Away & Back Again

Sure, he looks innocent enough while sleeping ...

We left The Mountain! Quite a journey with a 2.5 month old, and much debated before we decided to actually do it. It being a vacation to Amelia Island with 2 other couples. Well, we went for it, and while it was wonderful to be there, I returned with a much greater appreciation for being here.

The Ocean was healing, friends are jewels of the soul, but long car rides (7 hours turned into 13 hours!) with a newborn is not something I look forward to doing anytime again in the near future. I'm sure Sly would say the same thing!

Crying in the car or not, we got some pretty great smiles on the beach, eh?

Since we've returned temperatures haven't been above 85, and there's a luscious breeze in the morning and evening that whispers of Autumn. I've actually started putting pants on Sly, something I have only done 2 or 3 times before - the joys of a summer babe. With the sense that Autumn's creeping in I feel simultaneously 1) Excited for the cool, the colors, the coziness and the crisp apples! and 2) An urgency to enjoy whats left of summer out of doors!

To celebrate both feelings at once, I baked 2 pies today. The first, a Shepard's Pie, with grass-fed ground beef and organic vegetables from Creeksong Farm. The second, a crunchy-top peach pie (I use the recipe from The New Moosewood Cook Book) with fresh, juicy, perfect peaches. Every fruit and veggie used was grown locally (in NC or SC) and at the prime of the season. A great way to enjoy warm, cozy comfort foods and the bounty of summer harvests at the same time!