WordRidden

Monday, October 26th, 2026

Bavette steak at Kindling The most delicious prawns with garlic butter and bisque sauce at Amari Cauliflower fritters with yogurt and pomegranate at The Vine House Beef tartare with pickles, peppercorns and Parmesan at Plateau Jeremy at The Vine House

Jeremy and I treated ourselves to four(!) Octoberbest meals last week.

We went to one restaurant we hadn’t visited in years (Plateau), one new restaurant we’d been wanting to try (The Vine House), one more established restaurant we’d been wanting to try (Kindling) and one restaurant we already love (Amari).

They were all very different and delightful in their own way. Plateau was dark and cozy and included a lovely glass of wine with its set meal. The bustling Vine House served up spot-on bistro cooking and the most gorgeous glass of Grüner Veltliner (not included in the set menu but worth every extra penny). Amari once gain pulled off the combination of a friendly, buzzy, relaxed atmosphere and simply outstanding food (it was worth going out in a gale to get there on Saturday night!). And it was perfect to wrap up with the weekend at Kindling with steak, loads of sides, and a bottle of red wine. We made good choices!

8:58pm

Thursday, October 22nd, 2026

An outdoor 50-meter pool with six lanes which are quite busy with swimmers. The sky is blue, but clouds are building on the horizon. A long shot of Brighton Pier and the beach under a blue sky. It’s quite blustery and the sea is wavy and foamy.

The calm before the storm—relative calm, anyway, because it’s already quite windy on the seafront. Still, we got very lucky for our Thursday Swim Squad session, since the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t (yet) blowing a gale.

Admittedly, the pool temp was only about 18C/64F, which may have caused me to curse a little as I plunged in, but I stayed the course and treated myself to a hot chocolate afterwards.

2:29pm

Wednesday, October 21st, 2026

A sunny corner with grass and flowers, with a picnic table upon which a plastic orange cat is perched. The sign on the grass reads The back of my t-shirt from Ned's, which reads

One of my favorite places to eat in St. Augustine is Ned’s Southside Kitchen. It has a classic diner vibe, and it has literally everything on its menu. Burger or sandwich? Sure. Salad? Yep. Liver and onions, fried chicken, or meatloaf? Yes. Also tacos, eggplant parm, fried shrimp, fish and grits, various pasta dishes, occasional prime rib, and even escargot (I’m not kidding). And somehow everything is delicious, and the unsweet tea is always fresh, and the vibe is just right. AND: their mascot is an orange cat named Milo who has since crossed the rainbow bridge but who continues to grace the back of the servers’ t-shirts to this day.

They always had t-shirts available to buy and I always meant to get one but somehow never did. I didn’t see any on display during this last visit, so I asked our friendly server Sandra if they had any shirts available somewhere. She said she’d go and find out. My request ultimately led to one of the young cooks having to open a trap door in the ceiling by the bathrooms and clamber into the attic to rummage around, where he found one lone shirt left in my size—and it happened to be black, the color you will find me wearing the most. I was so, so grateful to Sandra and the young cook. I absolutely love my shirt featuring Milo, and I’m glad we got to pay a visit to Milo’s memorial corner outside the restaurant after lunch. Thank you, Ned’s!

12:48pm

Friday, October 16th, 2026

The space shuttle solid rocket boosters on display outside at Kennedy Space Center, white and orange against a deep blue sky, Former astronaut Bruce Melnick wearing a blue flight suit and standing in front of the space shuttle Atlantis on display at the space center. A collection of rockets on display outside against an ominous dark sky.

We spent a wonderful day at Kennedy Space Center last weekend with shuttle astronaut Bruce Melnick

2:41pm

Wednesday, October 7th, 2026

Picture

Autumn has arrived all at once, and that’s as good a reason as any for the outstanding chicken katsu curry from Goemon Ramen 🍂🍛

6:06pm

Monday, October 5th, 2026

Brighton Pier and the beach silhouetted against a brilliant orange sunset. The bouncy sea and shingle shore under the evening sky with tangerine clouds on the horizon. Brighton Pier, the beach and the promenade silhouetted against a brilliant orange sunset.

Went for a gorgeous sunset swim this evening to make the most of the balmy weather while it lasts 🌅

9:58pm

Saturday, September 26th, 2026

The band on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience. A selfie of Jeremy and me at the gig, all dressed up.

Went to see the Afghan Whigs tonight!

11:37pm

Friday, September 25th, 2026

A selfie of me on the beach in a bathing suit squinting into the sun. Glassy green water catching the sun on Brighton beach. The calm blue water of rocky Brighton beach on a sunny day

Definitely getting a “last of the summer swims” vibe, but the gorgeous weather is holding on for now. The water is a bit cooler, but it was soft and clear, and I loved how the sunlight caught the waves and turned them glassy green. Not a long swim, but a lovely one.

5:08pm

The best possible

Wednesday, June 24th, 2026

Or not.…

Jitterbugs 2025

Monday, September 8th, 2025

The journey isn’t always what you think it’s going to be…