Saturday, April 30, 2011

Labbit Travels: Portsmouth NH Day 3



On the third day in Portsmouth, Pipkin visited the Strawberry Banke Museum, but was disappointed at a) the lack of strawberries b) the museum not actually being about strawberries and c) not officially opening until the next day, when Pipkin would be home in Vermont.

The grounds were open to those walking (or hopping) through, so Pipkin took a stroll around the olde buildings. He thought this tire swing was a lot of fun. Shouldn't all tire swings be this cool?

The best part of the Strawberry Banke Museum for Pipkin was the Victorian Children's Garden. Pipkin thought the garden was well cared for but a little lonely, until he discovered (or rather, was discovered by) a black cat patrolling the gardens and the greenhouse.




The cat seemed a little surprised to see a labbit in the garden considering the museum was closed. Suspicious that the labbit might steal some of the garden veggies, he kept an eye on Pipkin from inside the greenhouse...



...then he started to sneak up on him from behind...





...and got closer...





...and well...close enough for inspection.





The kitty approved and hung out with Pipkin for a while.

Pipkin really liked the garden tea party table and wished his labbit friends could have joined him for tea.

Seashells make wonderful plates.


Twisty tree branches and seashell houses make this place magical. The peacock feathers make for wonderful seashell house decor.

At Prescott Park, Pipkin cozied up to a stone carving of a whale. The whale is not to scale!






Neeeener, neeeener. No dogs allowed!


Pipkin definitely needs a friend to play with. If only Domo had come with him. Not that Domo's into tea in the garden, but he would definitely have played dandelion-seedpod checkers on this outdoor bench.

Thhhbbbbbptt!

As the clouds rolled in, Pipkin took a final look at the east coast and said goodbye to Portsmouth. Pipkin will surely be back - next time with friends.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Labbit Travels: Portsmouth NH Day 2



Pipkin woke up and hopped a few steps from the Ale House Inn down to Colby's for breakfast. Colby's serves up food fast, fresh, and cheap! It was a toss up between the Strawberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes or the Tofu Scramble...and Tofu Scramble won out. (He did return the next day for breakfast for the Strawberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes.)

The Tofu Scramble had tofu, black beans, salsa and fresh baby spinach, a side of homefries and some whole wheat toast. Yum! He knew he'd need a lot of protein for the rest of the day.

Colby's Breakfast and Lunch is located at 105 Daniel Street, Portsmouth NH. ph: 603.436.3033
After breakfast he snuggled into the basket of this retro styled Trek BelleVille Cruiser (courtesy of the Ale House Inn) and plotted a route through Portsmouth and out along the coast of the Atlantic.





He hopped out of the basket to sun on some rocks at Wallis Sands State Park, and to dip his paws in some very, very cold Atlantic water. Pipkin's now seen the Pacific and the Atlantic!



After a morning of cycling and sight seeing, Pipkin had some wonderfully moist carrot cake (what else?) at Popovers on the Square before some fine dining at the cozy Black Trumpet Bistro. The menu changes every six weeks and makes the most of local produce, meat and seafood.



Pipkin finished the evening by taking in Man of La Mancha at the Seacoast Repertory Theater. A wonderfully fun packed day for Pipkin!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Labbit Travels: Portsmouth NH

Pipkin arrives in Portsmouth NH and takes a look at the view from his window at the Ale House Inn. From here he can see Memorial Bridge spanning the Piscataqua River with Badger Island Maine on one end and Portsmouth New Hampshire on the other.

When Pipkin travels to urban areas, he tries to connect with as much natural-ness as possible. Here, he cozies up in the woodpile in the lounge at the Ale House Inn.



Pipkin fits right into this little cubby in his room. It's supposed to be for creamers by the coffee maker, but it's so cozy Pipkin decided to move in for a couple nights.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Green and Gray Days at Minards Pond

Pipkin revisits Minards Pond...in spirit. The day is still gray, but the pond is no longer frozen over. Hopefully the next photo will show blue skies or a colorful sunset reflected in the water. Maybe I'll attempt a photo within a photo within a photo.

It was very windy today which made taking this photo really challenging! I also didn't perfectly align the metal beam that Pipkin was on to the beam here, but like I said, it was really windy. I had taken sooooo many photos before this one, and decided I wasn't going to get a good shot so I stood up to leave. Just as I was about to walk away the wind died down a little. I whipped around and snapped a few more pics while the wind was calmer, and didn't realize I had moved a couple steps over. Oh well! This was the best that I could do. Next time, labbit. Next time.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Pipkin Visits A Covered Bridge

Pipkin visits Hall Bridge, a covered bridge in Rockingham, Vermont. This bridge was destroyed by an overloaded truck in 1980 but rebuilt in 1982 with with authenticity in mind - a team of oxen pulled it into place!

The bridge features a lattice design and spans 120' over Saxtons River, which you can see from the diamond shaped windows along the bridge.

Careful in the window, Pip! You don't want to fall out!

Monday, April 25, 2011

April Showers


Clover takes cover from the rain under a bright pink umbrella.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter Sunday!

Pipkin got a white chocolate rabbit (with hazelnut-orange interior) from Burdick Chocolate for Easter.  They make the best treats for the holidays! Pipkin personally visits the Walpole, NH chocolate shop, but if you're not local, you can order their goodies online at the Burdick Chocolate online shop.

