Entre Nous.

"Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, had to get away."

               

I got back a little less than a month ago from my trip to the left coast. Here's a glimpse into how I spent some of my time: 

• Consumed grilled hamburgers stuffed with blue cheese at a "potluck" with all the usual suspects. Followed by the most delicious S'mores. Although not the S'Mores of my childhood, those made using a grill are nothing to scoff at. 
• Played competitive games of Badminton with people of varying skill level, age, and height.
• Had high tea at Abbey Garden Tea Room. All I can say is their version would give The Plaza's a run for their money. So delicious.
• Went to the beach with A. Where we laid out, looked for beach glass and agates (a hold over beach going activity from our childhood), took pictures, and had a much needed catch up session. 
• Ate more crab than I usually consume in a year. A generous friend shared SIX crabs he'd caught. There were crab omelets, crab BLTs, crab salads and oh I'll stop there before I sound like a character out of Forrest Gump. We dined on crab for days. Talk about contentment. 
• Saw an old crush. A boy I'd gown up with and have known since I was a child. Left the island with a renewed crush. He's still adorable.
• Watched Iron Man at the outdoor cinema in Fairhaven's Village Green. Have I already forgotten how chilly summer evenings in Washington can get? Apparently so.
• Ate sweet potato tacos, fish tacos and drank margaritas on the deck at Agua Verde Paddle Club in Seattle. I could hang out there for hours.
• Listened to an old friend sing and play piano at the one "coffee shop" on the island. Bumped into all sorts of characters from my past. Pure bliss.
• Attended the islands annual Chilli cook off. Imagine it, 20 plus chilli's to feast on, beer aplenty, live music, and sunshine. Add to that a slew of people I hadn't seen in YEARS. Perfection.
• Played the slot machines at one of the local casinos. Lost a whopping $10.
• Dinned on savory crepes with the H-------- clan in Seattle, Capital Hill to be precise. Saw a few trannys and a crackhead getting interrogated by the cops. Oh Seattle, I missed you. 
• Visited Revival Home & Garden in the Georgetown neighborhood. A store I'd had on my radar since reading about it in Rita Konig's article about Seattle in Domino. Had a lovely chat with the shops co-owner. The store is in the process of relocating to Capital Hill, so everything was significantly discounted for the impending move. Although the merchandise was clearly thinned out and the store wasn't in its prime condition, I still was smitten. Can't wait to see the reincarnation in the Capital Hill local.
• Devoured the most INCREDIBLE peanut butter & jelly cupcake at the hands down best place for cupcakes, Trophy Cupcakes. They'd opened the most adorable shop at University Village since I'd been home. But I still prefer their Wallingford Center location.
• Attended my baby sisters co-ed baby shower. Lots of babies, toddlers, and kids in attendance, along with their parents, of course. Quite the scene.
• Bought the most divine banana bread from Dahlia Bakery. I'd been craving this for ages and my Mom admitted she wasn't in the mood for baking her own. So when I spied a loaf at Dahlia, I just had to bring it home. It was the best banana bread I've tasted, no joke. I also indulge in their version of a nutter butter cookie. I died. So good. Dahlia Bakery, along with whatever else Tom Douglas touches, is pure perfection.
• Took a sunset boat ride along Bellingham Bay and down towards Chuckanut Drive. I love seeing Bellingham from that perspective. East Coast sunsets are so ho hum compared to our gorgeous West Coast version. No comparison.

Clearly I was not thrilled to return to Savannah after such a lovely two weeks at home. Oh and remember those perfect 75 degree days I was hoping for? More like eighties and nineties, then a record breaking 103 degrees on my last day. So much for escaping the heat.

Now I'm off again in mere days for another week long stint back in Washington. Black berries will be picked. Sleeping in will occur. Books will be consumed. Sunsets will be devoured. And fingers crossed another encounter with the crush will occur.

Lighten up, it's just television

Here's to television, the late summer edition. There's a slew of shows, new and returning, that I'm looking forward to in the upcoming weeks.

Project Runway: I'm eagerly awaiting the debut of season six, not only because I adore the show, but because one of the contestants, Mitchell Hall (the creative director of Bleu Belle), dated a friend of mine. Here's hoping the Savannah boy makes it farther than the last SCAD graduate. The new season premiers Thursday, August 20th at 10pm on Lifetime.

