Posts dedicated to travel, from exploring our backyard to overseas adventures.
This is our second photo essay from Saxis. The first time I showed you the view as little A and I bike to the beach. Today we’re sharing photos from the hardworking side of the island : the watermen that are working at all hours of the day to harvest oysters and blue crabs that are delivered to markets up and down the east coast.
As our final farewell to the east coast, little A and I are spending June at our family’s house in Saxis, VA. Today we’re skipping our regularly scheduled In Season post and sharing some photos from the island (more on that next week).
Saxis is 350 years old. It’s a small community full of history, and we are so happy for the chance to spend some quality time here. There is one main street that winds through the town, and all of the smaller lanes are often just someone’s driveway! The main street used to be lined with businesses, but now there are just a few ~ a museum and ice cream stand are among them, but no grocer!. This is a place where everyone knows everyone (and their business), but being the new kids in town, we get a tickle out of hearing bits and pieces of the gossip and meeting the cast of characters. Every day Alex and I head out for morning and evening bike rides. We easily ride from one end of town to the other, stopping along “glass beach” to look for treasures and to cool off in the water before checking in with the osprey nest. Today’s photos are snapshots of what we see on those rides.
We hope you have a great weekend! Any fun plans? We’re waiting for the rest of the family to join us in the sun and sand.
I love a good tillandsia. I’ve killed quite a few in my day, but after doing a good bit of online research, I think I’m finally ready to raise a few sixty. That’s right, I purchased $85 worth of air plants. I came across this great wholesale site so how could I not, right?! The site looks pretty simple and almost unprofessional, but that is what screamed *bargain* in bright lights! My package came on time, my order was complete and the plants were in great shape. If you’re thinking about raising a little an enormous air plant family, that is the site to start.
Shannon, from Very Shannon, compiled an inspiring air plant display roundup.
I love these wall mounts by NiaCraft.
Right now I have my sixty plants spread out on my dining room table and about a dozen in glass bottles.
This weekend, I’m going to experiment with this type of display and maybe even something along the lines of this.
Succulents are right up there with air plants. They are easy to propagate so you can have a whole squad of succulents too! I’m in the process of propagating a bunch of chicks and hens and jade plants.
One day I’ll have an entire wall of succulents – by the end of the summer hopefully I’ll have something like this.
We love our long days at the beach. The kind where you pack the cooler, a good read, and a big beach blanket, because you’re going to stay until at least a few family members succumb to the afternoon beach nap. It’s the best, only to be topped by a stop for ice cream on the way home. Today we’re sharing our beach essentials.
We never leave home without cozies for the bevies. Now that I’m a Colorado resident, I may have to send a few of these to the beach house. Not rubbing it in or anything. (Sarah here: YES PLEASE!)
We have a few iHome iPod players with rechargeable batteries. This is our favorite
We just picked up a small beach cabana
A pack of cards and a Bananagrams
When someone’s driving a truck beachside, we always throw our ocean kayak on the back.
I can’t wait to see Alex wrapped in his shark towel after his first foray into the waves.
The sun is intense, and so we’re always trying to get better about remembering to wear our sun hats and our polarized sunglasses.
Sarah usually falls once or a dozen times while messing around with her skimboard.
Sarah has been wearing the same swimsuit for years! She was swooning over an Athleta suit, but picked up this cheaper option instead.
Besides our swimsuits, we live in sundresses all summer long. How about you?
The whole Schu gang is meeting up in Virginia this weekend for a few days of fun in the sun and sand. We hope you have something planned for yourself – whether it’s a short trip or a big pitcher of iced tea on the patio. Enjoy!
June! From the Seasoned perspective, summer has arrived! We are so excited for everything this season brings, particularly in the way of fresh foods, afternoon naps in the hammock, the way our hair is oh-so-perfect after a day in the ocean, and of course, the care-free feeling that comes with these long, warm, sun-soaked days. But if you see us on the beach this month, working on our tan, know that behind those dark shades we’re actually thinking big thoughts about 1. the crazy wildebeest migrations just starting up (see below), and 2. just what are we going to do with all of that mint we planted.
