My favorite part of flying happens just before takeoff. The plane’s engine growls with anticipation and hunger as it reaches full power and roars in a primal battle cry. It quickly breaks free from the ground and exhales as it climbs higher towards freedom.
I like flying low because it’s possible to see the landscape’s big picture without losing its individual details. I’m also a yenta and like checking out people’s houses and pools.
David’s favorite part of flying is when he’s right at the clouds and can dance above and between them. Sometimes the clouds are small and cute.
Sometimes they are thick and substantial- the kind of clouds you can catch in a jar or want to sleep on.
But other times, the clouds can turn a sunny day into a white night. It can be peaceful to watch the little streams of water swim past the window, but mostly, it’s boring.
Flying also allows me to capitalize on my desire to photograph reflections.
Hey there, I know you! Where to next?
It’s time we had an appetizer around here. Something that would go perfectly with 
Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Then, mix together 1 3/4 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (preferably a nice sea salt). I recently bought a little rosemary bush, and it was really exciting to cut some sprigs to use for the flatbread. I love using fresh herbs, but I hate buying them because they always seem to go bad before I can use them up. Getting a living plant seems to be the best solution; 
Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients by digging a hole in the center and pushing the powder up the sides of your bowl. Then, fill the hole with 1/2 cup of water and 1/3 cup of olive oil. The color contrast looks to me like a cracked egg.
Mix your ingredients together starting in the center of the hole so that the dry ingredients are slowly incorporated into the water and oil. When you have a ball of dough, knead it a few times so you’re sure all of the ingredients are completely incorporated. 
Divide your dough into thirds and roll each one out into circles about 10 inches wide or 1/8 inch thick. Brush the tops of them with olive oil and stick on a few more pieces of rosemary before putting them into the oven to bake. It’s really helpful to cook the flatbread on a silicone baking mat so they cook evenly and don’t stick. If you don’t have a mat, 
Bake the flatbread for 8-10 minutes. I like my flatbread to be crispier and more like a toasted cracker, so I kept them in the oven for 10 minutes. If you like your flatbread to be softer and more bread-like, stick to 8 minutes. These crackers have a great, flaky crust and a delicious rosemary flavor. They are the perfect appetizer accompaniment!
This has been the summer of the crab. There has been hammering and cracking galore. My friend got a bushel of crabs to celebrate his birthday- my new birthday celebration of choice. We had everything you need for crabs: mallets, beer, good friends, and extra Old Bay.
It turns out that a bushel of crabs is a feast. According to the Internet, a bushel can hold 5 to 7 dozen crabs. We we ready to dig in!
We spread out some newspapers, dumped the crabs, and grabbed the first ones we could. Not everyone was used to cleaning their own crabs. Up until this summer, all of the crabs I’ve eaten in my life (there have been many) have been cleaned for me by restaurants or my crab-mastering aunt and uncle.
But the birthday boy was a pro.
Crab eating is a notoriously messy endeavor. Our mallets and fingernails were crusted with Old Bay. Manicures were sacrificed.
Even the patio needed to be hosed down. We probably did too. It takes a gracious host to allow en masse crab eating at her house.
There were plenty of crabs left over from the feast, and I was lucky enough to take 2 dozen home. Little did I know that carrying 2 dozen crabs in a plastic bag through the city and on the metro is very dangerous. The claws and spines went right through those bags. One very good friend walked a little too close to my bag and ended up with a bloody gash on her leg (still so sorry!). I got spiked through my jeans many times. And rushing to get through the metro gates in time to catch an idling train proved nearly fatal when one crab stabbed me in the belly button!