the baker's daughter

2011-05-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

over the weekend we put up a stake system for our fast-growing peas. it's very beautiful and--with the help of jon's expertise--structurally sound. i helped wrap the twine. i can't wait for these bad boys to be producing. all i want is to munch on crisp snow peas in the afternoon or to sautee plump snap peas for dinner. they are still a bit too expensive at the food co-op, so i'll have to wait patiently for the harvest.

in the meantime--pea shoots. any good recipes? so far, i'm just adding them to my normal kale sautee.

bookstores of new york

2011-03-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

pictured above: community bookstore, mcnally jackson (i heart this place!), and the strand
*
on the topic of new york bookstores, i was excited to see this article: ten best indie bookstores of nyc
*
i may have an exciting new book project in my future. have you heard about these bad boys?

a fine evening

2011-03-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

one evening in new york, we were out in manhattan and found ourselves with nothing planned for dinner. we hopped the L train to williamsburgh and took a long walk out to marlow & sons. dinner and drinks were fabulous. of course, we wandered into spoonbill & sugartown booksellers on the way back to the train. i love that shop. full of art books and zines and little knick knacks to pick up.

low light in new york

2011-02-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

hi there, world. it's been a few weeks, hasn't it? i have no excuse. i've tried to push myself to post more frequently here, i've developed rolls and rolls of film, i'm still pretty convinced i don't want to give this space up...but i can't bring myself to post here. please bear with me.

on our visit to brooklyn/manhattan, we wandered the beautiful new york public library at 42nd st, sitting for quite a while in the rose room. we also, as you can see above, had some great pizza.

specks of light

2011-01-31T08:44:00.000-08:00

from where i sit in this part of the world, i have to look closely to realize the sun is setting later and later each day. everything is very dark and wintery around here, blistering cold and a wash of gray, but little specks of light at 5pm or 5:15 remind me that things do change and spring does come.

2011-01-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

these shots are from a beautiful home i've spent a lot of time in. sometimes you take the places around you for granted. getting behind the camera helps me see my surroundings in a new light.
this week i look forward to the return of six rolls of film. six!
i also look forward to lighting candles when i get home in the evening, making a louisiana stew in my crock pot, tidying my room and playing more games of bananagrams (my new obsession).

2011-01-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

i've been spending a lot of time on these things this month. what a crazy experience to pack tightly into an airplane and ascend above the clouds, landing in a completely different place. i get a little claustrophobic and anxious, but it's pretty amazing to get to faraway places so quickly.

i'm back on my home ground for awhile now.

2011-01-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

on a rooftop in sunset park, ringing in the new year with a 360 degree view of fireworks all around, screaming and loud music from the streets below.

bulleit and speed scrabble in a loft in bushwick.

jon driving over the brooklyn bridge in a rental car the same as my own car, heading to poughkeepsie to pick up my best friend's dog.
**
spent a wonderful week in new york, which gave me time to think back on the year, on my life. i hope the new year is treating you well so far. one of many goals for me this year is to reconnect with this space.

days of snow, 2

2010-12-24T08:06:00.000-08:00

wishing you a warm christmas.
i'll be working until this evening, putting words and ideas in people's hands. then, a cozy dinner with my best friend and her family and tomorrow, a day full of festivities.
xoxo

days of snow, 1

2010-12-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

happy winter solstice

2010-12-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

the sun came out for my birthday yesterday, which was just about the best gift i could receive. that, and being with my beloved family and friends. these days are always gray and overcast, with a small break of sun if we're lucky.
december has been full of festivities and they aren't over yet. i'm so grateful for being social, but i could use a little solitude amidst these parties. right now i'm looking forward to a trip to new york for january 1.

2010-12-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

the end of the meal at kurtwood farms
i'm hoping for a lot of these warm scenes this weekend. it's my birthday on sunday!

this weekend i will:
make a list of important things i've done in my life
go out to a birthday brunch with my parents
bake and cook and clean
make cocktails
give and receive gifts
listen to a lot of good music
play pictionary
eat a big bowl of pho
sleep in
find some new boots
be with people i love

happy friday!

