the Topiary Garden

While we were in Ohio for Thanksgiving, I made Brad take a detour by Topiary Park in Columbus. He had never seen it before, & since it is one of my favorite places in the city, we simply had to stop.

Topiary Park is a privately funded park on the grounds of the former Ohio School for the Deaf (a magnificent building), just east of downtown. The park features a topiary interpretation of George Seurat’s famous painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte." It is amazing how much the topiary have grown in the five years since I left Columbus; you can really see the painting now.

This is the real painting - it's massive. It's breathtaking. It's genius. It's beautiful. It hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. I could have sat there all day & looked at it:

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

And this is Topiary Park:

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Do you see it? The dog? The lady with the umbrella? It's all there.

The man with the pipe (my favorite character):

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

The man with the pipe:

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Isn't it fantastic? I love innovative public art!

I'm thankful...

for my funny, compassionate, fabulous husband! He:

goes Black Friday shopping in New York City


is a cycling wonder


loves ice cream (or in this case gellato) almost as much as I do


is a master at putt-putt golf


can be goofy at times


loves Cedar Point more than anywhere else


has never met a palm tree he didn't like to relax on


is a lover of trees


always studies the wine list


is a power nap-taker


pretends to be an Indians (& Seminoles) fan for my sake


looks awfully dashing in a tux

I'm thankful...

for all the opportunities to travel the world.

Barbados

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Chicago

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Las Vegas

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Florida

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New York City

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Turks and Caicos

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Bahamas

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Seattle

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Canada

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Maine

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Boston

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Sicily

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Pompeii

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Florence

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Rome

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Pisa

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Villefranche, France

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Barcelona

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I'm thankful...

for my wonderful family... past, present & future.

Thanksgiving Day, 2008


Wedding day, 2007


at an Indians game with my awesome brother-in-law, 2010


One of my four aunts, one of my four uncles, three of my 14 cousins, 2008


Welcoming my brother home from six years of Air Force service, 2010


Dad & me in Barbados, February 2010

I'm thankful...

for my amazing friends.

Forever friends...


New(er) friends...


Very dear friends...


Friends who were your friends way back when...

(we were so young once!)

Your husbands friends who became your friends...


(a countdown leading up to Thanksgiving on what I'm most thankful for)

list 25 - things I'm likely to buy at Target (other than what I've come to buy)

(yup, way behind on my lists... what time is better to get back into it than the present?)

1. junk in the $1 spot
2. cute ballet flats
3. sweaters for Brad
4. greeting cards
5. another black purse
6. turtlenecks and/or cardigans and/or t-shirts
7. some food item on an end cap that I wasn't looking for
8. boxed wine
9. holiday decorations
10. luggage
11. gum
12. chap stick
13. picture frames
14. Kleenex
15. another hair brush
16. sheets
17. candy

(and what did I go there for? probably toothpaste, laundry detergent, and deodorant)

Published!

A few weeks ago the Orange County Register contacted me to see if they could use one of my photos in an article for their Travel section on "America's Best Breakfasts." I was excited about this for two reasons:

1. I love sharing my photos with people who wouldn't normally get to see them, like people in California.

and, more importantly,

2. I have a serious soft spot in my heart for a traditional all-American breakfast.

I was even more excited when they sent me the link to the article today. Not only was my photo in there but, hello, two of my favorite breakfast places were featured (I'm looking at you Athenian Inn and Lou Mitchell's)!

So, without further ado, click on the link above to read the article and check out my photo of the fabulous Athenian Inn in Pike Place Market, Seattle below:

I'm dreaming...

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

of when it looks like this outside

(go ahead, hate me)

Recipe Tuesday: Butternut Squash "fries"

Mega Yum

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Do you love french fries? I do. If you name a restaurant within a three mile radius of our house, I can probably tell you if they have good fries or not (Hard Times Cafe & King Street Blues tie for most awesome fries in Old Town). But I hate how bad fries are for you.

Enter: butternut squash french fries. They look like fries. They taste like fries. But they're actually butternut squash. Total Weight Watchers points value: 1. Let the world rejoice!

Butternut Squash Fries

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 18 min

Ingredients
- 3 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
- 1 pound(s) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, long “neck” cut into sixteen 3/4-inch-thick sticks
- 1 tsp table salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste (optional) (I didn't have any, so I used an all-purpose seasoning & it did the trick)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Arrange squash fries on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and chili powder; liberally coat with cooking spray.
- Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 14 to 18 minutes. Yields 4 fries per serving.

Notes
Start with a large squash. You will end up using about 1 lb of squash and have the “bulb” of the squash left over.

Any hard winter squash will work in this recipe.

Since every day should be Veterans Day...

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

... I don't feel guilty posting my Veterans Day post four days late.

Thank you to all the brave men & women who have served & continue to serve our great nation. The sacrifice you & your families make to protect our freedoms can't possibly be appreciated enough. We are the land of the free because of you, the brave.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Recipe Tuesday: Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

There is no one who loves coffee more than I do (I take that back, I have a good friend who makes, and drinks, at least one pot a day).

Anyway, the only thing I don't like about coffee is how expensive it is to buy from a restaurant/coffee house. Which is why I was really excited to find this recipe for crock pot pumpkin spiced latte's! Is there anything more perfect for fall?

Note: this recipe is also gluten free!

Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (I used 1%)
- 2 T canned pumpkin
- 2 T white sugar
- 2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
- 1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

- garnish with whipped cream (optional) (lets be honest though, this isn't really optional)

Directions
This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crock pot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crock pot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon.