day in amherst/northampton, part 1

took a trip to massachusetts last weekend for one last summer hoorah.
it was a gorgeous, clear blue, sunny-skied afternoon in amherst
{especially nice because the town hadn't yet seen the return of
all the college students/back to school hubbub.}

at the eric carle museum,
where there was a very special illustration on exhibit!

very late lunch - pizza slices at antonio's.
then amherst books. mostly new books upstairs,
and a whole basement filled with used books for sale!









Rao's Coffee
{we can't visit another town without stopping into the local coffeehouse
for a drink and a little break time to read & relax.}

saturday csa

some of this week's offerings from the farm.

the fair!

swung by opening night of the altamont fair.




i held this guy!




cupcakes!



the fair is a great place to go if you're looking to give yourself nightmares. after being coerced by my friends, i ventured into the "circus museum" for the first time in my life, a place i've always made it a point to steer clear of.

the best fried dough at the fair, hands-down.
(no*, all fried doughs are not created equal).

sigh, this fair is always a little bittersweet because it really signals the end of summer. boo.

My high school years

Ahh, reminiscing with some of the music that was my high school life. Or at least trying to -- apparently ANY and ALL videos of Bob Dylan performances have been removed from youtube. NOT. COOL.

Snowed In

I knew I was going to have to be hunkered-in today because of the storm that's been blasting the Northeast, so on my way home yesterday I stopped off at the bookstore to pick up this collection of new, re-envisioned fairy tales, which I'm enjoying very much. I'm only a few stories in, but already I'm finding them delightfully creepy and fun.

I have a sense that a proliferation of magical stories, especially fairy tales, is correlated to a growing awareness of human separation from the wild and natural world. In fairy tales, the human and animal worlds are equal and mutually dependent. The violence, suffering, and beauty are shared. Those drawn to fairy tales, perhaps, wish for a world that might live "forever after." ~Kate Bernheimer, from the Introduction to My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me

Likes

Here's a new kind of post -- things I'm liking/reading/watching right now -- at this point in time.

This book:
The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

this nightgown
(a late Christmas gift)




this documentary

An old childhood favorite

My dinner tonight

What is it about the cold, dark days of winter that make me want to lay around all day in bed watching Nigella Lawson videos online? I made up for the first half of today's laziness by getting myself out to two markets and coming home to make the meal in the first half of this video. I feel so accomplished.

Have a Merry One

xoxo

Decking the halls

I attempted to Christmassy-up my place yesterday...unfortunately that resulted in a lot of broken glass and a super amount of frustration. Many of the (breakable) items seen in these photos are no more, and will have to be replaced. Grrr. The small trees are unharmed, which means I can continue to photograph them obsessively from every conceivable angle.

It's that time again...

Getting a jump on the Christmas baking for this year. I always make way too many, and as much as I love it, it can become a bit exhausting, especially if I wait until too late in the month to get started. Some of my favorites/staples each year: chocolate dipped coconut macaroons, chocolate crinkles, and this butter cookie recipe which can be used to make all sorts of various shapes and sizes of cookie (great for spritz cookies). New this year -- I think I'll try out this recipe. Got any favorites of your own? Share away!

Going to see the classic Bonnie & Clyde on the big screen at Palace Theater tonight (oh please let us find close-ish parking, it's so cold & windy outside!)


Trying to dress like Bonnie Parker when you have short hair...

...means that you will inevitably end up looking like:

(That cartoon always freaked me waaayy out. Still does.)

This is why I say I am a "slow reader." It takes me forever to get through any book.