lucy

friday brown.

2011-10-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

friday. finally. when I think of brown I think of wood, soil, earth, warmth and of course, caramel.

thursday grey.

2011-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

on wedensday because my thursday is going to be crazy busy. crazy. busy. won't have time for things like staring up at birds in the sky, stalking spiderwebs on neighborhood walks, beach combing, stumbling across the longest hopscotch EVER and hopping along until your legs feel like they are going to fall off, or driving on country roads.

wednesday orange.

2011-10-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

loving orange wednesday over at poppytalk. love love love.

tuesday yellow.

2011-10-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

yellow...I think it may be his favorite color. and now, it might just be mine too.

monday red.

2011-10-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

it's poppytalk autumn colour week and i'm late. definitely late. and. have been so neglecting the blog in a serious way. so...here's a bit of summer. in color.

distance.

2011-03-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

would love to have been able to capture the feeling of distance in someone's expression, but, I shouldn't complain as this last week left me with some fantastic views of oregon countryside to assist in my interpretation of 'distance'. still loving these assignments. see tab's fun interpretation of distance here!

assignment green.

2011-03-21T09:44:00.001-07:00

yes, another green assignment. for a little photography club I'm in. if I could, I would take on as many photo assignments as possible. photography club would be a full time job and I would spend all hours of all days thinking of assignments and taking pictures for assignments. because, one of the things I love most about taking pictures of everyday life is that it doesn't keep me from everyday life. anyway, this green assignment had me drawn to moss. and jammies covered in the cutest little alligators. I also love tab's interpretation of green!

silver and gold friday

2011-01-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

silver and gold to end this fabulous poppytalk winter colors week!

green thursday.

2011-01-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

am so loving the winter colours week over at poppytalk. the flickr pool is loaded with so much inspiration I can hardly contain myself. I wish every week was a colors week!

wednesday blue

2011-01-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

tuesday white.

2011-01-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

again with the winter color week!

monday red

2011-01-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

am participating in poppytalk's winter color week...yay!

hello.

2011-01-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

2011.

things I'm loving...

2011-01-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

baby and daddy. sweetest thing ever.
snowflakes.
music.
home grown pecans.
frost in the yard.

last little bit

2011-01-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

of the holidays...

eve.

2010-12-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

just a little...

2010-12-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

bit of winter from around the house.

winter.

2010-12-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

is right around the corner.

original

2010-11-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

what do you do when you're in the middle of the country? you eat bbq and go thrift shopping. unfortunately, we had no time for thrift shopping while in st. louis for brian and kat's wedding back in october, but, we had time for pappy's smokehouse and it was sooooooooooo good. pappy's original sauce was so tasty so we brought 5 jars home to share with friends. wish I could have brought home the jukebox full of blues.

hey!!!

2010-11-25T06:57:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving!!!

so much to be thankful for...especially family, friends and good health! and knockered cranberries, of course.

most thankful

2010-11-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

for the loves of my life.

list number three...

2010-11-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

of things i'm thankful for this fall:

my little hamburger baby. served with a side of pickles and fries, natch.

spiderwebs. i love them. and spiders.

mild weather days. lots of them that keep the leaves hanging on to the trees for what seems like ever.

big fields of cabbage.

and, again with the food carts.

list number two...

2010-11-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

of things I'm thankful for this fall:

cold sunny fall days that cater perfectly to our coffee loving hearts. his - iced and enjoyed in the sun. mine - hot and enjoyed in the shade.

watching people listen to records on mississippi. I especially love when people are careful and calculated with the records and placing the needle. I'm a lover of careful and calculated hand movements.

taking lincoln on his first flight above the clouds. and extra thankful that he slept for most of it.

warm breezy days. we had a lot of them this fall, which, prompted me to open up windows and doors and hang dry clothes all over the house. I also loved walking past said hanging clothes to get a whiff of the fresh laundry smell. am also loving stripes these days.

cheese. am thankful for cheese all year long really, but, we enjoyed some really good cheese this fall and had fun trying out some local cheeses.

hand me down baby jeans. they're just so so so cute.

list number one...

2010-11-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

of things I'm thankful for this fall:

preserved foods. pickled especially. makes me giddy.

garden grown tomatoes. this year was the year of the tomato and lemon cucumber in
our garden, which, lends perfectly to my favorite garden fresh sandwich. sliced tomato, sliced lemon cucumber. salt and pepper and LOTS of mayo.

portland food carts. they're everywhere and they're the perfect eatery when equipped with crying baby.

sunflowers. also loved by bumble bees.

a warm day at the pumpkin patch to hand pick lincoln's first halloween pumpkins.

and peaceful little baby naps and the happy little squeals that follow.

right now...

2010-11-20T19:58:00.000-08:00

I could use a little time out. I think a little meditation is in order. Starting back to work this week went much better than expected, with the help of a 3 day part time schedule and a super great daycare. Nonetheless, I've been biting my nails and it needs to stop.

today is a day for...

