This month we left our swampy state and headed north to Gloucester, Massachusetts, where the weather is fine and the water is cold. 

And there’s not a layer of guacamole on top.

We celebrated a wedding and some birthdays.  Hung around Lane’s Cove.
Anna perfected her bellyflop.We sang and played, ate and drank, and stayed up late.
And spent a couple days in Boston on the way back.  The highlight was the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a 15th-century Venetian palace transported to Boston to house Gardner’s art. The sun filters into each room through this spectacular courtyard, illuminating everything inside according to Gardner’s vision. I love small art museums with collections that rival the giants.

And a few links I’ve collected from around the Web this month:

A guide to cheap summer beer.  “The flavors are lifeless, like a cracked sidewalk scattered with dead weeds…”

How frigate birds fly for 56 days straight.

Since it’s hurricane season and you might be as unprepared as me: here’s what Florida Food & Farm thinks you should have in your kitchen, and a little food for thought from the prepper community.  

It’s also peak season for mangos! There are 283 varieties out there and I’d love to taste them all. Check out Fruitscapes on Pine Island and Robert Is Here and the Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead to sample some new ones. Here’s a list of my mango recipes. More coming your way soon…

In Bloom is a monthly roundup of Florida news and other things I’ve stumbled upon around the Web, along with photos I’ve taken. Have something you’d like to share? Email me: [email protected]