The Cape

As a tyke, my summers were spent in glorious Cape Cod, so I can't be sure just how much of my love for this place is nostalgic, but darn if it isn't a perfect place to be today! This weekend was an amazing Taylor family reunion, with MomMom and her four sons and daughter-in-laws, plus 10 of the 12 cousins (myself included) and their wives/fiancees/boyfriends congregating in Osterville for beach and beer pong... It isn't often that I see my extended family, but every time I am reminded how awesome this family is; we have our mini-dramas for sure, but…

AC

The myth. The Legend. Atlantic City. Saying I went to AC is a bit misleading since we didn't leave the Tropicana Resort for more than five minutes, a brief foray into a somehow unnatural natural beach environment that felt awkward and uncomfortable from the moment we left "the bubble"; an artificial world with rules and lives that exist only within the cubic volume of highly conditioned air. It was not my first time in a casino, but it was the first time I have been in the company of casino royalty and treated as such. Eric is a gambler and…

And it’s only August 3rd!

I hate to brag, but this summer has been one of my best ever. The past month was pure chill, with European adventure and Vermont bliss. My last entry came just after our Italian leg, which was followed by two weeks in Catalonia, visiting the Bucklands in Barcelona and Borde Neuve. Surrounded by Americans, but soaking in Spanish and French culture, eating beautiful food and drinking local -- as in backyard -- wine. In Barcelona, Kevin introduced us to the squat scene, a truly bohemian free lifestyle, and I met up with two women who used to be au pairs…

Italia!

Today I sit in a beautiful apartment in Barcelona, Spain, where Alaina and I arrived last night after spending 8 fantastic days in my homeland away from home, Italy. An invitation from a friend to spend a week at his house on the island of Elba is never to be turned down, and so our summer plans were set in motion; a week on Elba became three weeks in Europe, hitting all of our friends and family on the continent... When I enrolled at Middlebury, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of their incredible language program and Italian…