here’s my contribution from the eclipse on sunday. i don’t have any fancy equipment, but we did rig up some reversed binoculars and poster board to watch the transition. i like the color shift that’s happening here.

i knew we were supposed to use pinhole technology to refract the eclipse into viewable form but what i hadn’t expected was that any abstract pinholes of light would create the same shape on shady walls everywhere!

eclipsing crescents through the shadow of the loquat tree

we had a lovely time watching the eclipse yesterday. LAist posted a nice gallery from photographers around LA as well as this time lapsed video shot in redding, ca.

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epazote mint & ginger tea

i found myself wondering if i was running out of new things to write about for seasonal eats, but my guy at the highland park farmer’s market came through with yet another green i haven’t tried: epazote. i’ve heard of it forever, but never really encountered it for purchase before. i asked him about it, and he listed off many favorite mexican dishes its commonly used in, so i thought it’s time to try it out.

epazote has a pungency that almost seems un-food-like, with a petroleum-ish aroma not unlike tea tree, and an antiseptic oil released upon chewing that seems to bloom in the mouth—a similar feeling to chewing mint leaves, but a different flavor. i’m definitely going to try it in food, but since i’m no expert in traditional mexican cooking, the herb’s medicinal properties caught my attention first [i'm going back to highland park to have it served up by the pros]. here’s a tea of 3 digestive aids that will sooth your system after a meal or anytime you like.

epazote: acts as a carminative preventing intestinal gas, and has antihelminthic properties. its limonene content can relieve gastrointestinal reflux disease and heartburn.

mint: aside from the delicious flavor that goes well with epazote, mint’s essential oil is menthol, which stimulates the flow of bile to the stomach promoting digestion. menthol is also an antispasmodic, calming the muscle action in the digestive system.

ginger: soothes indigestion and acts as a carminative. it’s a mild stimulant, promoting circulation and motility in the gastro-intestinal tract. the volatile oils found in ginger also have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties, and testing suggests that gingerol may kill some cancer cells. ginger has also been found to treat nausea associated with pregnancy, motion sickness and chemotherapy.

epazote, mint & ginger tea
1 5″ sprig of fresh epazote
2 5″ sprigs of peppermint
1 long piece of ginger root, .5″ wide cut into matchsticks for maximum surface area
20 oz boiling water

take the epazote and mint sprigs and twist them between 2 fists to help release essential oils. place the sprigs and ginger sticks in a large glass and pour boiling water over. let steep 5 minutes and either sweeten to your preference or take it straight. optional: flavor with lemon juice.

i’m a huge fan of the continuous line style of illustration, and this moving version that tells the story of mohawk paper’s legacy is a really beautiful way to evolve a narrative.

bill holsinger robinson logo, image: underconsideration.com

speaking of things connected, i’ve been looking at a lot of ligatures lately. or rather, i’m always looking at them, but i’m thinking about them even more, and i thought this logo for bill holisnger-robinson was pretty nice. see all the details on for print only.

Rahal Kitchen logo, image: anderson design group

taking ligatures to the next level with illustration is this lovely identity for rahal kitchen, which has iterations for all types of vintage-style farm stand packaging. truly great work from anderson design group.

damn good by jason adam & tim lapetino

my buddies over at hexanine have just released damn good: top desiners discuss their all-time favorite projects with how books. i like this book for a few reasons. for one, it’s really well organized into project type, so each project is in a category with similar work. another thing i enjoy now that i know some of these authors is to see what they would curate as a set of work worth sharing. everyone has an opinion about what’s good, and we can easily look at their own portfolios, but it’s always fun to see what they like and are inspired by.

finally, i liked the feedback feature in this book. it’s not just a selection of nice pieces, it’s a chance to hear from the designers about their favorite parts of each project, which can sometimes reveal aspects readers couldn’t have guessed on first glance.

aiga la: speakeasy poster in damn good

i’m honored to be among the group of damned good, here in the form of the aiga la: speakeasy poster, which was a really fun project for the 2010 aiga la fellows gala and celebration. the people who work with the los angeles chapter of aiga are a fantastic group, and this project was a great reflection of that.

this book is 200 pages of full-color, square-format goodness — just one of many available from how books. pick up a copy or try your luck at describing what makes damn good design before may 18, 2012 and win a free copy!

happy monday

we spent a beautiful day on the water searching out whales and dolphins on our way to catalina. at one point, we were riding with such a big group that they were jumping all around us and riding the current the boat created. so amazing!

this video may have a slow start, but it delivers on a small-scale portable rube goldberg machine. see the full write-up along with a diagram of the machine at fastcodesign.com.

sorrel walnut pesto

my mom has been growing sorrel for the last few years, and last time i stopped by, she encouraged me to take a bunch. i don’t have experience with sorrel other than hearing about french sorrel soup, so i figured it was a good time to do some research. after reading the basics, i took a bite of one of the leaves, and though the texture is like spinach, the flavor is pure lemon, becoming progressively sour as you chew it. i could see it mixed into a salad for zing, or softened up with potatoes or cream. but mostly, i wanted to add more lemon and garlic to it, and let it sing! i’m riding out my obsession with roasted walnut oil here, but you can substitute olive or garlic confit oil and pine nuts if you like.

sorrel walnut pesto
1 packed up of chopped fresh sorrel leaves
1/2 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup roasted walnut oil
6 roasted garlic cloves
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp salt
pepper to taste