little black journal

This weekend was indeed full of bliss, with just the right balance of relaxation and productivity, a smattering of self-indulgence, and lots of time spent hanging out with Shane, who I’ve missed in the midst of our busy schedules.  After a morning run down by Lake Washington yesterday, I decided I had earned the right to a big ol’ breakfast and convinced Shane to head over to Both Ways cafe with me (easiest sell I’ve ever made).  This is one of our breakfast faves in South Seattle – a cute little spot tucked away on a quiet corner near Seward Park, offering solid breakfast fare, complete with perfect buttermilk biscuits and extra creamy lattes.

We caught up with each other over eggs, bacon, biscuits, and coffee, then headed down to Southcenter to catch the early showing of Inception.  It felt a little strange to be heading into a movie theater at 11 am, but when we discovered that shows before noon are offered at ‘pre’-matinee extra-discounted prices, I got over it (you all know I love a good deal).  Shane I spent the rest of the afternoon doing some shopping, napping, and then capping off our lovely day with pizza at Tutta Bella and ice cream at Full Tilt (insert happy sigh of satisfaction here).

I spent the evening with some girlfriends, taking part in what has quickly become a fun tradition for all of us.  Every few months, we each dig through our closets, pull out those items we love but just don’t wear anymore, and gather at La Verne’s house to swap clothes, accessories, and lots of laughs.  It was a fabulous evening, and I think we all walked away happy with what we had scored at our ‘free boutique’.

(photo courtesy of La Verne)

Today was heavier on the ‘productive’ side of things, with a couple of hours at the office and a couple of hours out working in the yard, but the evening couldn’t have been more relaxing, with a Rum and Coke in hand (Shane is trying his hand as bartender these days) and the Giants vs. Dodgers game on TV.  I’m not sure where my recent affinity for baseball came from (maybe out of need for a reason to veg?), but stretching out on the couch with Shane and cheering on the Giants has become one of my most favorite evening pastimes.  And as an added bonus, I think Shane falls a little deeper in love with me each time I spontaneously jump off the couch and let out a “woot!” in favor of his team.

All in all, an utterly fantastic weekend (unless you’re a Dodgers fan – hehe…).

Ummm…Hi, June! Where did you come from, and why are you passing me by so very quickly? Wowsers, life has been busy lately, and I feel like I am running at breakneck speed just to keep up. It’s good, though. I wouldn’t have wanted to turn down any of the things that have kept me on my toes. For example:

Shane and I were invited by a friend I work with to check out the Sounders game on Saturday night. Soccer is quickly becoming my new favorite sport, as I’ve had the chance to attend a few games over the past year and have developed a mild case of Sounder Fever. Yes, there is a bit of monotony in watching the guys run up and down and up and down the field, but the surge of energy that flows through the stadium whenever they score a goal makes all that waiting well worth it. Lucky for us, the Sounders were in fine form on Saturday and scored four goals, which meant lots of jumping out of our seats, clapping our hands, cheering loudly, and catching the glittery confetti that rained from the sky. Good stuff.

Sunday was my first day back in the print studio since my class ended last fall. I had almost the entire day to myself in there and was in art-making heaven, with Bon Iver piping through my headphones, a table full of brightly colored paint to mix and smear and roll, and a printing press just begging to be put to use. I got a lot of stuff of done, much of which I left in the studio to dry on the racks, but here’s a little peek at some not-quite-finished pieces. I am in love with this process, and am trying to figure out what our dining room would look like if we swapped out our table for a printing press. I’m kidding. Kind of.

And now, I am beat. As in, ready for the weekend!

Oh, what a weekend…  Busy, but full of so many good things.  The weather in Seattle was phenomenal, and we spent every moment possible outdoors, loading up on vitamin D.

On Saturday morning, we headed over to the International District to volunteer with our friends from our community group at Danny Woo Garden.  This is a community garden which was created for elderly immigrant residents living in this area just south of downtown Seattle, to foster their connections to the earth and to the surrounding neighborhood.  It is an amazing space, terraced with patch after patch of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, tended to by a generation and a culture of people that have an intimate knowledge of and respect for the soil.  Our mission, as part of our church’s urging to ‘bless our neighbors’, was simple:  do whatever needed doing.  This meant weeding, digging, planting, transplanting, sowing, building, chopping, and generally having a blast doing our small part to support the growth and sustenance of the garden.  Once we were all given our tasks, we divided and conquered, and accomplished what I would like to think was a pretty decent chunk of work.  Four hours after our arrival, peas had been planted under a new supporting trellis, much of the garden waste pile had been broken down and prepared for compost, the flagstone path in the children’s garden had been mended, several planter beds were freshly cleaned of weeds, and we were one dirty, tired, happy bunch.

The G-man was a huge help that day – what he lacked in ability, he made up for in spirit:

The dudes, ready for action.:

Shane and Jack were labeled our ‘trusty swordsmen’ and were given the task of chopping up some the larger garden waste for the compost pile.  I can’t decide how I feel about this photo – funny, or kinda scary…?