2010-12-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

a few shots from kurtwood farms, while waiting for a scrumptious homestead meal that was fed to a table full of booksellers. more shots from the meal to come tomorrow.
in the meantime, i can't stop thinking about this paris map bag.

one hot night

2010-12-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

pratt fine arts center hosted an open house called 'one hot night' and we went to see metal working, glass blowing, bronze casting and more. jon might take a blacksmith class from them.

did you catch this story about indie bookstores on npr today? it's important.
i'm really excited about pomegranate bistro's new cookbook, fried chicken and champagne. it is beautiful. (oh! and also only available through independent businesses. if you are out of state, you can order directly through the company).

december 9

2010-12-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

life's been a bit too hectic to get down to the lake by my house recently. i miss it.
right now i'm reading nicole krauss' great house. she has been high up on my favorite authors list for some time now and this new book only secures her position. her novels have so much depth and history and emotion, i can't tear myself away.

december 7

2010-12-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

scenes around the house and the 'hood
these shots were all expired kodak gold 200, pushed to 400. i don't think i like the look of it pushed up an iso--a little too bright and saturated.

i can't believe hanukkah is almost over. i've been enjoying the ritual of lighting candles nightly and watching them drip down to nothing. i'll have to continue the ritual with beeswax candles through december. i'm not ready to let go of the light.

happy tuesday

december 2

2010-12-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

just a few outtakes from my friend nicole's beautiful home. she's constantly weaving together those scrap-paper mobiles. i want one hanging in my home!

happy december and happy hannukah. we lit the first candles last night and read the latke who couldn't stop screaming. i'm planning a big hanukkah meal/celebration soon. even though i'm not too big on frying food, hanukkah is all about celebrating light and oil, so a lot of food gets fried.

i'll leave you with some recipes i've got on my mind:

chickpea latke

porcini mushroom latke

autumn apple doughnuts

orange scented jelly doughnuts

2010-11-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

those of you in seattle will know that these photos are a bit outdated. the leaves have since been soaked and stomped down by rain and last week's bout of snow (yeah, we had a big snow last week that is now pretty much completely gone).

i can't believe tomorrow is december. don't tell anyone, but i'm sort of dreading gift giving this year. don't get me wrong, i love giving gifts in general, but there is so much pressure to have a gift by a certain day that it takes the fun and magic out of the whole process. i can get pretty consumed by finding the perfect thing for people and i'm not really up for spending a lot of money right now. last year i committed to buying all my gifts from locally owned stores or handmade artists and i am going to stick to that plan this year. i'm sure i will find my inspiration soon...

cooking up a storm

2010-11-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

i did a great amount of cooking this week, not only for thanksgiving but also for a few dinners with friends. our thanksgiving meal this year was so memorable, with lots of family and lots of homemade treats. i helped my grandma in the kitchen on thursday, roasting and basting the turkey and i made the apple and pumpkin pie the night before. it was bliss to be able to have a hand in our meal and to spend such good time with my grandma.

this weekend we are on a little 'getaway-in-the-city', house sitting for a friend on the other side of town. it is good to get some time away. hope you all are eating well and enjoying the weekend.

xoxo

there is a space

2010-11-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

art and history combine! the old INS building in south seattle has been converted into artists studios and one weekend, inscape arts set up installations throughout the building. i have to say, it was a little creepy to walk into the old hospital ward and the detainee sections. but i'm really excited about how the building is being put to use. and some of those installations just blew me away. so much energy.

fall walks

2010-11-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

i'd like to spend all my time looking for pretty leaves and clearing my head on crisp fall days.

i'd like to be okay with giving up some control in my life and relinquish myself to things that come and go.

how is fall treating you?

remnants

2010-11-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

fall morning light
remnants of halloween
slow quiet sundays

that's what these pictures remind me of

rustic soap

2010-11-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

growing things farm makes some of my favorite soap. it's handmade and coarsely cut into colorful squares with bright, beautiful scents. i've actually had to take a little break from buying it after a spurt of excitement sent me home with a bagful of handmade soap that we went through all too quickly.
for awhile i only bought their peppermint scent, for the love of feeling my pores open up and refreshed with fresh minty smells. but now i've tried so many other scents, all made with essential oils and the raw ingredient itself. cinnamon, lemongrass, anise, clove, eucalyptus--they're all nice.

if you are in seattle, you can find growing things farm at the ballard sunday market and the u. district farmer's market.

2010-11-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

these shots are from my dad's mamiya that i've been playing with off and on. it's a beautiful medium format slr and in many ways functions similar to my 35mm pentax, but the shots have so much more information on them. it's very heavy to carry around and it makes me sad to take 16 shots and be done with a roll. i've been spoiled off of 36 shots. at any rate, i am lucky to have a completely different camera to play with when i want to.

tomorrow is election day here in the states and it's a big race for washington state. our successful and wonderful u.s. senator of long tenure is opposed by someone with a lot of money backing them. the race is close and i'm hoping that washington state knows the importance of health care, schools, women's rights, veterans rights, small businesses and protected land for wildlife. it's scary out there. vote vote vote!

take a look at this beautiful video: i remember, so i'm voting

october 28

2010-10-28T09:09:00.000-07:00