Boatin'

This weekend some friends took us out on thier boat-- it was amazing to be out on the water! I kept calling it the ocean, and was corrected several times-- this is the gulf --

and it is beautiful...

Ladies up top while Tom is at the wheel

Snacks were provided

Good times were had

Show us the way home, Jeff

The Turkey Platter

V: For the last several years, the Gernes family has taken Thanksgiving on the road. Each year, we have been in a different city: New York, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, South Bend, Minneapolis... you get the idea. Somewhere along the way we picked up an uninvited thanksgiving guest...

the turkey platter.

This colorful little stray joined the family somewhere around Milwaukee (I believe it was a gift from Megan's grandmother?) and has been with us ever since. He snuck into the Maynor's trunk for the ride back to Ann Arbor, showed up in the mail in South Bend, and has basically been shadowing our thanksgivings for years.

Cut to present day: Tom and I are here in Florida, getting settled in and minding our own business and no sooner than the condos were booked for thanksgiving when guess who showed up at our door:

Sneaky little bugger. He was traveling with a note from Megan Maynor:

It is on indeed. We can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of our guests! Especially the ones we invited! xo

Oh Happy Day!

T: Florida has world class beaches, wonderful restaurants, a spectacular array of wildlife...and The Wine Warehouse. I am not certain of Corrine's final rankings, although I can say with little doubt based on the embedded picture that Cabernet places substantially higher than Cats.

I have our friend Tara to thank (blame?) for helping Corrine make this monumental discovery, for which we are truly grateful. In fact, I have Tara (and her husband) to thank for a variety of wondeful Florida discoveries made over the past several months. The list includes, but is not limited to: breakfast pizza, brunch at the Vinoy, and the St. Pete iced tea. And for my friends living in The Great White North - please know that if you play your cards right, I will expose you to the wonderment of all these items on your next visit to Florida.

But back to wine. I can say with no reservations that I have learned a great deal about wine in the few short months that Corrine and I have been together. I now drink vino at a fourth grade level, but harbor grand plans to pursue my doctorate degree at some point in the future. I have even begun to occasionally sample a few complimentary cheeses while sipping on a glass of deliciousness (this being a drastic departure from my previous reliance on all things cheddar). So in summary, life is very good and I am continuing to broaden my horizons. The Wine Warehosue is good thing. But having Corrine around to enjoy the wine with...now that's something special.

A new era... a better era... the hammock era...

T: Life. Liberty. The pursuit of happiness. And a hammock. Perhaps our founding father's omitted this fourth cornerstone of Americana, or perhaps they simply realized that it was already such an integral component of the first three items. A wonderful and mystical leavening agent without which the dough of our nation could not rise.

All I know is that our lives have been given a remarkable new depth and purpose, and all this was made possible by a wonderful factory somewhere in India, a conveniently located Lowe's Home Improvement outlet, and the financial backing of our dear Uncle Visa. Mine is not to question why, mine is but to....nap and swing.

V: Upon my arrival in Florida, there were so many things we needed for our new place. A million things that we didn't have for one reason or another:

• vacuum (I haven't had carpet since leaving home)
• lawnmower (ditto about a backyard)
• washer and dryer (not something either of us thought to question when renting a house until we went to do some and found some empty hook-ups in the garage. Huh.)
• paint (the all beige interior-exterior-carpet color scheme left something to be desired)
• a car (in NY you only own a car if you are willing to pay another rent to have it in the city with you)

But the thing I was most excited about was not doing a load of wash without quarters, or getting to listen to my own music en route and sing along with out being 'crazy lady' on the train. No, the thing I have been most excited about was our very own hammock. In our very own back yard.

And now we have one. (sigh) We have both tested it out solo, and with very careful timing and balance, tried it out together. It is honestly my favorite place in our new place, and I see a lot of time being spent out there, sipping some wine or just watching the stars. It is the beginning of a very good era.