Gobble Gobble

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Ali

I have always looked forward to Thanksgiving. The succulent turkey roasting away in the oven alongside apple-filled stuffing, the giblets simmering on the stove-top to yielding rich stock to mix with roux, and the sounds of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade coming from the TV. This year, I got to experience that TWICE. My pretty sister and her fiance hosted round one in their cozy and full-of-character apartment here in Portland. After stuffing ourselves to the gills with turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, green beans and mashed potatoes, Miek and I grabbed the dogs and headed to Pine Point for round two. Not a low-cal day!

Traditions are so important, and I’m so thankful that my parents have fostered rituals, tastes and sounds of the holidays! It has created a solid holiday foundation upon which to build our own traditions.

xoxo Al Season’s Greetings!!!!

Portland Head Light

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Ali

When I moved to Portland after college, there were some lonely years. Most of my best friends were from away anyway, and we had met under the trees on the quad at Bates. They went back to NYC, California, Chicago, Michigan. While there were some moments that were challenging (I couldn’t quite bring myself to go out to the bars by myself to meet people, thus having nobody with whom I could go out to the bars to meet people…and on and on), I cherish those solitary, self-sufficient days. I learned how to amuse myself. To slow down, to make friends at work. To eat lunch downtown with a book and my iPod.

Sometimes, when I needed to clear my head, I would make the short drive over the bridge to Cape Elizabeth to sit on a ledge over the rocky coast. With Portland Headlight to my right, and the fort to my left, the craggy boulders beneath me with their simmering tidal pools opening up to the vast expanse of the Atlantic, I could think. Roll in, crash, spray, roll out.

Now that I have a network of friends in the city, and my thoughtful, caring boyfriend, I don’t make it out to the lighthouse as often. I don’t need to. When we want to sun and hear the waves, we go to the sandy beach behind my boyfriend’s parents’ house. Miek had never been to the lighthouse, so this Saturday we took a walk there with Melo. I remembered why I love it there so much. The clarity, salt air, rose-hip perfume swirling around those cliffs.

xo Al

Change of Scenery

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Ali

Sometimes it is nice to get away, even if “away” is only 20 minutes down the road!

trio

Tigger’s Annual Visit

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Ali

My best friend Brooke flew in from Brooklyn on Friday night for our annual summer sister visit. Our friendship is one of those rare and awesome ones that allows for sitting in silence together with good books, some sunshine and a glass of wine.

Portland Has A Music Festival

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Ali

This past weekend, rows of porta-potties were set up, two stages erected on Portland’s East End, houses decorated and food trucks parked to welcome over 15,000 mustache-sporting festival-goers for Mumford and Sons’ Gentlemen of the Road stopover show.

My old Bates roomie and dear friend Emily took the train up from Boston to visit, and we grabbed a blanket, plenty of sunscreen and water and hit the hill.

The headliners put on a flawless show. The setting was beautiful, with a bobbing Atlantic as the backdrop, some anchored boats dancing in the ebb and flow of the water. As the sun set behind us, the sky turned pink.

This was all very lovely. However, my most-favorite moment of the day was HAIM’s set. Three LA sisters graced the stage, all middle-parted long hair and dangerously short cut-offs. Danielle’s stint with Julian Casablancas showed in her guitar solos. The bass player, pardon my language, kicked some serious ass. And all three closed their set with some primal drumming.

So good.

The fried dough wasn’t bad either.