2010-11-13T15:44:00.001-08:00

all things comforting.

today i like

2010-11-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

getting lost in this happy place.
finding out that I share the same birthday of this interesting person.
trying this bosnian food cart for lunch
hanging with the little mister.

working on it

2010-11-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

I bought a new old camera, built myself an contraption out of duct tape and cardboard and got to it. we're a little rough around the edges and I look a little crazy shooting with this thing, but, I must admit this ttv business has me totally hooked and it's so worth all of the awkwardness.

oh...and it's national blog posting month --nablopomo-- so hopefully I can keep up.

scattered

2010-11-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

my head was scattered all over the place today. on top of it, I had to make a trip to babies r us (second time in the store since the baby). I wouldn't recommend going to babies r us when ailed with a scattered head. it was a recipe for disaster. actually I wouldn't recommend going to babies r us at all. it is crazy overwhelming, they have a horrible return policy and their aisles are so full of little displays that it is very difficult to maneuver the cart around the store without drawing all sorts of unwanted attention. and now we have a jumperoo in our living room. but, lincoln loves it.

halloween eve...

2010-10-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

wishing everyone a spooky spooky saturday night.

xo nz

2010-10-16T20:12:00.001-07:00

my attempt to end blogging of new zealand on a high note. gorgeous coastlines and gorgeous inland mountain ranges all connected by gorgeous skies.

some obvious, some not

2010-10-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

random things about new zealand that made me feel good:

dry grass in the sun

long afternoon shadows

watching the sun set with good friends

a lonely high desert highway

a quirky giant game of chess

self portrait in a phone booth

springtime flowers

and a gondola ride with my hubby overlooking queenstown

nostalgia

2010-10-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

not surprising that new zealand reminded me of home...it's very reminiscent of northern california and the pacific northwest. a couple things of particular note:

meg, the sheep dog. i grew up with working dogs and love them.

wool blankets. i love the weight and the warmth of a wool blanket. love.

organic and earth friendly everything.

small town post offices and

candy shops.

serious mission

2010-10-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

in case you haven't noticed you're in the middle of my serious mission to get my blog updated.

the best part

2010-10-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

the best part about driving new zealand:

touring the back roads and stumbling across great bridges

stopping at as many fruit or fish and chip stands as you like

pulling over to the perfect spot to lay back and nap in the warm breeze

two things

2010-10-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

two things I loved about dunedin (pronounced dune eee din):

a restaurant filled with with kitschy collectibles...I literally found myself drooling over all of the vintage coffee carafes, and delicious food to boot

hiking miles in the dark at 4 in the morning across sand dunes and around huge sleeping sea lions to a hut on a lookout point where we sat and drank hot cider, ate muffins and watched the yellow eyed penguins make their daily trek down a steep trail to the water from their nests. it was barely light but we saw them and it was like finding a treasure. magic really. our guide, steven, was a local professor, originally from ireland. he studied penguins in antarctica and south africa and his love of penguins was contagious.

everywhere

2010-10-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

left, right, up, down you'll see the following no matter where you look in new zealand:

the color green

water

sheep

new zealand in lists

2010-10-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

decided to recap last year's trip to new zealand in list form given that most of my blogging is now done with the little spaghetti (aka lincoln) stuck to me. some of my favorites:

going from fall in portland to all of the springtime goodness new zealand had to offer

gorgeous wool...everywhere and in every form

visiting friends, corey and amanda

meals of fresh seafood (most of which came with fries in baskets breaded and fried to perfection of which I LOVE to drench in malt vinegar and dip in tartar sauce)

my very favorite new zealand moment by far was in our hotel bathroom in queenstown with a barely positive pregnancy test (which, if you've ever lived in the world of taking these tests, the faintest positive pretty much means you've got a little spaghetti in the oven). now looking back, I wish I would have taken a self portrait in the mirror. I was glowing.

recent conversation with lincoln.

2010-10-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

excuse me sir, please put your hands up.

just kidding!

opera house.

2010-10-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

the sydney opera house was quite extraordinary. both from a distance and up close. although we didn't get to a show, I'm sure the experience from within takes it to a whole new level. next time. you always have to leave a little something for next time, right?

sydney food.

2010-10-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

hands down the best food in sydney (mind you we were only there for a few days) was the chinatown street food. granted, I can eat dumplings and steam buns for breakfast lunch and dinner like there is no tomorrow. also, the malaysian food at mamak. seriously delicious and worth the wait.

lomo.

2010-10-14T09:51:00.001-07:00

I stumbled on the coolest lomography store in paddington, sydney. little lomo museum actually. was especially fun since I was toting the holga on this trip. also, bookstore neon light, I agree with you, it is beautiful here. there, in sydney, that is.

more on syd.

2010-10-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

james, aka the official aussie citizen, aka one of my favorite peoples. my very very very favorite part of hanging with james is laughing with him. hands down. people watching in hyde park along with the brilliant photo display.

happening upon mr. bo jangles, full of smiles, admiring the photo taken of him as part of said brilliant photo display.

flying solo in sydney for a few days while greg was visiting coworkers in adelaide meant riding buses to neighborhoods lined with boutiques and coffee shops and walking, lots and lots of walking. and pretty much the best cherry chocolate chip muffin ever. so good so, that I consumed it entirely before even having a thought to take its picture.

sydney.

