Weekend Waygone 12

A slow start.  That's exactly what I needed after coming back home from France.  Once I got caught up on sleep I had a few days to slowly ease back into regular life again.  I like starting each day with a nice, slow cup of coffee.  As simple as grinding the coffee beans, making a make-shift coffee pot with extra filters and hair elastics, brewing a cup or two, and sipping the hot, new coffee while watching the goats play in the backyard.

Coming back home after a big trip is always an odd feeling.  A silence after a storm.  It takes a second to realize that maybe not much has really changed.  When I go on big, extended adventures I can completely give in to the wonder, excitement, and the magic of being thrown into an entirely different world or experience.  I love this.  People can live entire lifetimes in big, important adventures, no matter how long or short they may be, but coming back to what was the normal day to day can have an oddly sobering effect.

Coming back from France has been exactly one of those moments.  Coming back to my parents house.  It feels smaller, it feels quieter, and it lacks new excitement.  I'll be here all fall for work before having a new adventure.  I'm sure I'll quickly get used to the day to day.  The only problem with settling back in is that the great adventures seem farther away and less real somehow.  It's a symptom of returning.  As much as I dislike that feeling, I seem to keep coming back home for one reason or another.  Mostly financial reasons, but still.  It's something I hope to break if not this year then the next.

Things Elizabeth Loves About Summer

summer fruit // growing things // crafting tasty cocktails // journaling and drinking coffee // fresh produce and pretty flowers // warm evening walks

I am so excited to have Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky here today to share with us her favorite summery things!  Not only is she an awesome blog lady, a traveler, and biker, she is a printmaker too!  Her pictures make summer look as dreamy as ever and right now all I want to do is go pick some fruit, sip on a nice cold drink, and walk around marveling at the lavender around here.

Thank you for sharing your summer loves with us, Elizabeth!

Family Breakfast

The morning of Fathers Day my brother was in the kitchen cooking and I was in charge of coffee.  My brother, sister-in-law-to-be, their cat, Cinder, and myself were all staying at our parents' house.  Me, before I left for France, and they were there for a couple weeks before their new apartment was ready.  We aren't big holiday people, but we thought it would be nice to do a proper breakfast to start the day off.  My brother made the food for everyone and did so to order.  First, everyone got a plate of eggs one by one.  Then, my brother went around cooking a couple pieces of bacon at a time and delivering them to everyone's plate.  My job was easy.  I made coffee.  I made iced coffee, coffee ice cubes, and hot coffee.  My brother had just gotten fresh coffee from his favorite shop and it was called Dancing Goats.  Very fitting as the goats were in the yard dancing at the time.  Cinder and sister-in-law-to-be watched the goats and I tried to sneak a picture of her engagement ring.  My brother got the ring from an Etsy seller and he did an excellent job.  I was very impressed.

We have a dining hall here in our French village, but I do miss having full reign over a simple kitchen and cooking and eating meals with friends.

From The Vault: Ice Cube Caffeine

Coffee ice.  This is one of those brilliant things that seems so simple after you've heard of it.  It took me a while to hear of it, but now I'm on board.  I've been trying to make a batch of cold brewed coffee every night, and now I plan to add this to the routine.  That way when I pour myself a nice iced coffee in the warmer days to come, I won't be left with a watered down beverage.  So simple, right?