Tolay Fall Festival

There's something about the Fall season and little 60's dresses that just seems right to me. Especially when peter pan collars and autumnal hued plaids are involved.

I've been hitting up the Goodwill Bins here in town (affectionately refered to as "the digs") with my digger buddy Angelina. That's where I dug up this gem a few weeks ago.

Clover and I wore our little plaid dresses to the Tolay Fall Festival in Petaluma last weekend and hers couldn't have been more perfect for the occasion.

As you can see from the wacky sign, there was plenty for a four-year-old in a cute little vintage dress to do and see and photo ops a'plenty for a camera toting mama.

It may look like Fall in the pictures but it sure felt like Summer. It ended up being hot, like unfortunately hot. A snowcone and a patch of shade helped.

Papa to the rescue!

So many creatures to pet, so little time.

The tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch would have been more enjoyable had we been prepared with hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, things of that nature... the person with the big black umbrella had the right idea.

As it were, our time spent wandering the "pumpkin patch" (this is obviously not where the pumpkins grow) involved getting scorched and impatient before grabbing a pumpkin and hightailing it onto the next departing tractor. Shade please!

There was a big barn filled with wild animal exhibits, both live and of the taxidermied variety, lots of creepy crawlies on display too, and a resident barn owl watching over the scene from up in the rafters. Can you spot him?

I loved how Clover's dress picked up the colors of all the different squash varieties. We made a little cornhusk doll at one of the craft booths. Carding and spinning wool into yarn by hand to make the hair was pretty neat.

How tall this Fall?

My petite pumpkin is just barely taller than her best pal Finn who is a full year younger than her. People often assume they're brother and sister. Easy to see why :)

Ok friends, there you have it, my contribution to this years pumpkin patch posting madness. Happy carving!

Check out this beautiful video just released by local Sonoma County darlings, Odd Bird. It was filmed at this year's Handcar Regatta and I must say, it's pretty dang dreamy...

Poems Strung Like Beads

The sky.

The outfit.

Backyard grapes on the vine.

My beaded trimmings.

Beadlike trimmings. Sweet and round and purple among thrifty kitchen bits.

I have Sally to thank for the wonderful earrings and belt among other wonderful treasures delivered to my door and Laura Jane for the white dress with perfect netted cutout details :)

I have my husband to thank for turning backyard beads of sweet goodness into jars of the brightest purple grape jelly. His first attempt at canning of any sort was a smashing ;) success. Can't wait to try my hand at it too. Any good fig jam recipes out there?

AND, I have this amazing woman to thank for making my Friday night a truly beautiful experience. Her poetry is perhaps magic in it's simplest form. Wise, elegant, adorable (she wore all black with crazy multicolored socks peeking out from below her pant hem and above her shoe), endearingly scattered between poems and gently centered within them, and so funny she was. Within the hour and a half in which she spoke, a big roomful of hearts were captured, mine included.

One of many poems she read:

Mornings at Blackwater

by Mary Oliver

For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond.
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,
the feet of ducks.

And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.

What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.

So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,

and put your lips to the world.
And live
your life.

Mary Oliver looks out at her beloved Blackwater Pond, 2006. [source]

During the question and answer session after her reading, she told of walking out into the woods near her home at Blackwater to write. She would hide pencils in the trees should she find herself with an idea and in need of one to write it down. Apparently, at one of her readings a guy once showed up with a pencil that he'd found in a tree. She said they broke it in half and now he has one half and she the other.

When I Am Among the Trees

by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness,
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."

This one's for Milla. I have her to thank for introducing me to Ms. Oliver's poetry in the first place :)

Happiness

By Mary Oliver

In the afternoon I watched
the she-bear; she was looking
for the secret bin of sweetness -
honey, that the bees store
in the trees’ soft caves.
Black block of gloom, she climbed down
tree after tree and shuffled on
through the woods. And then
she found it! The honey-house deep
as heartwood, and dipped into it
among the swarming bees - honey and comb
she lipped and tongued and scooped out
in her black nails, until

maybe she grew full, or sleepy, or maybe
a little drunk, and sticky
down the rugs of her arms,
and began to hum and sway.
I saw her let go of the branches,
I saw her lift her honeyed muzzle
into the leaves, and her thick arms,
as though she would fly -
an enormous bee
all sweetness and wings -
down into the meadows, the perfections
of honeysuckle and roses and clover -
to float and sleep in the sheer nets
swaying from flower to flower
day after shining day.

Regatta Mama

Clover and I dressed up all old timey for Sunday's big event, The Handcar Regatta. There's been so much going on around here lately that I've had to check out of blogland completely. Dang, just when I was getting back into the swing of things too!

Last weekend was non-stop, bachelorette sleepover party at a house on the river, my neices' birthday party (3 and 6 years old) followed by our friend's 40th birthday party, and then the Regatta. Next weekend is shaping up to be just as crazy busy, with more birthdays (including Clover's!) AND the wedding of some dear friends.

I just wanted to pop in and quickly share some images snapped while wandering around during all of the hullabaloo yesterday. People really stepped it up with the costumes this year!

