Mid-May Wondering. . . Where Did The Time Go?
A view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range behind our Ranchlands cabin room.
Safe to say, that time is nothing but a concept, elastic, and elusive in all its peculiarities. This blog tells me as much. Every time I come back to this little corner of the web, I’m faced with looking at the date of the previous post, and wondering just where did the time go?
Since December’s last post (this truly has me shaking my head at myself for not making it back here sooner), I’ve peppered each month with a trip which probably has something to do with time’s fleeting agenda. January was spent in Florida with some time at the ol’ Naples haunt but as well as a quick weekend in Palm Beach, which was a first visit for me. February, I popped down via Amtrak to D.C. over President’s Day weekend (the irony, ha) and stayed in a completely new area and a newish hotel that used to be a bank. The design details and its bones were of the highest quality.
March, I finally made my way back to Santa Fe for a proper visit while doing some remote work. I caught up with a dear, treasured friend who I met 20 years ago in a random roommate situation with two other roommates for an NYC internship semester. From there, I traveled to Denver and Mosca, CO. I finally checked off Zapata Ranch (of Ranchlands) from my travel list (and just in time, it closes at the end of this year!)—a remote ranch on the border of the Great Sand Dunes National Park that was hosting a birding weekend to view the Greater Sandhill Cranes during their migration. I thought I was taking a trip to the Southwest, but little did I realize, I was taking a trip to become enamored with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a subrange of the Rockies that flow through both southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. See above for sheer beauty. The world is wondrous and beautiful despite all its hardships, truly. This is the mantra I’m reminded of over and over again when I travel and already a handful of times this year.
April, I took a trip to the west coast (LA and San Francisco) for work, and I was able to bookend the trip with two fabulous meals with friends, two nice hotels from The Proper hotel group, and an art installation, Luna Luna. May has become the month to visit families both in Ohio and Florida for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. That weekend also kicks off the next five weekends of travel and away time.
Since this is a mostly travel blog, I’ll indulge you to the other major travel plans for the year: June will be spent in Oaxaca and CDMX; July will be spent in Glacier Lake / Banff / Jasper; Labor Day weekend is in the Poconos; October is finally realizing a dream to visit Japan. Suffice to say, the year is filled with wondrous more sights to be seen.
While I could certainly wax on and on about many o’ travel plans and details from past trip, I’ve been squirreling away links, things, and thoughts that have caught my attention and fancy. So without further ado, I’d like to drop in my attempted list of curated click bait.
After my inaugural birding trip, I’m leaning into the bird and Audubon content and come to find out, there’s an actual city in PA called “Audubon” where a birding center also exists. I’ve got my eBird and Merlin Bird ID apps downloaded, and now find myself clicking on articles where chitter chatter creates headlines like: How birdwatching’s biggest record threw its online community into chaos
I’ve started to gift delicate candies, chocolates, and savory treats to my dear ones, and not necessarily always brought back from travels. I’ve found some great bakeries that sell their gluten goods online and ship across the country, but one small batch chocolate maker has really piqued my interest with my upcoming Japan travels. Inspired by the Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) and the Japanese custom of hanami (blossom viewing) — these chocolates were developed in close partnership with the company’s Tokyo-based Japanese team.
I recently learned about Guy de Rougemont, a French aristocrat by birth but artist at heart with work spanning the globe, and whose work inspired the Hermes lipstick designs, and his fabulous home in the South of France. He rightfully credits his late wife with all the design and work of making it cozy, and noting, “he’s just a squatter.”
While Europe isn’t on the agenda (yet, ha!) for the summer, I’m loving this linen blend vest and this linen twist dress, both would look so chic against a riviera backdrop.
In age of cell phones with built in two-way cameras, you might not think you need a petite hand mirror. I’m calling BS on that theory with this lil’ pocket one here that is practically screaming, “oo, la, la” given its French origin.
These porcelain pendant necklaces in various color saturations would sit so nicely with a crisp collared shirt (not necessarily linen, but if you can’t tell, I’m partial to that choice).
On the merger self and the seeker self. These two intertwined concepts are great beacons for life.
OnBeing has kicked off its latest podcast season, and in the first episode with Kate DiCamillo, two-time Newbery award-winner, the conversation treats all listeners to wonderful turns of phrases, thoughts, and personal anecdotes, all of which leave that heavy lump in your throat that forms and says, “tears are probably imminent.” A conversation on the capacious heart.
This New Yorker piece (pretty sure I include at least one in every list of links here) is one of the most fabulous ones I’ve read in a long time: “The Battle for Attention.” It’s an idea we’re all too aware of now with technology and screens creeping into our ways of literally seeing the world. The article introduces so many questions, thoughts, and new-to-me concepts (“Birds” are not the animal that you think they are, and I’d like to see one in the wild). Take the time to read the article, digitally or analog (~10 pages) and see if you can read in full without being distracted…
Do I need colorful handblown glass caviar dishes? I certainly do not! But that doesn’t mean I haven’t saved this link for future safe-keeping and as a suggested potential gift idea.
One of my favorite home web shops is Maison Flâneur, and to be honest, I actually forget it exists until a newsletter pops into my inbox. It’s a wonderful curated selection of linens and dinnerware / glassware. There’s even a “magazine” of content including travel guides. I could spend an hour perusing this site…
Looking to try my hand at this NY Times Potato Chip Omelet, and I admit: I’m in it for the potato chip part. No shame.
There’s a tiny lil’ shop in the Catskills New York (Livingston Manor to be exact) selling design and art wares (think magazines, notebooks, pencils, etc.) to the upstate crowd that is starved for their former city art boutiques. It’s name? Corners. So I naturally had to include it in this link list, but I also would love to pop-in for a visit, too.
I want to get myself to the new Leica store in Meatpacking District with its high design from the architecture firm, Format, and walls lined with what else? Photographs. Like a mini gallery.
Kinda want to start cooking with algae oil, not gonna lie. Is olive oil as cooking oil already out?
I’ve become a believer / doer in manifesting, and Dua Lipa is, too.
Growing up with a dad from the UK, you learn to hear words with an accent as normal, so much so, you don’t even hear it until other people point it out. But one word I’ll always hear his accent on: tomato, or rather, to-maaah-to. Thinking of purchasing this plate solely for nostalgia purposes.
Menu trends in a well-designed and interactive article from The New York Times. Restaurant diners dive in!