Friday Flight...

... with nonstop service to the weekend.

Flight attendants, prepare for lift off.

{photo from BostonBill's photostream}

Obligatory Thanksgiving Pie

I never showed you all the Thanksgiving pies Ian and I made because, well, we had a terrible time baking them. We made 4 altogether, and it took 2 days and 6 pastries. The worst part was that they tasted terrible. No one took seconds on desert and the left overs went to waste. Anyway, they looked good. The one shown here was filled with cranberries and pears and topped with a (burnt) lattice.

Old Man Rainbow

Happy Friday everyone. Have fun chasing rainbows.

{photos from BostonBill, Ru Tover, Amadika, The Bottomless Paddling Pool, PJ Taylor, penguin-pro, Lua in Wonderland, Shannon Taylor, Lua in Wonderland (again), Katey Nicosia, jewelmaker21, Jess and Colin, and Sirenized Sabine}

Rainy Days and Thursdays

The lightening was amazing and terrifying as I drove home tonight. I saw a huge flash of light and then all the street lamps on Main flickered out. The television is still buzzing with severe thunderstorm warnings and our candles are at the ready. I love a good rain.

{photo from mivan_via's photostream}

T-Bone Streep

I loved Meryl Streep's speach at the Globes. It's humbling to see some one as talented, successful and admired as she is get choked up a bit. And, of course, it was brilliant that she used her moment on stage to try and do some good.

PS—The organization Streep mentioned was Partners In Health. I don't know much about them, but I have certainly started reading up.

{image found on web}

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

I love this old photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his sweetheart, Coretta Scott King. Behind those charming smiles and stylish facades, they were such hard workers with enormous hearts. Hope you all enjoy the holiday.

{image from 1964, found in the Wikimedia Commons}

coffee daydreams

sipping my coffee... dreaming of the weekend...

{photo by Ian Crawford, taken in a San Francisco coffee shop on Haight}

how sweet is this

I absolutely love the silhouettes of papercutsbyjoe. This one is my favorite.

Back to School

I love these vintage school photos. Everyone looks like they are having so much fun. Visions of playfulness in the classroom are inspiration for my first day back after a long (but never long enough) winter break.

{photos from Joseph Katrencik's Flickr Photostream. I couldn't tell from the credits there if these were taken by him or if he had found them. At any rate, they are marvelous.}

Return to the Seaside

Our mini vacation is over. We left San Francisco yesterday and awoke this morning at the beach. I love love love the city, but I must say, it is beautiful here in Ventura. And the weather is always fine.

{found image from the movie Sweeney Todd}

One Gun Salute

Happy Friday everyone. Hope your weekend starts off with a bang.

{photo from The Library of Congress' Flickr photostream}

in memoriam

While I often shy away from the deeply personal in this public space, I wanted today's post to be a tribute. I am thinking of some one I've been missing. She's been gone for one year to date, though it hardly seems that long. These red flowers are for her.

view with a room

Did I mention that I'm in San Francisco? This is what I see from my southwest window.

Precious Presents

Now that all the holiday gifts are finally opened I can share with you some of the highlights.

Among the best given were a perfect vintage shirt for my brother, with white glass snaps and just the right amount of sparkle. Another of my favorites were these owl face cuff links with crystal eyes, given to my sweetheart.

And as for me... I was absolutely spoiled with new treasures. Some of the most loved were these books of Dorothy Parker's poetry. They're so beautiful.

And you? Now that you've had some time to reflect, were there any standout treasures that you gave or got?

{Cuff links by Cosmic Firefly. Photos by me, Mia Bortolussi.}

dragging it out

Thought I'd show you all a photo of our Christmas tree in full glory...

... just before we drag it out to the trash.

Sweetheart Pie

It's 75˚ farenheit today. I guess no one told the sun it was winter. This hot hot heat wave reminds me of summer afternoons with fresh fruit pies.

This delectable dessert is named for my honey who just loves rhubarb...

...and for the beautiful pink filling which is the color of love.

Happy New Year

Happy January 1st everyone. Hope you all had a fun and festive night ringing in the New Year. Did you make a resolution? I rarely make them, but get so inspired to hear other people's promises to themselves.

I am actually trying to think of an answer to this question posed by a fantastic friend: "What would you do once in a New Year's blue moon?"

What super special thing would I do just once every 19 years? That's how frequently a blue moon occurs on New Year's Eve. It would have to be something rare and worth the wait.

So, what would you do once in a New Year's blue moon?

{photo found on davidezartz's Flickr photostream}