January 2014: A Connecticut & Cape Cod Update

My first month back in the States has been full. Yesterday I wrote about my trips into NYC to see theater and friends. Today I’ll recap my time in Connecticut and Cape Cod.

The month kicked off with a fun dinner in New Haven with my sister and long-time friend Emily. We’ve known each other for over 25 years… nursery school buddies!

We met at Geronimo Bar & Grill in New Haven and ordered guacamole made tableside. My Cowgirl Chopped Salad is the most artfully arranged dish I’ve ever dived into.

My dad arranged for tickets to a UConn Women’s Basketball game. They are undefeated and ranked #1 in the country right now! We’ve been big Huskies supporters my entire life (both of my parents went to UConn) and despite a blow-out win against Houston (90-40), it was still so much fun to watch this well-oiled machine. These players are at the top of their game.

I’ve spent many days tucked away at home, editing photos and working on future plans. Please note the Young & Restless mug below. And a shout-out to my Mom for keeping a healthy supply of avocados. Your SoCal daughter appreciates this!

We’ve had a few snow days this month…

But then the weather cleared and I got a nice walk in around the neighborhood.

I visited my sweet grandma a few times. It is always such a treat to see her.

My talented cousin David Meyer is the author of two books (and counting): Chaos and Ice Storm. Grandma enjoys her copies!

Photos of my parents with Grandma:

One more round of photos: that’s Bijou, me, and cousin Julie taking our turns posing with Grandma.

Giving bunny fingers is a long-standing photo tradition in our family. My Grandpa Henry especially loved to sneak them into pictures.

And we went out to Cape Cod for a weekend. Here’s my parents’ adorable dog Bijou:

Cape Cod breakfasts are the best breakfasts.

As a DGA member, I’m lucky to receive screeners of many Oscar-nominated films. It’s especially helpful this year as I got so far behind on movies while traveling. Now I’m playing catch up.

My parents took me on a pretty walk in Eastham. This is the Nauset Marsh Trail.

The Buttonbush Trail has special features for the blind, like markings on rope to indicate Braille signage.

This bridge looked fine over New Years, but during the first big storm of 2014 it sustained heavy wind damage. You can see how it’s sort of crooked now.

The Visitor’s Center at the Cape Cod National Seashore is full of nature displays and artwork.

We went on another short walk at Fort Hill.

Dinner at Original Seafood in Dennis is a hit every time.

While we’re on the subject of food, the hummus and chicken shawarma dishes above are from Mamoun’s in New Haven. My cousin Elena & her husband Pete introduced me to this Middle Eastern restaurant and I am so happy to find this food again. The hummus is just like what I ate in Jordan and Israel. I also ordered a side of falafel… SO good. And El had me try the uber-sweet Tamarind drink, which tasted exactly like the one I sampled on the streets of Amman last November. Next time I’ll order more falafel and try the Baba Ganouj. And I didn’t even consider dessert, but in retrospect I can’t believe we didn’t get a piece of baklava. That was my favorite food in Turkey! We’ll have to go back.

Here are a few precious photos of Pete & El and their happy little boy:

I had lots of social dates planned for last weekend. After 10+ months of not seeing these friends, I was ecstatic to finally catch up in person. (And I forgot to snap a photo of Sarah & her sweet daughter Hannah — I’ll remember next time!)

I met up with my college friend Alexis at The Inn on Shipyard Park in Mattapoisett, MA. Such a fun night out. This restaurant is great too — there’s even a little Hollywood excitement at times, as Alexis has spotted Mattapoisett resident Sam Waterston dining there in the past. We enjoyed burgers and wine in this cozy atmosphere.

And I caught up with a few friends from my hometown. Here’s me and the lovely Harmony at J. Christian’s in Wallingford:

And that’s Victoria and her boyfriend Brian in the photo above left, posing at the delicious Gaslight Brasserie in Boston — they very kindly hosted me in the city over the weekend. It is a joy to spend time with them.

This visit to Boston was extra special because Victoria is a guide for Boston Chocolate Tours and they invited me on their Back Bay and South End walks. I’ll do a full post on these tours next week (SO MANY yummy dessert photos to share) but I wanted to plug it now as possibly the best Valentine’s Day gift you can give your loved one. Both of the tours are great — we visited around 7 stops on each one. That is a lot of chocolate, but you won’t hear me complain! Here’s a few of the treats we sampled: