Petit Passereaux

La Jolla, California

2013-03-18T20:17:00.002-07:00

These are some images

shot of a short walk I took

in La Jolla on Sunday afternoon.

Simply Socks

2013-03-14T14:31:00.002-07:00

This is a simple story of one pair of socks.

This pair of socks has one tie dyed stripe on each leg

.....& I love them!

This sock company is called Stance.

I've been wearing them all winter here in San Diego

& picked up my pair from South Coast Wahines

in Ocean Beach.

I kept coming across other places that sell them as well...

Flight in Park City & Mimi & Red in San Diego

So get your socks on & go (or just go online)!

Spring....it's Springing

2013-03-08T15:43:00.001-08:00

I haven't written for a while

but it's time for some

new inspirations...

SPRING!!!

Ocean Beach has many signs

of a pretty impending springtime

& these purple flowers along the coast

on my daily run remind me of how

lucky I feel to live here!

CHEERS!!

Christmas Cheer... & Beer

2012-12-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

The holidays are very well upon us

meaning there is a whole lot of yummy

Christmas beer to consume.

Anchor Brewery (from San Francisco) makes my

very favorite Christmas ale

Anchor Christmas

& every year it tastes different.

2004 was the first time I had this beer & it

tasted like gingerbread cookies.

This year it tasted a lot like nutmeg- still yummy!

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Pack Your Bags...But Don't Check Them

2012-10-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

I love hopping on planes.

I love airports.

I don't even mind delayed flights much.

All of these things mean I get to

travel & I love traveling.

There is a little game I like

to play called Not Checking Bags.

Personally, lugging a suitcase

around a city...

on a subway...

up stairs...

= no fun.

This week I'm going to Boston.

Here is some insight into how to

not check a bag for this trip

(when the weather has cooled of just

enough to need sweaters).

Here's what I'm taking...

Not pictured is a pair of dark grey

jeans (that go with everything)

& a couple of tees for layers.

All of the items can be mixed & matched.

I'll wear a sweater, boots & jeans

on the plane. That takes away

from some of the packing.

The rest will fit into my carry-on

& I'm ready to go!

Catalina 2.0

2012-10-01T21:02:00.003-07:00

These are some of the views from Catalina Island.

Catalina lies 22 miles west of San Pedro, California.

Sadly, some of the photos I shot were lost into

an email reformatting abyss that I

have not enough knowledge of to recover,

but have learned a great lesson about

emailing forty photos en masse from an iPhone.

(Do not delete photos from your phone until

they have been safley recieved to an email account)

Let's go....

Check out the parasailer behind our boat (behind another boat)

Captivating Catalina

2012-09-30T09:24:00.005-07:00

I couldn't pass up a quick post as I "staycation"

for the week in San Diego with one

of my best friends.

We just took a trip out to Catalina Island

to watch an old friend from Texas run a half

marathon on the island.

The views were stunning. I don't think

I've been anywhere that beautiful since

visiting Maui & Kauai. The island

also has a very European feel.

But, luckily, it's only a short 2 hour drive

& 1 hour boat ride from San Diego!

Here is a taste as I edit the rest of the photos...

View of Avalon from our boat...

Street view from the balcony of our hotel room...

Just For (New) Kicks

2012-09-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about some shoe love today.

For the past 14-ish years of my life at least

one pair of Converse has occupied

my closet or covered my feet. I'll be eighty & still

own a pair.

Miss Pink High Top has been my favorite

for about a year & a half, but she needed

a friend. So I got navy ones....

and just by chance my navy pedicure matches them.

p.s.- Go Cowboys!

(The navy & the star compelled me!)

Awesome Almond Nectarine Spinach Salad (Sometimes with Salmon)

2012-09-21T08:03:00.002-07:00

I've been thinking about making this salad

for a while now. Maybe the in-season nectarines

inspired me, but this salad has been my lunch or dinner

for the past few days because I've loved it so much.

2 cups fresh spinach

1 chopped nectarine (or peach)

3 Tbsp roasted almonds

1 slice of lemon

2 tsp basalmic vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

sea salt to taste

fresh cracked pepper to taste

1/2 lb salmon, grilled (optional)

Combine all ingredients (squeeze the juice from the lemon slice)

and there's your salad! SOOOO EASY!

Using olive oil & basalmic vinegar instead of dressing

allows the other flavors of the salad to stand out.

Grilled salmon is a great topper for this salad.

I added a bit of sea salt,

olive oil, basalmic vinegar & a pinch of brown sugar

to the salmon as I grilled it in the skillet.

Simple Sunset

2012-08-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

A beautiful sunset never gets old.

Recently I've been working more early mornings,

which allows me to catch more evening sunsets.

This is a spot in Ocean Beach called Sunset Cliffs.

I can't imagine how it got that name....

Bella

2012-08-16T08:54:00.001-07:00

This is my neighbor's puppy, Bella.

She was a rescue puppy.

She has a perfect calm & quiet demeanor & I adore her.

We visit at our fence every day.

I want a dog just like her.

Look at that face - so sweet.

Beautiful Boston (& Cambridge)

2012-08-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends & I share the same birthday,

so naturally we enjoy celebrating it together.

This year we are going to Boston, one of my favorite

cities in the United States.

I normally stay in Cambridge. Cambridge is full of charm

& is best enjoyed in the Fall

when all of the leaves are changing & this is exactly when we

are visiting.

These are some old photos I've found

of my past trips to Cambridge & Boston.

I can't wait for October!

A very old building on the campus

of Harvard.

A walkway by our hotel, the Charles Hotel

in Cambridge.

Church window at Harvard in the evening.

This is one of my favorite photos. We were

walking down Brattle Street in

Harvard Square one evening & there were no sounds

except a Red Sox game, which was broadcast

from a small television in the window of a tiny

gourmet shop called Cardullo's.

Residents had assembled

their chairs outside the shop to watch the game.

I won't ever tire of the charming homes in Cambridge.

Apples in the window of the coffee shop/ grocer

where I would spend every morning knitting in Cambridge.

True...and great.

The same shot of the walkway by the Charles Hotel.

This time sans leaves on trees. This was taken in

April, when I was visiting & fortunate enough

to run the 111th Boston Marathon.

A nice tea shop in Harvard Square.

I took this photo for my mother.

Her favorite color is purple.

The Green Dragon is pictured above & below.

It's one of my favorite pubs

to visit in Boston. Originally, the

recommendation to visit was made

by a bartender friend of mine who moved from Ireland

to Boston.

It's one of the oldest

pubs in Boston & was where Paul Revere &

John Hancock used to chill. It's tiny & unassuming &

I LOVE the history involved. Plans for the invasion of Lexington & Concorde were dicussed here, beginning the

ride of Paul Revere.

The two above photos are on the beautiful

quiet camus of MIT.

How Does Your Garden Grow

2012-07-24T11:44:00.001-07:00

I love living somewhere

that plants thrive, especially my garden.

There are flowers & plants blooming everywhere

in San Diego.

This is some of the basil & other herbs we've planted

& we use it to cook with every day.

Ocean Views

2012-07-24T11:38:00.001-07:00

I love all of the beautiful tiny

tiny bits & pieces of the beach.

You have to look very close, but they are there...

A Fan of The Fair

2012-07-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

These are some recent images of

the San Diego County Fair

which I visited a couple of weeks ago.

Spring to See NYC

2012-05-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

My roomie of five years/ virtual sister, Carla, & I

spent a few days in NYC

to visit some very dear friends & partake in

some of the events of the

TriBeCa Fim Festival.

One friend even came down from Boston to spend time with us.

Each time I visit NYC is equally amazing and

just as different as the next. It's safe to say

New York City is definitely one of my favorite

places to visit.

I try to make it there at least once a year.

This is a brief photo synopsis of what happened...

Our friend, Heather currently resides on the Upper West Side.

There is something very charming & peaceful about this

part of Manhattan, especially in the Springtime,

with blooming tulips.

SoHo is personally my favorite part of Manhattan.

I never get tired of wandering around the tiny shops

& cafes this part of the city.

We stopped at a streetside shop called

Baked By Melissa

which sells tiny amazing cupcakes.

The calories (almost) don't count!

We took the Roosevelt Island Tram

to get an excellent view of the city.

Dinner & drinks one evening were had at

the Bowery Hotel. As we were

lounging in the dimmly lit, very small lobby with our cocktials

Michael Stipe & Tilda Swinton parked it at

a table right next to us.

I have been to many bars & lounges & they normally

morph into one blur of the same experience.

But, Apotheke, located

in an alley off the Bowery in Chinatown, stands out.

It is best place I've ever enjoyed a

drink....ever.

This place will no doubt be entered into my

normal rotation of places to visit in NYC.

9 Doyers

I don't know what else to tell you..or the taxi driver!

Other noteble spots I checked out:

The Wayland

Blind Barber (speakeasy-style)

La Esquina (speakeasy-style)

The Beagle

This pair of Steven wedges

has been stuck on the "My Style" page

of my Pinterest for a couple of months, but my

online search for these shoes was pretty fruitless,

so I thought stopping by their SoHo Manhattan location

might be worth a shot...SUCCESS!!!

Cheap Thrills

2012-05-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Bright boho bikinis for

$30 from H&M in Vegas

staring at the clouds out of

the window on a flight

Cheap Thrills!

Farmer's Market Flower Fun

2012-05-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

In Ocean Beach every Wednesday

there is a farmer's market.

Yesterday we walked there

& purchased our veggies for the week,

some beautiful flowers

& some snapper which had been caught

that day. For dinner we made

some some of the best fish tacos

I've ever had.

This is what I did with the flowers I bought...

On my nightstand

In my bathroom

I'm just so happy to have my bathroom

the way I like it that I had to share the last photo.

Thanks to...

