the good list/weekend wrap-up

So Philipp and I just got back from visiting our good friend, the uber cool & ever energetic Munz up in Lake Tahoe for a few days. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking... There was hiking. There was water. Lots of it. There was canoeing.
There was continual chugging of water (man, was it dry!). There were In N Out Burgers. There was a local brewery sampling and tour. There was Thai food. There was beer on the lake(s). There was a forest of burnt trees. There was paddle boarding. There was kayaking. There was a 2 year old. There was cuteness. There were new friendships made.

Other Goodies:

~I got bangs. I finally took the risk. And love them.~New library book came in on Greenwich Village in the 60's.
~Moderate climate in Cambria. After being hot up in Tahoe, the break is nice.
~Running again today.
~Riding the bikes on a gorgeous country road in the afternoon.
~Maybe getting a vintage Raleigh bicycle that hopefully looks something like this:

Photo credit: The New York Times

~Loving The Mister like crazyThat is all.And now its back to making beds for us today. What a life.

it's pretty much on like donkey kong.

Little Baby Howell is not going to know what's hit him/her. I am more than likely going to go broke from becoming an aunt. 8 more months of waiting, what the hell? How unfair is that?! Got this retro-vibe-y baby memory book in the mail today...I cannot wait to give it to my sister.From this cool stationary company in San Francisco, Hello Lucky!

i heart it.

Why leaving one's own backdoor is really not that preferable (when it looks like this):I can't complain. And also this:That person on the left there may or may not have driven me 20 + miles--one way--at midnight last night to get an In N Out burger. That's all I'm sayin'. At least I did not make mine a Double Double. If in fact, I was, you know, ever there at all.

All I'm sayin'.

sarah rhoads photography

Image by Sarah Rhoads Photography

As of late I've been pretty much obsessed with the photography of Sarah Rhoads. Her aesthetic is something I aspire to...check out her latest work on her blog, here.

the art of simple food

Right now I am loving this cookbook by Alice Waters, renowned owner of the restaurant Chez Panisse.Its a simple, thick collection of gorgeously easy recipes that reads much like a cookbook from older days would; no fancy pictures, no bells or whistles, just concise recipes that value simpleness, fresh ingredients and care of preparation. Below is the book's manifesto, if you will, which pleases me to no end because it echoes my personal food philosophy and passion for locally sourced meals thoughtfully prepared and shared with those you love.

Daddy's Day.

My father... 4% Bad Ass, 96% Softie.
*******************My Daddy drives with his left arm out the window, always to the same music, The Allman Brothers. He does not like to drive (or do anything) alone. He does spontaneous/curious/questionable things. Like waking his teenage daughters up for impromptu drives, 7 hours to the coast---on a school night. To watch a hurricane roll in. And to later eat diner waffles in his giant t-shirts at 5 in the morning, while the other school kids are sleeping.If it's green and not an olive, he will not eat it. My Daddy eats... apple butter on garlic bread. Salt on watermelons. Whole tomatoes like apples. Banana and Mayo sandwiches. Ice Cream like a child. His fingernails to the quick.

Things my Daddy does not like: Unnecessary work. Shirts less than 15 years old. Heat. Humidity. An empty house. A defenseless turtle on a busy road... 'Losing your house and life in one go just ain't right.'


Things my Daddy thoroughly enjoys: Annoying my mother. Cherry pie. A house full of people. Those same people bragging on his pancake/grits/steak making skills. Building fires to sit by. Anything wherein members of the animal kingdom squabble and make themselves look ridiculous (people included).1 Hot Dog bun split between 30 geese = bit necks and slam dunking = my happy father.
Happy Father's Day to a person who's value to me only grows as the years go by.

neil young archives

I have been so busy with trail running, beach gazing, book reading, inn operating, etc. that I simply forget to obsess online about the release of Neil's archives box set. Don't even get me started on how bad we need this. Every time Philipp and I walk pass it at the record store we pretty much start drooling.

a rested case on judging books by their covers.

As I know absolutely nothing about the publishing of books and how one goes about doing that, I probably should not go out on a limb here by assuming authors have image control over the design of their covers.

However. I am a shameless judge of books by cover and make no excuse for it because I figure if you're going to take the trouble to write a book you should damn well make sure an arresting image makes it's way to your cover while you're at it. Case in point, this book caught my eye while at the bookstore the other day and I was interested in reading it upon picking it up:I was all too happy to see the title at my local library until I saw this in hardback:
UGH!

Of course I still took the book home with me (albeit a bit more discreetly), but come on! I would never in a million years pick that thing off the shelf had I not known of it earlier...I would have 100% assumed it was one of those silly chick lit throwaway novels that desperate women of indeterminate age read while sitting on the beach with a packet of Baked Lays and a Diet Coke.

Anyhow, I'll report on the book in a couple of days after I am done reading this and this.

fluffy

First seen on A Thoughtful Day.

Can I pretty please go back in time and get married in this dress. Thank you.

the good list.

