Summer Getaways

Let's move on to summer, shall we? It unofficially starts this weekend (did Memorial Day sneak up on anyone else?) and while I'm more of a Spring gal for the most part, I get excited for summer getaways. I like them to be close-ish to home (so the relaxing can start a.s.a.p.) lazy but also full (like how summer days felt when you were nine), and with plenty of summer-y food (preferably cooked outside and enjoyed with a cold beer).



So when I ran across this New York Magazine slideshow of fantasy summer rentals, it got my wheels spinning. Some of these definitely sit in the "fantasy" category with their hefty price tags, but Airbnb is sure to have plenty of places to rent with just as much charm. But let's dream for a minute, ok?





I'm ready to pack a bag and hit the road. Do you have fun travel plans for the long weekend?

All photos via NY Mag, linked info here.

(A Rainy & Brief) Weekend in Pictures

A mostly rainy weekend, with a tiny pink birthday cake thrown in for good measure. Now, on to summer! Yes? Yes.

A Gift for Grads

Do you remember any of your graduation gifts? All I remember of my high school graduation was receiving two Sacagawea dollar coins taped into a card from a distant great aunt. While I'm sure I received plenty of thoughtful gifts (and I do remember a few checks slipped into cards!) that strange gift is pretty much all I remember. So I thought it might be fun to put together a few things that a new grad (especially a college grad) could use to make their new desk space special, and a gift that might be a tad more memorable than coins.





For this gift I picked up an oversized owl mug (for coffee or to hold pencils!), a pretty gold chevron notebook, a few rolls of washi tape, useful sticky notes, and classy gold paperclips. For a fun little touch, I covered a pack of pencils with washi tape (following this super-simple tutorial).



I actually put this gift together for my younger sister when she got a new job recently, so these ideas would work equally well as a gift for a college grad, or a care package for a friend with a new job.

(A Rainy & Relaxing) Weekend in Pictures

{a creepy abandoned platform}

{right before it poured}

{watching the rain with wren}

{striped awnings in williamsburg}

{derek webb show in williamsburg}

{sea mark}

{me & my mom circa 1985 - happy mother's day!}

It was a quiet and relaxing weekend, spent wrangling a wriggly Wren (who is a baby, not a bird), watching the rain, and enjoying some live music. Hope yours was wonderful!

(Home Again) Weekend in Pictures

{the bridge that leads to home}

{faux fog at the exploratorium}

{whatever happened to predictability? the milkman, the paper boy, evening tv...}

{heat wave, dolores park}

{giants country}

{beers at southern pacific brewing}

{flowers at the ferry plaza farmer's market}

{wanted to take them all home with me}

{headed to my hometown in the east bay}

{california poppy, growing wild on the sidewalk}

{on the main street of my hometown, benicia}

{a generous scoop of my favorite green tea ice cream}

{hills and the waterfront}

{the bear I grew up next to. yes, really}

{perfect san francisco skies through the open window}

{thanks, random graffiti}

This weekend (which I realize is now four days ago, but humor me) I confirmed what I've suspected for awhile: I have two homes. New York feels like home. When I'm gone too long, I get that sighing, happy feeling of relief when I'm back here. But Northern California, where I grew up, is still home, no matter how long I've been away. The site of the golden hills, sometimes covered in houses, sometimes rolling untouched towards the bay...they get me every time. So this weekend was near perfect in my book. A few days in San Francisco (during a rare, rare heat wave!) and then a couple in my hometown, both with friends who've known me nearly my whole life. It was wonderful.