Smackdown: "Living Our Best Lives" vs. "I Want to Be the Girl with the Most Cake"

Thom said he first heard the ubiquitous phrase on the Real Housewives.  Like everyone else, he hasn't stopped saying it since.  Rutger, our Pines houseguest, photographed him putting words into action on a perfect Saturday afternoon.

Rutger--he's in the foreground--took this Instagram-worthy beach selfie, too.  Look closely and you'll see another Tom, our token straight man for the weekend.  The floppy hat gives him away.   

Both Tom and Thom share a love of napping.

Best lives include alcohol and good eats, too.  Chris made vodka stingers, recalling the minty vodka cocktail as the first he ever imbibed in the Pines, more than 30 years ago at the Muller cottage.  The drink has a storied history.

Varick whipped up some lemon posset for dessert.  It definitely turned out better than the key lime pie I made Sunday night, using Nora Ephron's recipe from Heartburn, the roman a clef/cookbook she wrote about her divorce.  

Snails live their best lives when it's wet.

Cloudy days are kind to seniors wearing gender-queer t-shirts they made more than 20 years ago, shortly after Hole recorded "Doll Parts."

You know it's a rainy day when Thom reads.  I LOVED Less!

The audiobook seems to be quite popular among Jack Russell terriers in Chicago, too.

Codger Fun

Tom bought us tickets for "Bat Out Of Hell" (super fun!) at City Center.  I made him a healthy brunch beforehand in my freshly repainted kitchen.

Coney Island Saturday Night

Thom and I drove to Coney Island Saturday evening.  He'd never been before.

I fall in love with the place all over again every time I visit.

Locals were chillin' on the boardwalk.

We grabbed a bite at the Tatiana Grill in Brighton Beach.  I stuck with Russian fare:  beer, borscht and pelmini.

The bottom of the shimmering New York Aquarium, beautifully refurbished after Superstorm Sandy, resembled an Edward Hopper painting.

So many iconic attractions!  An expired parking space dissuaded us from riding the rickety Cyclone.  "Hold on to your wigs and wallets!"

 

Only the hot dogs weren't having a good time!