Local color

Here in Portland, it's been beautiful for so many weeks now that it already feels like summer. Today, however, is grey with promises of rain. So I offer you some of the colors I've been collecting these past few weeks.


Ami, my fashionista friend, at her son's 5th birthday party. (In case you're keeping track, Ami is also my vegan/raw foodie friend!)


Poppies are everywhere right now!


As are irises.


Anna's toes, colored with washable marker (a favorite hack of mine!).


Because I am in love with all the poppies in bloom right now!


I don't know what these are, but they're so lovely. Their colors, against the faded paint of this house, has a very etherial quality to me.


The scale here reminds me of Alice in Wonderland!

Enjoy the rain, locals! The sun returns tomorrow.

In the Pink

Walking down to the local wine shop to get some local pink rosé*, I was struck by the pink landscape around me. All these images are within a 15-minute walk of my house. The last few, including the gorgeous pink tulips, are in my front yard. I love spring!

* First of all, yes, I know saying pink rosé is redundant. I was making a point for emphasis, since my post is about pinkness. Secondly, a note about my rosé quest: Every year my best girlfriend and neighbor, Jacqueline, and I embark on the quest for the perfect rosé of that year. We're looking for the right balance between acidity and minerality — usually somewhere between a typical French rosé and an Oregon Pinot Noir rosé. in previous years, we have loved Noccetto, Chiaretto, and Patton Valley. This year, we haven't found it yet, but we're just getting started. Part of the fun is the search, after all!

If you're interested in helping us further our research, please note your favorite discoveries in the comments section. I'll be sure to post again, later in the summer, when we've found the one.

Cheers! (Not sure how this turned into a wine post, but really, shouldn't be too surprising!)

Beautiful Things

A few of the reasons I love France. This is just what the world looks like here—there is so much design and beauty in the presentation of everything. A feast for the eyes.

BTW, that buddha—all chocolate.