in the fun. Oh the possibilities!

[via Magpie Studio]

Blog I love: lets.rebuild.

I was searching for Herman Miller furniture one day, and stumbled upon lets.rebuild. And I've been a fan ever since.

The site doesn't just sell Herman Miller furniture - it's so much more than that. lets.rebuild. regularly lists and sells "upcycled, recycled, vintage, mid-century, danish modern, and custom built furniture as well as things genuinely worth having - in the Triangle area of North Carolina." I don't know if Ryan Helsel, who owns the blog, is the one who restores and works on the furniture or if he collects, and sells them, but I'm thankful that he's there to share these beautiful and smart pieces to the world. Even if I may not be interested in a piece, I still love the beautiful photography.

Here are some of my favorites from lets.rebuild.:



This piece reminds me of a chair I had - wooden stiletto legs, pale yellow, vinyl, mid-century. Except mine had a very boxy shape. Mine got redone in a beautiful orange wool fabric and now belongs to a friend. I hope this piece also got the same love.

[via lets.rebuild.]

Our Autumn Trip to New York

E and I took a 9 day vacation to New York, starting in the City, then up to New Paltz, then up to the Finger Lakes. I really missed the fall season and the changing of colors, and E had never been to New York, so we thought it would make for a great trip.

And of course, any vacation wouldn't be ours unless there was some climbing involved. So we got to climb at the Gunks, which was such an amazing place. I only wished it wasn't so cold and rainy so we could've gotten more climbing in.

It was such a beautiful trip - we got all kinds of weather and had lots of fantastic food (of course! It was New York!), and got to see old friends. Will definitely be back out to the Gunks again.

Worthless boulder

At the northern end of Central Park it lies, offering routes for some
climbing fun.

New York public library

Map room

Autumn colors

Upstate New York is full of autumn color splendors this time of year.

New York Trip

Since I'm on vacation this week I'll be posting on the road, in the same fashion as the last few. Unfortunately my phone is not going everywhere with me (not to the crags, for example) so only select items will make it, likely food-related, shoddy AT&T connection permitting. (I just tried 3 times to send some pics from my phone to the blog and failed every time!)

Best Pizza Ever!

Since this was E's first trip to New York, we had to have some pizza.

Keste's on Bleecker had really amazing pie! While not the traditional New York pizza, they had the most tasty dough. Thin but chewy, nice crusty finish that rises just enough for the perfect combo of airiness and chewiness.

We got the special appetizer that had marscapone cheese on it, so tasty. Also ordered the Pizza del Re, which had prosciutto, mozzarella, and mushrooms, and the Pizza del Papa, which had butternut squash cream, yellow and red peppers, artichoke, and mozzarella. All were amazing--the whole time I was thinking how I could totally become addicted to this crust.

Their amazing 1000 degree oven makes a pizza in a mere 45 seconds! So unbelievable. After our meal we went to the back to check out their famed oven and chatted with the chef and owner's wife, both of whom were perfect hosts. The chef told us the oven is so hot he loses 5 pounds of weight everyday in the summer from working in front of it.

The owner's wife shared about her husband's love of pizza - he eats it EVERYDAY, sometimes 2 pies a day. And he's been doing this every since she's known him - I think more than 10 years. He always said people in the States didn't know how to make a real authentic pizza and that some day he would open up his own restaurant that pizza right. And because of hid love of pizza, we reap the pleasure and privilege of eating some of the most heavenly pizza anywhere.

Our dessert crepe - take 2

It's even better with chocolate ice cream on top! The combo of hot and
cold intensified the flavors.

Our dessert crepe

Crepe with caramel, sauteed apple with cinnamon, and creme fraiche.

NYC brunch - oeuf Columbus

@ crepes on Columbus

Funny, Fun, and Useful - the Selk Bag

One day, out of the blue, I was forwarded  an odd photo of a man in a bright yellow puffy suit in an email and asked if I wore this sleeping bag suit on my camping trips. I had never seen such a thing and completely thought it was a big joke. Then I was sent a URL of the product, and after seeing it for sale on Amazon I figured this thing was for real.

The product is called the Selk Bag - and it is a big fluffy sleeping bag with arms and legs and a hood that fits just like a full-body suit. There are zippers and drawcords in all the right places to make sure the sleeping bag fits like a glove while allowing easy on and off and access. You can have your hands free or slip the sleeping bag gloves over your hands and seal to keep your digits toasty warm. The hood keeps your head warm with a draw cord so you can mummy up for cold nights.

After I got over the silly looking thing, I realized how brilliant this product really was. Yo can stand up, walk around, and have freedom of movement while you're warm and cozy in a sleeping bag! It's the best of both worlds! And it also makes you extremely warm and huggable!

Nonetheless, I took another look at the product photos and my smart sensible returned, and I saw how extremely goofy and dorky this product moves was. A few times I did see the bag advertised in outdoor magazines, confirming the fact this was indeed a real product.

A few weeks ago a friend mentioned wanting one of those Selk sleeping really badly. At first I thought it was a joke, but once we started talking about the idea of being able to move around in the cold outdoor winters while still being surrounded by pillowy warmth all over. Now that was a wonderful thought, especially since I'm always freezing when camping outdoors. The more I thought about it, the more I got hooked on the idea of the Selk bag.

According to Amazon, people do enjoy their Selk bags. One reviewer said it's "cooler than cool beans!" So I think I can get past the goofy photos and maybe embrace the idea of being a stay puff marshmallow...maybe.