It has been a good long while since we were here on the blog, and in that time the world has twirled a full pirouette, our new little state a small patch blurred into the skirt of the skies. I watch for falling stars sometimes, now that there is, when the moon is away, darkness. In that year, we have moved into our first home, and spent a few seasons cozying into our place on the hill overlooking the harbor. (Quick note that the good photos are Walker's; the blurry ones are my iPhone!) Each…
When people keep saying "only six weeks left of winter," I actually feel . . . sad. I have grown to love this season so much, and Walker's passion is far beyond mine. So we're quite happy right now. In addition to all the beautiful, slidey ways to glide through forests or slip down hills, and the simple quiet of the snow falling around our little village, I love this time when being inside at night draws out contemplation, and we can look back at the sunny times from earlier, and think of them a…
The winds are so forceful right now that it feels like we are inside a car wash, and the winds are great dry brushes swiping around the corners of the house. This is our first real Maine blizzard, and it is hard not to personify its moods and vigor. But I can tell you that about every 3 minutes, I jump out of my chair from the noise to check that the house is still planted on the street, and not levitating. January has dipped us in and out of these arctic pushes and so without much interest in n…
As I'm writing at 2:50pm, the sun is so low over the ocean it has dissolved into a foil ribbon of glimmer straight into our living room. So bright and present, the glare so painful and we cannot look back or forward but close our eyes and feel where we are. It's a strange thing for me not to be planning trips this time of year, but sitting in the warm sun is its own gift still, and in many ways for us, this year was about practicing presence, being where we are and not living ahead or backwards …
Fall is here, and we walked home from brunch today; a ride we'd normally take a 12 minute cab or a 30 minute subway took us over an hour walk, but we didn't mind. It rained yesterday but the leaves have already shrunken back to curled, crunchy edges. You know I breathe the biggest sigh of relief when fall arrives. Wanted you all to see Walker's photos from our trip to Maine last year, but I honestly don't recall enough about each specific hike to share details. Instead, I am thinking of how it f…
Look how beautiful! Lucky us, the past two years have help trips to my favorite state: Maine. This year, we stayed farther south, spending lots of family time in Scarborough and Portland. But last year (and yes, we're really over a year late here), we spent a week in Bar Harbor, the quaint island harbor town of my childhood vacations. Like this year, we stopped in Portland for a night to split up the drive, visiting our recurring faves Fore Street, Duck Fat, and Commercial Street shops. We …
Walker headed back to NYC after a lovely long weekend with me in Maine, and my parents kindly let me stay the rest of the week with them in their hotel suite. Thought I would share my unedited iPhone photos of some of our adventures, because pretty much everything we did was beautiful and worth a visit, too! First up, the Back Cove Trail right in Portland. My dad ran it most mornings, but took a break to walk it with me. I loved the marsh grasses and cranes (herons?), thin and elegant. Thi…
Walker and I have been together 8 years, which actually reminds me that this blog is about that old as well! Happy blogiversary! As an early celebration, we skipped away from the family for a night alone in Portland two weeks ago. Portland is one of my favorite small cities, whose cobbles and local shops mirror Brooklyn, but whose buoys and coastal island views far surpass our garbage barges and skyscraper vista. We had planned to stay elsewhere, but in a moment of inspiration, I checked online …
Now that I've waxed, and waned, nostalgic for Maine, I can stop. Or keep going? Ok, fine. Since we were staying in Scarborough, close to my cousin's wedding destination, I searched around for some things a bit outside Portland for this part of the trip. Growing up, we'd driven through the Scarborough Audubon Center marshes each year on our annual pilgrimage to The Clambake (a place that still haunts me with seagull swoops where patrons feed them leftovers), but hadn't been back for years. …
Look at us, Dad: a post on Maine only a few weeks later! (Yes, we still have not posted photos from our Bar Harbor trip last year. We have to take small victories where we can find them.) Nearly each year, I long for the cooler breezes of Maine when the summer starts to rot over the city like a smushed tomato. I know how this feels because not only did it feel like 103 today, but a tomato from our farm box smashed all over my dress. But seriously, that moment of arriving and the tang of s…