weekends at the coast

In the last two weeks I have spent two great weekends at the coast. With good friends, clear skies, amazing food, and walks on the beach. Its been nice.

Now its time to start wrapping Christmas gifts. ;)

xo

the weekend: mushrooms and winemaking

The wine is coming along. And we are having so much fun. And with a little luck I think it just might taste alright too.

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A new addition to the house. Deer skull and antlers against a lovely piece of otter fur, hand tanned by my man.

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A day of driving, walking in the woods and a little rain brought us to this lovely sight. A bowl full of clean chanterelles. And let me just say, there was more then one bowlful.

That bowl full led to this full refrigerator, which led to some very yummy meals.

Hope everyone has been enjoying their fall weekends!

fog

Its been a weird week.

Month maybe. I have been unable to focus. Its been so busy with the harvest that there was no time to think. Just to do.

I'm so looking forward to thinking again.

I've been wanting to not just create, but to think about creation. The act of doing it. The feel. How making a batch of wine or binding a book or painting a painting for me all come from the same place. All stem from the same desire.

My mood changes quickly, but luckily the jolting sadness I have felt before is no longer in the rotation.

So much is still unknown, and I suppose always will be, but right now with changes at the vineyard and possibly my employment status it is more tangible.

I am waiting, but I am not sure what for.

I am tiered of it, and maybe there is no need anyway.

The one thing I am sure of though, is that it will all be ok.

Oh yeah.

~S

morning

sky

These were all taken on the same morning on my drive to work.

Amazing.

from the road: powerlines, birds and foggy mornings

sky

the light on this morning's drive to work and a reasons to be happy list for this Thursday in September

Reasons to be happy list

the fact that cameras exist, that my office is on top of a hill in a beautiful vineyard, my cat bugging me to wake up in the morning, my vacuum, Target (yes I mean the store), living an hour and 20 minutes from the ocean, the feeling of writing with a really good pen, color, coffee, pink toe nail polish, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, my otter fur bracelet, a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, my very old and very awesome (and very dirty) Toyota Camry, playing music loud while cleaning the house, the big green tomato's that are ripening on my tomato plant, and mail.

weekend

I had a lovely weekend spent partly at the coast and partly at home spending time with M, listening to the waves, and flying a kite we found in the grass on our walk to the ocean.

Hope yours was fantastic! xo

morning thoughts

Today is one of those days where I have to try hard to see the beauty and blessings and good things that really are all around me. I wish I didn't have these days. I wish I was better at seeing the good and being content.

But since wishing doesn't generally help much with creating actual change I am going to try my best to come up with things to do that may actually help.

~Like getting out my camera and trying to capture the fantastic morning light on my way to work.

~I am going to start writing morning pages. Every day. At least 20 minutes. This will help me feel better and more productive about writing (which I haven't been doing much of at all, and which I have been feeling guilty about not doing) and hopefully get my days off to a better start.

~I am going to recognize and make more use of my awesome friends and family. Reach out to them more. Spend more time with them. And I am starting by getting sushi tonight with my friend Becky.

~When something is wrong I am going to try to self sooth first instead of immediately reaching out and trying to get someone to fix it for me.

~And I am going to make chocolate chip scones.

PS. I am SO looking forward to this long weekend, even though I am not yet sure what I will end up doing with it. Hopefully yours will be full of fun and sunshine and other good things.

This weekend though I was in some beautiful places I managed to only have my camera when driving in the car.

Besides driving, the weekend also included: clamming, eating said clams, finding baby crabs in said clams, watching the ocean, naps, a new (to me) marble coffee table for the living room (it looks great and is a fantastic book making workspace), finding a mirror which I will spray paint yellow, old episodes of Weeds, car repairs, and chocolate pudding.

All in all I'd say it was a good weekend.

cute animal photos

These were all found in funny email forwards I received from family members. :)

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!!

~S