2010-09-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

she lured me in. we were there last october and i won't lie...although, she is full of fabulous eats, people, easy public transit, a stunning opera house and boutique lined streets...it's the beaches. i fell in loooooove with her beaches. each with it's own personality, all of them strung together by trails and bus lines.

before I get started on the inbetween...

2010-09-28T11:49:00.001-07:00

12 weeks ago today I held him for the first time. I'm so head over heels I can hardly stop smiling.

all I'm saying...

2010-08-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

is that it's been almost a year. seriously?! I'm gettin it together...a lot of catching up to do! :)

alaska...seriously, I love you.

2009-08-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

and I thank you for luring me away from my daily. between you and these photos I feel as though I could easily convince myself to buy an old rusty in all the right places truck, a plot of land and get to it. no really, I already have a list of fruits and veggies I would grow and animals I would raise.

it flies.

2009-04-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

time. really. in so many ways and this time of year always for me. coincidental it must be...may be...but, it makes me anxious. it's bittersweet this time of year is for me. in the end, though, it's always good and spiritual and enlightening and inspiring. full of remembering and full of moving forward. not to mention am so delighted with the idea of the sun shining down on my daily life and i'm already loving the smell of the blooms and the leaves and the dry warm life in the air.

i admit i've been neglecting the blog and my camera...but, have been giving other pieces of my life some much needed attention and am loving the benefits of that. this can't last for much longer though, neglect that is. i have room for spending time capturing life through the lens and my feeble attempt at telling some kind of story to go along and i'm missing it just way too much. plus, i have a list to share.

three things...

2009-03-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

i liked about this girl:

the way she decidedly selected the perfect space to enjoy her latte and scone. she checked out the bar seats along the window, sat in one even, maybe thinking how nice all of the natural light would be but then maybe concluding that it was a bit lonely. possibly she chose the counter bar seats to give her the perfect combination. she would certainly have an element of independence, yet the warm social aspect of watching and listening to the baristas fix the perfect espresso and coffee drinks. anyway, I liked her method and was delighted to see that I'm not the only one that can be a little neurotic at times about where to sit.

she either knows that stumptown is really the best coffee on the planet or had her planets aligned to stumble upon this shop on this morning.

the plaid shirt. it's perfect really. masculine in the pattern, feminine in the shape. it was the perfect choice for sitting at the bar. i thought anyway.

love day.

2009-02-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

what's more to love than sharing a box of chocolates with greg on valentines morning, reconnecting with a dear friend after years and years, looking forward to other dear friends getting married this year, spending time being lazy with the grey faced pooches, meals made with love, or fingernails painted red? not much, I tell you. not much. lots of love these days around here. xxo.

two things.

2009-02-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

dim sum this week-end helped me to realize two things and now that a few days have gone by along with the fogginess that comes along with eating too much dim sum I thought I would share.

first realization is that I would loooove to be laying on a hot sandy beach with my face shaded just right by a sunbrella while the rest of my body gets warmed by the sun. I would paint my toes, read my book and listen to the water. my feet along with the rest of my body would be so happy. but, mainly my feet, because they are SO cold these days despite the multiple sock layers and continued effort to warm them on greg once he falls asleep or sometimes when he is awake because he's sweet like that.

second, is that I am just so in love with the new lens that my mom so thoughtfully got me for my birthday. she is and always has been the best at getting me the best gifts ever. this lens competes with the purple radio & pretenders tape I received when I was 8. yes it does.

purple, just like an iris.

2009-02-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

or maybe like the perfect accessory.

memphis blues.

2009-02-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

a splash of green

2009-02-06T21:01:00.001-08:00

here and there. you know. in memphis.

mellow yellow.

2009-02-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

like a glowing beacon leading you to the best fried chicken ever. or maybe like a cozy room with a bed full of all kinds of feathery pillowness. either indulgence leads to some seriously happy relaxation.

orange you...

2009-02-06T20:43:00.001-08:00

going to ride with me on a trolley, maybe to the jungle room?

cheers to red.

2009-02-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

and cheers to daydreams of dancing in a vintage pink ballroom, eating oysters prepared in every way possible, and cheers to some red in memphis.

memphis in color...

2009-02-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

and my top 5, in no particular order:

gus's world famous fried chicken,

dry rub ribs at rendevous with endless bottles of bbq sauce for dipping,

that sunset that I managed to miss with my camera,

graceland and sun studio,

and having the sweetest lady full of smile lines and love call me a precious angel and ask me to stay forever.

a little black, white and grey in memphis.

2009-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

"everybody sees you're blown apart, everybody sees the wind blow,

in graceland, in graceland" -- paul simon

was in memphis last week for work and was so happy to have a few free hours to explore. a little more to come on memphis...there is food and music and color to be shared.

the long way home.

2009-01-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

had breakfast this morning at bijou...I think this might just be my favorite breakfast in the city. I decided to take the long way home, which, involved grabbing an americano next door and spending a few minutes admiring gretchen vaudt's "going home" exhibit, driving across the river and back, making a stop here to pick up one of these and letting the fog draw me up here.

cheers to you 2008!

