August 29

It got me thinking about how the years go so fast, that it seems there will never be enough time. I don't want to miss any of this.

August 28

After swimming in the pond, before some competitive karaoke.

August 26

This is a good club.

1833-1894

"A man should work like he is going to live forever and pray like he is going to die tomorrow."

-Charles Journeycake

August 23

His namesake is Charles Journeycake, the last Chief of the Delaware Indians. Journeycake was his great great great grandfather. We went in search of the window bearing his image and found Nannie along the way.

August 21

The fire was built just in time for night to fall.

Litany

Pretty amazing kid.




This is the poem he recites:

Litany
You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and - somehow - the wine.

Billy Collins



Found via the NY Times ArtsBeat blog

week end

August 14

Before we spent the day cleaning the house, we listened to records and made waffles.

August 13

In the sixth inning a cool breeze rushed through the stadium and the people threw their arms open.

Visual Word Play

Can you figure out the words defined in this video? Pretty brilliant. Bravo to Radiolab & Everynone for another job well done.




If you liked this, check out one of my other favorites here.

August 10

For the best tacos it makes sense to head to the tortilla factory.

before it slips past

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

from New and Selected Poems, 1992 by Mary Oliver

August 5

Today I realized we will be running a grand total of 30 miles this week. Upon this realization we both agreed that ice cream sundaes make a perfectly good Thursday night dinner.

August 4

We finally made our way up to Hot Doug's this afternoon and let me just say it did not disappoint. I'd gladly wait in the rain for this any day.

August 3

The rules of date night:
1. Each week we trade off the responsibilities of planning date night.
2. No phones, TV, or computers allowed.
3. No friends invited.
4. Music and movies are welcome.
5. Dinner is best served in candlelight.

August 2

It is getting easier and harder at the same time.

reclaiming the weekend

We are big fans of breakfast in our house.* My favorite are weekend breakfasts when we linger over the table, all elbows and coffee cups, listening to music and planning out the day. As I stood in front of the stove this morning, I realized that I haven't cooked a weekend breakfast all summer long. I'll have to make up for that this month.

I'm not sure if you grew up with Dutch baby pancakes, I didn't but I'm totally converted. They fit in somewhere between omelets and pancakes and come together quickly to form the perfect weekend breakfast. We usually top ours with a squeeze of lemon juice and powdered sugar. This morning I made a blueberry sauce.

*If you're a big fan of breakfast as well, I can't recommend Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book enough. Her recipes will easily become your go-to recipes every weekend.

Dutch Baby Pancakes
Adapted from Molly Wizenberg and Marion Cunningham

Ingredients
For the pancakes:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping:
Juice of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a cast iron skillet or Pyrex glass pie plate.

2. In a blender, mix together the eggs, flour, and half-and-half and salt until well blended. Place the skillet or plate into the oven for 2-3 minutes.

3. Pour the batter into the skillet over the melted butter. Slide into the oven and bake for 18 to 25 minutes. The mixture will rise and puff around the edges, like a bowl-shaped soufflé. The Dutch baby is ready when the center looks set and the edges are nicely risen and golden brown.

4. Remove from the oven. Drizzle with lemon juice and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups blueberries
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

Directions:
In a medium saucepan stir together water, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring until the cornstarch dissolves and the mixture boils. Add the blueberries and boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg.

August 1

I recalled the Augusts of childhood, the back to school shopping and the comfort we took in the vast halls of the department store.

Making it a Habit

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback on the daily photos in July. I've been so busy with work, it's been a great reprieve to have a daily photo challenge and to be taking more photographs again. I'm going to continue in August and I look forward to sharing our end-of-summer moments with you.