His friend Dr. Duck invited Pipkin (and his guitar) to his house to hang out with his friends and eat, make music and play backyard games. Pipkin enjoyed all the wonderful local food and the company of his friends. Happy Easter, everyone!

Labbits Like: Edamame Wasabi Dip


Captain Holly loves all foods green, spicy, and Asian inspired, so he whipped up this Edamame Dip, spicing it with garlic and wasabi, and adding some zing with lemon. Break out your food processors! This takes no time at all, so you'll be dipping your rice crackers or veggies in no time flat. Print the recipe here.

Edamame Wasabi Dip
Ingredients:
16 oz pkg frozen, shelled Edamame
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced 
2 tsp wasabi powder
S+P to taste
1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid from edamame


Preparation:
Bring 6 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add edamame and boil until tender, about 3 - 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Immerse in a prepared ice bath to stop cooking and cool the edamame.

Add cooled edamame, lemon zest, garlic, and wasabi powder to a food processor and puree, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Slowly add in the lemon juice and oil, stopping to scrap down the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you would like a thinner dip, add water reserved from cooking the edamame, 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency.

Serve with rice crackers, pita chips, veggies or whatever else you want to dip!

Yields: 2 generous cups of protein packed spicy goodness. 

Saturday, April 23, 2011

An Ear For The Sweet Spots

Pipkin attended a piano recital at the Brattleboro Music Center today, and nabbed himself the best seat in the audience by climbing onto the sound dampening structure in the recital hall. He thought the pianists (all students who have studied with the wonderful Susan Dedell) did a fantastic job and he felt uplifted, rejuvenated and completely inspired! He hopped home humming Scarlatti, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Chopin and a modern French Canadian composer named Pierre Gallant. One day he'll be good enough to perform on his blue guitar, but until then, it's practice, practice, practice.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Labbits Are Literate

Ted says goodnight to the Rockingham Public Library. He's spent a good portion of his day inside in the cozy comfort of their leather reading chairs and it's time for him to hop on home. The library closes at sunset, and hopefully Ted will see some pink and purple skies as he makes his way back to the warren.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Smorkin' Labbit Gives Up The Smork

...for at least one night anyway...Captain Holly's trying to cut back on his smorkin'. But he needs something to keep himself alert when he's on guard duty at night. Sugary lollipops are doing the trick for now. And I don't know about you, but I think he's still looking pretty badass, even without the smorks.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Melancholy Labbit

Clover and Pipkin cheer up a melancholy labbit.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Peace Please


Pipkin sits on a cannon in Central Square, Keene, NH. He's glad this cannon and the cannonballs seem to be for decor only. He'd hate for anyone to actually fire upon downtown Keene. Peace, everyone.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Train To Nowhere

Pipkin poses in front of a train car that hasn't moved in a very long time.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

A Lonely Place

Pipkin feels out of place here. And it smells funny and it's making his 'stache twitch. Best not to stay too long here.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Labbits Like: Spiced Banana Yogurt Nog



The labbits were very excited to receive a copy of the Kripalu Cookbook in the mail today. It's filled with fantastic vegetarian recipes. If you have ever had the privilege of taking a course or staying at Kripalu, the yoga and health center in the beautiful Berkshires of western Massachusetts, then you have experienced the food first hand, and you know it is first rate! Print the recipe here.

Pipkin slices up the banana, Clover brings the honey and yogurt, and Teddy measures the spices.

The labbits will no doubt share their upcoming adventures in cooking from this cookbook, but today they start off with a quick and easy yogurt drink that Indians call lassi. According to the Kripalu cookbook, lassi is "served with spicy foods, with sweets, or as a small meal." This was a nice mildly spiced creamy and cool drink, and the labbits enjoyed it as an evening nightcap. The labbits may have to put a Vermont spin on it by substituting the honey with maple syrup. Well, dig out your blenders or food processors, and get ready to whip this up!

Spiced Banana Yogurt Nog

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 banana (optional, or 1/2 cup berries)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Preparation:
In a blender of food processor, blend together all of the ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately.

Yields: About 4 cups.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Pipkin Gets A Trim

Pipkin was feeling like his 'stache needed a little help.


Not content with hitting up just any old barber, he decided to go with the best: Nick Sansone at Moda Suo Salon in Keene, New Hampshire. If anyone understands texture and color, it's Nick. So Nick broke out the booster seat for Pipkin, gave the 'stache a trim and carefully chose the right Bumble and bumble products to help Pipkin keep those rich warm tones and maintain proper 'stache grooming. Pipkin's looking quite handsome now!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Pipkin And His Blue Guitar

Pipkin heads down Daffodil Hill. Where's he going with that blue guitar?

Ooh! Looks like he's going to take lessons at the Brattleboro Music Center! Visit the BMC's website to learn more about their performances and programs. They have group and individual instruction for kids and adults, in 15 different instruments and in voice, and they have plenty of fun workshops throughout the year. You can get together with other musicians and join an ensemble or the student orchestras. There's lots of joy in making music, so make it a part of your life!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Misty Twilight


Pipkin admires the lights through the mist as twilight descends on Bellows Falls.