422: camping

see more camping photos here.

this weekend, we've continued the simple meals that we enjoyed while camping. friday night we made pancakes and scrambled eggs for dinner and yesterday, a simple lunch of sourdough bread (toasted) with farmer's cheese, olive oil, pepper and arugula, all from our farmer's market.

what is it about camping that makes my heart flutter? waking up to the sounds of crows? simplifying life to only the essentials? following nature's rhythms? waking and retiring with the rising and setting of the sun?

one final week of vacation photos. here's my tentative plan for the upcoming week:
monday-the sea
tuesday-the woods
wednesday-the fog
thursday-hands
friday-around town

hope you are enjoying your weekend and this very last day of september.

421: on top of a mountain

these photos were taken on the top of cadillac mountain in acadia national park. such an amazing feeling to be on top of a mountain before sunrise. we were wearing layers but were in no way prepared for the wind and the cold. as we were walking up to the top from the parking area, i stopped to take this photo of the silhouettes in the fog.



i have never seen a more dramatic sunrise. clouds would roll away and then wow! such a clear view. then the clouds would barrel back in and everything would be cloaked with gray.



this final photo was taken after the sun had risen. i hesitated; the colors were changing, and suddenly our shadows appeared in this strange sunlight. it was one of those life changing moments. deep inside, i knew this was what i had been looking for...uninterrupted time in nature.

see more views from cadillac mountain here.

tomorrow, camping photos.

hope you all have a good friday!
s

420: food

let's talk food. we had such amazing food in portland. mav knows all the best spots of course. the above photograph was taken at a great coffee shop where i met jen and amanda! it was so wonderful to visit with them in person...i just wish we would have had more time together. do you see the little brown packages on the table? amanda brought us zucchini bread with chocolate chips that she and ezra made for our journey to acadia. it was so very delicious. i remember opening the packages later that afternoon and after every bite i would exclaim "amanda rocks" or "wow, this is so good." amanda, how about sharing your recipe? :)

and then there were the bagel sandwiches. i could really go on and on.

mav introduced us to diner journal and gifted us with a few copies. i love this beautiful little food journal. so so inspiring! have you seen it?




and food also means that blue table. you didn't think i could visit without photographing it, did you? the top photo is taken in the evening light and the bottom photo was taken in the morning light. that blue backdrop is just perfect, and it was such a treat to sit around the table in mav's apartment sharing food and stories.

as for food on the road, t and i developed a routine of stopping at natural food co-ops along the way. they were all so lovely...some tiny and some huge and plentiful. our typical on the road lunch consisted of freshly baked bread, a good local cheese, and a local apple. sometimes we picked up a water buffalo milk yogurt (so good!) or we nibbled on gorp. once, we stopped at a little farmer's market we stumbled upon and bought heirloom apples and homemade peach and honey jam. then, we walked across the street and bought a big loaf of multi-grain bread baked that morning. these simple lunches were the best.

and a new favorite found in vermont: pop soda. lemon ginger lavender is my fave flavor. we brought back a six pack and there are only three left. yikes. :)

enjoy your meals today friends.
shari

419: portland + mav

is she the cutest or what?

our time in portland was so wonderful. it is such a charming city, a place where t and i felt at home immediately. mav is such a special person. her way of life inspires me so deeply, and, we had such fun with her! we listened to records, played with the cats, went on walks, stopped for tea and coffee, had the most delicious food, built a fairy house in the woods, read aloud mary oliver poems, skipped rocks, played a bit of badminton, visited bookstores and cooked in the kitchen. it could not have been better. miss you sweet mav. thank you so much for hosting us.





more tomorrow.
xo

home again, home again.

hi out there.

our grand september journey has come to a close and we're back in the north carolina heat and humidity.

on our way home this afternoon as the sun was beginning its descent in the sky, i suggested we pull over for vanilla soft serve cones to celebrate the end of a fabulous vacation. soon, we had our cones in hand and laughed as we noticed how we each eat ice cream differently. t's became like a tall mountain and mine like a stump. it would have made for a perfect his and hers polaroid.

and then, i realized how much this ice cream cone was like a metaphor for our whole vacation. how we looked so forward to having ice cream and then finally it was in our hands. with each and every mile, we took a lick of the cone and it was so so good. and then at the very end, the cone becomes a soggy mess and ice cream drips all over you and YOU become a sticky mess...sad that your cone is gone.

i told t my idea and he laughed. everyday life will seem exciting again in a few days, i'm sure. for now, i want to spend a day or two wading through the memories, the thoughts and feelings i have carried home with me. i have so much to tell you.