Ikea : bench & bathmat

West Elm : shower curtain

Pottery Barn : towels

J. Crew : makeup bags

Happiness & Henna

2012-05-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have been traveling & working

on level ten for the past two months.

This also included moving to a new

house...in a new state!

I am now a resident of a little beach community

called Ocean Beach in San Diego.

I am happy to be able to take a deep breath

& relax for a hot minute.

I also get to rehash some of my fun experiences over the past

two months & get a little more inspiration in my

life.

The week before I moved I went to

NYC & Las Vegas to see a few very close & old friends.

One leisurly afternoon in Vegas my friends & I rented a cabana

at our hotel pool & spent the entire day reading, sipping cocktails

& painting henna (courtesty of my friend Rose Mary)on ourselves.

I am really pleased with the results & ummm, kinda

kinda want to have henna all of the time.

Let's Take A Moment

2012-03-08T11:09:00.002-08:00

From our comfy lives &

watch this really important video....

KONY 2012- On Vimeo

This is a photo of my adorable niece.

I can't imagine how horrifying

it would be if someone abducted her

or tried to harm her in any way.

BUT this kind of thing is happening

RIGHT NOW

to children just like her in other parts of

the World.....and people KNOW it's happening

& it continues to happen!

THIS IS 2012!

We can take part in doing something about this!

I watched this video & cried.

I don't think anything has moved me this much

in a long time or made me so angry.

I like that this idea crosses political boundaries.

This is a HUMANITARIAN issue.

This is for all of the little children

like my niece, but they don't possess the simple luxury

of safety.

There are some people who are just plain evil

& need to be stopped.

Joseph Kony is one of those people...

Let's make him famous (NOT in a good way)

& make sure everyone knows who he is

SO HE CAN BE STOPPED.

I write about all of the

pretty things around me, which inspire me...

It's so easy to get caught up

in the easy life I have & not think about

other horrible things happening half way across

the World.

SO I'm taking a break for a moment.

I was looking after my niece this weekend & watching her

made me even more sad for the children

that are living in fear.

My Miami

2012-02-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

On our impending spring

& lack of winter this year

I thought I'd relive a little

trip I took to Miami last year to visit a

very good friend of mine &

dream that I'm laying on a beach somewhere...

Argentinian wine

French wine traditionally drank during

the summer

Miss Marie- From Paris- moved to US-

then to Argentina- then back to Miami

Homemade lasagna!

A day at South Beach

Exploring the farmer's market in

South Beach

Crying Hello Kitty statue in

front of the W hotel in South Beach

Espanola Way is

such a charming area

A La Folie, a tiny French cafe

& serves some of the best crepes I've ever had

We spent this day exploring the beachfront

areas of Ft. Lauderdale

I'd eat seafood every single

day of my life if possible

Tile detail in Coconut Grove

Surf shop in Coconut Grove

One of the most interesting murals

was in Starbucks in Coconut Grove

Let's Have a Party!

2012-02-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

This Valentine's Day

my friends & I decided to conduct

a little gathering at my house.

The decor was super simple- I fashioned a little photo

booth area made from some tissue paper

taped to the wall & a few props added for effect

(this was a smashing success).

We threw in some Peeps, Pop Tarts & mini cupcakes for snacks

& a few Justin Bieber/ extreme sports valentines.

I made some strawberry vodka lemonade.

I also made a garland from the same tissue cut

into strips & tied onto a strand of pink yarn.

The effect was so charming above my fireplace

& it only took about 20 minutes to make.

BUT the BEST part were the photos that came

from our party!
It kinda makes me want a photo booth in
my house all of the time... I love my friends!

Cheers!

Berry Good

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Theres's

always room for berry crisp

...and beer

(I took this to a Superbowl party)

& it was a success!

Here's the little Vimeo video I made...

(the recipe is posted on the video)

Fantastic (Miss) Fox

2012-01-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Something I'm currently in love with...

Oracle Fox for Billabong

I've read the

Oracle Fox blog

for quite a while & was so

excited when I came across this collaboration!

The pieces are beautiful & comfy & very

reasonably priced! Check it out!

Currently I've purchased two items...

Totally Stoked tank top

Just Like Us mini tank dress

(the print on this dress is amazing!)

Bikes Bars & Betties Behind the Scenes

2012-01-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

In September I participated in

& assisted with a calendar photo shoot

called Bikes Bars & Betties.

The concept was developed by a

friend of mine who is highly involved

in the Dallas bicycling community & realized

how many of his friends who ride bikes are also

frequenters of the downtown Dallas pubs

& friends with so many of the servers & bartenders

who work at the pubs. There is definitely

a strong tie between the bicycle, artist, & bar community.

When I did this shoot I was surprised at how many of us all

knew one another.

The concept was pretty simple- to cast many of the women

involved in this close knit community

in classic vintage pinup & have them pose with

their bicycles at the downtown Dallas pubs

for a calendar.

Here is a selection of a few of the

photos from that day.

I was cast as October.