Friday, Saturday, Sunday, January 21-23, The first big snow storm of 2005.

Friday evening Cat, Jordy and Lor came up. We did some filming for our cooking show. Then had a snack at Applebys. This carosel horse presided over our table. He doesn't look too friendly.

Cat and Jordy ...Nachos oblige.

The next day, Saturday, it began to snow at about noon and just kept snowing... Nick and I decided the perfect solution would be ...fondue by the fire. I did both Bourguignon and Fromage.

Nick set everything up...perfectly, I might add.

Very important for fondue bourguignon...the sauces. In this case, horseradish, dijon mustard, steak sauce and tomato mayonaise.

Here the multi- talented Nick pours an extraordinary wine that he chose from our cellar...

His choice was absolutly, totally perfect.

I love dipping bread in bubbling cheese.

mmmm I can't get enough of this...but I guess I have to stop eating sometime soon.

Grapes (in solid form) are great dipped in cheese or plain. As you can see, our fondue party was a great success. Just Nick and I...and the perfect menu for a snowy, blustery day... and you know what? We hardly argued at all, about anything...which is really unusual for us.

It was still snowing on Sunday morning, but by early afternoon there was brilliant sunshine. I went out for a walk in the neighborhood. I Found our garage and our bird house covered with snow...the sky was a clear deep blue.

Our side street was still covered with snow.

It's hard to believe this privet hedge is full of bright green leaves all summer.

...and from the corner, our 1860's Victorian.

Our front path was cleared ...sort of.

our pretty front porch.

the classic white picket fence...today it's white on white.

Looking up the street past our house at the snow covered landscape.

In the other direction on Deer Hill there was just a narrow path cleared off.

This is another lovely Victorian on our street.

...love this English tudor style too.

...and walking back up the street, our house in the snowy distance.

I came back up on our porch and got this very cool shot. Nick is in the living room in front of the fire...holding the curtain open. On the outside of the window is the reflection of the snowy porch and street...and me taking the photo. Kind of multi-layered right?

When I got back inside everything looked so beautiful from the bright sunlight streaming in. These are my antique Irish lace curtains with Cranes. Which I love.

...and I took this photo in our dining room, looking out the window at our neighbor's house past my collection of vintage cordial glasses.

Here's how it looks close up. Love the shapes and shadows.

and how beautiful the late afternoon sun looked on this basket of fruit in our kitchen. It seems to glow.

We decided that dinner would be light...Soupe d'asperges a la creme. Elegant and easy. See my step-by- step guide to preparing it.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - So does that mean he's finally a metrosexual?

Today I went into Nick's bathroom for the first time in a while and noticed this full line of English toiletries. Plus he's been smelling really good lately.

Friday, January 14, 2005 - Colly's Birthday celebrated with dinner, drinks and birthday cake.

We began the evening at Abis, a raucous Japanese place in Greenwich. The habachi chef turned a sliced onion into a steaming volcano type thing.

...however I'm not susceptible to steaming volcanos so I ordered sushi. Rolls not nearly as refined as I'm used to, but delicious none the less.

After dinner we went down to the Hilltop...Here's "Colleen the birthday queen" at the bar surrounded by her prezies.

Jordan gave Col a lottery ticket. Unfortunately it wasn't a winning ticket *<:^ (

Cat, Pat and Lor at the bar. No one seems interested in the TV...I wonder why.

Colleen cuts her cake... after removing a ton of candles *<:^ )

The highlight of the evening was when we opened this bubbly Japanese soda. When you open it a small glass marble decends and it sort of bubbles out all over the place...then it tastes like watery-sweet carbonated chemicals.

The Holidays 2004 - A couple of weeks that went by in a blur: eating, drinking, guests ,trips...lot's of fun, but I'm glad it's over.

Christmas Eve - We spent Christmas Eve at the Hilltop. Here's jordan with some of the staff.

...and here she is posing with the Hilltop Christmas Tree.

Chistmas Day. We had a nice, casual dinner at our house. Here's our pretty, pretty Christmas Tree.

Nick is easy to shop for: french wine...like a 2000 Bordeaux...always works. Munther got it right.

...then Jordan came in and immediately grabbed a piece of rare roast beef and ate with her hands. Isn't that disgusting? So much for our elegant holiday gathering.

Col and Dad...drinking coffee in the parlor.

Dad wore a festive Christmas tie. Jordan drank too much egg nog...

Merry Christmas...I'm pretending to offer this gift to someone but I actually intend to keep it. It's a box of Belgian Chocolate and I bought it for... ME.

Another shot of our beautiful tree.

The day after Christmas Emma and Fotis came in from Athens. On Tuesday we took a tour of lower Manhattan Here Emma (she's the cute gal we call Manou) stands under a Dubuffet sculpture in the financial district.

Here's the top of the NYSE Christmas tree surrounded by buildings, some of them streamlined and modern others gothic and old fashioned. The dichotomy of NY architecture.

Emma and Fotis in front of the New York Stock Exchange

A shooting star in lower Manhattan.

We stopped for cocktails at Balthazar, a fave "French Bistro-like" haunt of ours in SoHo.