a visiting

quite spur of the moment, we stopped at the home of carl sandburg, while driving back from asheville. something about chocolate and cheese. i was put in mind of my great aunts home; perhaps it was the sense of age, or a smell in the air.

upon first entering, there was a sense of neutrality in the interior decoration, but soon a minty blue green began to permeate the space. i love that color.

i think, perhaps, i would like to have a small farm one day. nubian goats, angora goats, caramel and cream ponies, alpaca, a baby elephant...

a series of entertaining events

having never been to asheville, north carolina, last friday i found myself on the road driving with it as my destination. months ago, i had a desire to see a lavender festival being held in those parts this past father's day weekend, and decided i would go. i invited along my friend for the journey.

up steep inclines, between softly slumbering mountains, along narrow river passes, through mud and crashing raindrops, i drove deep into the appalachians. i enjoy this wilderness, it reminds me of my childhood and teens growing up in the foothills of the adirondacks. there is something so sacred and soul satisfying about this area, secluded though you may be. at times i yearn for city life and the experiences it brings, but trees and mountains calm me and bring a renewal of energies which these bustling places never can.

the lavender was delightful, especially for the buzzing bees which were so much a part of the buds. though we had to cut the visit short for the rain which soaked the earth, i was glad of the journey to such a magnificent place.

a comfortable journey

as i look at the calendar and see the date draw nearer to the day i travel to japan, it brings to mind the length of time of one of my flights; the longest one. and i wonder how on earth i shall survive traveling in a cramped airplane for 14 hours let alone the entire 34 hours it will take to get there from here. but then i say to myself, "is this not better than that one road trip that lasted 50 hrs with only stops at mcdonald's and short naps at the rest area to go on?". and then i realize, it will be okay.

but it would definitely be easier if i had a few comforts. such as a neck pillow, ear plugs, and a wonderfully soft eye mask. made with love of course. using some nani iro double gauze cotton, some satin, a funky elastic, and a self made pattern drawn up on tracing paper, this eye mask was an easy project.

what necessities do you bring with you on a long trip?

a skirt for mary

while visiting with my friend in michigan we decided to try out a fabric store that i had come across in the pages of thread magazine, the material girls. what a wonderful assortment of fabrics! the owner even had several rolls of nani iro cloth. i was very excited! i purchased a quarter yard of one of her linen prints, fredonner un chanson in rose, as i could use each different color area in my pincushions. another print that i purchased was a lovely medium blue print with gold dots by a textile designer hinemosu notari. it's more of an upholstery weight material.

i talked my friend into getting a yard of the double gauze nani iro coururiere in shades of olive and indigo and with it i would make her a skirt. on previous viewings online i wasn't really thrilled with this print, but upon viewing it in real life i am very enchanted with it. there is such lovely details of pattern and gold embellishing, and the olive hue really has a nice lustre to it. i had also assumed that it was green and black, which is a shade that i don't care for at all. i was happily corrected of my assumption. my friend plans on wearing the skirt to a wedding in the fall.

scrumptious yet insightful

on the railway trek up to seattle i happened to be sitting across form a librarian. this, i did not know, until i mentioned to my fellow traveling companion that i wish i had a book to read; to fill in the hours to our destination. lo and behold, the woman sitting across from me (who was making a valiant effort to keep her curtain from covering the window) pulled out three books and asked if i would be interested in reading any of them; it would cost me only my opinion in the form of a book review of my chosen novel. so, thanking her and wondering out loud at her array of books, she told me that she was a children's book librarian, she had been asked to review several books. i was delighted to help.

"the wednesday wars" by gary d. schmidt was delightful and entirely too full of wisdom. not that that's bad in any way, just surprising, as the focus of this book is children in grades 5-8. i am very glad that this book found me. there are many memorable and comedic parts in this novel, the author has a way with witty words. it's a growing up book for the character, in leaps and tumbles we see the depth of change one year can bring a young person. the book, like the works of shakespeare that are featured throughout, is a mirror to so many of our lives, regardless of the time in which it was taking place, or even that it is about a boy. it's absolutely lovely, and complex, and rich. it shows in so many different ways what one person who takes an interest in us can do.

at last

sometimes i get a lust for wandering. for the most part i bat it down and keep to my comfy surroundings. but every now and then it creeps up on me and i actually let it lead the way. i just so happened to let it have a go and it chose to take me on a trip to portland, oregon and seattle, washington. i'm very glad that it did.
portland has to be one of the best places. i know i've read and heard lots of bloggers and people say that it's a great place to move to, but come on, if everyone is moving there why should i? well, they are right actually. everything i've ever really wanted or could want is in that one city. so many of the restaurants have whole menus dedicated to vegetarians, meals that are nutritionally complete and tasty! waiters actually know what it means when i say i can't eat gluten, instead of saying "does that mean you don't want bread?" or "you can just take that part off when you get it.".
there are stores that stock ribbon, many different types in whole color ways. there is a fabric store that carries nani iro fabric. there is a plethora of lovely clothes sold in small boutiques where the owners actually care about what they sell and where it comes from. not that there aren't large stores like anthropologie or nordstrom, but hey, at least there's choices. like i don't have to go to the mall; i can choose not to.
on one of our days there, we took the metro rail to 24th ave and lovejoy. i love that there is everything you could need all within 3 or 4 blocks of where you live. there was this teeny tiny bakery that makes only gluten free goods. i bought a mini apple tart and a blueberry crumple muffin. the muffin was light and moist and chewy with delicate tastes of cinnamon and fresh blueberries, definitely the best blueberry muffin i've ever had (a feat, because i've eaten my fair share of blueberry muffins all over this country, and three others, and for it to have been a gluten free one, kicks all), the crust on the tart tasted and felt just like a flaky, buttery pie crust should. we found an amazing grocery store that had a giant variety of produce, and cheese from all over the world, a baked goods section that had yummy macaroons, and a butcher that stocked fresh fish. i could eat there everyday and die a happy herbivore/sometime pescetarian. and that's the other thing that is great about this city, the metro rail, as in reliable public transportation so that i don't have to own a car. i would so want to move there tomorrow if i could.
i feel another trip to portland is necessary in order to do further research and to cement any plans concerning actually living there.

seattle was big. giant city big. i don't actually like big cities. they are fun to visit and to do some specialty shopping, and to see the art museums, but i wouldn't want to live in one. it was really neat that it was a 28 dollar train ticket away and only took 3 hrs and 40 mins, but to live there, and work there? no way.
we had vegetarian dim sum that was very yummy, and i bought the comfiest pair of heels, and had the chance to do some tea tasting (actually was reacquainted with my favorite, but forgotten, chrysanthemum tea), toured around what has to be the most vibrant and modern public library, and all in all thought it was a neat visit. but would i visit again? eh, maybe not. if i lived in portland it would be absolutely necessary to make a sojourn up there in order to fulfill my mid-century modern furniture dreams, though.
oh, if you are ever in portland or seattle and want an affordable, eclectic, funky, stylish, and modern, and on top of all that also comfortable (organic cotton towels form turkey anyone?) hotel, ace hotel is where you want to be staying. the rooms were inviting and colorful, i did not mind in the least having to share a bathroom (the least expensive rooms have a common bathroom, which was cleaned and stocked at all times), and both hotels are centrally located in the downtown area and near public transportation. i wish there were more places like this when i travel.

long time no see

strange, but hectic. if asked to describe the month of june those would be choice words. to paraphrase that month using only several quick snapshots of moments would read as follows; a wedding, las vegas, an awesome skirt, hankies, and a modern kitchen redo. more on the kitchen to be posted.

"snack time" by apak