Traveling lady, stay awhile...

My week long vacation begins today...aaah, I am one happy gal!  We slept late this morning, yet I was the first one up.  I prepped his pot of coffee & made my french press brew.  Oh yes indeedy,  I've already had a cup...of a delicious blend: mocha, mocha java & chickory!  Have I shared this with you all before?  Well, it comes from my local Amish Market.  It is roasted by Porto Rico Importing Co. & it is their New Orleans Blend!  To me, it is like having a cup of dessert at breakfast, decadent & full of flavor...but pardon me if I am repeating myself...it's such a treat!  I serve it on special occasions.  Day 1 of vacation is a very special occasion!

In a couple of days we head out west.  It will be a short trip & part of it work, part of it play for him.  It will be a balanced blend of separation & togetherness, for me.  I look forward to a few solo days, when I can wander & roam & photograph the details of my adventure alone.  Without a schedule, or a plan, or a chartered course, I can meander my way along a trail or a riverbank, through a vintage shop or a sidewalk cafe & call it my own.  With my camera poised & ready I can wait, & wait & wait, for the light to set just right or the moment to stand so still, for my photographic pleasure.  Carefree & guiltless.  It's a small window of intimate, nomadic & mysterious time...& that's a beautiful treasure to me.

That being said, I am NOT a solo traveler...I can do it & have done it, a lot actually!  I just don't do it all that well anymore, mostly because I just don't enjoy it as much as with having a friend, a pet, or a loved one along!  And no matter how exotic the destination is, I always miss being away from my home.  Aaah, my home...& no matter how exciting the destination is, I always look forward to coming home.  Home is my heart's haven, my soul's cradle.

Q & A:
Is there anything you would change about your home?

What is your favorite room in your home?

Do you prefer modern, vintage or rustic?

What's your favorite travel destination?

***here are my answers***

A)  Yes, I would add more closets...we need more closet space! And I would love to have french doors leading out onto a garden patio!
B)  I truly like them all because each one has a different personality, but my kitchen is the center, everyone gravitates towards it...& I'm deliciously creative in it!
C) All of the above!  Most everything in our home has a personal connection (our first lamp, inherited china, a reclaimed club chair, a friend's custom crafted twig table) and we like to mix it all together!
D) Hmmm, the one that I haven't taken yet!

I look forward to reading your comments upon my return!  See you bright beings soon! XO

Tea & feathers...

Favorite moment Friday:
While I sat in my kitchen waiting for my tea to brew, I reread a card that a lovely friend sent me.  She tucked inside an additional treat for me, a Hawk feather!  It was a wonderful surprise & such a beautiful gift.

That was the 3rd feather to come my way so far this summer.  The first, a scraggly little blue & black one, was found in the woods while hiking in Northern California this past June.  I had just stopped to look & listen to the old growth redwoods, when she appeared.  A tiny little thing fallen from the branches above.  I cherish that sweet one as it was gifted to me by the magnificent Hendy Woods.

Last month while visiting my home state, my sister presented me with a gorgeous Hawk feather.  She found a cluster of them, grounded together in the grasses, while walking through a nature preserve.  She blessed my visit with this special gift & I will honor it's beauty & it's sentiment as long as I live.

Feathers don't come my way that often.  When they do, they move me.

They will be placed in my cabinet of curiosities, next to shells & bark, skeletons & painted rocks. One by one I will arrange them but until then...

As I waited for enough time to pass when I could pour my cup of Earl Grey, I gathered my small collection of feathers & held them in my hand.  I twisted & twirled each one of them in my long fingers, and arranged them in a ceramic heron hatpin holder, for just a moment.  It was a simple moment, a still life of sorts...a gathering of feathers...the honoring of friendships...& the gifts of love.