Postcards From the Edge
Well hello there. How’ve you been? It’s been ages.
I hope that your year is off to a wonderful start and that your holidays were warm and full.
How were mine? Epic.
[The view from Nigel's parents' place in the Marina neighborhood of Dubai]
[The Burj Khalifa]
[From the top.]
[The Burj Al Arab]
[Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi]
[Dune bashing]
[Praslin Island, Seychelles]
[Mahe Island, Seychelles]
Heavy, happy sigh.
And a very belated and Happy New Year!
xo
Heather
Rink Love
The holidays serve up some spectacular date-night material.
My favorites this week:
Inhaling an entire batch of freshly-set Fleur de Sel Caramels.
(nothing else, just us and candy)
And a spin around the rink.
xo
Heather
Camels, Fast Cars and a Conundrum
In a few, sure-to-fly-by weeks Nigel and I will be boarding Emirates Airlines for our holiday travels.
It all starts here:
[Dubai, UAE]
And ends here:
[The Seychelles]
It’s a trip of a lifetime, you might say. That which honeymoons and mid-life-crisises are made of. While we’ve been calling this the honeymoon before the wedding and scarily, I suppose, we are approaching ‘the middle’, it really is neither. Just our wanderlust doing what it does.
And in doing what I do, I have cooked up a number of spreadsheets to help ‘produce’ the trip (as seen here). One of them is documenting our activities including those we’ve booked in advance and the things we might want to schedule when we land. If all goes as planned we’ll be sailing the pirated seas, dune bashing and sand boarding in the Arabian desert and hiking in the Seychelles with a local guide named David who will prepare lunch with a machete, the nearest mango tree and a banana leaf.
Travel planning with Nigel is a breeze. For the most part we like and dislike the same things, for example, likes = fois gras and backgammon; dislikes = football and drinking ice-cold water. But this week presented us with our first trip-related debacle. The question is this:
Do we spend three of our fourteen hours in Abu Dhabi here?
[Ferrari World]
What, you didn’t know about Ferrari World? You weren’t aware of the largest indoor theme park on PLANET EARTH? That it boasts the fastest roller coaster known to man? And who cares about Ferrari, you ask?
Bite. Your. Tongue.
Insert. Sarcasm. Here.
I love a good roller coaster as much as the next guy and Ferris Beuller and his hookey playing antics did tempt us all. But I really couldn’t be less interested in this this Ferrari business (no offense the good people of Ferrari). It’s just that we’re from the West. We LIVE in a themepark. If it’s adrenaline we’re after we can be strapped into a roller coaster at any one of three Six Flags within ninety minutes of home. We will be in the Middle East. There are mosques to visit, souks to descend upon, magic carpets and camels to ride. Really babe? Ferarri World?
After some negotiation we concluded that meeting half way and compromising is what partnership is all about. Sacrificing my inner brat for his pre-pubescent thrill-seeker is part of the drill. I get it. Ferrari World it is. Yaaay.
And in addition to the roller coasters, there’s all of this:
At the end of the day our inner children and outer grown ups are all excited.
Our first holiday together.
The best ride, ever.
My Day Job
I just love when we harness the power of technology for good.
Lots of talented folks were involved with eBay and Toys for Tots
in making charitable donations easy and entertaining.
If you’re not in San Francisco or NYC you can go here to donate to a child in need.
Pics ‘o Plates
It’s only Monday but I’m already reving my engine for the photography workshop that I’ll be attending on Saturday. In preparation I’ve been critiquing my work and appreciating that of others. In this age of the blog many fancy themselves food photographers but one of the first, real masters that caught my eye and inspired me to explore the field more seriously is Kyle Drier. Not only are his photos beautiful there is a charm in his work that comes through in every shot. This character that he exposes in his photographs seems to be very authentic to who he is as an artist, if I dare to conclude. While many can take a lovely photo Kyle takes lighting, styling and story to a very different level.
A very high bar, indeed.
(photo credit: www.dreier.com)
A New Routine. I Like It!
Chef Boyfriend burns some serious midnight oil at the restaurant. How he does it, I’ll never know. Be it as it may, sister here spends most mornings before work solo. But I’m tickled to say that all of that changed a rough three weeks ago. You see, Groupon and one of its extraordinary yoga deals got the best of my better half. You know the ones, $25 for a month of unlimited yoga, savings = 80%! We’ve all been there but few of us actually make the most of our bargains. Nigel on the other hand has been getting up early every single morning to pigeon and crow. He even gets up a little earlier than need be to make himself a smoothie. P.S. – he adds “weight-gainer”. The nerve! I can’t believe I grant such a substance real estate in my kitchen.
Summer Fun
Summer in San Francisco is pretty hit-or-miss but this year, Mother Nature has been kind and this weekend was case in point. The farmers market, a photo shoot and a day-trip to Sonoma for a pool party with friends…that’s my kind ‘o weekend!
Some July DIY
So here’s the thing. If I could spend all day pursuing an interest it would be writing. I never get enough time to write. Wait, but what about cooking and playing that piano that I spent a small fortune on? What about interior design, painting and doing yoga? Sound familiar? For most of my life I’ve let the weight of all I love paralyze me out of real progress in any one of those interests. Photography, however, seems to breaking that spell. Perhaps it’s because of the instant gratification and that it doesn’t require the setting aside of hours or days at a time. Or maybe it’s just the thing I’ve found the deepest connection with. Whatever the reason, it’s gone from being a hobby-like activity to something I’m growing more serious about. What’s most surprising is that the time I’ve spent developing my skill in photography has opened up opportunities to write, style and cook. It seems that choosing one direction was all I needed to see progress in the others. A valuable lesson, for certain.
Cleaning House
Last January I tried my hand at a cleanse for the very first time. Having recently purchased my beloved juicer and having a would be partner-in-crime, my friend Emilie and I embarked on a 14 day cleanse.
It was, dare I say, fruitful (?). It was difficult, for certain, but the benefits far surpassed my expectations. I learned what a “clean” body felt like, free of caffeine and alcohol with a metabolism that burned only whole, organic foods and fresh juice. I was happier, more relaxed, mentally sharper and slept like a baby.
5 comments