July Fourth and Moonrise Kingdom

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday! Though it is only 10 o'clock, and for some the night is just beginning. Andrew and I had a full day of fun. I loved it. Before happy hour and appetizers, thrifting, swimming, hanging at Laurie and Ed's with Miles, burgers and 21 Jump Street (hilarious), we went to Cheekwood for the treehouse exhibit! That was amazing - I've always had a fascination with treehouses. For example, I would love to stay at this treesort that I saw once on the travel channel. And also I adore this song by I'm From Barcelona. The exhibit at Cheekwood featured seven treehouses modeled off of dreamy works of literature. I want to share my favorites!

Ocean of Notions

“He looked into the water and saw that it was made up of a thousand thousand thousand and one different currents, each one a different colour, weaving in and out of one another like a liquid tapestry of breathtaking complexity; and Iff explained that these were the Streams of Story, that each coloured strand represented and contained a single tale.” -- Salman Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, 1991

The inspiration for this treehouse is the magical “Sea of Stories” encountered by Haroun and his storytelling father, Rashid, in Salman Rushdie’s only published children’s book. As visitors explore this structure, they will find a giant, twisted ball of vibrantly colored ropes, representing stories flowing together in different streams. Children will climb in and play the role of Mali, the Floating Gardener, untangling the stories and watching them unfold.

The Jolly Roger

“One green light squinting over Kidd's Creek, which is near the mouth of the pirate river, marked where the brig, the Jolly Roger, lay, low in the water; a rakish-looking craft foul to the hull…She was the cannibal of the seas, and scarce needed that watchful eye, for she floated immune in the horror of her name.” – J.M. Barrie, Peter and Wendy, 1911

Cheekwood visitors of all ages will be invited on a high seas adventure through Neverland on board the infamous ship of Captain Hook. Reflecting the novel’s themes of youth and young at heart, this treehouse will invite hours of imaginative play. Turning the ship’s wheel will change the direction of the compass, and a look through the cannon sights will reveal painted images depicting scenes from the book. As children assume the roles of Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell, the century-old story of Peter Pan and Wendy will come to life every day at Cheekwood.

And, my absolute favorite.

The Rainbow Fish

"The Rainbow Fish shared his scales left and right, and the more he gave away, the more delighted he became. When the water around him filled with glimmering scales, he at last felt at home among the other fish." – Marcus Pfister, The Rainbow Fish, 1992

Inspired by a simple, beloved children’s story about sharing, this treehouse will create a friendly space for children and adults to play. Guests will enter the mouth of the Rainbow Fish via an ADA-compliant ramp; once inside, they will peer down to the water’s edge to see their own reflections. Inside the fish, children will find shiny, detachable scales to “share” with other, smaller fish placed within the surrounding landscape. Just as the Rainbow Fish in the story shares his scales with others, children will role-play the story’s message of sharing and friendship around the grounds at Cheekwood.

An all around fantastic summer day, even despite the heat. It's been crazy. But it's all good.



Another event worth mentioning would be seeing Moonrise Kingdom last night with my new friend Melanie. I'd been waiting a month and scouring the internet to find out when the film would come to Nashville and it finally did! To the Belcourt, and they serve alcohol there! We had a great time and I want to watch the movie over and over and over again. So wonderfully done, as per usual when it comes to Wes Anderson. This film was particularly yellow and dreamy and cute. God, I just loved it.

Flashback Friday: Montauk (The Sequel)

History: I love being in Montauk. I got pretty in depth about my love for the beach town in this post. That was when we went for my birthday, but two summers ago we also went just because. We packed a picnic lunch and watched big waves roll in while hanging out on gigantic rocks, and it was awesome.

Wednesday Night Ride

Sometimes I'll make a Flashback Friday post, and I was gathering some images to put one together this week, but I figured it was fitting to post tonight, on a Wednesday, to commemorate the Wednesday Night Ride.

I touched on it a bit last summer while I was still testing the waters of food blogging (which I realized was not my thing), but I want to touch on it again. Because it was important.

