A Road Trip.

I've been jonesing to take a road trip for years now. I swear, even just the thought of it immediately sends me into a tailspin of desire-- Driving coast to coast, hiking by day & camping by night, learning to know the sound of silence beneath the great expanse of a starry sky, gaining an even deeper appreciation for the heartland of this beautiful country I've called home all my life-- oh, be still my heart.

And sure, while there are always those minor barriers of time, money & reality to wrestle with when it comes to this dream trip of mine, it certainly only fuels the fire when I stumble across features like the following that make me wish I could just up and fall head over heels right into the pages. I mean, can you blame me? That VW! Those mountains! (And my gosh, that adorably darling baby girl!) Swoon. Also, small side note to self: Add New Zealand to the very top of the list. Immediately.

Take a look--

Open publication - Free publishing - More summer

By the way, for my fellow travel bugs out there for whom this is your first encounter with Wayfare, I can assure you it won't (and most certainly shouldn't) be your last. A quarterly publication celebrating the art of the journey, Wayfare recognizes that "travel is not defined by how many miles you cover... it's about the spirit of discovery-- breaking out of your routine to unwind, connect, and learn." Love that! Simply put, it will quickly become your new favorite travel and inspiration guidebook- that I can promise you. Enjoy!

Where I've Been.

Just in case my one, singular (and incredibly lonely) post from this month hasn't dropped a rather large hint as to how crazy this summer season has been, something tells me my complete absence from all things blog related has surely spoken volumes. Yikes. Sorry for straying so far from posting daily, or even weekly for that matter, friends. This whole cycle of irregularity that I seem to have subconsciously fallen into has been frustrating. And for weeks, there has been a scratching at the back of my brain, desperately asking to be to rectified, but alas the timing just hasn't been right. There were too many interruptions already written into the calendar, too many roadblocks down the road still yet to be hurdled, but hey- such is life, right? Well, here we are. And I could not be more thrilled to give you all a big, warm hello. Boy have I missed this little space of mine.

So with that, and before looking onward, I wanted to share a little bit of where I've been these past few weeks (apologies for the constant reliance on Instagram; I promise the dust will be blown off of my Canon oh so very soon)--

The beautiful coast of Southern California where the air was salty and the sun was strong

An open air theater in San Diego where a little FUN. filled my heart and awakened my soul  

The streets and landmarks of Coronado that have felt like home to me since I was young

Charlottesville, VA where I wished with all my might that time might stand still for a few days

Lexington, VA to celebrate a sacred milestone in the life of a dear friend from high school

My dear New York where spending a lazy Sunday in places like Fish's Eddy reminds me of all the many reasons I love this city

And finally to the little cafes and ice cream shops here in Brooklyn that have allowed this borough to firmly establish itself in my heart for a good long while.

It's been a busy, but wonderful, couple of weeks over here, friends. And I hope you've been well. Looking forward to checking in again soon. 

xo

A Retreat.

Well hello there, friends. My gooodness, it's been a while. Apologies, once again, for checking out these past few weeks. As seems to be the case a bit far too often for my liking, life has proven to be a bit tricky to navigate as of late. (sigh). Between the general stress of work and travel coupled with a few of life's unexpected and rather humbling hard knocks, I came tumbling out of July last week in a state of exhaustion that just about knocked me flat out. It was time for a break. Time to find that much-needed release that both my mind and body had been so desperately craving for weeks. And the time to do it, was now.

Well, come Friday night, I found just that. With a dear friend at the wheel, a set of directions pointing due North, and a spontaneous urge pushing us onward, we took to the road and left reality far, far behind. Four hours, a belly full of laughs, and a few wrong (but highly memorable) turns later, we pulled in next to the white country farmhouse we were to call home for the next two days and stepped out under a beautiful Vermont summer sky. The air was crisp, the grasshoppers loud, and for the first time in a long while, my head was clear. It was the perfect start to a weekend spent enjoying every last bit of life's simple pleasures and that wonderful, but often fleeting, gift we call time. 

