Is there a sadder phrase than ‘the last day of summer‘? Perhaps ‘the last day of fall’. Or maybe just the term ‘winter’. At any rate, we’ve reached the technical end of the sunny season, but before delving totally into cashmere and corduroy, let’s take one final dip in the pool – a last remembrance of the highlights that the summer of 2013 provided. It was, after all, a Summer of Love.
It began with a return to a family tradition: a trip to Broadway with my Mom to see the season’s best shows. In this case, it was the spectacular Tony-winning production of ‘Kinky Boots‘ and the equally-spectacular (and equally-Tony-winning) revival of ‘Pippin‘. If forced to pick a favorite, I’d go with the Boots. Somewhere in that weekend was a birthday dinner with Suzie too.
It was the summer of Gatsby too, as JoAnn joined us for a Gatsby-themed party, and some summer dishes.
Cocktails are always called for, especially in the heat and sun of the season. A few notables were this cherry muddler (which effectively got me over my aversion to muddling) and the vesper, but also some Bloody Marys, a pina colada, this lychee concoction, the tequila cranberry cooler, a gloriously chilly limoncello delight, and a classic lavender drink.
The twins continued their quick growth – both physically and mentally – just beginning to talk up a storm, and entering their ‘Why?’ phase.
I finally got to meet my #1 stalker (and trust me, it takes a stalker to love one).
One of the happiest highlights of this summer was visiting Portland, Maine for the wedding of our friends Lonnie and Eric.
Madonna laid low while editing her MDNA Tour DVD, but The Madonna Timeline continued, with some memorable trips down musical lane, including ‘Crazy For You‘.
There were some noteworthy fragrances perfect for the summer season, including this gem from Hermes, and this new one from Tom Ford. (But don’t forget the Rive d’Ambre!)
Music fueled the more moody posts on here, especially with songs like ‘Life in Mono‘, ‘Carry On‘, ‘Misty‘, ‘Darling Be Home Soon‘ and ‘Verdi Cries‘.
Hard to believe, but this also marked the year of my 20th high school reunion. Again, don’t do the math.
Throughout it all, the weather stayed largely hot, with a decent deal of sun, perfect for getting naked in the pool, day or night, and comparing my naked ass then with my naked ass now.
This year marked my premiere on Instagram. (So far only one of my pictures was banned…)
Summer is also the season of shirtlessness, and the many Hunks that paraded through the hot days included the likes of the following:
- Nick Adams
- Ryan Bertroche
- Tomas Brand
- Allen Clippinger
- Justin Deeley
- James Deen
- Godfrey Gao
- Matt Harvey
- Ben Hunt
- Choi Ho Jin
- Elijah Johnston
- Matthew Kirk
- Garrett Neff
- Ryan Paevey
- Tom Rodriquez
- Brandon Rubendall
- Ian Somerhalder
- Leighton Stultz
- Marty Westmoore
There was a holiday memory in the midst of summer, and I managed to get myself kicked out of Starbucks without even trying.
It was also the summer I started to cook, in earnest, and just in time for a kitchen renovation this fall (good timing as always). It was all about the FRV (fish, rice, vegetable) trio, much of which was done on the grill. Favorites included a quinoa salad, these super grilled scallops, a raspberry-based summer salad, some figs, a lemon dijon vinaigrette salad, bitch-slap brownies, and the simplicity of a poached egg.
In July this website hit a major milestone, at least for a personal blog.
And in August I celebrated my birthday at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s estate and gardens, where it began and ended with the written word.
Finally, there was always magic to be found on summer weekends in Boston. The college kids were away, the air was warm, and the tree-lined streets of the South End offered shade and romance. It was a time of Freedom, sunsets, and quiet mornings (and evenings) in the condo.
All in all, it was a good season, but it’s time to say good-bye. Hell, after last summer’s dismal showing, it couldn’t be anything but better. Here’s looking forward to a fabulous fall.
