brunch & buggyrides

Sunday marked the third annual Greenhill bacon brunch & croquet opening, as well as a birthday celebration for our dear friend & neighbor. There was a bounty of delicious food & champagne to savor amongst friends in some of the nicest weather we've experienced all summer.

the birthday boy & his celebratory "candle"

Perhaps it's a bit curious for a vegetarian of 20 years to be writing about bacon & the absolute joy it brought to the gathering, but I suppose this is when the biologist comes out in me. With the understanding that a vast number of humans do indeed eat meat & that our culture has woefully gone the way of large-scale factory farming, I admire those farmers & consumers who, when able to choose, support farms where the animals are treated humanely, as little as possible is wasted, & it is eaten in moderation & with thoughtfulness. Plus it had better be good.

That said, the bacon was purchased from the Dunning's Mile Hill Farm stand at our local farmer's market, a small, family farm just north of us whose pasture-raised livestock & approach to organic, sustainable agriculture assured us it was the best possible choice for the carnivorous aspect of our celebration. Not to mention the fact that those who partook deemed it most delicious, & appeared to delight in the ritual of cooking it outdoors on the camp stove in a big old cast iron pan.