Musings
Finally
At last, it feels like we can almost taste summer. Warm morning walks last week confirmed this notion, and now, as I write from our little cabin in Vermont where the green mountains are in abundance, I am particularly joyful to usher in the new season. Things around here already feel different in the most marvelous way. Here’s to the best summer yet.
ABOVE: A snippet from my morning walk near our home in Rhode Island. I love the sight of beach roses with the backdrop of the ocean.
Ga-Ga for Gingham
I’ve always been a sucker for gingham, and having a baby boy sure doesn’t help that fixation. For me, the preppy pattern exudes a carefree, casual but timeless sentiment. Dare I say, it’s a little “campy” — something you might find on a table at a beach shack in Maine adorned with butter stains from a candlelit lobster bake or in the Adirondacks, for a porch dinner accompanied with sponge-ware and a vase of wildflowers. I have always adored the large-scale gingham Maison de Vacances napkins but find them difficult to source as of late. In part, that’s why I was so delighted to stumble upon these two-tone napkins from Courtney Barton’s shop.
Here’s to all things gingham and hoping that lobster dinner manifests itself this summer…
Motherhood
Becoming a Mother was always part of my path in life. Though, I suppose I never really imagined my life without having children. It’s true no one can adequately prepare you for what the experience will be like and every woman has her own unique journey. The photograph below was taken when Wilder was two months old. Though cliche, time is most certainly fleeting. The days feel long but short in the strangest way. There is euphoria and tenderness one moment and loneliness and isolation the next. Then, layer in a casual Pandemic, a full-time job, a home renovation and a move. It’s been quite the year but “These Are the Days” as Van Morrison sings and every now and then, I try to ground myself and find perspective. For me, it’s been an utter messy but marvelous whirlwind and sometimes, I feel like I’m still in survival mode. I have developed the deepest respect and admiration for all Mothers, especially mine. We are so lucky to have Wilder in our lives and I will forever cherish the moments with him, exhausted et al.
Photograph captured by: Lisette Rooney
bring on the splendor
I am beyond ready to usher in summer in all its glory. We are slowly getting our little house assembled (truly, at a snail’s pace), but the images below help keep me focused and energized especially as we work to furnish our petite porch. These designers are truly some of the greatest masters — I’ve had these images “pinned” for quite some time and continue to reference them. The mix of materials — wicker, iron, weathered wood, concrete, blue stone — and pattern through details like trelliage, exude an understated sense of comfort and timelessness while graciously beckoning the outdoors. And, there is something so nurturing and peaceful about being surrounded by green growing things!
Here’s to that first batch of iced tea on the porch…
ABOVE: Gil Schafer’s Greek Revival — see more of his personal home here.
