Flynneous: Cooking, Reading & Photographing

Last month I went home for about three weeks to attend my 5th year college reunion (apparently not everyone has these...), my friend Bev's graduation (at our alma mater, way to multi-task Bev!), headed south to visit some friends in Virginia, and then home to my hot, sticky, beloved Mississippi. Now my vacation in pictures...

I woke up in Toronto (layover) and this is what the sky looked like. Can you believe North America? Best place ev-er.

I only had a few days in good ole Providence (which I hadn't graced in 5 years) so I hit the ground running, once I hit the ground. I looked up my friends at my former work place, the Brown U bindery. That was the best job an undergrad could want. A bunch of bluegrass and book lovin' creative types who liked to play word games and play practical jokes!

My favorite arch in the whole world...it's the Whispering Arch (say that in a hushed voice, if you're reading these captions out loud.) My friend Amanda (see below) showed me this some time during our matriculation. If you whisper ever so quietly in one side of the arch, a person listening on the other side can hear your voice like you're in their ear. It is amazing. You think for a second that, of course, it's not that far so you aren't really hearing it through the architecture of the arch, but upon looking behind you, you realize that there's no way a whisper could carry that far...it's the magic of the arch.

Same day as all this I visited my favorite tea shop in the whole world! Tealuxe how I've missed you and the stack of free coupons we scored our senior year! I paid for my tea that day and had bubbles in it. Delish. Now a few more pictures to pay homage to this great place. (Try the Copley Square Vanilla if you're ever in the area.)


My old home, Andrews dormitory, also known as Hotel Andrews because it was and is the best dorm in all of Browndom. I prayed a lot for good housing and got to live here for 2 years!
While we waited for Bev to graduate, my dear, long lost friend Tatiana and I took a tour around Newport, Rhode Island. Beautiful (and chilly) New England breezes and everyone wearing Talbots and J. Crew.

They have some angry fountains there....

At one of the giant houses of Newport, we took out time from our touristing to get in a jump shot or two...this might still count as touristing.


American rickshaws! Who knew? Do you think they were trained by the Chinese men at my metro stop? Then Bev graduated (a few other communal things happened in between the rickshaws and Bev becoming a doctor of medicine.)

We were trying to find the procession line and look what else we found...conservatives at Brown....what are the odds?

Bev is a doctor! A legit one. If you have any aches or pains, let me know and I'll give you her phone number.

Group shot. (Brodie if you're reading this...sorry I didn't get you in here...)It's my other long lost friend Amanda! How I've missed my New England friend and former Andrews cohort. She's become a klepto now though...kind of unfortunate.

Guess where we went after the ceremony? Yep...Tealuxe. (Tati and Jamie who is not long lost, but great all the same.)

Do you see how big things are in America? These are the ingredients for kettle corn. Yes please.

Then I had to say goodbye to my long lost friend. She's going to find me a job in Bean Town though so we'll see each other again.

I drove. Don't know who took this picture, but it's the two curly headed femme fatales up front.

Next stop was the stinkbug graveyard in Virginia.

Where they also had beautiful swiss chard. Too pretty to eat...did anyway though.

Guess who was in Virginia. Hello Baby Gray! Not the best picture I've ever taken of him, but he's lookin' good, right? (Charlotte, take note.)

Then I went home where all kinds of interesting people come into my mom's shop. Most of them great. Some of them heretical...Guess what probably isn't going to happen on May 21, 2011...

I'm just making sure everything still tastes ok.Took a walk along the beach pre-oil arrival. Apparently this bird is trying to hunt fish. Either that or he has a crick in his neck.

Bleh. I'm so devastated that this bird might be coated in petroleum right now.

My quick trip came to an end via New Orleans where my mom and I spent a nice evening an then woke up at the crack of dawn.

See, there she is. A bit out of focus and about to order beignets from Cafe du Monde.


I know it's kind of dark, but I love this picture and the old fleur de lys finials.

Had another layover in Toronto so I did a little sightseeing at night and realized I don't love sightseeing by myself, especially at night in an unfamiliar city. Still the people there were extremely friendly. I really liked them and the city seemed nice. Next time I'll go in the day time...