2008-12-31T16:56:00.000-08:00

I have been having some fun in these last few days of 2008...doing a little window shopping and eating out, which, leads to day dreaming of dancing around pink tinsel trees dressed in a cute little blue frock and shiny little shoes with a sparkling flute of champagne and a table full of tasty sushi platters from what might be the very best japanese restaurant ever.

here's to a happy new year full of making day dreams come true!

t'was the night before...

2008-12-24T16:15:00.000-08:00

cheers to gatherings, anticipation, laughs that make your belly hurt and your eyes water, marvelous little holiday worthy accessories, twinkling lights, frosty white snow, delicious food, delightful wine and tasty little treats!

the simple things.

2008-12-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

today, not much unlike the past week or so, has been all about the simple things.

even though I would LOVE to get in the car and drive it...anywhere really, I'm SO loving not being able to. it reminds me of being in europe. we're busy and exhausted. busy, hiking down and up the hill in the snow and ice to get to the market, hitting up a few local restaurants for some food and drink, making all kinds of food at home, keeping up the house, taking public transit downtown, snoozing by the fire, listening to music, taking pictures, making lists and planning all sorts of fun things to do. one of those things is to spend more time without the car. yes it is.

today...

2008-12-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

was like a warm glow topped with a little bit of blurry.

like spending the greater part of the afternoon in the neighborhood pub enjoying food and drink while reading about films and music and talking about plans. like staring out the window at christmas lights strung along the deck railing.

like hanging by the fire with rosy red cheeks after walking home in the snow.

hello winter wonderland!

2008-12-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

a little bit of my frosty white intro to winter...been spending a lot of time around the house. no really, a lot.

a little list of things...

2008-12-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

that I treasured about fall this year...

spending all day cooking thanksgiving dinner with my mom in our house. it's been a while and I loved every moment of it.
meeting our friends new little baby boy...and getting to take a few pictures of him and his big brother.

stepping outside to see spiders and their glorious webs.

walking to farmers market on sunny cold sunday mornings.

spending the 10th fall with the love of my life and taking our first stroll through central park in new york city.

hitting up little art sales, picking up all sorts of little treasures.
and lastly...that it decided to go out with a bang...a big snowy, frosty, wear big boots, bundle up, drink lots of hot coffee drinks, no driving, bang!

am wondering...

2008-12-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

...what these doors look like this time of year? do they string little twinkling lights around them? I am picturing beautiful, happy people carrying bottles of wine opening them to find themselves surrounded by warmth and the most wonderful smells and, of course, hugs and kisses. smells of slow cooked sauces to be tossed with fresh pasta, herbed fresh fish, octopus maybe, everything drizzled in fruity olive oil. what I would give to be there now, oh what I would give to see these doors in december.

waaaaaay back.

2008-11-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

my head is back in a time of foot shaped donuts that we would eat toe by toe, making the best mixed tapes on earth, walking through those vineyards talking about nothing and everything under the sun, using the roof as a diving board, having the most ridiculous hair-do's, cutting our own hair, piercing our own ears, wearing make-up consisting of blue and pink eye shadow and blue mascara, swapping clothes so much that it was hard to figure out whose belonged to who, walking home after school to make the tastiest food and listen to said best mixed tapes on earth, laughing so hard that it became something totally other than a laugh at some point, talking on the phone for hours and hours and hours, sleepovers and even better, school-night sleepovers, playing games until late hours of the night, passing notes in class that were folded up like little origami, eating spoonfuls of kool-aid whenever we could get our hands on it, making, giving and receiving friendship bracelets, wearing the break apart heart best friends neclace, wearing socks that resembled legwarmers, socks that so brilliantly coordinated with our shirts and earrings - usually pastels or neon - wearing them two pairs at a time with jeans tucked in, oh...and cannot forget side ponytails. will not forget...ever. happy birthday dear friend...everyday I think of you.

if I could I would.

2008-11-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

spend all days walking the streets, window shopping, treasure hunting, tasting all of the food and drink under the sun, writing and taking photographs. one by one I would explore all the cities in the world. but, I suppose this practice would lose it's luster if it became an everyday event. this is what I keep telling myself anyway. plus, I have yet to find an employer who will pay me to do such a thing. it's fun a little dream though.

oh...made it to this little sale on saturday and met some wonderful people and picked up a few little treasures. it was a fabulous sale, if I must say so myself.

she is here...

2008-11-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

the rain, that is. right now I'm loooooving the rain, the way it sounds, smells, feels, and especially how it makes the indoors seem more cozy and warm than ever and makes hot coffee drinks taste incredible. I have a feeling this blissful enjoyment I'm experiencing will all come to a screeching halt before too long so I'm just soaking it up for now and getting my little list of books, indoor games and fun activities ready to pull out of the hat when the time comes.

photobooth friday!

