DREAMING OF THE BEACH

I'm having a major beach craving today. I think that the last day of August has me desperately clinging to summer and longing for some sea water in my hair and sand between my toes. I'm off to enjoy some lemonade in our backyard and soak up the gorgeous evening sun. Happy Saturday!!

A day at the beach by spiritysol featuring quiksilver dresses

AS SUMMER SLIPS AWAY...

I can feel the end of summer. It's been chilly here the past couple days-- goosebumps when I walk outside in the morning to take out the trash. The light is changing, kids are headed back to school. September is creeping up.

  I'm a girl who needs the sun. I mourn the loss of summer every year (as melodramatic as that sounds...) The warmth, the sunshine, the long evenings and nights warm enough to linger outside. Life slows down. I feel more alive.

So I've dedicated the next couple of weeks to enjoying summer in all of its glory. That means less work, more time outside, and tons more fun. Tai and I will be taking a mini- road trip with one of my oldest and dearest friends-- a perfect way to embrace summer and sweet freedom. 

A few of my favorite things about summer:

The sky. Bright and blue in the morning and heavy with rain clouds in the afternoon. I could lay on my back and watch our New Mexico sky for hours...

Perfectly ripe peaches. 

Ice cream parties. (I brought the table cloth back from my first trip to Peru--it was a gift from the wonderful women at the prison where I volunteered.)

Flowers. 

The farmers market.

~in love and light~

NOMAD SUMMER

Here's a little Etsy treasury I put together, featuring some old favorites and fun new finds. ~Enjoy!~

The Sioux Shirt (hemp/organi... gaiaconception... $85	Long Circle Fairy Skirt, gyp... ZhenNymph $70	juniper stone... feather hea... SpiritTribe $54.99	Bullets into Bells - Southwe... newtribetextil... $62
The Inca mana wallet in pink daughterofthes... $82	natural deer antler talisman... TheUniversalMi... $18	gypsy tudong. hooded cowl tu... RunWithTheTrib... $113	talyn. a feminine bohemian ... RootsandFeathe... $44
Peacock Arm Band Upper Arm C... MoJosFreeSpiri... $17	Tie Dye Maxi Skirt: Burgundy... DelhiDaze $32	stunning Antique hand made w... treeoflifecafe $24.9	Vintage Ethnic Nomad Thai Ka... redpoppyvintag... $68
Perfect Mustard.. Nomad Cowl... Textilemonster $20	Handmade All Seeing Eye, Cro... theforgivingtr... $40	don't ya love her madly GirlOnAVine $379	108 Mala Beads, Buddhist Pra... MishkaSamuel $65

Sponsored by send bulk email from excel.

GLASS BOTTLE WALL

 I thought I'd share some pictures of the glass bottle wall that we built last summer at my Mom's house, outside of town. We built the wall around an outdoor shower ( really just an elevated stock tank with a faucet head :) in practice for the house we're planning in Peru. We were inspired by the EarthShip houses here in New Mexico, built completely out of recycled materials. And the end result was even prettier than I imagined!

Alexis scoured the city recycling center for the prettiest bottles--and found some awesome ones. My favorite are the square aquamarine bottles-- some sort of tequila, if I remember correctly. 

The process took longer than we expected-- it's pretty labor intensive to carefully mold cement around each bottle, but the blazing summer sun sped things up by drying the cement super fast. And, aside from a few bags of cement, it was free! 

I love how the sun illuminates the glass- they light up so magically. 

I would love to create an outdoor shower out of bottles in our future house in Peru (although there isn't the variety of colored glass that we have here.) Can you imagine showering outdoors, in a sea of colored light, and looking out at the ocean??

THIS & THAT// July

July shot by like a a firework. I find myself standing on the doorstep of August in disbelief-- where has the time gone? I think I've been so focused on painting that I forgot to sit back and just enjoy the summer. So that is my goal for August-- I will make more time to relax and breathe in the beauty of summer in the desert. 

This wild little man of mine has been filling my heart with joy lately. There are moments when I feel like I'm seeing him for the first time, and I can't believe how blessed I am to have him as my child. This blurry shot is of him dancing-- a new favorite pastime. Tai has no inhibition and no hesitation when he dances-- he just lets his body do what the music inspires. I can remember dancing the same way as a child, but it's been a long time since I've felt that sort of freedom. But I'm re-learning. During our morning dance parties, my little teaches me to let go-- to release my body to the music and just let it move. It's a lesson that I can apply across the board in my life-- trusting my body and heart and letting them move and feel naturally, without worrying how silly I look to the outside world. 

We've had a week or so of glorious, heavy rain. After months and months of drought, the water is so beautiful and welcome. Alexis and I lay awake at night watching the incredible lightening shows and listening to the rain pound the roof. And Tai has discovered puddles- a rare treat for kiddos raised in the desert. He stopped through the first one of the summer in his sandals, and then promptly asked for a pair of rain boots. :)

~in love and light~

NUESTRO BARRIO QUERIDO

I'm in love with our town in the summer-- it's warm, colorful, and full of life. I find that my chronic wanderlust disappears between June and September. I'm content being here, being home. 

I've been snapping lots of shots on our walks around the neighborhood. It's a funny little corner of downtown Santa Fe that straddles the line between upscale and sketchy. We fit right in :).

I love this mural at the park near our house. The text reads "Nuestro Barrio Querido..Aztlan." (Our beloved neighborhood...Aztlan.) There are usually a few guys sprawled out in the shade, sipping drinks from bags. Street art and character...gotta love it. 

Windows at the one of the churches in town. So beautiful. 

Far away scenes, so close to home. 

A private oasis at the rock sculpture gallery next door. 

The virgin of Guadalupe, painted on an adobe wall. I love discovering new ones. 

Little bean in front of another mural in our neighborhood. How blessed we are to live in such an artful, creative city. 

A gate in our neighborhood-- next to a junk yard guarded by pitbulls. We keep it real down here. :)

More mural art.