Monthly Archives:

July 2017

Hot Tomatoes

This simple summer dish has a secret ingredient that more people need to know about: white balsamic vinegar. Coupled with a drizzle of olive oil (extra virgin, no sluts), some freshly ground pepper, a bit of sea salt, and topped with some lightly-toasted almond slices, it’s a glorious taste of the season. I garnished the plate with some herbs from the garden, but used them for scent and sight only: the vinegar, oil and tomatoes deserve to stand alone.

Summer demands such simple pleasures, and this one involves little to no work. My kind of dish.

 

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America, My Captain

Sometimes it feels like it’s getting more and more difficult to be proud of America, but for the true patriots among us, the believers in truth and honor and integrity, this remains a very great country, of which I will always be proud. America is an idea – the abstract but awe-inspiring idea of freedom – and that cannot be ruled or ruined by one small-handed man. Instead, our country will rise above, as it has time and time again. All of us stumble and fumble at some point in our lives, and most countries are the same way. We will be better than we were before. We have to be.

Until then, I give you Captain America. The world is in need of a hero.

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Pre-Revolutionary Recap

A day before we celebrate our independence, we recap the week that just passed – the last week of June, and already the summer is moving too quickly. We’ve only just begun…

Sweetness of summer at hand.

A skimpily-clad Nyle DiMarco.

A hazy hydrangea.

Lavender, in pink.

Bidding farewell to the final Sunset.

Pink versus blue in the world series of summer.

At long last Julian Edelman naked.

Tom Daley back in the Speedo.

Chartreuse heaven.

Harry Judd stripping it off.

Hunks of the Day included Duncan James, Kevin Sampaio, Hugh McIntyre and Justin Theroux.

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More Edelman Nude GIFs

Julian Edelman naked is one thing.

Julian Edelman naked and in motion is another.

Here are a few more GIFs from Edelman’s nude shoot with ESPN magazine.

(In case the nude cover wasn’t enough.)

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Soft Pastel Sunday

Like the shading on this iris, Sunday enters softly.

She tiptoes in on gray light, padding silently into the room before you have a chance to notice.

Slowly, she brightens, bringing objects into view, revealing what had been lost in shadow.

This is how we begin a summer Sunday.

In quiet, and stillness, and grace.

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More Gratuitous Harry Judd GIFs

A favorite Hunk in these parts, Harry Judd has endeared himself to readers/viewers here with naked spreads in magazines and shirtless posing as part of McFly. Here, he takes it all off in ‘The Full Monty’- the musical in which he’s currently appearing. It may be worth a trip across the pond… (check out more GIFs here).

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Monkey Balls

As befitting a place called ‘Monkey Bar’, this candy dish was a whimsical ending to a recent dinner in New York. I love balls, especially when tinged with mint and chocolate. They offer similar treats at the candy shop in Ogunquit, Maine, which has me wistful for a visit there. We missed out earlier in the season, but shall return later in the summer.

Until then, these balls will have to suffice.

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Chartreuse Heaven

This gorgeous hue is usually the stuff of late spring, fading quickly before the high heat of summer. Creeping Jenny retains this lovely shade for the duration of the season, echoing the sweet potato vines and their lime-like lightness. It’s one of my favorite colors in the garden, partly because it doesn’t often last. There is beauty in the fleeting, that tantalizing temporal limit that makes certain colors seem to matter more.

Here, Ms. Jenny softens the concrete surrounds of the pool, complementing the aqua of the water in thrilling fashion. The bottom stalks of a papyrus complete the rest of her pot; both enjoy exceedingly wet environs. To achieve this, I line the bottom of their home with a plastic garbage bag with just a few tiny holes in it. There’s drainage, but not much. The wetter the better.

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