first nectarine pie of the season

I nearly jumped out of my socks when I saw all the stone fruit at the farmer's market last week. I bought enough nectarines to make this pie for my visiting Bostonian friends. It was delicious. I barely had time to snap this rough photo with my camera phone before the pie was all eaten up.

{see more photos of nectarine goodness here}

afternoon sunshine

It was like a taunt from the sky when I woke up for work this morning and the sun was shining through my window. It was gloomy nearly all of yesterday. And here it is, Monday, sunny and 70˚.

At least the gray melted for a few hours before the Sunday sunset. There were golden rays just long enough for a warm(ish) afternoon walk with my sweetheart.

wouldn't it be nice...

Our friends Meghan and Nathiel just left this morning to go back to Boston and I already miss them like crazy.

Mr. C and I always try to convince them to move to Southern Cali, where Meghan and I finally will start our design studio.

I have our space all picked out.

prom pics

I almost forgot to tell you... Mr. C and I were chaperones at the Oak Grove high school prom.

I was the photographer and was lucky to get these test shots with Ian as my model. Sadly, I didn't get any pics of me in my sequined frock....

So I had to shoot myself in our bathroom mirror at home.

Summer!

Today is the first day of the best season, not marked by the calendar's solstice, but by school's end. Besides the gloom here, all I can think of is sunshine and swimming holes, of running and exploring, of sandy beach days and pie baked afternoons. I absolutely and truly love summer. Makes me feel like a kid again... except that I still have to go to work.

{photo from here}

beach weekend

Well, we are officially packing up and leaving our little beach paradise today.

But truth be told, our real home is just a short jaunt to the sea. Maybe we'll have another sun kissed beach day over this warm weekend.

stu stu studio

Today was our last Oak Grove Studio Art class for the year. I can't believe school's almost out for summer. I'm getting all sappy and sad thinking of the students who are leaving.

staycation

While my folks have been vacationing on the Big Island (lucky ducks), Mr. C and I have been living it up at their house. It's enchanting here. And so quite that we have named the guest room "The Sleep Vortex." I can hardly believe our staycay comes to an end this weekend.

speaking of birthdays...

... Ian gave me the loveliest bunch of blossoms. I just couldn't stop photographing them in all the shades of light in the day. These are a few of my shots...