We spent a good portion of the day hanging out by the Whiskeydrome watching our Whiskeydrunk Cycles friends get soaked in their latest contraption, the WhiskeyDunk Dunk-A-Drunk dunk tank. Highly entertaining!

Yup, that's my girl.

She's quite a handful ;)

We're having fun, but I tell ya, now that Fall has officially begun, I'm definitely feeling ready to slow down and mellow out. I miss connecting with all my beautiful blogstresses and I'm looking forward to having time to catch up! In the meantime, I hope all is well with everyone and I'll "see" ya in another week or so :)

Moonrise Sunset

Well, here I am again… back with another outfit post. Already?? I know. I’m not sure what’s come over me. I can barely keep up with myself! I suppose we should just go with it though ;)

I received this wonderful little bundle awhile back from my longtime reader and lovely bloggy friend, Alexa of Pop Elegantarium. As you can see, it was a bundle too pretty to open without taking a picture first.

Tucked inside, among an assortment of thoughtful goodies for both Clover and myself, I found this little quilted vest! I must say Alexa, I quite adore it.

I’ve been really drawn to this shade of blue lately too. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but the skirt, a gift from Heather last spring, has tiny blue and white vertical stripes and buttons up the front.

I think the skirt has found a friend in this sweet little vest :)

I’d heard about an art opening that sounded interesting, and on Friday evening, convinced my little family to join me on a wee adventure to go check it out. The adventure took us up toward the hills not far from where we live. The rising moon looked pretty spectacular.

The opening was held in a little gallery at Sonoma Academy, the fancy new prep school that we see up on the hill when we take the back route to Trader Joe’s. It was kind of fun to go up there and explore for the first time. Clover got a kick out of the odd art installations scattered about the campus. This giant asparagus for example.

The artist was Laine Justice and her paintings “worldscapes in oil” did not disappoint. Each canvas containing a magical realm, otherworldly and fantastical, strange and beautiful. I was really taken with her work when I checked out her website, so it was a treat to view it up close in all its intricate detail.

That’s the artist herself in the cute little dress and boots ensemble, discussing images from her story book collaboration with Rusty Klassen. The images along with this beautifully lyrical excerpt off her website leave me very intrigued:

"Bunny feels it. Warmth and stillness, quiet and clutter, objects avalanche upon one another. It would be litter, the room where she stands, if it weren't for the order Pine somehow commands. This space inhales wonder, exhales the fantastic. Stardust fills jars, mache mobiles meander galactic roulette. Miniature shoes, pigs and ponies, shelved with dolls, books and stones. Elephant whiskers, mendicant oils, portraits on pinheads, rare earths and soils. Pine floats across a lake of fine carpets plumping quill down atop a plush settle. Beside him lie templates of galaxies yet to be formed, sere tintypes, and lithographs, an occasional horn. Bunny's at home here. She knows this room, grew up in this space; where all things have purpose, a reason, their place."

Sounds like someplace I'd like to visit!

Speaking of inhaling wonder and exhaling the fantastic, as we headed back to the car to go home, just beyond the giant asparagus was a dazzling sunset beneath pink clouds. I’m thinking if it's clear tonight this could be the perfect spot to view the full moon rising up over the hills to the east with the sun setting over Santa Rosa to the west.

I'm hoping there might even be some mooncakes involved :)

River Babies

Yesterday at the Russian River. Clover and I spent a lovely afternoon with Angelina and Finnegan. The spot was aptly named "Mom's Beach." Still clinging to summer as best we can.

Well, halo there.

Hey, remember when I used to show y'all what I was wearin'? How 'bout a lil' outfit for ol' times sake?

vintage embroidered smock: new gift from Milla!
necklace: swap gift from Lauren
tee: clothing swap
jeans: thrifted
boots: thrifted

I recently received a package filled with loveliness from my girl Milla. This adorable smock was among the many treasures tucked inside. It felt like the perfect thing to wear berry pickin' with Clover on Labor Day :)

At the fountain downtown before our berry picking excursion. My little girl is growing up you guys. She's one of the "big kids" now at her pre-school and I was informed today that she is blossoming into quite the little ring leader. Apparently, she's got herself a pack of two-year olds following her around doing whatever she says!

The fruits of our Labor Day. Just enough blackberries for a pie, and a super yummy pie it was. We ate half for dessert tonight still warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream.

Hey, remember when I used to show y'all my thrift finds? How 'bout a few of those too? You know, for ol' times sake...

new favorite ankle boots (VNA & Hospice Thrift, $3.50)

new favorite belt (flea market, $4)

new favorite cowboy boots (flea market, $8)

I guess you could say I've been lucky with leather this summer. Perfectly worn, honey-hued leather. Those cowboy boots... simple, flat-heeled, round-toed... I have been dreaming of those very boots for YEARS!

A certain pair of vintage brown corduroy overalls should really be included among this line-up of favorites too, but we'll save those for another outfit post.

Don't I look saintly with my halo? I swear, I did not photoshop that in. Just call me Our Lady of the Thrifty Heart ;) Blessings of magical thrifting mojo to all!