These are the most ridiculous shots of me trying to get my family to jump in unison a few weeks ago while still in NC. I love it too much to not post it. Every time I look at it makes me laugh because getting my dad to do that was no small feat. Not to mention everyone else in the family! Horrible in quality, nevertheless...

1) Loving my family more than ever with this latest little bit of news. I'm feeling incredibly blessed & hopeful.
2) Getting to have a (much needed & overdue) long conversation with my mother-in-law over the phone. Getting the 9 hour time difference down pat is tricky with being on the West coast again.
3) Friends visiting from Switzerland until tomorrow. Getting to show them "our" version of the US...small, cool, walk-able towns, great restaurants, good local food & beer, great beaches, etc.
4) A growing giant stack of magazines to lazily read over the coming weeks.
5) The new book on birth by the ladies from the documentary, The Business of Being Born...just briefly flipped through it at the bookstore & now have it on hold at the library.
6) So many things to be excited about for the future...Eveline & Jo coming for a three week holiday in early Fall, working at a new hostel in the coming months (hopefully), transitioning to be in California for awhile, new life in the family, etc. etc.
7) Possibly auditing a photoshop course at the local community college starting in August.
8) (Maybe?) Going to a photo workshop from a photographer who's work I've admired for quite some time.
9) Enjoying the local beaches & Californian sun.

holy freaking baby moses in a basket!

So, my sister is pregnant!

All my months of baby obsessing and reading back to back pregnancy books paid off in telling my older sister to buy a pregnancy test after listening to her various complaints...2 over the counter sticks and one doctor's visit later...I'm gonna be an aunt sometime in February! SO freaking excited, let me tell you!

the past couple of days have been heavenly

On Friday, the only cure for Thursday's late night at the saloon was to hole up in the back of our car with a down comforter and our futon, parked right on a bluff overlooking this shot above. The following did occur:

~My first whale watching session. I am an extremely impatient person, but having essentially a bed on the beach, pillows and all, helped.
~Seeing whales all afternoon
~Flipping through old Sunset magazine back issues I bought from the library
~Eating local strawberries and cherries from the farmer's market, a basket between us--red fingerprints on a white duvet.
~Maybe we drove 30 miles for an In N Out burger after sunset, maybe we didn't
~Listening to the newest Iron & Wine release while dozing in and out of reality, wrapped beneath a thick blanket and in my love's arms
~Seeing mega cheeky squirrels annoy people as they stopped for a look at the ocean--seriously hilarious
~Seagulls flying overhead
~The curve of my foot in his

** I also should add that a guy from not only my husband's country, but hometown and village walked into the inn on Thursday night. They did not know each other but were a year apart in age. We all had a great night. The world is a small place.

stamps

I know everybody (and their mama) has already blogged about these, but Philipp bought me the new LOVE stamps from the post office. Not to be hating on the 'ole Stars & Stripes/Bald Eagle, but are these not lovely? It seems such a shame to stamp up some nice stationary with ugly postage! Problem solved.

omnivores & library cards

Oh so many things going on as of late.

We finally arrived at our new destination in California, working for the next 2 months or so at the ever-so-lovely Bridge Street Inn. Today I got a library card for SLO county which made me undeniably giddy, as I love both libraries and California to pieces. Everything for nothing? Well, okay. Where do I sign up?

Tonight I will begin reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. Our quasi-boss, Anne, is about as passionate as a Jehovah's Witness about this book, so I cannot wait to sink into it.

The Mister and I walked to the beach for the 1st time since arriving 2 days ago. We have been so busy with re-orientating ourselves & unpacking that time has slipped through our fingers. I laughed with Philipp today that we have been eating like a bunch of unhealthy vegans since we got here. I've done no shopping, so we have been existing on pasta and tomato sauce & delicious dill pickles from Trader Joe's. To my salvation, there was some Hearst local beef thrown into that mix as well.

Farmer's Market is tomorrow, I feel like camping out in the parking lot until 2:30 PM when it starts, but that might be distracting and a little odd to people who, unlike me, eat food just as a means to survive.

Nevertheless, there is also now a full drawer of Community Supported Agriculture goodies from the group box that is delivered here every Friday. I LOVE farm fresh veggies. It has made my day.

So, yes. Life, at the moment is rather perfect and things are going well.

On an even brighter end point, I bought a fat stack of Real Simple, Digital Pro Photographer & Sunset magazines for under $3 bucks from the library.

Nerdom!

Stone Brewery = perfect anniversary

If ever you're in the San Diego area, you simply must stop by Stone Brewery for a pint (or six) and the brewery tour (which is free and includes loads of beer at the end).
The architecture & food there is amazing, as well as their general branding style and atmosphere. For two beer nerds like us, there was simply no better way to celebrate 2 years of marriage than hanging out in the garden with a dark, malty stout.

pride & prejudice & zombies

Don't know if I'll ever read this, but I saw the cover at the local bookstore & loved it!

2 years.

Yep, two years ago today we were on Oahu waking up to pooing geckos, gigantic cane spiders, a cheap sundress from Ross & a rent-a-preacher named Kermit. The after ceremony edamame were the bomb. Love you, as ever.

Long may we run.