Contemplating Paradise

After a nice vacation to Boca Raton, some promising weather of summer ahead and recent new of Maho Bay closing, all I can think of is white beaches, blue skies, clear water, sunshine and green, green life. This shores up next to a vision, notion or experience of what I like to call paradise. Whether or not your own paradise is lush, warm, bright and breezy I think most of us can appreciate this sense of vastness. Something about being by the water and under the sky brings on a certain sense of freedom, joy and vigor. Since my vacation in Boca Raton was filled with beach days, long walks, yoga, eating and drinking out, more long walks, I found a lot of time to turn inward and be quiet. The serenity and calm that go along with this rejuvenation is what I see when I look at pictures of Paradise.

So a few yoga photos from the beach... These are for you, MOM! She isn't on Facebook so she hears/sees these things second hand on a smartphone at work, it's just not the same.

And here is a memory of my first paradise, Maho Bay, St John, USVI. After a family vacation in my middle school years introduced me to this particular Slice of Life, I was hooked. The eco-friendly campground offers screened in bungalows connected by miles of boardwalk amidst the natural beauty of St. Johns hillsides; seriously , this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced. After I graduated from high school, my best friend Laura and I both decided to take a year off. In September we flew to the Virgin Islands to volunteer at Maho in their work exchange program. We would do laundry, clean cabins, plunge toilets, pressure wash boardwalks for about 4 hours a day in exchange for a cabin for two. We were 18 years old.

I could go on for another 17 pages but I think I'll save it for my memoir... The most memorable times were spent on the beach enjoying the pure bliss of such a small piece of paradise which has now been sold for close to $14 million. Phew, that feels good to get off my chest, something I will continue to sit with for a long time. Contemplating Paradise.... To wrap things up with Maho I thank you for the skills I probably wouldn't learn anywhere else: hitch hiking, drinking warm rum, living on an island, windsurfing on the ocean, and loving every bit of every thing every where.


















In my life today, I'm spending time in the garden and planting seeds, my favorite thing to do this time of year. The newest to pop up are arugula, basil and thyme. I've also started some tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and various flowers scattered around my tiny lawn and porch.

Yoga continues to thrive in my life, thankfully. I teach ten classes a week at the studio now, which is proving very fun and exciting every day. Students are so inspiring, and as a self-proclaimed "inspired student" it feels very right to be spending lots of time in the studio. And I'm heading off to class in just a minute so I'll finish things off there. Simply trying to fill my life each day with whatever comes my way.

Don't eat more than you can carry.
~Miss Piggy

Who Said Size Didn't Matter?

It's not that there isn't as much to do in Central Vermont, it's that there isn't enough time to do all the things that you might want. Why? Because half of the restaurants in this region are closed on Sundays-Tuesdays, or some combination thereof. SO what's a girl to do on Monday night when it's overdue to meet Mom for a night of wine and good eats? Go to the local hotel restaurant. As long as the hotel is locally owned, someone is likely to know about a local date spot. Ask about fine dining. If someone looks at you like an Extra Terrestrial, don't take their advice.

Monday night I went to J. Morgan's Steakhouse, the local hotel restaurant, with my mother. The restaurant offers a recently renovated, swanky appeal, but is eerily quiet. Looking at a reasonably priced wine list with outstanding variety only makes that palate grow larger. FRIED PICKLES?! The appetizer menu is enough to keep anyone on a budget well-fed, but sandwiches and salads for just a few bucks more are also sure to impress. We started with the friend shrimp and calamari. The menu specifies that the customer is to choose between either shrimp or calamari, but my mother keenly asked to have a mixture of both, which was approved by the chef with no problems, as far as we know.

For the main course we had decided to split the flatbread with prosciutto and figs (something striking familiar to a menu at the restaurant where I work) and a steak tip salad, because the place is supposed to be famous for their superior cuts of beef. First, the bread is served as the main course arrives. But the salad is immense. It's even hard to take a bite without pieces falling off the edge of the plate, even more difficult is finding the pile of greens beneath the tower of fried onion rings, which if you haven't already guessed, makes to steak look small. It was dressed nicely and tasted fresh. The steak was cooked perfectly and served piping hot off the grill, yummy, just served with a side of intimidation. The flatbread was deliciously topped with a balsamic glaze and toasted cheese and was accompanied by an arugula salad with fresh strawberries!

The desserts all have the same notorious reputation of size and glory, so I recommend spending $10 on one of their topnotch cocktails to finish off the evening. The Celebration comes with a dazzling recommendation from both myself and my charmingly picky mom. Brunch is wind saved for another review, as I am an avid fan and need not mix my genres.

Cheerio!