Life Through the Lens

Monday, October 18, 2010

Bah-ston

Actually, we did not hear a single person with a true Boston accent the entire time we were there. Disappointing really.

My expectations were really low for our visit to Boston. I have no idea why, for the city has never given me a reason to doubt it. The good thing about low expectations is that they are easily exceeded. And boy where they. What a great place! The history! The architecture! The green public spaces! The cannoli! Ohhh... the cannoli in the Italian district was to die for.

So bravo to you Boston. I've now added you to my list of places I would like to spend a little bit more time in.

Beautiful Beacon Hill windows

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

obligatory Cheers photo

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

historic Faneuil Hall

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

the best cannoli I have ever had, including the one I had in Naples, Italy - thumb's up to Mike's Pastry!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Hello out there!

Hello faithful blog readers!

A bit of a confessional: I'm still editing vacation photos from August. This has made blogging quite the chore. There is so much that I want to share with you... and yet not enough hours in the day to do so.

I've been thinking about changing some things up in this here bloggity blog, but I'd like to hear from you first: what do you want more of? Less of? Any ideas? And, most importantly, who are you? Google analytics tells me people are reading this... but I'm not sure who you are. So drop me a comment below if you read my blog on even a semi-regular basis!

For your hard work, here's a picture that makes me smile:

Friday, October 8, 2010

Titanic

The city of Hallifax, Nova Scotia & the Titanic disaster are linked, probably more closely than many Nova Scotians would like. It was trans-Atlantic cable laying boats that were sent to recover bodies of Titanic victims from the North Atlantic. The survivors went to New York City. The dead went to Halifax.

328 bodies were recovered from the water, with 209 being returned to Halifax. 119 badly damaged, or deteriorated bodies were buried at sea. Of the 209 brought to Halifax, 150 are buried there - 19 in Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetary, 10 in Baron de Hirsch Jewish Cemetery, and 121 in Fairview Lawn Cemetary. 44 of these souls remain unidentified. (The rest that were identified were shipped out to their families')

There are Titanic artifacts that you can see at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, a museum well worth its cost of admission. These include one of a handful of surviving deck chairs (that's it below) & a tiny pair of shoes that belonged to the "unknown child," who was recovered by rescue crews a few days after the Titanic sinking and was unidentifiable.

Seeing the artifacts & headstones (almost all identical & provided by the White Star Line) was really interesting & made the disaster seem very real, despite the almost 100 years that have passed since.

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

a larger headstone, purchased by the family

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

victim identified many years after burial

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

an unidentified victim

John Dawson, whose story has nothing to do with Jack Dawson from the movie "Titanic"

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Autumn

A brief break from summer vacation photos for an ode to my favorite season, autumn.

Lake Union, Seattle, Washington
Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Bainbridge Island, Washington
Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington
Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Chicago, Illinois
Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

And, of course, my favorite fall pictures of all:

(wedding photos by the fabulous Mary Kate McKenna)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Recipe Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup

I've been trying to cook at home more & try new recipes, so I thought I'd start a new thing on this ol' bloggity blog: Recipe Tuesday. Every Tuesday (give or take a week or two), I'll share a recipe that I've found, successfully made & managed not to kill anyone with. If I'm extra good, I'll try to include some photos of the cooking process.

This week: Butternut Squash Soup , courtesy of one of my coworkers.

When the weather turns chilly, there isn't anything better in the world than homemade soup. I made this for dinner Sunday night along with a grilled cheese sandwich for Brad & had it again for lunch on Monday. It will refrigerate well for a few days, & also will freeze well in small batches. My biggest tip is not to puree it too much - we might have been over-zealous, & it made the soup a little thinner than my personal preference.

¼ stick butter
1 onion, chopped
4 lbs. butternut squash – peeled, seeded cut into chunks
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 gala apple, peeled, cored, diced
2 cups half & half, light cream or milk
2 tbsp. apple brandy
½ tsp. ground nutmeg ( I like a little more)
salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth, apple. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash and apple are tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Add half & half , brandy, nutmeg, salt & pepper.

Adjust seasonings to taste. Also can add more liquids to adjust to desired thickness.

Note: after adding half & half, soup should not boil.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Nova Scotia, eh?

This is ridiculously charming Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia (population 65). Located about 45 minutes southwest of Halifax, this tiny fishing/lobstering village has become a mecca for tourists due to its beautiful lighthouse. Yet, despite having more visitors than residents the day we were there, it still felt quaint.

How gorgeous is this place? Seriously, is anyone in Nova Scotia in need of a media professional? Because I am all set to move here.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Coastal Living

I am so in love with this photo

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

list 24 - Things I've Been Doing Instead of Blogging

1. enjoying crisp autumn evenings on our balcony

2. brainstorming new, healthy recipes with the hopes that we can start cooking at home more & eating out less (please pass along your favorites!)

3. planning an event with four NCAA Division I men's basketball coaches, 600 volunteers & leadership from the organization I work for - it went off ~~without a hitch~~ despite some drama yesterday.

4. finishing up editing our summer vacation photos - many more to share

5. plotting out our next steps in this crazy life of ours

6. celebrating our four year anniversary of getting engaged by having dinner at the same restaurant & visiting the spot where it all went down

7. watching Ohio State win their first three football games

8. trying to decide when it is the perfect temperature out to enjoy my first Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte

9. raising money for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at the end of October (same fabulous day as the Stewart/Colbert rally on the Mall!)

