these girls



they're my fav.

january's not so bad


before you get all down on what you think is the worst month of the year, imagine gliding down a snowy mountain, drinking tons of hot chocolate, and swimming in a steamy pool. sounds good!













hiking and haikus


new years day, my parents took robert and i out for a hike at silver falls state park, oregon. robert, being the teacher that he is, gave us an assignment to write haikus as we walked. i guess he thought we were having too much fun, or something. 

together we came up with the following: 

silver haired giant
has farther to fall than us
he should stop running


the roar of water
reminds me of highways
out of touch with nature



down in the canyon
a web of moss covered trees
catches me when dreaming


wide campers field
surrounded by fog and frost
UFO landing site?


silver haired giant succumbs
borrows lady norways hat
function over form


everything's rimmed in frost
halos on the holy which
we've come to worship

........................................................................

thanksgiving





for the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies, lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.


yellowstone in snow









our neighborhood in paris















while in paris we stayed in the perfect little apartment. we booked it through airbnb which we would totally recommend. i wanted a centrally located place and this one was right on the seine in view of the two best art museums. we had so much fun exploring all the narrow streets around the apartment and found a lot of treasures.


paris when it sizzles



for a few days while in paris it was hot. while melting away one afternoon there was nothing to do but head to the paris plage, a makeshift beach along the seine. we listened to live music, watched people dance and play games, and cooled off in the misty water.

versailles





i think robert was disgusted by the extravagance of the monarchy, but i was imagining all the wonderful parties the space could hold and taking inspiration for my future home design.

i loved the gardens and marie antoinette's house the best. i loved the long pathways lined with rows of trees and horse pastures. i loved snacking on our packed lunch of baguettes, cheese, and candy. and i loved that after half a day we looked at each other, decided we'd had enough, and went back to the city to ride bikes, eat a wonderful dinner, and be happy that nether of us are sneaking extra-marital sex partners in a secret elevator.

paris opera