Overall, I would say summer is a more difficult transition for me than winter was.  The humidity and mosquitos are unbearable at times, but I have found out the secret to summer happiness in Massachusetts... ICE CREAM.

The ice cream here is better than any I've had in California.  In fact, I ate more ice cream last summer than I have in the last 10 years - no joke!  There are countless family owned dairy farms with small batch ice cream counters open from mid-April to mid-October delivering all kinds of creamy goodness.  Full parking lots, long lines, and men in suits eating ice cream in their cars at 2:00 in the afternoon.  I LOVE this place!

I've decided it would be a noble effort to attempt to identify the "best" ice cream in Massachusetts and I am completely committed to this mission.  To be fair to each establishment, I order the same flavor at each stop - Chocolate Peanut Butter (oh my yummy!)  The current front runner is Rota Springs Farm in Sterling, MA.  The ice cream is delish and the cows are wandering around the property so you can thank them personally.  Let's have an attitude of gratitude people!

It's far too early in this process to declare a winner, but the contenders are:
Kimball Farms in Westford, Lancaster, Carlisle & Jaffray, NH (I've tried in each location and although they are bordering on a chain with all these options, they are small batch at heart)
Bedford Farms in Concord (super snobby high school girls with terrible customer service skills, but this is an ice cream competition)
Berlin Farm in Berlin (unfortunately they do not have chocolate peanut butter, but I do my best with the 40 other flavors)

Still on the list to try is Rail Trail in Pepperell, but I'd love to hear your favorite too.

I love love, which is a good trait when you’re a wedding planner.  I love to watch it when it is new and gawky; the sweaty palms, butterflies and the grins that hardly fit on your face, but I really like to watch it grow.  Taking steps that say, “I’d like to stay in love with you for a really long time (a.k.a. for as long as we both shall live).”  What better place for this lover of love to spend valentine’s day than Paris and what better place in Paris than le Tour Eiffel?  One of my personal favorites and it clearly ranks up there as one of the most romantic places on the planet. Every time we visit this fabulous city a peek at this grande dame is first on the list.  Even as the trip progresses and I walk around a corner and catch an unexpected glimpse of her, I can’t help but gasp.  She is to me a significant landmark in my own love story.

So here I sit, on Valentine’s Day, with a collection of favorites, my fabulous red, crushed velvet coat (tres chic!), a bench in Champ de Mars, jambon-buerre and some bubbles.  Sadly, my favorite of all is nowhere to be found.  This extended time in Paris is a result of a cancelled flight yesterday and is hence, sans-Prince.  We’d all agree that there are worse cities to be “stuck” in so I’m making the most of it.  To that end, I plan to sit on this bench, watching people mesmerized by one of my true happy places until I see some darling boy drop down on one knee in front of a sweet, un-expecting bride to be to say, “I’d like to stay in love with you for a really long time.”  Yes, I have my hankie (from the Paris flea market) at the ready.

Je t'aime mon chéri  

Another transition from California to Massachusetts is produce, or lack thereof.  The growing season is very short and the weather is unpredictable (at least to me!) so I've had to adjust my fruit and veggie calendar a bit.  I'm accustomed to strawberries (from the stand across Saratoga Ave.) on Easter, but here they are ready to pick the last week of June.  Peaches (from Emily & Jason's tree) on the fourth of July are now enjoyed in mid-August; the tomatoes are only just getting good and kids have gone back to school already.  Forget about figs... they are $2 each and come from CA.  The days of canning fig bliss are behind me.

I'm embracing these changes and all things New England by doing fun new things like picking my own fruit.  On July 1, I spent a leisurely morning picking strawberries from Verrill Farm followed by jam making that afternoon.  A couple of weeks later I picked blueberries (for the first time ever!)  from Carver Hill Orchard; pies, pancakes, and compote, yum!  A few days before the moving truck arrived, I picked peaches from Nashoba Valley Winery (1/2 mile from our house!) to make my ever-popular bourbon poached peaches.

Keith's Uncle Jim and lovely wife, Judy hosted our fun adventure on the Cowlitz River (a tributary of the Columbia).  It was my first fishing trip and I had no idea what to expect.  I had only been told to bring rubber boots since I would have to climb out of the boat in shallow water to trek into the woods to use the "ladies room"... awesome!  And by awesome, I mean awful.  It's true, some refer to me as Princess Wendy but never are my actions so princess-like as when it comes to the restroom.  And with that we will cease this portion of the conversation.  Anyway, with rubber boots and pants from REI (don't even get me started on why functional clothing is not only ugly, but expensive too!) I was ready for the day.  Clearly, I'm a novice as I had all my gear organized in a gorgeous Dooney & Burke tote bag that I would NEVER put on the floor of a boat that squirmy fish were about to flop about on.  Amazingly, the kind anglers that the rest of the group were did not throw me overboard.

Similarly to the way I am quickly acclimating to my new country life, I was touching salmon roe with my bare hands and heeding instructions from every direction when I finally caught something - "Fish On!"  It turned out to be a gorgeous day with only 30 minutes of rain.  We caught a few wild salmon (have to throw those back - drat!) and many that we sent home with Jim & Judy.  We ended up with thirty-five pounds of filets that Rob, our fearless guide, prepared with deft sous-chef skill on the back of the boat.  It was so much fun, we're already planning a return trip in the spring.  I mean, I bought these pants after all, I might as well wear them!