good smells. good sounds. good things.

sometimes the days go by easy in the summertime.  like reading a good book over again real nice and slow.  there are highs and lows, but you just keep moving steady.

and then every once in a while there's a moment that makes you stop and breathe it all in deep and take a long look around.  it doesn't have to be anything special, really.  just something.

tonight i got out of the shower... it was one of those good summertime showers, after a long day, when your eyes are tired and your feet are dirty, and it feels so wonderful just to towel off and smell the sweet damp smell coming off of your hair... and i heard some soft familiar music drifting under the doorway.

my dressing room door connects to the bathroom, and the bedroom, but the door on the back wall connects to billy's music room.  he hasn't gone back there too often lately, but i always like it when he does.  tonight he did, and bob dylan was on the record player singing all scratchy and brilliant.  and i could hear billy plucking along.  that quiet, humble pluck of an electric guitar with no attachments but the flesh holding onto it. 

and then i smelled my favorite smell, swirling in the air and mixing all up in the air with my coconut hair conditioner.  sure enough, as i swung the heavy door open slowly, there he was with a pipe in his mouth and a guitar in his hand.
gosh i love the smell of plain old pipe tobacco.

the crickets are chirping in surround sound through the screen door and the air feels like magic, and bob.  just bob.

and of course, the man behind the curtain.  my billy.

buckets of rain
buckets of tears
got all them buckets coming out of my ears
buckets of moonbeams in my hand
you got all the love honey baby
i can stand.

it's good to stop and soak it all up sometimes.

summa summa time, and some pretty little pictures.

this summer has been a great one so far.  we've been spending tons of time outside, playing with sweet finn in the grass, watching the birds, doing plenty of gardening (and getting lots better at it!), and reading lots of books.  there hasn't been too much time for blogging, but that's ok with me.  i'll save those long winded blog posts for our long winded winters.

our little family loves to be outside. and finn has proven to be quite resilient to the heat, which is lucky, because we still just have our one trusty window a.c. unit upstairs in the hall. the rest of our square footage relies solely on the breeze- which is okay by us.  there are plenty of dutch doors to open up and screen doors to close, and the sounds of the creek and the smells of the trees come gliding in easy.  it's just like summer should be.

we've limited the vacations so far to weekend visits, day trips, and afternoons at the pool.  it's been so simple and stress free.  don't get me wrong, i love a good adventure.  but these days, there's not much that can put a bigger smile on my face than playing in the kitchen with my boys and kissing finn's feet until his sides split.  it's the little things.

without further ado, some pretty little pictures.

daddy's ride

tire shop in downtown silver spring

crisfields- the best damn crab salad sandwich you'll find

classic dive. and my daddy's old stompin' grounds.  most often this is sacred man ground, but billy took me this trip.  if you ever go, you won't regret it.  it's like walking into the 50's and coming out full and with a smile on your face.

a little woodpecker feather that happened upon on our picnic blanket in the yard

hiking in gretna

old playbills at the jigger shop

farm eggs at home

billy hung hooks on the entry wall for me.  i like em.

painted back room- originally the stables. no molding yet.  but the floors are pretty.

i hope your summer is a good one.  now go on outside.
<3

pretty little pictures: vol. 5

you can see my previous pretty little pictures here:
vol. 1
vol. 2
vol. 3
vol. 4

happy handfasting!

two of the loveliest people i have the honor of knowing, my cousin and her betrothed, are tying the knot tomorrow on the island my mother's family calls home: newfoundland.

i am not on that island right now.  but i am sort of on an island.  my kitchen island.  it's more of a peninsula really, because one part is attached to the wall.  it's hot in here and feels rather tropical, and i'm drinking a frosty beverage.  billy is out for the night at a ball game and the baby is asleep.  so i kind of feel like i'm on vacation.  just not the right vacation.  i wish i was in newfoundland.

newfoundland is kind of a magical place.  i mean, coming from an outsider.  i've only been there once, even though it's where half of my blood began.  it has this way of pulling on you, newfoundland does.  it seems so ancient and forlorn, but steadfast and beautiful.  the little fisherman villages and coves are at once sad and hopeful.  vulnerable and strong.   it's the kind of place that makes your breath catch heavy in your throat.  the kind of place you expect you might find fairies.  which is funny, because every time anyone meets my cousin for the first time that's always what they say to me.  she looks like a fairy!  i always respond by saying that that's because she kind of is one.

kayla and kevin don't live in newfoundland anymore, and i know it wasn't the easiest for them to get there even if it was for their wedding.  but it certainly is the right place.  it's just them.  they are two of the most fascinating people i know.  probably because they are different than most people i know.  as long as i have known kayla- her whole life- she has always marched to the beat of her own drum.  she was born gorgeous, defiant, wonderful, and headstrong, and has remained that way.  i obviously haven't known kevin his whole life, but i would describe him very much the same.  except i would take out gorgeous and replace it with "hairy".  other than that, everything else still works.  although their personal beliefs are slightly different from mine, and very different from most, i find that they live what they believe 100%.  they are the most genuine people i know.  i admire them and respect them to the utmost.

there is nothing that i want more than to be in attendance at the pagan handfasting of my dear cousin and her hairy beloved tomorrow.  i imagine that if i was there i would be dancing with bare feet to iron and wine while drinking entirely too much of it.  i'm sorry that i'm missing one of the most special of days, but i hope these words find you both and in them my presence will be felt.  kayla and kevin, you have lived through nightmares together and come out of them holding hands.  your love is just like newfoundland.  i know you'll weather all the storms.