2008-11-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

posted on a sunday, but, that's ok with me. things seem to be in slow motion this week-end and I'm taking full advantage. the booth sitting actually took place on friday, down at the ace, naturally. when we decided on masu downtown for dinner the first thing that entered my head was the photobooth sitting there just a block and a half away waiting patiently for us to arrive. I haven't been in the photobooth for a looooong time, hence forgetting to pull the backdrop curtain. the white background is kinda fun though. different. I was so excited so we had to do two strips...I almost talked her into a third. so, if you can't already tell from the pics, I adore melissa. we had a fabulous little sushi dinner on friday with drinks consisting of blackberry puree, vodka and limejuice and all sorts of good genuine conversation...the kind that leaves you feeling authentic; the kind I treasure. so, here's to week-end's that are authentic and full of fabulous food, drinks, fun, friends and great conversation...OH...and a little photobooth'in!

"words do inspire"

2008-11-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

"this is our moment. this is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can." -- barack obama -- president elect acceptance speech, november 4th, 2008

I generally follow the cardinal rule of not talking politics so I'll keep this very short and very sweet. I've been so moved by this election, the history that has been made, the way that the world sat on the edge of its seat and the way that people from many corners of the world celebrated. from the moment I started engaging in politics and voting my voice, I have dreamt of participating in such a monumental decision, a monumental change and I'm so grateful, so grateful and so hopeful and it feels so good.

little treasure.

2008-11-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

"stop searching forever, happiness is just next to you" -- fortune cookie, hop kee restaurant, chinatown, new york city, new york

happy halloween!

2008-11-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

if your halloween was anything like ours you ate too much candy, drank too much rum and had too much fun riding around town, hopping from bar to bar in an old yellow school bus, dubbed the bar fly ooky spooky mystery bus tour. whatever halloween was for you this year, I hope you enjoyed it!!!

there you are.

2008-10-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to call you other than my little treasure of a pastime. I've kind of neglected you since we returned from our trip and I have to admit that I've been floundering a bit and have definitely been missing you. see, I am so so so fond of you. you light up my life...err, help me express the light in my life I should say. I must admit, italy kind of threw me off...I didn't need to work at it...I was swimming in a big blue sea of inspiration. I'm so glad you're back. I think it happened a few weeks ago when I was in a muddy corn maze wearing tennis shoes trailing behind everyone else wearing rubber boots and you jumped out and grabbed me. not too difficult being that my feet were stuck in mud, but, it was just for a moment and it felt soooooo good. I'm getting back on track, slowly but surely and will make it up to you...I know it. xxo.

ten.

2008-09-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

ten hours, a small car - emphasize small, a map and some strong coffee is what we had on santorini. the island was like a cake frosted with little white towns and we were in decoration wonderland.

what's better...

2008-09-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

...than finding a portland friend in a small village on corfu when you left the directions back in portland? I'll tell you...

having them invite you up for some greek pastries and a tall glass of ouzo at 10:30 in the morning, because, every morning on a greek island should start with an ouzo induced buzz, pastries and friends far far far from home. then, with said nice ouzo buzz, walking across the road to take a swim, laying in the hot hot sun, and then topping it off with the most delicious lunch. that was the best.

a taste of croatia.

2008-09-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

that's what we had so that's what i'll share. it was just a taste; a few hours to see what we could see. one day we'll go back for a meal...an eight course indulgence of croatia is what we'll do, because, it will be so worth it.

there were medieval walls climbing up the side of mountains like they were meant to be there all along,
laundry, cleverly placed to brighten up lonely little alleyways,

and there is no surprise that the doors caught my eye. they, like much of croatia, have been untouched for a long time, beautiful and dormant and still so free from the pressures of the tourist dollar...for the time being anyway.

if I could count the ways...

2008-09-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

...in which I loved you tuscany, I would. although, I would go on forever and ever and ever and all of your delicious secrets would be out. there are a few things, though, that I just can't keep to myself...

your doors...I could spend forever with your doors,
the way your little cars tempted me...like I could just pick them up and put them in my pocket,
your olives. everything about your olives,
your sunflowers and the way they couldn't hide their love for you either,
watching people find their way around your hilltowns, dancing almost, in those stone streets and alleyways,
your grass and the way it shines in the hot sun...oh! and the smell, I will never forget that sweet smell,

giancarlo, all of his delicious creations, hospitality, and the way he shares his way of life at podere spedalone with his guests,
you and him...together in the quiet warm air waiting patiently for the sun to set.

amazing.

2008-09-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

that's what it was. morning, noon and night. every sunrise, sunset, kiss, view, farm, hill town, corner, olive and sip of wine in tuscany was incredible. oh...and it was quiet. so quiet. after the hustle and bustle and crowds of the riviera we embraced tuscany's quiet landscape and dirt roads with open arms! there will be more to come on tuscany...I promise.

ahh the riviera...

2008-09-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

in addition to morning pastries, pasta courses that would ordinarily constitute the entire meal, gelato, day forgetting, and love affair with doors, here are a few other things we incorporated into our daily italian life there in the cinque terre...

