APRIL FOOLS = SNOW

Temps were around 75 F along the Wasatch Front yesterday;

This is what we woke to this Sunday morning.

It was a very pleasant surprise . . . one last chance to take snow pics before spring.

MHD

Welcome to Miles Hutson Danley.

He is the newest addition to the Danley Family.

I am already head-over-heels for him.

Go here to see more of Mr. Miles ...

SWEET AMELIA

Blessing day for Amelia Kate . . .

YOUNG THE GIANT

YOUNG THE GIANT

an interesting MIX of alternative sounds resembling Coldplay.... The Killers.... Keane.... Kings of Leon .....

GUNS OUT - My Body - I GOT - Islands - GOD MADE MAN

Kilby Court, SLC

FICTIONIST

Great band from Utah

Hoping to make an upcoming ROLLING STONES cover

Go online to VOTE them on

FEELIN' THE LOVE

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

TRE YUM

Being back in the states, particularly Utah, has a few perks . . .

FIVE GUYS (hold the burger; keep the fries & peanuts coming)

NOTHING BUNDT CAKES (Jerry Sloan is a regular for their marble bundt)

MEXICAN FOOD (possibly more Mexi places now than LDS churches)

NIECES/NEPHEWS (No explanation needed)

MACARON MANIA

I had my fill of these little treasures in New Zealand, but upon arriving in Utah, I was shattered to discover that only ONE bakery in this state claims to create these heavenly bites!

Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create some for myself. I'd have to say that the only other true UT macaron fan I have found is my sister's brother-in-law, Jon Bankhead.

I hope he doesn't object to eating lots of these cookies in the future ... I am still attempting to perfect the art of making them.

And I don't think perfection will be achieved anytime soon...

MONTREAL, CANADA

A traditional Thanksgiving was overrated for us this year for three reasons:

1. No family on the east coast.

2. We already hit the pinnacle of T-Day celebrations when we visited Plymouth, MA a few years back.

3. Our Turkey Day celebrations in NZ were so over-the-top that is would be difficult to try and replicate such grandeur.

So . . . we decided to forego tradition and join the French for a extended weekend lesson in proper language, fine food, and shockingly cold weather. The results speak for themselves.
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Montreal is a shrine to Art Deco architecture, particularly expressed in the Place d'Armes and surrounding areas in Old Montreal. The gothic revival Notre-Dame Basilica was a favorite of mine, although current construction made it difficult to photograph.

We enjoyed visiting the Canadian Centre for Architecture, which offered some great insights into Canada's architectural past & future.

We were also rather impressed with the Underground City, a set of interconnected complexes that span 19 miles connecting shopping, hotels, apartment buildings, banks, offices, museums, universities, the metro etc . . . Basically a haven from the arctic cold weather in the "Double-Decker City".

During our stay, the outside streets seemed to be abandoned at times because everyone was basically underground (500,000 people a day).

Snow started to fall on Saturday, which was such a welcome sight for so early in the winter season. It was visually beautiful, but practically unreliable . . . as we quickly learned when a French lawyer rammed his SUV into the back of our car- awesome.

After NYC, Montreal has the highest number of restaurants, per capita, in North America.

We truly wanted to make the most of our northern venture and consume as much smoked meat, chocolat, crepes, and pastries as physically possible while visiting. This wasn't to be, as Steve became rather ill from some BBQ meat the first night and had to take it easy the remainder of the trip.

However, we didn't skimp on our crepes ingestion at the Jean-Talon Market (above).

To sum up Montreal in one word: beautiful. Everything about the city is rich in beauty- particularly the people: inside & out.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Hopefully this guy is still alive & well in Te Urewera National Park.

P-TOWN, MA

Travel up to the very tip top of Cape Cod and there you will find a community with a personality all its own.

A weekend in Provincetown, MA is one that is not quickly forgotten.

BACK TO BAKING

Thanksgiving Week translates into loading up the shopping cart with ingredients for some spicy, sugary pumpkin goodness. So many tasty options . . . so little time.

FALL FEVER

A day with these two sweeties (and Mom) is never complete without a little spontaneity, extreme adventure, loads of laughter . . . and an endless supply of peanut butter cups and juice boxes. Click here to see the results.

GIRL'S WEEKEND

My very good friend, Courtney (far left), and her fabulous group of friends from CT graced Cambridge/Boston with their presence this weekend to attend Blue Man Group at the Charles Playhouse.

My best blue man . . .

A little too close for comfort . . .

Starting to freak me out . . .

After experiencing an evening of Sci-Fi craziness, we made our way to Teatro to dine on their Italian piattini.

BOSTON'S LITTLE ITALY

A night in the North End of Boston means a night of all things rich in Italiano.

The cobblestone streets are lined with 87 authentic Italian restaurants, bakeries, and gelato shoppes.

We grabbed some good eats at Nick Varano's Famous Deli . . . and couldn't make it home on the T before making a quick stop off for some icy goodness.

BACK BAY DAY

Trying to hail a cab in the Back Bay . . .

= FAIL

One of Boston's premier neighborhoods, the Back Bay was my stomping grounds today. This area includes the best shopping in Boston (Newbury Street), but I was actually there for business . . . not pleasure.

Note for Lind: The Back Bay also has Boston's public gardens & botanical gardens ... and is part of the Emerald Necklace.

GOING FOR THE GREEN

Celtics/Bucks

November 3, 2010

The Garden

Row 14

OT

105-102

Happiness

THIS PLACE ROCKS

Time with the fam in St George, Utah means two things: hiking & endless photo ops.

Snow Canyon was a trip highlight with these two experienced explorers . . .

Many thanks, Dad, for hauling me all around the state and sharing your new southern Utah digs with me.

Oh, and it goes without saying that Mom was the most phenomenal hostess in the world!

PUMPKIN PICKIN'

How lucky am I to spend an afternoon in Paradise, Utah with these two handsome fellas?

It truly was a harvest paradise . . .

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

WOODSY WEEKEND

BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE WINTER NOW

. . . I am really missing the moderately-temperate climate in Auckland.

DIVA DANI

It's hard to imagine a better subject than this little darling for a rockin' downtown Hartford shoot. She is always top of her game . . . a genuine triple threat of talented model, singer, and actress. Check out the photo blog for more ...

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

That which we call a cupcake

By any other name would taste as sweet . . .

Mmm, probably not.

D IS FOR DANLEY

Congrats to Dave & Crystal!!! Last night they announced that another Danley boy is arriving around March of next year. Here's hoping they name him after his Aunt Deon. ;)

THE BIG E . . .

. . . is the largest fair held in the northeast each year. This Saturday we traveled to Springfield, MA (home of the Basketball Hall of Fame) to partake in the festivities with our good friends from CT, Steve & Jimmy.

The "E" in The Big E clearly stood for "EAT" on this particular outing . . .

Seriously, who can resist a place where you can dine outdoors on Fried Oreos, Alligator & Bison Burgers, giant Corn Dogs, Peanut Butter & Bacon Pizza, and 'Nachos in a Bucket' all within a radius of only a few blocks? Yeah, quality cuisine.

TRIVIA: What did the blond ask her husband at The Big E?

How did they get the Oreo in the middle?

The boys couldn't get enough of the Craz-E Burger . . . a bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between two halves of a fresh glazed donut. Hello heart attack.

Between the four of us, we managed to ingest at least 14+ different food finds around the park grounds. Oh, and we also saw some great state houses, livestock & butter sculptures.

All part of The Big E experience.