Most Wednesday nights for the past two summers our friends, and our friend's friends, would meet up in Sayville for a 14 mile bike ride around the beach town. It was always such a positive, motivating and fun experience. Probably one of the most healthy things I've ever been a part of. Sure, we'd stop at 7-11 on the way back and pick up beers for tailgating, but what's a summer night without that? My friends Ross and Vanessa would usually be here for a few weeks during the summer and whenever they joined, I was the most excited. They once rode from San Diego to Long Island! Isn't that incredible? Vanessa is one of the most refreshingly original and inspiring people I've met. Maybe that's why I photographed her most. Ross is a long time friend who I will always love dearly. Anyone who joined usually made my night.










These nights provided me with some of the best summer memories ever. The route we took through town, the pit stop at the beach, and the ride back up through main street at night was perfect, the company was perfect, the after party was perfect.
These are some of the things I will really miss.


Source

Ride night & Flo's

I just wanted to take the time to address something REALLY SUPER FUN that about eighteen to twenty of my friends and I do sometimes. It's is a fifteen mile bike ride along part of the south shore of Long Island, and it rules. Last summer this was a weekly occurrence, and this summer it hadn't been until Andrew organized a night for us all to ride together again. There's something really positive and powerful about riding through the streets and to the beach and in high traffic areas in a pack this big. Stephanie and I were talking about it, how not everyone hangs out all the time but when we come together and do this we're all pretty united and have light, happy conversations and leave with such a biker's high, it's wonderful. And hopefully happening again tomorrow night!
The first leg of the ride takes us to Corey Beach in Blue Point, and in order to get there you have to pass Flo's Famous Luncheonette. Which is basically a little shack that people serve delicious food out of that's been around forever. It's always packed when we roll up during the ride, and eating before riding another 12 or so miles isn't really appealing anyway. But recently, three of us went to eat lunch at Flo's (my first time!) and it was everything that I expected it to be, which is delicious.
I had been told that as a first timer I should try the Bates wrap, which is basically a cheeseburger, waffle fries, and some fancy barbeque sauce that tasted homemade. This. Was. Awesome. Not something I'd normally go for at this point in my nutrient-focused life, but it was totally fun and worth the splurge. Another thing you NEED to order, should you find yourself at Flo's, is the "summer blend". Half pink lemonade, half iced tea. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Flo's is open seasonally, so I'll definitely be making another trip before the summer ends. If you're ever in the area, definitely check it out.

good things 7/4 - 7/9

sitting here, making potstickers, wanting to share some stuff that's being going on. (the photos are all from my iphone, because unfortunately my canon, my most prized possesion, has a broken lens and i've been using it less frequently.)

andrew is my wonderful, sweet, supportive boyfriend. the two of us had to work the entire holiday weekend, but because he knows how much i enjoy explosives, we set up shop in a parking lot packed with fellow bystanders and watched the grucci fireworks display from bald hill. a low key yet memorable way to spend the 4th. while walking to the brookhaven amphitheater, we saw my name written in the sidewalk! and i never see my name anywhere. so i was pretty pumped on that. also, the sky was bright pink as the sun set which made sitting on the car for two hours way worth it.

a few days ago, we warmly welcomed our new house guest.


her name is charlotte and she will be with us for ten days while andrew's aunt is away on vacation. she is so sweet, so well behaved, and is filling the void in my heart that was growing deeper since turning down a job at the american guide dog foundation. it's safe to say that i love her.

charlotte anne <3

hung out with leanne (who is my bff) and max (who is her cat). we made pina coladas (also made jokes about how funny it is to drink pina coladas) and listened to a mixture of the decemberists and rolling thunder. it was a nice way to relax on my day off from work.



my sister and i spent some time with our nana and grandma, since my sister is home from college for the summer and because those ladies are the best.

what a woman who will almost force feed you treats has on her fridge.

my sister and i at montauk point (my most favorite thing about this island i reside on) in '93, maybe? found at my grandma's.

just finished this hilariously empowering book.


stumbled upon this and enjoyed it. felt a lot of this throughout the past few days. i'm happy to be surrounded by the people i cherish most.

and finally, here are my potstickers.

i prefer the trader joe's brand to any other brand

directions!
12" pan
place a single layer of potstickers in 2 tbsp. cooking oil (i always use olive oil)
cook for one minute on medium-high heat
add 1 cup warm water, cover, cook for 8-10 minutes (or until water evaporates)
uncover, cook for 1 minute until golden brown. and voilà! easy peasy. wish i had soyaki.
have a nice weekend! xo