soon, soon.
xo

417: friends + beauty

i love my blog friends. they are all just so kind, warm, and supportive, and they make the most exquisite art. it was a beautiful mail week. yes indeed. i'll let the photos speak for themselves. ;)


from my doc project partner in crime, the fabulous lisa solomon, who constantly wows me on a daily basis:









find lisa's beautiful print here.


from my new friend misty. i feel such an strong connection with her; it's like we were long lost friends. :)











visit misty's shop here.


and from my sweet friend maria who is so, so dear to me. i will meet her in person on monday for the very first time. needless to say, i just might cry happy tears.





find mav's latest project here.

i want to tell each of you how special you are to me. i am honored to have these beautiful pieces of art in my home. i am all smiles today so thank you!


okay then. time to get back to packing. i'll be gone until late september but am looking forward to sharing my journey with you when i return. enjoy these early fall days everyone.

xoxo

416: one more day to pack

good evening out there.

we are busy packing. our lantern, camp stove, and kite are ready to go. :)



sleeping bags, pads, and tent are down from the attic.



our muddy camp chairs have been washed and are drying in the late summer sun. we are slowly but surely getting ready for maine.

i worked extra hours today so i could have all of friday to pack, and i noticed that i had butterflies in my stomach all day. i am so ready to travel, and like i mentioned when we took our last road trip, i am delighted to be able to travel in real time, to let the excitement build as the landscape changes.

of course i want to bring along a book, but which one? or maybe i should just buy a book in maine? hmm. so much to think about! i'm sure i'll forget something important.

i'll post once more before we go; i have some beautiful mail to share with you. in fact it will be hard to leave this beauty behind while we travel.

hope you are enjoying the last days of summer.
xo

ps: oh! thank you so much for your wonderful comments this week too. i've enjoyed reading them so much!!

415: taking notes; making lists

hi friends.

sorry for the absence. i have a gazillion things to do before we leave on our journey. okay, so it's a road trip. journey just sounds better...like important things will be revealed along the way. can't wait.

so yes, we're making lists. in addition to all of the must do/must see lists, i have also been making lists of things i want to remember for some reason or another. today's list was written on an index card in black ink:

*the color of ginger ale

*kelly green pants

*a red flag flying from a black and white striped pole

*the weight of books carried in one hand


last week's list was written on a sir speedy notepad with a black felt tip pen:

*a sunburst of birds...spooked. moments later, someone walks by.

*a woman in her backyard, shaking out a sheet. her movements like tai chi.

*crows in the parking lot at work. three black dots on a white checkerboard.

why did i write these things down? these moments, to me, are important. they are full of beauty yet sometimes so hard to see. these little snippets of writing may become poems themselves or they may just remind me to see...to really see...the beautiful world.



the weather is changing. still summer but without the edge of intense heat and humidity. this new change has me in the mood for knitting. this time i'll make a rolled brim hat and mittens. a little project to carry along on our trip.

lovely mail has been arriving too.



new knee socks and tights




the september postcard from yes press. {dear yes press, i think you are the greatest. i treasure these postcards. did you know that? love, shari}



treats from my dear friend amisha including this lovely handmade sun hat.




the mood indoors is beginning to change with the seasons. dogwood berries have come to rest on our kitchen windowsill.



chiles are hanging from our back door now. it is a time for gathering for the squirrels and me. perhaps that is what i was doing with my lists...gathering inspiration for a cold and windy day, a day that's just around the corner.

see you tomorrow friends.
xo
s

414: all things fall

it sure looks like fall in the south except for the 90 + degree days we've been having. regardless, i was as pleased as punch when i found these leaves this weekend. the kind of leaves that are so beautiful you just cannot leave them behind. i love that nature has an internal clock and that some of the trees are ready for fall too. it gives me hope for cooler days soon.



while i was busy working on saturday, t went to the farmer's market and brought home a little treat: the first scuppernongs of the season. these grapes have a musky aroma and are packed full of flavor. you just squeeze them into your mouth and eat the seeds (t) or not (me). :)



t and i ventured out on long walks this weekend, despite the heat. we cut through east campus and walked under 100 year old trees. we took the least direct route possible; we tarried.

this weekend was also filled with poetry. i found myself taking little poem breaks here and there. stopping to read one and then carrying on with the afternoon. it made all the difference....

and then friends, there was the new skein of malabrigo yarn (color: tuareg) that i picked up at the yarn shop on sale, followed by one tiny scoop of almond prailine and one tiny scoop of lemon and a lesson in purling.

a good weekend all told even if most of my saturday was spent indoors working. hope you had a nice break too.

lisa hosts our documentary project today. the word is undone. do pop over and visit.
xo
s

413

naot sandals::yellow drum kit::dining room::no joke.

thank you shash for hosting a fun week. i hope you'll do it again in the winter.

