A Day With A Friend

I'm close friends with Xenia, a young woman whom I met a decade ago.  Xenia immigrated to this country from Russia with her mother and sister.  I first met Xenia while she was playing in a rock band with her then-boyfriend/now-husband Mark.  I started hanging out with Xenia and Mark and enjoyed their company.  At the time, they were in their mid-twenties and their youthful vigor and ambition appealed to me.

Xenia later started a blog (using the name, Doe Deere) and it was a huge success.  Xenia had thousands of followers and became "Internet famous."  When we went out to dinner, girls frequently recognized her, came up and asked for an autograph.  Xenia's exceptional beauty and dramatic fashion sense make her instantly recognizable.

Xenia and Mark started a cosmetic company (Lime Crime) which has become a success selling millions of dollars of fun beauty products. 

A year ago, Xenia and Mark moved from New York to Los Angeles where their business is headquartered.  I miss them.  Xenia came back this week to visit and I took the day off work (which is very rare for me).  We had a great time.  We caught up on everything and had fun.

Xenia is currently sporting a new hair color -- lilac.  It's beautiful and she likes it.  She says she plans to keep it until she's an old lady.

We hung out in Red Hook which is a gritty neighborhood in Brooklyn.  It's full of factories, yet on the water with beautiful views of the Statue of Liberty.  The residents of Red Hook don't want the area to become gentrified like most of Brooklyn, so I saw signs that said, "Welcome to Red Hook.  Now Git!"

What drew us to this unusual area was a bakery that's reported to make the best Key Lime Pie in America.  The reports are true -- their pie is extraordinary.  They use all natural ingredients and juice their own limes.  I had a four-inch mini-pie dipped in dark chocolate.  Mmm!!

Here are some pictures from our day.