make-believe: hawaiian vacation

In December, right before Christmas, our friends Simon and Jenny moved to Hawaii. James and I have been dreaming about a getaway to visit them (and soak in the island air) ever since. An email from Simon this week with a link to Hawaiian Airlines fares so low they looked like typographical errors sent us into a virtual frenzy of number crunching and daydreaming. Alas, even the rock-bottom fares weren't quite low enough to allow for a last minute trip. We're left staring at the giant surfboard in our apartment and wiping our collective tears. In homage to our Hawaiian daydreams, a make-believe post about our would-be adventure. 

1. malwitz surfboard 2. slub cotton dress 3. surfer's journal 4. sexy wax 

5. & 6. prettiest dang multi-floral underwear-turned-swimsuit (top/bottom)

7. & 8. performance suit for surf lessons (top/bottom)*

*It should be known that James is the real surfer in the "family"(evidence, here). But I'd be totally game for giving the death-defying sport another go...in Hawaii.

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desert (not so) solitaire.

It's the colors I like best. All those aquas and pinks and purples. I've never thought of myself as a pinks and purples girl, but one look at these desert colors and I'm feeling a change of heart. Two weeks ago I boarded the 4 train and rode an hour northward to the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. The trip didn't include a rucksack or stargazing or encounters with wild animals (unless you count the small humans in strollers). I didn't become the wizened desert woman of my dreams, but having even a small bit of time with some of these desert ladies was enough to shake some winter blues and encourage me to at least entertain the thought of saving for a plane ticket to see the real thing.

ps. More about my visit to the gardens coming up on Gardenista.
pps. If you haven't read Desert Solitaire, you might consider it. Top 20 favorite books of all time.

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a snow drive.

It's not every day that you find yourself smack dab in the middle of a winter wonderland. Today James and I took a snowy drive through some of my favorite roads around his hometown. We found fuzzy-eared donkeys and woolly horses and cobblestone houses* tucked into a winter landscape to match their goldens and browns.

Aside from today's drive, it's been all tickling baby toes and identifying wintertime birds around here. And just to make sure we don't go too stir crazy, I'm waiting on a pair of snow boots** to take on at least one snowy hike before we head back to the big city. 

Until soon, chickadees.

*A little reading about the cobblestone houses of western New York, here.
** kiddie boots for adult feet!

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bridge & burn: a castle jacket giveaway

Over the long weekend, James and I enjoyed daily walks along the beach in my hometown. I don't think I'll ever tire of the way the wintertime sun shines golden on the marsh grass and sun-bleached driftwood. More importantly, these walks were the perfect antidote to all the lazing around we did in front of the fireplace. On this particular weekend, I had the good fortune of sporting the castle jacket from one of my sponsors, Portland, Oregon-based Bridge & Burn. I don't often wax poetic about clothes, but this jacket is pretty much perfect. It comes with a hood and pouch pockets to make it a proper fit for adventuring, but it's sleek enough to wear in the city without feeling frumpy. The cheery red striped lining means that I could layer on a sweater without things getting all bunched up. Maybe best of all, there's plenty of room to fill two pockets with slipper shells and still have a spot to keep my hands warm. 

Bridge & Burn has been kind enough to offer my fellow tea leaf readers an opportunity to win a castle jacket for adventures of your very own. For a chance to win, hop over to the Bridge & Burn site to scope out the goods and leave a comment back here, complete with contact information and a description of the kind of adventure you'd take with the castle jacket.* If you're hankering for a little extra Bridge & Burn inspiration, follow their pinterest boards for a daily dose.

*Due to shipping costs, the giveaway is available to readers in the US and Canada, only. The giveaway will close on Thursday evening at 5:00 pm and a randomly selected winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck and thanks for reading!

UPDATE: Elissa is the lucky winner! Thanks so much to everyone for playing along and for sharing such grand adventuring plans!

Photos by James Casey, my husband.

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