Michelle, Jon, and I were put on a ‘fern rescue mission’ – moving several struggling ferns from a sunny spot to the this shadier space in the garden.  Here they are, mid-mission:

Some of the gang (Shane was supposed to snap a photo as Jack was in mid-jump, but he’s a little quick on the trigger…):

Some garden lovelies:

It was fun to see us all rally to get things done, and the intent of the garden to build relationships rang true as we labored together, laughed together, and pigged out together as we rewarded ourselves with Vietnamese sandwiches from the deli down the street.  And I gotta say, the good, good earth feels especially good when enjoyed under the sunshine with some of your very dearest friends.

Every once in awhile, I have one of those moments that makes me think, ‘Duuuuude, I love Seattle!’.  Exhibits A and B:

These longer hours of daylight have made me feel like we actually have more hours in the day, so when I got home from the gym tonight, instead of crashing out on the couch and calling it a day, I popped in the door and asked Shane if he’d be up for heading out to dinner at our most favorite pizza place.  With work and work-outs and the general to-do’s of our lives, it’s rare that we spontaneously go out on a weeknight, since we both need frequent low-key evenings at home to recharge, but I felt the need to celebrate our sun-shiny evening.  And I knew a night out at Tutta Bella would be an easy sell to the husband, considering that he has never turned down an offer of pizza in the 11 years I’ve known him.  We took our table by the window and ordered a couple of our favorites – the Giovanni, topped with prosciutto and arugula, was perfection, and the salame Pino never disappoints.  But considering this is the third time we’ve eaten pizza from this place in the last two weeks, I’d say we’re now due for a pizza fast – somehow cheese, salted meats, and pizza crust aren’t part of that ‘healthier eating’ plan I’ve been working on.  Actually, I might just have to rethink that plan altogether…

On our way home, we saw hints of pink in the sky over Beacon Hill, so we decided to jet over to the bridge that overlooks downtown and Elliott Bay to catch the final remnants the sunset – and although it was chilly out there, I felt like we were getting the first little peek of the summer that’s in store for us.  And that makes me very, very happy.

My super-intense, super-awesome encaustic workshop ended on Monday (stay tuned for more on that later), and then it was back to work on Tuesday, where I was thrown into the flurry of working toward a Friday deadline.  And so by the time 6:00 rolled around today, I was beat.  Thankfully, Shane, in his infinite wisdom, knew that I would be in dire need of a beer and some chill time, so when I made it out of the office, he had already staked out a table for us at Six Arms and ordered me a pint of Ruby (their tasty raspberry ale).  Aaaaahhhh, hallelujah for weekends!  We had a fabulous evening together, toasting to Friday at our favorite old hang-out, and then sharing a demi-pichet (half-pitcher) of Beaujolais and a plate of steak frites at Cafe Presse.  Yep, it just don’t get much better than this:

The funky, eclectic vibe of Six Arms:

This lovely man:

And a glass of wine over candlelight:

Cheers and bon nuit.  Happy weekend!

After what felt like a long work week, we declared Saturday a day of relaxation and indulgence.  There are few things I love more than having the freedom to spend a Saturday any which way we please.  And so indulgence number one came in the form of a latte and a pain au chocolat from Cafe Besalu – a small bakery/cafe in Ballard known for their deliciously buttery breakfast treats.  I truly believe chocolate croissants are one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind, and this one had to have been picked out especially for me from the Big Guy himself.  So light and flaky, rich and buttery, perfectly…perfect.  Yum.

Post-pastries, we hopped back in the car, and before Shane had even pulled away from the curb, I was thinking about how nice it would be to head home, get back into my pajamas, and spend the day cozied up on the couch.  My husband, however, had other plans, and decided that since our breakfast mission had been completed, he was ready for lunch and wanted to swing by Safeco Field to check out ‘Mobile Food Chowdown’ – a one-day-only gathering of Seattle’s and Portland’s best food carts.  In his defense, he had run 8 miles earlier that morning, so I obliged, thinking I could maybe make room in my stomach for a good taco or a small slice of pizza.  Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the scene, the lines were already unbearably long for several of the carts, but Shane scored a tasty little burger from Skillet, and I waited in line for 45 minutes for an order of fries from Portland’s ‘Potato Champion’.  Yummy, but hardly worth the wait.  Ah, well, it was still a good day to be outside, and I love Pioneer Square on a clear, crisp day.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at home, reading and watching movies, basking in the laziness that was bound to follow such a decadent morning.  Then evening came, and wouldn’t you know it, Nancy, La V, and I had dinner reservations at Lark, which meant: more eating!  Yay!  We ordered plates of creamy cheeses, roasted duck leg, bacon-glazed kale, and ricotta gnudi, and ate ’till we could eat no more.  There was a point in the evening – I think it was as I was dipping my spoon into the dark chocolate mousse, served with white chocolate sorbet – when I thought, “Hmmmm…will I regret this when I’m pulling out my swimsuit for our vacation to Mexico next month?”  Then I tasted the cashew butter that had been spread on the plate right next to the chocolate, and I thought, “Nah.  Totally worth it.”  It was a perfect three-hour meal, full of good food that was only made better by the company of my lovely friends.