10. trying out a new toe nail polish for the first time in five plus years - good bye "I'm not really a waitress," hello generic, non-$9 bottle of polish that looks almost exactly the same!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

We Remember... We Must Never Forget

Nine years ago (how has it been nine years?), my life, as well as yours, was profoundly changed. None of us will forget where we were (sitting in a political communications class at Florida State University, having just started my sophomore year), how we felt (overwhelmed & angry), or the immediate days afterward (there was also a wild rumor that, because Jeb Bush was governor of Florida at the time, that someone would try to poison Tallahassee's water supply, so we should only drink bottled water).

Ironically, we have never been to the Pentagon memorial here in D.C. On the five year anniversary of the attacks, in 2006, we went & sat on a grassy hill overlooking the Pentagon & watched as they lit up 189 lights (64 for the people on American Airline Flight #77, 125 for the people killed in the Pentagon), shooting into the night sky. Maybe this year is finally the year to face whatever emotions will come of it & visit the Pentagon memorial.

Every time I visit New York City, I make it a point to head down to Ground Zero to check out the progress that has been made. On my last visit, I was glad to see that they were actually making real progress. Below are some photos from Ground Zero over the years:

December 2008

Friday, September 10, 2010

Five for Friday

1. Holy wowzers, Batman! Autumn has returned to the D.C. area in force today & I couldn't be happier about it. It was a crisp 65 degrees in the house this morning, with the windows wide open & a great breeze moving through the place. These days call for sweatshirts, jeans & mugs of coffee while watching football. Too bad it's a work day :)

2. With the return of fall can only mean one thing: the return of football season! The college games kicked off last week (very proud of OSU so far) & the NFL season kicked off last night. Brad & I are beyond excited & looking forward to a great season for all the teams we cheer for. Additionally, we (I) discovered last night that our TV does picture-in-picture, thus allowing me to watch Ohio State vs. Miami & Florida State vs. Oklahoma at the same time this weekend. All is right in the world.

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

3. Last weekend, we were in Minneapolis visiting my grandparents & other family that lives there. We had a heck of a good time just sitting around & talking, BBQ-ing, & taking my three cousins (ages 12, 11 & 6) to breakfast Monday morning. I'm so lucky to have grandparents that are not only still alive, but relatively young. I am thankful for every minute of quality time I get to spend with them.

4. Even though it was only a four day week, this week has seemed to drag on forever. Why is that?

5. Finally, I have a special September 11th blog post prepared for tomorrow, but I just had to share the email that Brad just forwarded me from his boss:

Subject: Have a good weekend

"All:

"Tomorrow is September 11th. Take a moment as you rush through your Saturday to think about what you are thankful for.

"For me, days like September 11th are important reminders to focus on what is important and not to sweat the small stuff."

Wow. Powerful.

& she's exactly right. Take a moment tomorrow, hang up Old Glory with pride, give the people you love a hug & remember those lost nine years ago.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Sea Kayaking, Anyone?

We love to do different, adventurous things when we travel. Hiking Mt. Vesuvius in Italy. Sea kayaking in Bar Harbor. Hmmm... doesn't seem quite as adventurous, but it really was. It was also tons & tons of fun!

Being out in a tandem kayak, with just our guide, a few other boats & nature could not be beat. We saw lots of wildlife - osprey, bald eagles, harbor seals, loons & lots of other birds. The water was crystal clear & a crisp 60 degrees. Trees & glacial debris hundreds of years old surrounded us as we paddled through the Atlantic Ocean, with the wind to our backs helping us along. It was an awesome experience! A huge shout out to National Park Sea Kayak & our great guide Elana. Thanks to you, we're hooked!

Brad, ready to go

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

list 23 - things that kicked butt on our vacation

(a teaser of more blog posts to come!)

1. sea kayaking in the Atlantic Ocean (such an obvious response for #1)
2. being totally unreachable by the outside world for nine days
3. fresh Maine lobster
4. the zoo of towel animals we had going in our stateroom by the end of the cruise (that would be a monkey, elephant, stingray & ram/dog)
5. ordering a sugar-free & regular dessert every night, enjoying a bite of each & comparing the two
6. 65° in August
7. seeing the matching, perfectly lined up graves of the Titanic victims
8. climbing on the rocks in Peggy's Cove
9. awesome cannoli's at Mike's Pastry in Boston
10. holding a live lobster
11. Maine wild berry ice cream in Kennebunkport (I do realize that more than several of these have to do with food...)
12. Captain Espen Been
13. hearing about our waiter's wife & children back in India
14. gorgeous sunsets over the north Atlantic
15. my husband in a tux
16. the beautiful Boston Public Gardens
17. awesome salmon at McKelvies in Halifax
18. how surprisingly nice Halifax was
19. jeans & sweatshirts in August (really, the weather couldn't be beat)
20. quaint architecture in St. John, New Brunswick
21. being called "young person" a lot... made me feel better about getting carded at a restaurant the other day
22. calm seas
23. finishing an entire book
24. taking 1100 pictures
25. some good, quality time with Brad, sans BlackBerry