- taking boats to get from place to place in addition to trains;

- actually figuring out how to properly take the trains...there's this whole validation process which we were pretty keen on ahead of time but there's also the element of making sure you get on the right train. luckily...the wrong train didn't take us too far and thank goodness we didn't have our ridiculous amount of luggage (which, was probably average but felt absolutely ridiculous when cramming it off and on the trains in what felt like a fire drill);

- delightful sleep (which was probably more of a food induced coma type state but delightful sleep sounds better);

- browsing the markets to admire things we couldn't manage to carry home;

- loading up on picnic goodies (because for whatever reason between the pastries, pasta, secondo courses and the gelato we were actually hungry)...we blamed it on the dr. seuss staircases;

- late night wine drinking and star gazing (this also often involved eating some sweets that ele sent along with us);

- doing laundry by hand and hanging it from the windows to dry; and

- writing and mailing postcards (we had big plans to continue the postcard writing, but, we didn't succeed). it was SO much fun though, to stick the ones we did write into the cutest little post office boxes I think I've ever seen.

a little conversation over breakfast in vernazza.

2008-08-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

lucy: what do you want to do today?

greg: let's go to portofino.

greg: i can't believe we're in italy.

lucy: me either.

greg: what day is it?

lucy: *smile* i have no idea.

buon giorno riviera!

2008-08-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

after arriving on the late night crazy train (literally! if you've ever been on the italian riviera trains you'll know there a little crazy, especially during european holiday) and carrying our bags up a narrow alley of a million stairs resembling something straight from dr. seuess's imagination, waking up to see the sun shine on colorful little vernazza was spectacular and refreshing. we were glad to leave the bags in our room, ditch the train and take the day to hike from one little colorful fishing village to the next.
a view looking back at vernazza from the trail.
corniglia and the solidification of my love affair with italian doors.
manarola.
riomaggiore and then back to vernazza for a nap.

we topped off the day enjoying dinner of grilled octopus with potatoes and fresh herbs, anchovies drizzled with olive oil and lemon, fresh pasta tossed with tomato goodness and a sweet chocolate ending accompanied by a little caffe and a sunset, naturally.

where to start???

2008-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

at the beginning will just have to do!

quick note to say sorry for the lack of posts...we were delightfully preoccupied and internet access wasn't as easy to come by as we thought. by the end of my attempt to try to make up for it I'm sure you'll be tired of hearing about our travels. a part of me wishes I could tell you that we've been swept away...busy flat hunting as greg has taken on a job as a mediterranean food critic and me as a student of fashion in milan. rather, we are happy to be home in portland sorting through photographs and so many wonderful memories of our trip. oh, and doing laundry of course!

first stop - piemonte to visit family and see where my great grandparents rosie and lorenzo called home for the first 20 or so years of their life.

the last time I saw my cousins I was awkwardly thirteen, maybe fourteen. they were just as wonderful then as they are now and we couldn't have orchestrated a more perfect introduction to italy. so, with that, I'm going to try to hit as many splendid moments of our first few days as I can... alessandria with rita and elena to run some errands and have an afternoon caffe,having lunch and visiting with roby before she and bepe left for holiday in sardegna,touring the garden with ele,

seeing giuseppe and his brother enjoy their daily afternoon visit,

seeing the houses that my great grandparents grew up in,

morning breakfasts consisting of home baked pastries, fresh brewed espresso, handpicked fruit and all the warm loving hospitality in the world,

taking the train with ele to visit the girls' flat in torino and tour the city,

the best garden grown lunches and dinners at the loveliest little eat in kitchen with countless courses consisting of prosciutto and melon, salami, bread sticks, fresh baked bread, numerous varieties of cheese with honey and marmalades, cherry peppers stuffed with capers in olive oil, rice mixed with giardiniera mix, ravioli tossed in olive oil rosemary and fried sage, pasta with fresh pesto, mushroom risotto, eggplant parmigiana casserole, zucchini cake, rosemary potatoes, turkey cutlets with rosemary, fish steamed with fresh herbs, tomatoes, figs, peaches, apricots, hazelnut torrone, sparkling water, wine, caffe and yes, even a little homemade limoncello, a visit down to alba with ele and tea before catching the train to the next stop on our trip.

see some more pics of our visit with the family here!

rare moment in amsterdam...

2008-08-06T03:33:00.000-07:00

greg slept about 30 minutes on the flight from portland to amsterdam versus my 4 and a half hour snooze (thanks to glass of red wine and half of an ambien, which, is sooooooo much better than tylenol pm BTW). that coupled with the three cups of STRONG coffee I had with breakfast before we landed (not to mention the natural high from finally starting our trip!) has turned me into a somewhat energetic chatty cathy. I had to document this rare occassion...it's not too often that I have more energy than greg.

I'm going to try to update the little blog throughout the trip and will definitely post some pictures when I get a chance! for now, enjoying this cute little airport lounge while we wait for our flight to milan, listening to people speak in all kinds of other languages and being thankful for a great flight over the pond and the beginning to a wonderful trip!

food. oh...and packing.