***********************************************

today i'm loving:

penelope dullaghan's newest work

jen's new gocco card (which i'm hoping i can pick up when i'm in maine)

i feel like the past 2 weeks have been a blur. i know my posts have been short and sweet, but it's all i've got right now.

hope you all have a great weekend...i'll be working, unfortunately.

until monday then..
xo

412

morning!

so you've probably figured out a theme by now. comfortable and flat. that's the way i wear my shoes. my alter ego wants these heels, though i doubt i could walk in them for a whole day. :)

inspiring: the work of sim luttin.

just time for a quick post today. it's going to be a busy morning.

xo

411

hi there.

summer is making its final hurrah, i hope. it's pretty hot in durham these days; it's back up to the nineties. this happens every year. we get the tiniest taste of fall and then we play the waiting game once more. it could be another month still. good thing i'm going to maine.

so, in these glory days of summer, we've been harvesting tomatoes from our garden and making cool, fresh caprese salads. i'm trying to savor the afternoons of going barefoot but i'm ready for fall. fall in the south is wonderful.




a surprise treat arrived all the way from paris yesterday. a delicious high tea postcard from a dear friend. one day i'll meet you for macaroons, abigail! be sure to pop over and have a peek at her paris photos. swoon.



last night, as t and i were on our way out to visit a friend, i stopped to take a quick, albeit blurry, shoe shot for feet week. more converse. these are my favorite pair of comfort shoes. i've had them for fifteen years. see more of feet week by visiting shash's blog, mecozy.

finally, have you visited the starn studio site? it's pretty amazing. i wish i could get my hands on this book. misty, i think you would like it too.

wishing you all a happy day!
shari

410: making plans

make french onion soup for a starlight picnic

bake a plum cake

order tights

find a new yoga class

take more early morning and late evening walks

go camping! (we leave for maine in 11 days!!!)

go to the library and check out a book on jane kenyon


**i'm keeping it simple this month. a very doable september plan, don't you think?

yesterday, t and i made a wonderful plum cake. i was inspired by a recipe in the kitchen diaries but we only had four plums, so we improvised. well, i panicked and t improvised. :) the results were delicious. a buttery, walnut cake topped with sweet, molasses kissed plums. i highly recommend it.

tights from anthropologie were ordered too. electric blue, gray, and brown with tiny dots.

it's going to be a good fall.

**don't forget. shash is hosting feet week. join in if you'd like.

have a good day!

409

lisa chose the word for this week's project: INTERIOR

lisa's response:



I chose this word for several reasons – many of which seem personal and quiet.

I have been feeling as though I’m living in an interior world of late. I’m so in my own heart and mind... Aware of the outside world and obviously participating in it – yet feeling as though it’s really running parallel to my “real life”.



Part of it may be that I’m trying to get ready for a show. And this show feels more pressure filled than some that have come before. The process of making art involves delving into the interior. Thinking about what is important to you and what choices you want to make – how to convey the symbolism that exists in your mind/gut/heart in a way that hopefully also makes sense to the exterior. To the viewer.



Of course I’m also dealing in many ways with interior imagery – beds, chairs, wallpaper.... But this time I’m trying to also think about how the outside meets the inside. Are the two really as separate as we think? How do they fuel one another? I’m adding images of trees, flowers, clouds.... Dependant on one another how to the outside and inside work together? Is there a balance? Does there need to be?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how a moment in the day – a few words – an interaction with someone – can alter how the interior mind works. Where does inspiration sit? Where does it come from? Can it come simultaneously from with-in and with-out?



I also can’t help but think how much I enjoy the interior of my house. My home feels like my sanctuary – that feels so special.

I also wonder literally about our interiors. Our organs – how we take them for granted – how they work – what they mean.



For the image part of this week I took these pics with very expired polaroid film. Somehow the idea of the blue seemed to fit my state of mind. I think it adds to the “other” quality of these. These feel like someone’s interior. Not just any interior. I was thinking a lot about windows and how they are the way “out” of the interior space. That a dark interior is not necessarily a welcome one. Are you on the outside looking in or on the inside looking out? And what are the ramifications of those positions?


my response:



interior...what's on the inside.



those things that are submerged in the depths of an individual.



when i received lisa's choice, i began to sketch out ideas. i started with a person, and added arrows directed into the head and heart. we take in so much from the exterior but we filter it; we choose what remains inside and if we will or will not share it with others.



this final piece i created is similar to my mind map idea. which matters more? the interior or the exterior? what is circulating in from the outside? what is circulating out from the inside?

hope you are enjoying a day off (if you live in the states). thanks for visiting our project. see you tomorrow

408: more signs of fall

407: hello september