For Carlene . . .

I got this at the public library book sale.



One can dream . . .

Parlor Profile: Bi-Rite Creamery and Bakeshop

Since ice cream is one of my favorite things ever, I've decided to start a series on this blog, profiling ice cream parlors. Mmmmmmmm. Here we go!



Name: Bi-Rite Creamery and Bakeshop.

Location: 18th and Dolores, The Mission, San Francisco.



The Goods: They make their ice cream in single batches with organic, local ingredients and Strauss dairy products (the same Marin Co. dairy that makes the milk I drink!). Their cups and packaging are biodegradable. This last part actually led to some hilarious moments (for me) because the biodegradable cup kept bending whenever M tried to scoop the ice cream out, and he ended up with ice cream all over his hand.



The Flavors: We tried Mint Hill Honey Lavender, Mexican Chocolate with salted peanuts, Coffee Toffee, and Roasted Banana.



The Price: We got a cone and a cup, two scoops each, for $6.50.



The Verdict: The Mint Hill Honey Lavender is made with honey and lavender collected on Mint Hill in San Francisco and it's smoooooth and creamy, very fragrant, but not too much. The Mexican Chocolate was rich, but the peanuts were unnecessary and detracted from the taste. The Roasted Banana was very banana-y, which I think is gross, so to each his own. And the Coffee Toffee had an incredibly delicious roasted coffee taste (made with coffee from the local favorite, Ritual Roasters), although I don't like toffee, so I'm biased on this one too. All in all, I'd give it a 7 out of 10. Delicious.

Crafty Splurge

No matter how hard I try I can't leave a craft store without a few extra things. This time there was a sale on felt and I couldn't tear myself away from the button isle.



I went in looking for a few specific things to finish up a project I've been working on, and left with this pile of felt on the left, which was clearly needed because they are all (mostly) different colors from the felt in the pile I already have at home (on the right). And it's all made in the USA from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic bottles!



And I knew instantly what I would do with these buttons, so that made it an acceptable purchase, right? They are going on the brim of the hats I'm knitting for the holidays. Oh Lordy, what is it about autumn that empties my wallet and fills my floor with fabric and knick-knacks?

Photographing the Swamp

Last weekend M took me to an organic farm B and B in NJ for my birthday (does this boy know me, or what?).

Good morning sheep, chickens, and goat!


The next morning we went for a walk in the Great Swamp, the perfect place to work on my landscape photography.



I've been trying to work with my frame to lead the eye through an otherwise chaotic subject matter. The swamp is a great place for this because it's entirely made up of tangled leaves, branches, and puddles.









And we saw a whole mess of turtles. A bale of them, if you will.

Sunday sudsing

My friend Vera has decided to organize a series of craft-together events this fall, aimed at making holiday gifts. This weekend a few of us got together and made soap!



We used clear olive oil soap and opaque white Shea butter soap, along with scents, dried flowers and herbs, and dyes. We melted the soap in ceramic bowls in the microwave, then mixed in the scent, dye, and dried leaves.



I only had a little bit of time to hang out and craft, so I made one batch of soap - Cucumber/Cilantro/Yarrow. I made mine by placing a yarrow leaf on the bottom of the mold and covering it with clear soap scented with cucumber. I then mixed the Shea butter soap with cucumber scent, a little bit of green dye, and crushed cilantro leaves. It only took a few minutes to set in the freezer and it was good to go!



I have some more supplies, so I plan on making a few more bars for friends and family this winter. And I love any excuse to use plants in my projects, being the plant nerd that I am. Woohoo, makin' my own soap!


(And here are Vera's angora bunnies that she is raising in order to spin their hair into yarn. It's sooooooo soft.)

Nantucket Nuptials

Last weekend I had the amazing good fortune to attend the wedding of one of my best friends from grad school. It took place on Nantucket where she and her fiance spent all of their summers growing up. We caught the edge of Hurricane Kyle, and it poured all weekend, but the rain just made it more beautiful.







Coming from California where it hasn't rained since May, I packed completely inappropriately for the weekend. My new sandals bled black dye all over my feet, and I was forced to wear my pirate boots the whole time. But I loved it! The rain lent depth to all of the colors on the island.





This was my first wedding of a friend, and what a wedding it was! It was practically a destination wedding, and half of the guests attending were friends of the bride and groom. We were all invited to the rehearsal dinner and brunch the day after the wedding. We all stayed at the same hotel, which was walking distance to the bars in "town." Fun fun fun. There was a lot of skinny dipping.





Congratulations Chezzie and Griffin!

The Great Bay Area Garden Tour, parts 4 and 5 :: The Garden for the Environment and the Conservatory of Flowers

Garden tour recap:

Stop #1 - The Edible Schoolyard
Stop #2 - The Slow Food Nation Victory Garden
Stop #3 - The Alice Fong Yu Elementary School Garden

And now, the Garden for the Environment and the Conservatory of Flowers!

Unfortunately, we never got a tour of the Garden for the Environment because everyone was away at a conference. But they have lots of really cool workshops and demonstrations going on all the time, so if you're in the area you should definitely check them out.



The garden basically serves as a demonstration garden for urban food production and low water landscaping. They have volunteer days on Saturdays too, and the people leading the volunteer day were very helpful. I think a garden like this is a great resource for a community, maybe I should start one . . . .



The very last stop was the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, one of my favorite places in San Francisco. We had a docent-led tour of the greenhouse, which was great except that we were all incredibly tired from a long day of walking.



The conservatory is always beautiful and full of wonderful plants, but the real draw at this time of the year is the outdoor dahlia garden.





Amazing. I love public gardens. This tour took a lot of time to plan, and was a bit stressful at times. But it was totally worth it to know that I have the organizational skills to pull off something like this.

BDay Love

I firmly believe that birthday celebrations must last at least one week after the actual birthday has come and gone (or it can be celebrated half a year afterward, whatevs). How fitting then, to come home from a long a harrowing plane ride, exactly one week after my birthday, to find this on my kitchen table. LOVES IT.

Bumblebee, Come on and Sting Me

Someone received a small felt bumblebee for a much belated birthday this weekend.



He has secret messages written on his butt and on the inside of his bendy wings.

love is a guess
that deepens
(time is a rose
which opens)
your eyes,my
darling,are two
young worlds of dew

never yet named
a stillness
(wholly undreamed
what frailness)
not quite may
twilight's until
rival your smile

truer how much
than yearning
(newer to touch
than morning)
your life is
only like one
star after rain

- e. e. cummings

Fuzzy Strawberry

Here's a taste of the felting projects I've been making lately. It's a little felt card I made for my friend's baby shower that says "Congrats! Welcome Baby!" It was my gift card; there's a heart and my name on the back, so they remember who gave them the cutest onesie evaaaaaaa. My other felting projects are presents, so must remain a secret for now.