Woodland Creatures

I spent the afternoon with Gretel last Friday. Fittingly, we went for a walk in the woods. I totally should have worn my Hansel get-up. Alas, I’m finding myself wanting to wear this 70’s vintage flannel shirt non-stop lately. I found it recently in the men’s section of the Goodwill while browsing for Lucas.


There’s a lovely little trail loop only about a 10 minute drive from our house. It winds up into the oak covered hills that overlook Spring Lake. The loop is short enough that Clover can now make the hike without needing a stroller. Though I did end up carrying her a little.

I like that Gretel still re-occurs from time to time. With the discovery that her options are basically infinite, the characters seem to come and go pretty quickly these days. Always being replaced by whoever is in the next book we read or movie she sees.

The pretty red floral scarf tied around Clover’s shoulders made its way to her all the way from Turkey! The lovely Sara of Forestlass, was sweet enough to include it in a little package she sent me awhile back.

Unfortunately, the adorable pinafore dress she generously offered me (an etsy trade that turned out to be too small for her) turned out to also be too wee for me. The scarf however, was a big hit, and so Gretel appropriate! Oh, and not to fret about the fate of the adorable pinafore, it found an adorable home with my niece Vida :)

Outfit: 100% thrifted. When I found this little dress last spring, I was thinking that it would be perfect for fall/winter. How right I was, I’ve been wearing the heck out of it!


The hike takes you uphill through the trees, reaching an open meadow at the top. Here a shallow seasonal pond sits. The perfect spot to rest up and poke around a bit, taking in the quiet stillness punctuated with frog croaks and birdsong.

About a month ago Lucas, Clover, and I hiked up here on a drizzly day and were surprised to find the pond packed FULL of salamanders. Each about 5 inches long, they were everywhere, hundreds of them. It was quite amazing. Also, quite obvious that it was mating season and haha, Clover got a kick out of all the salamanders “doing piggyback.”

This time we didn’t see a single salamander, though the pond is now covered with small gelatinous egg sacks… all that remains of their crazy lovefest.


The trail picks up on the other side of the pond, looping around and heading off down the other side of the hill.

I had both cameras with me, so I pulled out my trusty little point and shoot and its rickety little tripod to get a few “outfit shots” on the way back. At this point I think Clover was already plotting her next costume and trying to get me to go home so we could implement it.


Another gorgeous view of the lake on the way down… and such was our little mother/daughter adventure!

Fun story: We own the Andy Goldsworthy documentary Rivers and Tides and had watched it with Clover the night before. It was her first time seeing it.

I stepped off the trail at one point to photograph the lake, and Clover says: “I’m gonna make sumpin.”

A few clicks later, I turn around to find her stacking rocks in a perfect circle. I watched her for a moment before Andy Goldsworthy stacking stones to create his pine cone-shaped structures flashed into my mind… that’s what she was trying to do!

She’s a pretty rad kid.

By the way, if you’ve never seen Rivers and Tides, it’s pretty amazing, and you should. Here’s a lovely sampling someone put together of Andy Goldsworthy’s work:

There's Something About Mary

We've been watching the movie The Secret Garden lately. The 1993 version, borrowed from the children's section at our public library. I'd be lying if I said I didn't see this coming...

Oh yes, Mary Lennox is indeed the new Gretel :)

[Movie stills link to flickr sources]

Grunge Girl

Well, yesterday did not feel like Spring AT ALL. Cold, ominous gray clouds, rain (that last pic is my photoshoot getting rained out), even a hail storm! My silver lining however, was getting the chance to wear this super soft and cozy, oh-so-perfect-but-why-couldn‘t-I-have-found-you-like-6-months-ago?, dress that I picked up at the Salvation Army last week ($3.50!). It’s pretty much my dream 90’s dress with it’s dark wine-hued velvety floral pattern and pockets of joy. I think we’ll be spending lots of time together once Fall rolls around again.

I’m so glad I took those pics with the wisteria last weekend because it’s already starting to brown and wilt, ah… nature’s fleeting beauty ;) The muddy ground under the rose arbor is now carpeted with fresh peachy petals too (it’s gonna be a potpourri-fest under there in no time). But the sun is out today and even though it’s still chilly, they’re calling for a gorgeous weekend and just in time for flea market season to begin this Sunday, yay! Oh flea market, how I’ve missed you so!

