Dreading January was the worst part of this past month. Really, it's been calm and slow, and the pressure to be doing and moving has let up. I am loving the quiet, the mornings at home where I mix together foods that we already have into something warm, something on which to spread butter.

Yesterday was dull out, but inside were baked eggs to eat, trips to dream about, cabinets to organize. Today, we got up early enough to have the building's hottest water, and took the East River Ferry up to Williamsburg for stops in buildings that smelled rich with chocolate and hot milk.

Here are instants of a winter weekend. I'll take more of these.

Warm globes for light.

Deep and evocative, the smell of Mast Brothers Chocolate held even the chocolate-intolerant Alie in its spell.

And the sound of hot water through a curved, thin metal spout, poured into drip coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee, was almost as sensuously lovely as the scent.

Our landlords also own the hip Wythe Hotel, where we met friends for a brunch as fresh as the space. My friend Laura is an artist, and we decided the medium for this drawing looked like masking tape with markers.

The rest of Williamburg keeps me learning and not judging. Sometimes it is industrial, but mostly it is an eclectic mix of beautiful and weird shops, and beautiful and ugly buildings.

Into frigid February, my friends!

(not sure what happened here)