France

Seine Views

Travel is indeed one of the best gifts one can receive - the experience of visiting another culture, another language, another way of life. So incredible.  I have recently returned from a 10-day family holiday in France. It was a wonderful experience not only to experience one of the most vibrant countries in the world but to also vacation with my family, something I have not done in a long time. We spent our first four days in Paris, on the Left Bank in the Saint Germain De Pres neighborhood. Our hotel was in walking distance of some fascinating restaurants and shops as well as some museums of import - Musee D'Orsay and the Louvre. One day, we also took a boat tour of the Seine and were blessed with some excellent weather.  This was the first time I really used my DSLR camera after taking a short course in advance of the trip.  By the end, I feel like I learned so much about photography and it meant to much to take all these photos of my experience and my family.

Mother and daughter in Paris (finally, after years of dreaming)

Early spring - newly green leaves like delicate lace on the tree branches

Driving up the Champs Elysees

A view from our hotel room in the Saint Germain De Pres neighborhood

Cafe de Flore (where many French celebrities dine)

Croque Monsieur at Cafe de Flore (the first of many and by the end, we had had enough CMs to last us a lifetime)

France - where every glass of wine is delicious and cheaper than Coke

The best French Onion Soup I have ever had (at Cafe de Flore)

Our meal at Cafe de Flore

A scene in Saint Germain

My gorgeous mum at breakfast on our second day in Paris

Delicious cafe au lait

Mum waiting for our cruise of the Seine

Enjoying our five-course lunch/boat cruise on the Seine

Salut!

My dad's French look (I'm not sure)

A reflection of a family enjoying our Seine cruise

More Seine views

My mum the photographer (how cute and French is she!?!)

Les Invalides (an old military hospital in Paris)

Hyacinths aplenty!

L'Assembly Nationale (French Congress)

Walking toward the Musee D'Orsay

The Parisian Statue of Liberty

More to come shortly! I'll try not to do a major photo dump!

Country Road

South of Congress, Austin, Texas

It's a late August Friday. The sun beats down in an old, hard way. The wind ruffles summer hair. All I can think of is taking a big, ol' road trip across a great prairie, listening to my new favorite, Ryan Bingham. Happy Friday and may all your roads be long and joyous.

A Capitol Life

Pounding the pavement in Washington, DC meant a lot of knocking on doors, meetings and greetings with friends of friends, and toting my life around a sultry city for nine days. I have never been so glad for free wireless and an glass of iced tea. I rode all the lines of the Metro, spreading my wings and experiencing the city from all points (and by city, I also mean Maryland and Virginia as well). I end this journey with a few possible leads and the chance that I could be returning in about a week to live permanently.

Living in this city has been on my mind for the past three years, and now it could actually happen. A surreal thought. When a dream crosses over to a probable reality, you almost don't know what to do. And I think about missing my family and so many of my Boston friends, but I also have many friends in DC and the chance to pursue a career that I have always wanted. And so I jump. And hope that I can finally catch that brass ring.

In the midst of this job business, I found some lovely aspects to the city, which made me want to move all the more.

The first lady of song's dress at the Smithsonian

Children from all over the world playing under immortal words

One of many stately homes in Capitol Hill (near Eastern Market)

A "tree" in the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art

Our bill at Firefly, a delightful brunch place in the heart of bustling Dupont Circle

All images taken by my iPhone camera and processed through the application, ShakeItPhoto.

Lupin Love

It's that lupin time of year in Maine. The fields and slopes along 295 and Route 1 will be lined with scores of pink and purple cone-shaped flowers. Seeing these indigenous blooms will always remind me of when I first moved to Maine with my mom as a little nine year-old girl. I had grown up with Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, which, in tangent with my mother's encouragement, inspired my commitment to making the world a better place. I cannot wait to head Maineward later this week and reside in the Land of the Lupin once more.

1.) Photo by AJJPhotography; 2.) Image found here.

Where the Weird Happens

I love pauses - moments where the normal current of your life ceases and you enter a whole new pattern of things. To remove yourself from your familiar surroundings and enter a new place is one of life's greatest perks. It's a reminder that you are still alive and at liberty to embrace your free will.

For four days, I was relaxed. With a smattering of weird.

Austin, Texas was quite an experience and it did my soul some good. Austin's been on my mind as a place to visit and maybe, one day, to live. My friend Jenna and I have always talked about visiting and this year we made it happen.

There's an ease of life and a kindness to the Austin people. It's contagious, filling me such warmth and inspiration to be more genuine. And there's some kind of heat in Austin, but it's a dry heat in which I found easy to exist by the end of my time there (it was a transition).

We walked around the University of Texas campus - a stately tribute to its intellectual halls and southern architecture. We may or may not have spied on the men's swim team as they practiced in the gorgeous outdoor pool area at UT. We caught some live music downtown. The rock music hit you like a concrete wall of indie awesomeness. Covered in sweat and beer, the musician played, his taut fingers and arms flying effortlessly across the strings. Guitar played behind the back and then to the front. To the back and then to the front. And then...played with his tongue? Oh yes, my friends, the man played some sweet tunes using that particular part of his body. And it was incredible to watch and listen.

We drove out on the open road for some local color and tubing down the Guadalupe River. For three hours, my only purpose was to float down a cool river in the Texas heat. Perfect and lazy. Never before have I seen so many Stetsons on water. And let me just add one more visual: thirty tubes tied together, floating down river with almost as many Texas twenty-somethings and their waterproof stereo and woofer. Yes.

We also swam in Barton Springs - a spring-fed pool that maintains the same temperature all year round - and walked through the Zilker Park Botanical Gardens. We grabbed some grub at the Whole Foods flagship store - 80,000 feet of organic food glory. The food chain started in this Texas city. After freshening up, we hit SoCo or South Congress Avenue - the haven for all "weird" Austinites and hipster traffic. SoCo offers a collection of eclectic clothing, antique, and food spots. I was excited by the cupcake truck, which was closed when we went but their menu sure looked tasty! We went for BBQ at The County Line in Hill Country and it was delish! I had some good, ol' baby back ribs and the best garlic mashed potatoes you ever did eat!

It was a great trip. The only downside was the room at our inn lost AC on the second night and we had no choice but to sleep in the inn lobby - can anyone say adventure (and a compensated night)? I highly recommend Austin to anyone looking for a long weekend getaway where you can experience a diverse, relaxed environment. Make sure you rent a car so you can really experience all the area has to offer!

{UT Bell tower}

{One of the many stunning statues and fountains on UT's campus}

{Wandering around the UT campus}

{Chilis growing in a UT garden}

{Peeking at the men's swim team...hehe}

{Some live music on Sixth Street}

{The Farm-to-Market Road on the way to tubing}

{I have a now not-so-secret obsession with palm trees}

{A lovely shot of Jenna at the Zilker Park Botanical Gardens}

{SoCo strip}

{The cupcake mobile!}

{Vintage aprons at a thrift shop on SoCo}

{BBQ at The County Line}

{Sunset on the flight home}

Heading Out

Soon I will be off to Austin, Texas for a few days of relaxation, adventure, and immersion in a new place. Hopefully, this intriguing city will offer some peace and perspective - things that my spirit is desperately craving.

Image found here at CoriKindred's shop.