As summer has faded and fall has begun, I feel a shift in the air. Not just from temperature, but of promised adventures to come. The new season for me means opening up my antique steamer-style trunk where I keep chunky sweaters, knit dresses and cozy tunics. I’ve missed them. Much like old friends I haven’t seen in six months these garments have stories to tell.
A black mini dress with crochet trim was worn to tea with a good friend. The marled knit tunic with side slits and bell sleeves I wore to an event at my kids’ preschool last autumn. My oatmeal gauzy cardigan with points that dip dramatically accompanied me on a visit to the Guggenheim Museum. I can’t wait to make new memories with them. And, truth be told, I’m also ready to shop for some new fall clothing!
However, as much as I long to crunch through fallen leaves, this week I want the joy of summer to last for just a couple more days. A few weeks ago my husband and I took our young twin daughters to Mystic, Connecticut for a visit. It was magical! There is something about towns situated by water that enchants me. Perhaps this is why I love Jane Austen’s Persuasion so much. The novel’s Lyme Regis coastal scenes, as well as the handsome naval captains, captivate me.
I was born in Manhattan, and have never lived anywhere else, but nautical towns enthrall my senses. Their rich history can feel almost folkloric. On our vacation we went to the Mystic Seaport Museum, which consists of a seafaring village whose buildings preserve a simpler time. Inside some you can even watch artisans working at their crafts.
This was the first time my daughters had seen multiple people dressed in outfits from a bygone era. I truly enjoyed watching both kids soak it all in. Is it any wonder I want a few more weeks of this past charming summer?
To drag it out just a bit, I whipped up what I call “not so homemade ice cream.” Hope your day is wonderful!
They praised the morning; gloried in the sea…
—Jane Austen
Not So Homemade Ice Cream
1.5 quart vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
8 strawberries
12 raspberries
1/4-1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (depends on how much chocolate you prefer)
First let the ice cream defrost a bit and transfer it from the carton into a mixing bowl. Keep the carton. Next pour in the cranberry juice and mix. Then cut the strawberries into thin small pieces and fold into the ice cream. Now slice each raspberry in half, and then in half again and mix into the ice cream. Add in the chocolate chips and stir. Lastly, pour the ice cream back into the original carton and put in the freezer. All the ice cream will not fit back in the original carton, so the remainder should go into a freezer safe container. Every few hours stir the mixture as it hardens to distribute the fruit and chocolate chips evenly. Once frozen enough you can serve it.
(Make sure all the fruit, especially each strawberry, is cut small enough so the pieces are not too frozen when you eat the ice cream as you don’t want to hurt your teeth on the berries)
