bits of my weekend, according to instagram: august 27, 2012

{our tomatoes were late bloomers, but now we’ve reaping the rewards}

This hazy late August weekend ended up being even quieter than I first anticipated, as James unexpectedly had to fly back East to lend support to one of our close friends during a time of sadness and loss.  My days home alone were interwoven with visits with friends, a couple of much needed stops at the gym, a few quiet hours with a paintbrush and paper, and, of course, with a good bit of time spent with an apron tied around my waist, standing at the stove.

Though it was mostly uneventful, on Friday (not but a couple of hours after I’d detailed the annoying intricacies of our bear-saturated trash collection process),  I took Winnie for a walk through the neighborhood – just as soon as that hot midday sun had started it’s decent towards the West.  I had made it just four blocks away from our house when I heard a rustling in the trees, and looked up to see one giant mama bear and her two little cubs snoring loudly in a tree top directly above my head.  Not long after animal control arrived, and told the gathering crowd that the best case scenario was to keep the bears sleeping until dusk when they could climb down on their own and waltz back up into the forest.  If they awoke before then, or if the mama became agitated around her cubs, she would have needed to be tranquilized and removed; an angry mama bear stomping around in a very residential area is understandably a recipe for danger, but as I walked past again early the following morning the bears were gone, and I’m guessing she got her brood back to safety with little fanfare.

I think this bit of downtime really served me well; we’ve been running our days at what feels like a very frenetic pace all Summer long, and this upcoming week will be no exception.  From Monday till Wednesday James and I truly are like two ships in the night, as our current schedules happen to beat to two very different drums, with our days beginning with him flinging off the covers at 5:15am (while I bury my head), and ending with me tiptoeing in to bed much after he has already hit the hay.  I saw him off last Thursday at the airport, and I won’t actually “see” him until this Thursday afternoon when he gets off work.  Then, on Friday morning we head off to Jackson, Wyoming for a wedding, and though it’s sure to be an incredibly fun four days spent in the mountains, I’m grateful that I had a few days to myself before we pick up and head out again.

{settling in with a new watercolor set}

{a bit dark, but that would be mama bear snoring happily up in a tree}

{mimosa + the boulder weekly}

{brunch with a view}

{breakfast pizza: arugula, prosciutto, and fresh eggs}

{the line at the farmer’s market for fresh peaches}

{my date for cheap mexican, with a curly tail and voracious appetite for quesadillas}

{a “throwback thursday” photo: the view from my first ever office, on 6th Avenue}

{dahlias too pretty not to take home with me}

{the strawberry bandit strikes again….sussing out only the ripest specimens}

{the best weekend reading}

{amazingly delicious plum tabbouleh – recipe to come!}

{a “sweaty betty blonde” for a saturday afternoon brewery stop}

{sunday lunch: arugula, prosciutto, figs, farmer’s market peaches, and truffle oil}

{sunday supper: my all time favorite perfect simple roast chicken}