Storms and Ankle Tans

From the beach, weeks ago.
Actually I'm at the bay now. It's hot and sleepy and a little bit creepy.

Wednesday Night in the Kitchen

 

  

Tomato, love, I've missed you. Come back into my summery arms and we'll make caprese salads until the leaves begin to fall.

Tecate, Señore, one is never enough.

And you! You arduous bastards, you cashew cookie scoundrels, you took me all night to make (but I like you, oh I do).

Georgie Cream Cone

This is the first thing I did with my Photoshop. THE FIRST THING.

Isn't there something great about a poorly photoshopped photo? I think so.

This is my cousin Georgie, photoshopped onto a ridiculously sprinkly ice cream cone that I ate with my cousins on the Virginia Beach strip. Admittedly, I put these two photos together because they happened to be snapped on the same warm summer day, so they were in the same folder on my computer. I would like to think, however, I was subconsciously creating something that demonstrated the saying "so cute I could eat you with a spoon", because Georgie is one of those cute cousins that you always want to hug (no offense to you other cousins).

Why does that saying exist? Perhaps it explains why I grit my teeth when I pet Koa to keep from, I don't know, biting her? The cuter the object of my affection, the harder I want to squeeze. Is this a survival of the cutest thing where you want to destroy (in my case, by hugging/asphyxiation) that which is cuter than yourself? I don't really know.

I'm not trying to tell you that I literally want to eat Georgie, but there is something that is just perfect about this photo, jagged edges, subliminal messages and all.

watermelon park

we mountain women went camping last weekend, this was our kingdom.

after marking our territory by erecting a tent and throwing menacing looks at various campers coyotes as we drank pbr in the middle of the river, we feasted on hot dogs.

then we had a nap.

but when the flames of our camp fire made the stars flicker out, we knew it was growing dangerous at watermelon park...and also that it was s'more time.

if you crave more daring stories of our trip to almost West Virginia, well i'm sorry but the rest will have to stay in the park with the skins. only they know truly what happened that night.

camera: sandbridge

it's 12:41 on a friday night. my shirt smells like the best chicken nuggets you've ever had and here's a little bit of the summer with my family.

black and white section:

end of black and white section

if you can't tell i was really lazy about taking pictures and all these were taken on the same night, probably within 20 minutes of each other<-is that one word or two, i googled it and even google didn't know? please reference "about me" if you think that's a stupid question.

maybe more fun than harper's ferry or lake anna. maybe.

annapolis

lunch on the water, ice cream and colored rowhouses that fall down to the chesapeake. oh god and the kunta kinte memorial.

YOUR NAME IS TOBY

meridian hill park

dogs dogs dogs, fountains, the golden hour.



dupont circle

kramerbooks annnnnd the fountain.

saturday.

i fucking love produce

sorry mom dad kathryn and kitty, sorry plum and grandpa, sorry all little cousins and aunts and uncles that are probably not reading this, but my love of produce cannot be censored.

easily my favorite thing to do this summer has been going to various farmers markets. i can't tell you how excited i am to eat that watermelon. there's also heirloom tomatoes and purple and blue potatoes from abingdon.

and though i will miss you summer produce, i cannot WAIT for butternut squash, pumpkin, grapes (wine) and apples. lots and lots of apples.

clambake.

last week my dad, kathryn, (maybe brian) and i stayed up late on a school night to watch clambake, an old pelvis movie. his movies are so cheesy but really entertaining. now that it's been well over 30 years and the retro look is in, everyone looks so stylish.

and here's a still from the movie of Shelley Fabares wearing what is undoubtedly the most fantastic swimsuit of all time.

at sandbridge we had our own clambake of sorts. tuesday was a dreary day so my dad, john and i left the beach early and went to bonny & sons to pick up clams, oysters and crabs. everything was caught in Back Bay and basically Caroline and I hoarded the crabs and ate as much as we could before everyone came back from the beach.

caroline and claude (i ate claude)

i realize there are no photos of clams or oysters for that matter. it is what it is, the crabs were amazing and i would put "chesapeake seasoning" on absolutely anything.

july 14th: what to do with your (sick) day off part two.

celebrating bastille day yesterday by experiencing how terrible the health care system can be. at least mom took me to the vienna inn for hot dogs afterwards. how do people live away from their parents? i wouldn't get enough red meat, i now think of sundays as red meat day.

heyyy catholicism, how do you like me now?

and my finger even makes an apperance!

pressing up to a storefront, hiding from a quick but angry rainstorm. summer storms are alright.

these united states.

should be celebrated

with mini grills and a bucket full of beer in parking lots.

with flea market beer pong tables and mash-ups on the ipod.

with nathan's hot dogs, hamburgers, potato rolls, a small keg of raspberry beer, mint-watermelon salad, pasta salad, potato salad, guacamole, pineapple salsa, vegetable skewers and grilled fruit in solo cups.

with fireworks at the waterfront and hiccups and dancing at garretts.

i'm pretty sure i didn't even take half of these photos, the last few can almost certainly be credited to the classy young man in the cut-off USA tee.

fact: when i was 13 i ate 11 hot dogs in under 30 minutes at the summer pool party and then went swimming.

master chef and dancer

good lord.

the last few photos of this night on my camera were completely black. when i lightened them up each one was a surprise, almost like shaking a polaroid 2 days later.

happy summer.

i found another use for jars other than keeping fireflys in them until they die.

i will now be keeping a terrarium in this jar until it dies, which it is doing right now, i think.

today is the longest day of the year, and i spent a good amount of it sitting on the couch half listening to the spain v. honduras game on telemundo and half looking at my terrarium, as if staring would will it to live.

live my succulent! live! gooooooooooooooooooooaaaaal!

then i decided to make vegetable soup. i even added red bell peppers in an effort to like them (fish, you're next).

DC United

half season tickets.
half-smokes on the grill.
half watching the game.
full on, sweaty, charcoal and bbq sauce drenched tailgating.