New England Redux
Eight years ago I packed up my life in Boston, loaded up the old Honda and hit the Mass Pike westbound for San Francisco. After one too many heartbreaks and dreadful winters I’d had it with New England. Six years earlier, I had moved to Boston, taking a chance on love that, at the time, I felt was worth taking. He begged, I went. Of course, you know how that story ends. When it did, I was certain that Boston must have something else in store for me. That the universe, God, my late relatives and angels…all of them must have had a hand in this disastrous messiness and that something happy and ‘big’ was going to happen. In Boston.
That being the case, I was determined to suck it up, settle in and wait for the inevitable ‘it’. So, I waited. And waited. And froze and waited. Years went by and in the end it seemed that Boston had simply been a wrong turn or maybe a test that I’d failed. It was time to acknowledge defeat and beat it back to Cali. That December I left and quite literally didn’t look back.
Until a few months ago when Nigel suggested that we spend Thanksgiving with his siblings who live outside of Boston.
And so…it was.
I now can see that my time in Boston wasn’t about unrequited love or impossible winters. Something much bigger was happening all along. While I was waiting for lightning to strike my dearest friendships and some of my most special memories were were being forged. I miss that time, those friends and the place. Boston, you’re alright. I’ll see you again soon. xo
Pre Flight Date Night
Tomorrow its off to Boston for a feast a la familia.
But tonight in Venice it’s a night out a la me ‘n him.
Happy Thanksgiving!
xo Heather
On Foot
My Mother has been walking between 5-10 miles a day for the past couple of years. Of course she looks and feels fantastic and given that she and my Step-Dad, Jim spend the winter months traveling the country, her strolls often allow her to explore some beautiful, uncharted territory.
I’m a walker too. I’m not logging Mom-like miles but it’s how I prefer to navigate and see a place. A couple of years ago I shared a walk to my office in San Francisco. This morning, my camera and I hit the streets of our new(ish) neighborhood.
Today’s observation: it appears as though Venice is a tricky treatin’ kind of town!
The yard ornaments in the hood are pretty clever. A reflection of the FX and movie make-up talent around these parts, no doubt.
Later tonight our street shuts down for a showing of
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Rear Window.
Have a great Halloween!
September
“Do you re-men-bah…the twenty first niiiiight of Sep-tem-bah…” Does anyone else hear Earth, Wind & Fire right now?
Not only does month nine signal birthday time over here it also means the transition to Fall, my fave of seasons. Back in the day it also served up a new school year which meant reuniting with friends. My classroom days are long gone (as are the seasons) but we’ve been in LA since the start of summer and I’m excited to say that this month is all about reuniting with my No. Cal. besties.
We kicked off the parade of houseguests last weekend with a visit from two seriously sweet lady friends, Vember and Justine. Together we learned that the aperitif that begins at 7:00pm doesn’t need to end before dinner. In fact, a pile of pistachios and manzanilla olives make a for the perfect seven-hour meal. We hit every inch of Venice, leaving no canal, shop or inch of beach untrodden. There was an amazing lunch at Gjelina and drive up the coast. The main event was a backyard feast whose menu and prep were a true team effort. And in large part, we kept it gluten and dairy free (save for a few gooey heaps of buratta and some vanilla gelato).
The meal was sort of spectacular:
Grilled white peaches with prosciutto and burrata, drizzled with balsamic reduction
(inspired by the dish served at Gjelina)
Grilled vegetable salad with shaved parmesan
Roasted cauliflower and green beans
Grilled ribeye steaks
Strawberry crumble with vanilla gelato
But not as wonderful as the company.
Thanks for a great weekend, ladies!
xo
Heather
Northern Nuptials
Last weekend we made our way back to Northern California to celebrate the eagerly anticipated wedding of our sweet friends John and Margaret in Healdsburg. We took a couple of extra days on the front-end of the weekend to enjoy some of our favorite wine country spots and to scout locations for our own knot-tying.
Unlike the central US, California wine country has seen the perfect amount of rain this year making for some beautiful pre-harvest vineyard strolls, not to mention sips. That said, you might want to stock up on your favorite California wines, vintage 2010. ”It’s a very good year.”
LA is re-growing on me but Northern California?
Nothing will ever compare.
xo Heather
House Tour
Unpacking – check.
Experiencing the utter bliss of sleeping in our own bed – check.
Requisite trips to Home Depot, BBB and Ikea – check.
Less obligatory trips to CB2 and West Elm – check.
Breaking in the back yard with friends – check, check and check.
It’s been a busy-bee sort of week – running errands and settling into our new home. While the unloading of boxes has been a chore it’s been fun to discover how our things will *be* here and to start wireframing our space.
We’ve got some oats to sew before we’re ready for a real House Tour. For example our dining table is a skosh dinky for it’s new habitat and the living room could use a little modern love and a bold character piece for the mantle. The bedroom is too dark wood for a beach pad and we need a prescription for all of these books and walls. There is much to be done but I’m in no hurry. These things take time, don’tcha know? Besides, I have big plans for scouring the Rose Bowl flea market and must also consult my girls Laure and Morgan in all of this. These two are masters at the art of charmed spaces not to mention a serious hoot to spend a day with (see the fruits of our collective efforts here).
Yes, it will take some time to find our bungalow mo-jo but one week in it sure is feeling like home.
Enter House Tour:
That big empty room isn’t much just yet but the converted garage might be my favorite thing about this place. The owner and previous resident is a stand up comedian and used this space as a studio from which he streamed his live, Sirius XM radio show. Until one of us makes it big at the Laugh Factory our plan is to make this a guest room slash photography studio slash yoga den.
And maybe sometimes we’ll just sit in the middle of the room and soak up the funny.
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