For New Year’s, I escaped from the city with friends, and we headed north to a little cabin in the Trinity National Forest. It was a perfect long weekend of good company, delicious food both at the dinner table and on the hiking trail, and lots of fresh air to welcome in the new decade.
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, we gave thanks for everyone’s transitions in 2009. And then we gave a big cheers to greatness in 2010!
Did you have a memorable toast for the New Year? Have you set any special intentions or resolutions?
Listening to: The Gardener by The Tallest Man on Earth (listen)
Friday, September 11, 2009
last week i made my summer pilgrimage back to new england for a handful of days in my hometown and then a long weekend at our family’s cottage in maine. as usual, the trip was relaxing, filling, and full of people that i love.
there was lots of biking, an afternoon of canning garden tomatoes, a double-high-five birthday to celebrate, a couple of beautiful afternoons in Boston, an awesome hike up Mount Washington, campfire and smores, one enormous slip and slide, good thin-crust pizza, and wild blueberry pancakes with local-made maple syrup.
1. birdhouse in our backyard, handpainted by my younger self
2. tomato canning supplies in my family’s kitchen
3. the view from the top of Mount Washington
4. the cousins’ feet at our cottage in Maine
for more photos, check out my new england, august 2009 set on flickr.
another weekend road trip. more exploring of the north country. traveling with mischa (hiker, storyteller, and piesmith). in less than 4 days, we drove over 1,000 miles. we visited fresno, mendocino, tomales, marin, and san francisco counties. we ate a delicious and overwhelming supply of baked goods. and we had a few adventures along the way…
+ relaxing at mercey hot springs in fresno county
+ exploring the beautiful town and woods of mendocino
+ driving the pacific coast highway, north of san francisco
+ feasting at a beautiful outstanding in the field dinner
+ and camping at marin roots farm
i can’t wait to go back! for more photos, check out lillieinthecity / flickr.
listening to: birds fly away by theresa andersson (listen)
another trip to san francisco! i’m finding lots of excuses to visit that lovely city. if only the drive from LA didn’t take quite so long…
this weekend’s excuse was the world’s largest DIY festival: maker fair. wandering the fairgrounds, my friend alex and i found makers of all kinds: crafts, robotics, fashion, technology, food, and more. it was inspiring madness.
our trip also included an overnight in fresno; saturday morning at the ferry plaza farmer’s market; sampling ice cream at bi-rite creamery; a foggy morning glimpse at day 1 of the 545-mile AIDS life cycle; a visit to the seward street slides; and a turkish delight.
see more photos from our weekend in san francisco at lillieinthecity / flickr.
life has been full of lots of little adventures lately, which makes me feel pretty lucky. this weekend, i went on a short-but-sweet trip to catalina island in the good company of one californian and two germans. we got up early and drank hot chai tea on the ferry. watched sea lions and dolphins on our way out into the pacific. and eventually docked in two harbors, the smaller of two villages on the island. our campground had a gorgeous view of the water. we hiked and ate lots and rented kayaks and picnicked on a deserted, remote, little beach.
it was–as self-proclaimed on the village logo–a little “island paradise.”
listening to: deep blue sea by grizzly bears (listen)
My name is Lillie Dignan. I'm a designer and maker, living and working in the Bay Area.