2008-07-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

we leave in 5 days and can't stop thinking about and dreaming about and talking about all of the food we're going to indulge in while in the mediterranean. of course, we're excited about everything else as well, but, particularly excited about the food. anyway, we've been doing some cooking for ourselves recently...well, mostly greg. although, I must admit, I've fallen in love with baking cupcakes.

ok...so onto the packing situation. I decided to take an initial stab last saturday by placing everything on our bed that I thought I wanted to take. I should have taken a picture...it was something to see. just imagine towering piles of folded clothing...neat piles nonetheless and some of them leaning. after about an hour of selecting tops, pants, shorts, a dress and a swimsuit to put back in the closet I finally decided to see how we fit into the old suitcase. am just bringing the small carry on as I'm shooting to be the savvy world traveller. let's just say it's STILL a work in process and i'm motivated to have some space to spare...you never know what flea market treasures will make their way into my world in these next few weeks.

focus.

2008-07-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

i'm finding it difficult to focus these days. i would rather be laying in the grass daydreaming about our upcoming trip than doing, well, anything really. i can't wait to experience the smell of tuscany, the feel of the italian sunshine, the smiles and laughter of my cousins, the taste of the food and wine, the sound of the language (hoping hoping hoping that my studying will pay off and that i'll actually understand a word or two), the feel of the air and the water in the mediterranean. i can't wait to see what the locals look like, what they wear, what other tourists will look like. i can't wait to see what streets and buildings look like and how people plant their gardens. oh, the list goes on and on and on and i'm fully planning on document everything possible in my journal and on film. we are twenty two days away from zipping up our luggage and catching our flight and i'm loving this fabulous world of anticipation!

lucky me!

2008-07-08T21:12:00.001-07:00

somehow, someway I have a subscription to lucky magazine and I don't know how it happened. I'm in my fourth issue and so far, I'm loving it. one of my favorite sections is where they feature cute little boutique shops in different cities....one of the recent issues featured atlanta and so made me want to make a visit. a visit to shops like luxe atlanta, bill hallman: flaunt, beehive co-op, and shopSCAD just to name a few. so, I'm sending a big big thank you for this gift, thank you for all of the inspiration, new fashions, new cities, new make-up, new hair-do's, new beauty secrets! i feel lucky, yes i do!

show me...

2008-07-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

a bloom,

a rock,

a tatoo,

a look,

a clear blue sky,

another tatoo,

a hillside of green vines,

and a blues fest and i'll be one happy girl this fourth of july.

here we are three years later.

2008-07-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

today marks our three year anniversary and my head is back at the marin art and garden center with fabulous hair-do's, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, our lovely and very extraordinary wedding coordinator marilyn, beautiful flower bouquets, fabulous shoes, sunshine, garden flowers, the thick irish accent and fantastic humor of our wedding officiant pedar, the cupcakes, the wine, all of our friends and family, the food...oh the food, walking around the gardens as new husband and wife with the best photographer following our footsteps, the huge old magnolia tree that we climbed into, the music that just lifted my feet right off the ground, and most of all, being there and being here with the love of my life. happy happy happy happy anniversary #3 honey, I love you with all of my heart. xxxxxxo!

mmmmmm.

2008-06-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

greg and I decided to head out for a little taste of portland today...it all started around noon when we headed to lunch a la voodoo, with some of our favorite coffee of course. yes...donuts for lunch. as we were enduldging at an outdoor table a man was enjoying a cup of coffee, newspaper and cigarette and the smell of the smoke almost felt like it fit. almost. I had to write that because I think that is the only time - ever - that I've actually kind of accepted the smell of cigarette smoke. well, aside the time when I was 13 and thought, for about an hour, that it would be cool to smoke cigarettes.

after lunch we decided to take advantage of the sugar caffeine high and went to shop for an outdoor table...finally. we've been putting off this chore for about 2 years now, but, we're hosting a few little parties in july so we've got ourselves a deadline. anyway, we found one, fell in love and found out that it won't arrive at our house until september. so, we then came up with the brilliant idea to go to ikea and find a cheaper folding card-type table that we can use for our july festivities until our new table arrives. it's always good to have a folding table around...right? you can just cover it with a great vintage linen and call it a day. it's not always good to go to ikea on a sunday afternoon...we should have stopped while we were ahead. this is only like our second time to the portland ikea and each time we go we find ourselves walking in circles overwhelmed and burnt out by the time we get around to finding what it is that we're looking for that we can't wait to get out of there and go have a beer. of course, ikea didn't have what we were looking for so we left empty handed, which, is probably a good thing in the end.

we decided end the day at one of our favorite portland eats. pho van (pronounced "fa vahn") has like three or four locations and the one out on s.e. 82nd is by far the best and the most authentic. I believe it's the only one that serves our favorite dish to share (well, second favorite to the pho ga - vietnamese chicken - soup for me). it's a whole crispy fish served with all kinds of basil, mint, pineapple, sprouts, cilantro that you can pull apart and roll up in rice paper with some tasty sauce and enjoy. I especially enjoyed it today with my ice cold vietnamese beer. yum!

vegas.

2008-06-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

I had high hopes for my little camera in vegas...I really did. hopes to get shots of interesting people sitting hopelessly or hopeful playing slot machines, cards, craps and roulette, people dressed to the nines with fabulous shoes and sun kissed skin, piles of chips, cards, dice, bright lights, vintage casinos and vintage slot machines, big plates of food, cool neon signs, big polished cars, oh the list goes on and on. rather, I found myself lost in a tunnel of flashing lights, bells, crazy people watching, a little gambling, eating lots and lots of fabulous food...oh the food, extra spicy bloody mary's, beer, wine and laying in the hot hot sun. it was such a great week-end, however, I don't have much to show for it except a little bit of winnings in my wallet and only a picture or two.

a.