Vermont, here's to you. 

 

More to come soon, friends.
xo

Fig & Fauna.

A 3.5 acre homestead tucked away in quaint southern Florida, Fig & Fauna Farm looks to be one of the most wonderful slices of heaven that ever was. I swear, it's stumbling upon beautiful spots of simple serenity like this farm that make my heart race and my brain whirl. And sometimes, that tugging urge to clamber into the nearest car and go off in search of my own small country farmhouse upstate to tuck away in is just too much. One of these days, I swear it's going to be. I just know it. And by gosh it better be soon.

Sticky honeycombs in the summer. Fresh eggs in the morning. Hearty soups full of rich, rooted vegetables in the winter. Nestling into a rocking chair on the back porch listening to the sound of chickens clucking in their coop and cows lowing out in the meadow as the sun dips below the horizon. Oh, be still my heart.

To read more about Fig & Fauna, check out Megan and Rose Martin's intoxicating blog chock-full of beautiful photos and wholesome recipes, here.

(All photos above via Fig & Fauna)

Happy Weekend.

I woke up this morning to find something deep down inside of me craving wide, open spaces to explore and tall, towering mountains to climb. As I cracked some eggs into the pan, it dawned on my just how long it's been since I last tugged on a pair of thick woolen socks and laced up those hiking boots of mine. I was yearning for the great outdoors. For adventure. 

I miss that feeling of crisp, fresh air filling my lungs while the rhythmic crunch of the dirt trail beneath my boots keeps me moving forward. I miss the satisfaction of escaping from civilization for a good long while and enjoying an unrefined piece of the earth in all of its wild and untamed beauty. And I miss the landscapes of Utah, of Alaska, and of Wyoming-- and all of the many ways in which they are special and unique.

Oh. Be still, my heart.

But it's Friday, and I've got a wonderful weekend to look forward to here in the city-- and what a treat that most certainly is. As for those mountains of mine, I suppose for now I'll have to vicariously live through the photos above and hope that somewhere down the road, there's soon to be a plane ticket & trail head with my name on it. Until then, fingers crossed for an urban adventure to be discovered here in my neck of the Brooklyn woods.

Till Monday, friends.
xo

(Above linked photos via The 10 Cent Designer)

Up In The Air.

Hello dear friends. My apologies for things being so quiet around here as of late; despite my radio silence, I promise I am in fact alive & well. You see, life has kept me on the move these past few weeks-- 7 cities in 15 days, whew-- and finding some time to pop in to say hello has been far more difficult than I sincerely wish it had been. So while I take today to do my best in crossing off a host of to-dos before jetting of, yet again, tomorrow morning, I thought I'd share a bit of what life has looked like from my lens as of late.

I promise I'll be back to regular posts next week once I find myself with a bit more time (and a guaranteed internet connection), but until then, wishing you & yours a wonderful weekend ahead.

xox

An American in Paris.

We were camped outside the Brasserie de I'Isle Saint-Louis in Paris. It was one of those days when every cell in your body just begs to bask in the warmth of the sun all afternoon-- the rays of light irresistibly intoxicating after winter's dark and dismal grey. We were enjoying an assortment of greens doused in a mustard vinaigrette that made you want to lick the plate for fear of wasting a drop and I found myself wishing my French was good enough to ask the waiter how to replicate the emulsion. (Though I'm sure my query would surely have been met with nothing more than a furrowed brow and a disapproving scoff.) An accordionist was leaning against the bridge just across the way, looking out over the Seine towards Notre Dame, and filling the streets with his deep and beautiful baritone. It was one of those moments that I wish I could have bottled up-- forever locking away the sights, smells, sounds, and feel of it all-- for it was as close to a feeling of perfection as I've encountered in a long while. Life felt good. And rich. And whole.

We only had a matter of hours in Paris before boarding our flights back to the East Coast, but it was a wonderful few hours nonetheless. While it's wishful thinking at its very best, I can only hope that another, longer trip back is in my near future. I'm already yearning for more.