And so Saturday Splurge-Fest came to a close.  And once again, all was right with the world.

Today was one of those days when I am indescribably happy to live in Seattle – a couple of reasons why:

Columbia City has a new ice cream shop – it’s called Full Tilt and it serves flavors like horchata, salted caramel, and purple yam, scooped into made-to-order waffle cones.  Deeeeee-lish.

The sun was out today, and we found a perfect little dock in Leschi from which to soak up some rays.

While in Leschi, we discovered that Daniel’s Broiler has a great happy hour – beer, bacon-wrapped scallops, and a killer view of Mount Rainier.  Shane’s face says it all…

On our way home, we swung by our favorite little viewpoint to get one last look at the mountain in all its glory.

After today, Shane is apparently convinced that he wants to live in Seattle forever.  Assuming we can’t find a way to make a living in Paris, I think I might agree.

For the second year in a row, Shane and I have decided to counteract the over-indulgence of the holidays by being extra-frugal in January.  No eating out, no lattes, no movies, no shopping, and a very tight grocery budget (three dollars per person per day).  For someone like me, who loves to spend Sunday afternoons sitting in cafes or shopping for shoes, this is a challenge.  Right around day 7, I start to get a little antsy.  Shane must have sensed my home-bound jitters and so he surprised me with a free ‘date’ this afternoon by driving us over to Bellevue to check out the Mercer Slough, a park/wetland that we’d driven by several times but never explored.  It was the perfect day for a mini-adventure, and we enjoyed wandering through the trails, finding beauty in the mossy greens and even the muddy browns that are so emblematic of a northwest winter.

We ended the day with homemade veggie lasagna with friends, and I am once again restored, ready to face another week of skipping my morning latte and eating my leftovers for lunch.  It actually feels kind of good to go back to basics.

This clear, crisp weather we’ve been enjoying has reminded me how beautiful downtown Seattle can be, so I grabbed my camera on my way out the door yesterday, thinking I was due for a good hometown shoot.  I spent my lunchtime walking through downtown and Pioneer Square, armed with my warmest hat and fingerless gloves, snapping pictures left and right.  I’ve walked past some of these buildings hundreds of times, and yet somehow never really looked at them.  I suppose that’s the power of having a camera around your neck – your eyes are suddenly open so much wider, as you seek all those perfect photo-ops.  Ideally, especially as an architect, I would be consistently observant, but it seems that whenever I’m downtown, I’m just a woman on a mission, whether it’s to grab a quick lunch, rush to a meeting, hurry to catch my bus, etc.  It was good to consciously stop and pause, stand on a street corner, and look around in every direction, taking in the way sunlight warmed the tones of a brick facade, or bare tree limbs crawled toward the sky.  This is just a small sampling of what I’ve been missing out on…

No great photos or artwork or momentous events to share from the past couple of days, but I am trying to get in the habit of using my Sunday evenings as a time to reflect on the good/fun/productive stuff that took place over the weekend (rather than as a time to dread the inevitable arrival of Monday).  These were the highlights:

Mall madness on Friday night with a girlfriend.  We both had some decent discount coupons that were about to expire, so we hopped in the car at 7:30 pm, were walking into the mall by 8:00, and scored several amazing deals by the time they locked the doors behind us at 9:00.  I tallied up my purchases, and all in all, I averaged a savings of over 50%!  Shane rained on my parade when he reminded me that you still have to spend money to save money, but still, I think I did well.

Saturday morning we were up early to head over to Seward Park to run in the 5k Pumpkin Push race.  We ran this race together last year and have decided to make a bit of a tradition out of it.  I was thrilled to find that I had shaved over 2 minutes off of last year’s time, and Shane was an absolute super-hero, taking a whole 4 minutes off of last year’s time.  It was a beautiful day to be out for a run along the lake – clear, crisp, and full of beautiful fall colors.

Saturday afternoon was spent picking out plants at the local nursery and then planting them out back – we still have some work to do in our new yard, but it’s coming together really nicely.  I can’t wait for the day when the planting is done, the patio chairs are purchased, the weather is good, and we are able to enjoy a glass of wine on our new patio.

We spent this evening with the neighbors, making more dumplings (soooooo good) and carving the pumpkins we picked up at the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago.  Our little jack-o-lantern is flickering on our front porch as I type, signaling the approach of Halloween, which means November is right around the corner.  Hard to believe…

We are closing the weekend with some quality veg-time, watching an episode of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, sipping a cup of tea, and enjoying the warmth of our cozy living room while the rain falls outside.  Ahhh, Sundays…