2008-06-03T11:38:00.001-07:00

is for amber.

amazing.articulate.ambitious.adorable.
memorable.modern.motherly.magnetic.
beautiful.bold.breathtaking.balanced.
elegant.extraordinary.energetic.endearing.
remarkable.ravishing.radiant.respectful.

sending big happy happy happy 30th birthday wishes to my dear friend!

ciao may!

2008-06-01T06:41:00.001-07:00

I decided to bid buon viaggio to may 2008 by making a little rustic italian dinner. I was in the mood for something fresh but warm comfort given that it's still cold and kinda rainy outside so I decided to go with a halibut stew over pan fried polenta. I grew up with italian stews and polenta so this definitely meets my definition of comfort. OH...I was also influenced to make something comforting given that greg was away for most of the week and on a flight home from kansas city. I had SO much fun and this experience definitely brought me home in so many ways...making a grocery list and being all official in the grocery store, cooking all day, listening to music, drinking wine, chopping onions until my eyes watered and chopping fresh garlic and herbs which always always always takes me home to family,

stirring until my arms were sore and the thick creamy polenta would bubble a hot little pop out of the pan onto my hand every time I would pause,

being barefoot,

taking a break to go outside,

coming back into the house with the incredible smell of slow cooking,

making pretty little flower arrangements for the table and around the house,

getting a sp in for the may self portrait challenge -- fresh (fresh out of the shower finishing up a dinner using all sorts of fresh ingredients),

and finally, plating it up to enjoy.

now I think it's time for some left over polenta with fried egg and a little parmesan on top and a hot cup of coffee.

shall we go to coffee?

2008-05-28T19:20:00.001-07:00

of course my favorite saying so far has to involve coffee and is something I'll probably really only be saying to greg on our trip, who, doesn't understand italian. this might give me a good reason to meet people to ask them..."andiamo a prendere un caffe?". these evenings I'm living in the world of flashcards and textbook exercises. am trying to get into this book in the meantime.

inspiration.

2008-05-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

so inspired by this lovely set, I decided it would be fun to capture a picture of some of my favorite shoes. someday I'm going to look back at this picture and be reminded of how much I love finding bargains...I don't think I paid full price for any of these. I'll also be reminded of how much I love mid century inspiration, hippie chic, unexpected red lips, skinny jeans, any jeans for that matter, scarves, pointed toes, peep toes, jeweled toes, big sassy sunglasses, vintage handbags, lucite, shimmery eye shadow, big faux jewelry, suede, patent, simplicity, fun, and finding something great with something old through a little creativity and remix. I think this marks the beginning of a new little photo journal project for me.

life is in bloom.

2008-05-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

i'm always amazed at what comes to life in our yard each spring. even plants that we neglect, plants that are transplanted, walked all over by the dogs, burnt to a crisp in late summer, frozen to the core in the middle of winter, somehow manage to make their way. this makes me appreciate their beauty all the more.

let's see...what's up with me...i have italy on the brain. i've been studying italian non-stop. i broke down and purchased a little cd to go with my textbook, which, i happily listen to (and speak to) whenever i'm driving in my car. this great little gadget has also been fun. i'm so excited to dive into the culture and the experience with this language and am counting down the days for august to arrive.

sunshine and a birthday wish.

2008-05-16T05:35:00.001-07:00

this weather has me trying to convince myself that I could make a lovely living as a gardner of some sort and last night's cupcake baking had me trying to convince myself that I could make a living as a cupcake baker of some sort.

today is my best friend, mandy's, 30th birthday and we're throwing a party (hence the cupcake baking)! she has a lot of great things going on in her life and I'm so excited to see what her 30th year has in store. my fingers are crossed that it includes a little warm weather getaway with lucy! no need for warm weather getaway today...it's going to be sunny and hot...perfect for mandy. so, with that, my birthday wish for mandy is that her first summer in her 30's is filled with fun, belly laughs that make her eyes water, love, all kinds of sunshiny warmness, inspiration, painted toes, sundresses, sweet treats, sunhats, new found hobbies that make her want to rethink her job, new friends, old friends, warm evenings out and about around portland, sunsets, sunrises, and of course, great, great food. xxo!

bittersweet.

2008-05-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

life's been bittersweet lately in so many ways and i'm finding that words are hard to come by, but, they'll be back...they just need a little time.

too cool for words.

2008-04-20T20:25:00.001-07:00

big news...number two is officially underway! we spent the greater part of the day on the computer setting the dates and booking the flights. I topped off the day in powells on burnside camped out in the aisles reading through as many books as possible and managed to get out of there with a handful of fun used travel and language books and a few maps to boot (greg opted out of powells due to headache from said flight booking...poor guy but probably for the best given that I take a loooooong time to pick out books). we are sooooooo excited. so excited.