Breakfast without Tiffany

At the Friends of the Library sale, was too cheap to pick up this "Tiffany Jewels" for $20, and waited to pick it up this morning for 50 percent off. Of course it was gone, even though I had been one of the last to leave the night before, and among the first 60 in the door the next morning. I later found the book usually sells for about $285. I should not have waited, especially considering Tiffany & Co. celebrates its 175th anniversary this year and I could have used the book for research. The consolation prizes:

Garlic, garlic everywhere!

A garlic macaron from Life is Sweet by Cakeworks' Abi Langlas was one of the treats at the "Eat the Street" garlic-themed food-truck rally. Savory, sweet and delicious, but alas, a one-time shot.

Eats: Lucky Belly

Stopped into new Hotel Street restaurant, Lucky Belly, for a taste of the Belly Bowl, ramen topped with pork belly, smoked bacon, sausage and soft-steamed onsen egg in a pork broth accented with sesame and miso, $12. Yum. Nina Wu shows how big the bowl is. The restaurant is where Mini Garden once stood.

A dip with Ikemen

At Shirokiya's Yataimura, had a taste of visiting Ikemen's dip-style ramen, straight from Hollywood. CEO Max Kawabata with the Back Draft (spicy) ramen. Below, the Zebra (roasted garlic) ramen. A Ghost Buster version features a torched marshmallow—an homage to the film's Stay Puft Marshmallow Man—stirred into a cream of mushroom broth.

Lost and found

Claim ticket for lost camera at Alaska Airlines.

Got back the camera I thought I had lost on board Alaska Airlines on the last leg of my flight home from Bradley, Conn. It's especially amazing that I got it back from the airline when I had described it as being silver and I was amused to find upon its return that it's black! I never actually look at the front of the camera while taking photos! The rep from Alaska said that's nothing. "People don't even know what their bags look like," she said.

Luckily, I was also able to describe the last photos taken, including the flight meal, clouds over Connecticut and Seattle, and the sight of turkey vultures en route to the airport.

Pork tenderloin with mango salsa on Alaska Airlines.

Father's Day at Cafe Julia @ YWCA

Father's Day at Cafe Julia @ YWCA included a raw bar, omelet bar and grill bar complete with a variety of vinegared and sweet linguica and other sausages.

A taste of Manoa Chocolate

Visited Manoa Chocolate Hawaii's open house.

Megumi-O

Met L.A. Realtor turned eyewear designer Megumi Hosogai poolside at The Modern, where she introduced me to her Megumi-Os. It's all about big, round Asian-fit Jackie Os for the bridgeless nose.

A day trip to Hudson, New York

Drove to Hudson, New York, only to find most of the town closed on a Wednesday, and most of the main drag, Warren Street, up for sale. Alas, you know you're to late to a scene when the hipster dufuses move in, and we saw a bunch of them manning the coffee and dessert bars that were open, as well as on the streets. It's like Brooklyn, Jr.

A collectible from home in the window of a store that was closed.

One of the great Warren Street buildings for sale.

Ate at Mexican Radio, one of the few places open early in the week. This town mainly comes alive Thursdays through Sundays during summer months.

En route back to Connecticut, had to stop for a photo at Chief Martindale Diner. Not very P.C. I want to find out more about this place.

Goats!

Headed to Rustling Wind Creamery today in the mountains above Falls Village, CT, 148 Canaan Mountain Road. There, Joan Lamothe raises goats, cows and sheep for milk that goes into their cheeses, and wool knit into sweaters sold at their gift shop, open from 8 to 4:30 p.m. daily. Also available are homemade jams, jellies, chutneys, relishes and honey from area apiaries.

Kiki's garden

Visited sister-in-law Kiki Neil's home for a look at her garden and called over the neighbors ... Moo!

The thyme.

The asparagus.

We lured these cows over from far across the field with nothing better than the grass they were eating on the other side. Needless to say, they were unimpressed. ...

The birds, Sharon Audubon Center

At the Audubon Center in Sharon, Conn., 325 Cornwall Bridge Road, sat and watched some of the birds arrive at its feeders, then visited the raptor aviary.

Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)

Bird feeder has a tail (of a gray squirrel that leaped in from a tree branch, scattering the birds and seed, which fell to the red squirrel below.

Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)

Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)