 

Flipping Out: Jeff Lewis and Zolia and Jenni! Oh, my! The new season premiers Tuesday, August 18th at 10pm on Bravo.

 

The Rachel Zoe Project: Her sophomore season seems to have taken an eternity to come to fruition. More than Rachel though, it's Brad that I'm really excited to have back on the air. The boy and his bow ties are adorable. The new season premiers Monday, August 24th at 10pm on Bravo.

 

Mad Men: The outfits, the set design, the cocktails, need I say more? The new season premiers Sunday, August 16th at 10pm on AMC.

 

Kourtney & Khloé; Take Miami: Kourtney got knocked up by her dolt of an ex, and I want all the sordid details. Move over US Weekly, I've found my new vice. The show premiers on Sunday, August 16th at 10pm on E!.

"Summertime, and the living is easy..."

Went out to Tybee Island on Saturday evening and I returned home with a souvenir sunburn and a slight hangover Monday morning. Stayed at a friend of a friends (don't you just love those?) beach house mere blocks from the sand. The house was stunning. I made myself right at home in my own corner room. The owner of the house wasn't around but rest of the company was adorable. Saturday night found us at Marlin Monroes out on the deck under a full moon consuming seafood and cocktails. The next morning it was

breakfast (pecan waffles, for me) at The Breakfast Club. Then hours upon hours (hence the sunburn) at the beach. It was 95, but felt like 105. The evening ended with grilling in the backyard. Then it was cocktails over conversation on the screened porch. Did I mention the outdoor shower?

 

As the weekend rolled into the week, I spent Monday recovering. The day was spent in a haze of applying a generous amount of Banana Boat Aloe After Sun Lotion (I highly recommend it, as it thus far has prevented me from peeling), napping, and reading. Total bliss. The most productive thing I did that day was buy a plane ticket to Washington for my friend Sara's wedding. Like I needed another excuse to go back.                             

 

Tuesday I went to lunch at Back in the Day Bakery with S. We split a panini and each took a dessert with us to consume while watching a matinee (there's something so decadent about a midday midweek movie) of Julie & Julia. Adored. Having read both of the books the movie was based on, I couldn't get enough of the characters. Although, what was up with Amy Adams haircut? I thought it a bit odd. Also, they could have mentioned Julie's drink of choice, the gimlet, at least once. Yes, we saw Julie and Eric consuming cocktails, but never did they mentionwhat they were imbibing. Especially since the gimlet is mentioned so often in the book, that one could think of it as another  character. Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia was sublime. And Stanley Tucci, adorable. Then later Tuesday evening L, S and I got together for drinks and apps at the new Bohemian Hotel's rooftop bar, Rocks on the Roof. Although they have a vast array of appetizers they don't offer a single dessert. So it was on to Lulu's for the sweet stuff.

 

Oh summer, you never disappoint.

Kurtas and Kaftans and Tunics! Oh, my!

We brought in Roberta Freymann's Roberta Roller Rabbit line (the name originated from a bolt of fabric that she found in India) at the store about a season ago. We ordered comforters, bags, hats, kurtas, and pareos. But by far the best seller ended up being the kurtas. At $70 a pop, they're not cheap. But women will leave the store with armfuls of them. I sincerely don't get the difference between kurtas, kaftans, and tunics. This particular company decided to go with the kurta moniker. Of all the kurtas my favorite, and the one I own, is the Elsa Navy. Some of the kurtas (including the Elsa) have a border around the edge, giving them a more finished look. They're perfect over white jeans, thrown over a bathing suit, or even to lounge around the house. [pictured is the Elsa Purple kurta] 

Suit or skirt?

Is one of the many decisions you can make when you "Mad Men Yourself" (i.e. turn yourself into a cartoon drawing straight from the 60's). AMC's hit Mad Men returns to the small screen for its third season on August 16th. Besides choosing precisely how you will look, you'll be able to decide what accessories you'll be brandishing, and what scene you'll be inhabiting all while lounge music plays in the background. The cartoon styling is based on the work of Dyna Moe. At first I got all into the character creating processes, that is until it came to hair color options. No red hair was to be found. Odd, no? Especially being that one of the characters has flaming red hair. So alas, I gave up and settled on being represented by Joan Holloway.