Concept | August '20

It’s time to take a deep breath of summer. Late summer in Northern California is ripe with a forgiving warm breeze. The breeze carries with it a lovely scent, heavy with salt from the ocean and dense with the fog that rolls over the golden hillsides. It’s a time in this area unlike any other. It’s time to carry home a bushel of stone fruits and a bouquet of rich basil from the farmers market. Savoring the moments outdoors and in the splendors of long days is a must. If cutting into a perfectly ripe peach isn’t the highlight of your day–you’re doing it wrong.

I think it’s worth saying that this summer has been unlike any other. Our world has been quite different–and has been experiencing new challenges everyday. These social, political, and cultural challenges have inherently become deeply personal–affecting the way we live our daily lives in almost every aspect. Some might even say the summer has even intensified the wrath of 2020. Thats how I feel at least.

With all of these intensified feelings, I want to enter into August with a few small intentions that feel special to me right now. It feels incredibly important to recognize the fruits of our labor–quite literally. We’ve all been so “in it” recently–pushing through this chaosfest (yes I’m coining that term) that I think its time to slow down a beat. In writing this, I’m hoping to inspire you to pause and consider moments in your life that are worth slowing down–even just for an afternoon.

A few things this month

Taking my work to the park for an early morning inspiration session
Ordering a special meal from a far-away market–trying this!
Baking an apricot cake, with my Grandma’s Austrian recipe
Creating moments of charm in our home–like this little stool moment!
At home wine tasting afternoon in our backyard
Heading to the farmers market for a full haul of all the seasonals: stone fruits, heaps of basil, freshly baked bread, berries, the list goes on!
Trying a new cocktail recipe with a fruit-infused simple syrup
Watching a few films set in far-away locations to aid my travel-lust
Make a giant crudité and charcuterie board for dinner with homemade focaccia
Take a day off of work in the middle of the week to go hiking or to the beach