Lets see, I finally thought to combine the beaded headband I thrifted long ago with my black felt 70’s hat from Milla and I think they make a wonderful pair. I don’t know why I didn’t think to do that sooner. It was actually the lovely long-thumbed lass Sissy Hankshaw though who inspired me to bust out the hat in the first place…



I re-watched the early 90’s Gus Van Sant flick Even Cowgirls Get the Blues the other day and while the acting is for the most part pretty bad, if you’re anything like me when it comes to 90’s nostalgia and particularly 90’s takes on the 70’s then you just might love it anyway. Give me some gorgeous cinematography and amazing styling and I can usually be persuaded to overlook whatever plot or acting flaws a movie may have. Just set aside any hopes of witnessing Oscar-worthy performances and embrace its campy charm!

Enjoying...

… the cozy feeling I get wearing these moccasins I picked up at Red Light Vintage for 9 bucks when we were in Portland. The sheepskin lining makes wearing them feel like walking around in slippers all day, which is something I can absolutely get behind, especially on these chilly Fall mornings.

...flipping through the Toast winter 2009 catalog for cool weather sartorial inspirations (thanks to Diana for reminding me to get my free copy!). Also, the short film they made during the catalog shoot is the best kind of dreamy.

Watching this delightful film. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character is beyond hilarious.

Aaaand, last but certainly not least…

Watching this little person learn how to weigh her options,

… make decisions,

… follow through on those decisions,

… and take pride in her actions.

Actually, I just enjoy watching her get annoyed with me as I take too many pictures of her ;)

Petaluma

Following our usual walk to the farmers’ market on Saturday, we took a leisurely drive out to the neighboring town of Sebastopol where our plan to visit a salvage shop for some window shopping (we were hoping to find an actual window) was cut short by a sign on the door reading: “Gone to a wedding, closed early. Sorry!”

We then decided on a whim to head out to the town of Petaluma to check out the recently opened Seed Bank. I first heard about it a few weeks ago and have wanted to go ever since. Unfortunately, our plans were thwarted yet again as we walked up to the front door to discover that it too was closed! Not open on weekends it turns out. Had I read that link before going, I would have known this.

Alas, all was not lost, it was still a lovely day so we walked around Petaluma’s gorgeous historic downtown riverfront district and I’m so glad we did because it’s one of those nearby destinations (about 20 minutes away) that we usually just drive on by while on our way to Marin or San Francisco and completely neglect. It was nearing naptime though, so this visit didn’t last too long but left me itching to plan a longer day trip.




One place we did stop for a visit though was the fun and quirky gift/novelty/retro toy shop called HeeBe JeeBe. It’s a cool little store full of weird and wonderful things, perfect for finding unique gifts and whatnot.



I love the way it’s decorated too, with all the paper lanterns and flags hanging from the ceiling, not to mention the amazing fish mobile! There’s even an old-fashioned motorized horsie ride out front which you know who loved :)

Clover got a cute little set of wooden alphabet blocks which she would now have me building towers with non-stop for all eternity if that was indeed an option.

We walked along the riverfront and came across an amazing painted brick wall that I insisted Lucas document my outfit in front of.

Speaking of the outfit, I ended up feeling quite appropriately dressed as
downtown Petaluma is full of beautifully preserved old buildings that give it an idyllic sense of the small town Americana of yesteryear. It’s even a popular film location for just this reason. It’s where American Graffiti was shot among other period movies like Peggy Sue Got Married, the 1997 version of Lolita, and Inventing the Abbots.

I found the vintage dress at the Welfare League Thrift for $5 the day before and fell hard for its sweet print and lovely subtle details. There were no tags but it was impeccably constructed and in near perfect condition.

The little old ladies at the counter guessed it to be from the 40’s or 50’s and the one who rung me up said it reminded her of something she would have worn back in those days and after a short pause added “… to church.” She was pretty cute :)

All in all, thwarted plans aside, it turned out to be a lovely Saturday and I’ve already got ideas about what I want to do when I go back, one of which includes visiting this amazing old library and historical museum which I’ve never been inside. But we’ll save all that for another day :)

(Building images found here and here.)