The Geography of Youth

Laura Dekker Interview "Yachtblast" St. Maarten

Luxury Travel

Sweet Chaos of Life | Thailand

TOUR d´EUROPE

Yoga of Cycling

Jazz Age Lawn Party

This weekend, Alex, Toby and I took the ferry over to the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island.
A jazz band played old-timey tunes, and there was a tug-of-war, pie contest and Charleston lessons.
People dressed up in fabulous 1920's ensembles--lots of pearls, suspenders and straw hats. (I, of course, wore a nursing shirt:)
Toby mingled with the dapper crowd.
And this girl wore the most fabulous swimsuit (which she had made herself). Yowza!

It was a wonderful day! See more photos here. xoxo

Travel fantasy: Poet's loft

When Abbey found this amazing California rental house, my jaw dropped. The house is near Point Reyes, where you could hike to the lighthouse and eat fresh cheese. And it has a hot tub. Damn. Wouldn't you love to stay there?

Sleeping bags

You guys made camping sound like so much fun (bonfires! ghost stories! air mattresses!) that I couldn't help looking up a few cute sleeping bags, just in case.

P.S. This one is nuts.

Stone house

Oh my goodness, how rad is this stone house in Portugal? It looks like it has a toothache.

(Photos by Feliciano Guimaraes, via Black Eiffel)

Scratch map

How cool is this Scratch Map? You scratch off the places you've been with a penny!

(Via Hither and Thither)

Travel fantasy: Cinque Terre

Jacinta just went to Cinque Terre, and her gorgeous photos make me want to hop on a plane. Wouldn't you love to be eating fried fish and jumping off rocks into the sea right about now? I can almost feel that refreshing, goose-pimply water.

(Via Lost)

Do you like camping?

We used to go on family camping trips every year. My dad would make bullet potatoes over the campfire and we'd ride bikes all day. But I have to say, I could never fully get into it. Camping felt so uncomfortable--sleeping on pebbles, peeing in the middle of the night, waking up freezing, worrying about bears sitting on your tent.

But, these days, I really want to give camping another shot, especially after seeing these gorgeous engagement photos. The fresh air looks so revitalizing and wonderful! Do you like camping? Where do you like to go? I'd love to hear. xo

P.S. Look at these photos of Catalina Island and Kirby Cove!

(Photos by Shannen Norman, via Green Wedding Shoes)

Iceland wedding

Would you ever have a destination wedding? Where would you go? This Michigan couple invited their family and friends to Iceland, where they tied the knot in a teeny chapel. The portrait by the hot springs is so rad.

P.S. Weddings in Jamaica, Manhattan and Sweden.

(Photos by Bragi Thor, via Ruffled)

United States cheese boards

How cool are these United States cheese boards? (As a Michigan girl, I'm psyched that they made a separate piece for the Upper Peninsula!)

(Via I Heart You)

Travel fantasy: Treehotel

Treehotel is a brand new design hotel in northern Sweden, less than an hour from the Arctic Circle. The Mirrorcube room, above, has a double bed and roof deck, and you access it by rope bridge. I can't believe how beautiful it is! Wouldn't you die to stay there?

P.S. More travel fantasies.

(Via Black Eiffel)

Hudson Valley trip

Last week, we took our first family vacation to the Hudson Valley, two hours north of New York City. I'd love to share a few photos, if you'd like to see. We rented a charming colonial cottage in the town of Red Hook...
Alex liked drinking beers in the wooden Adirondack chairs...
...and I loved the swing hanging from an enormous tree.
There was a gorgeous screened-in porch...
...which overlooked a meadow (with butterflies in the morning and fireflies at night).
Seven-week-old Toby approved of the comfy porch furniture. (He even gave us a few toothless grins, which were totally endearing.) And a delicious bonus: The owners of the house left us eggs from their own chickens and buttermilk pancake mix.
Mornings were pretty slow-paced with the baby, but each afternoon, we'd pack everything up and go exploring. One day, we toured the ridiculously fancy Vanderbilt Mansion. We even saw the servants' quarters--the women lived on the fifth floor, and the men in the basement, so as to prevent any hanky panky. Alex and I found it fascinating, but Toby was less impressed and slept the whole time.
We also took Toby on his first boat ride, which motored down the Hudson River past two lighthouses.We sat on the covered upper deck and enjoyed the breezes...
...and did double-takes when we saw this girl's tattoo. :)
In the evenings, we'd explore the charming little towns, and we became addicted to the fish tacos at Sante Fe in Tivoli. (We went three nights in a row.) The trip was wonderful, and, although it was chaotic sometimes with nursing, diapers, the car seat, and the staggering amount of baby gear that we had to bring along, it was really lovely to travel with the little man. I'm so glad we did it. Looking forward to going back. :)

A few tips, if you're heading up to the Hudson Valley...
Where to stay: The Hudson Valley is peppered with adorable small towns, such as Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Tivoli, Saugerties, Hudson, Hyde Park and Kingston. We rented one of the gorgeous homes in the area (you can find rentals on homeaway.com, airbnb.com, or vrbo.com), but we also LOVE the Villa at Saugerties (pictured above; we've stayed there in the past; it will re-open again as a bed & breakfast soon). Also, the Saugerties Lighthouse would be a fun and quirky place to stay, and the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck looks pretty swanky.


What to do: Explore the towns and shops (our favorite was the design store Tivoli Mercantile); take a relaxing boat trip from Kingston; go on a sail from Tivoli or Saugerties; walk to the Saugerties lighthouse (it's really lovely); hike through the woods (this walk looks great); admire a 150-acre Chinese-inspired garden in Millbrook; pick your own fruits and vegetables in Red Hook; tour estates and mansions in Hyde Park, Rhinebeck and Hudson; see a drive-in movie in Hyde Park; go antiquing; and watch an airplane show and fly in an open-cockpit bi-plane in Rhinebeck (we did this once! It was awesome!).


Where to eat: The Hudson Valley boasts tons of amazing restaurants, but we especially loved the crispy fish tacos at Sante Fe in Tivoli, the fresh seasonal food at Miss Lucy's Kitchen in Saugerties, and the burgers and beers at New World in Saugerties. I'd love to try Le Petit Bistro in Rhinebeck, too, which critics swear is the best French restaurant in the Hudson Valley. If you're going on a picnic, Gigi's Market serves great prepared foods (quiche, veggie salads, brownies), and Bread Alone in Rhinebeck has delicious sandwiches. People also rave about the five student-run restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park; we've never been but I'd like to go sometime.

Have you ever been? I'd love to hear any other tips you might have! xoxo

Family vacation

Hope you had a great weekend! Alex, Toby and I drove up to the Hudson Valley yesterday for our first family vacation. Oh my goodness, it's GORGEOUS up here. (Have you been?) This morning, Toby and I woke up (very) early, walked around our rental house and checked out all the picture frames (his new passion). Then we sat on the porch together and enjoyed that amazing smell of the grass after a storm.

Posting will be light this week, and then we'll be back with photos and a little guide to the Hudson Valley -- seriously, it's so beautiful and charming here. (I've been secretly pretending we live here, and I like it:) Hope you have a great morning! xoxo

Breathing space

New York is hot as blazes this week (101 yesterday!). Wouldn't it be wonderful to whisk away to the French countryside? These shady trees and lakes look so inviting right about now. Hope you're managing to stay cool, wherever you are. xo

(Photos by Patrick Smith)