Have you ever gone on a picnic? When I was younger, my neighbor Matt and I would always go on picnics. We would pack fluffernutter and peanut butter cracker sandwiches and piles of microwaved pepperoni (yes, you read that correctly) and we would walk to the far corners of our country yards to sit, eat, chat and inevitably get poison ivy. As I have gotten older, my tastes have changed, my picnic settings have become more picturesque and I have learned how to properly identify poison ivy. This past Tuesday I went on a lovely little picnic with my two girlfriends. We couldn’t stop talking about how nice it was to eat, gab and simply sit and enjoy the nature around us. Packing a picnic is as easy as pie, so go ahead, pack a picnic this weekend!
Speaking of pie, I made a variation of these hand pies.
I made a yummy wild rice salad, but this carrot salad looks like a winner too.
If you’re packing a classic salad, try topping it with these and these.
Sarah Yates puts together one classy picnic!
I have to admit, my picnic was missing a basket. I packed my goods in two paper Trader Joe’s bags instead.
You can also buy a vintage basket. There are tons on Etsy! Or you could always weave your own.
I really don’t like paper plates because I like eating off of a solid surface. With my luck, I’ll flip the flimsy paper plate over onto my lap. I packed these plates (our every day dinner plates), but I’d like to buy a set of enamel plates so that I don’t have to lug around our heavy, nice dishes.
If your picnic setting allows drinking, why not pick up a pair of these silicone wine glasses?
Throw down an outdoor carpet (find one at an Asian market for <$20), or an Indian tapestry or some cool fabric for your fine self to sit on. Uh, oh, now I’m down a cool-fabric rabbit hole. There’s citrus, strawberries, pineapples, and watermelon, but nothing similar to the sheet my friend Karissa brought along. (You’ll see snapshots of that in the near future)
Huge lists of recipes overwhelm me, but the first few looked delish so you may want to check out some of these recipes.
Planning a picnic is really as easy as making a meal and throwing it (ok, place it gently) in a basket. This bacon and blue cheese baguette is the perfect example of an easy picnic-friendly meal.
Are you inspired enough to go on a picnic yet? Pack up your salad and snacks and get out there!
Stay tuned for photos and recipes from my recent picnic. Happy weekend!
The temps were high in North Carolina this weekend. It felt a lot like the middle of July around here. I was busy entertaining a few friends and we all decided to check out a local bikram yoga studio. Yep, we thought the smartest way to beat the heat was to enter a 115° room for ninety minutes. Our moment of salvation came at the end when the instructor gave us each a cold scented towel and a freeze pop. Those little frozen treats left us wanting more. We took our time thinking about it by the pool and then came up with this simple strawberry and greek yogurt popsicle recipe. With only four ingredients, there is really no excuse not to try this naturally sweet fruit pop.
Ok, back to Sarah and the lovely pop ladies ~
or wooden spoon
These pops are perfectly creamy and sweet. They are sure to please a crowd of kids or for that matter, a group of gal friends.
I would say I’m a bit of a traveler. I’ve been to over 15 countries and with all those flights I’ve learned a thing or two about packing a carry on bag. Just like Katie, I don’t want to be weighed down by my luggage, but I do want to make sure it has everything I need to:
Depending on where I’m headed and how long I’m staying, I’ll either pack a small rolling suitcase or my osprey pack. I always pack my camera equipment in my carry on, which can become quite heavy after awhile. If I’m traveling to a convenient and stable environment (house, hotel, or somewhere where I’ll be renting a car) then I’ll gladly pack a rolling suitcase. If I’m going on an adventure where I anticipate moving around a lot, taking all types of transportation and general craziness (ie: big cities, boats, buses and unknown environments) then I’ll take my pack. It’s a little more work, but it makes things a whole lot easier when all my gear is on my back while I’m strolling down crowded sidewalks, boarding busy trains or wading through waters to catch a ferry. That being said, I like to analyze everything that goes into my bag to avoid toting around any extra weight. While traveling, it’s not uncommon to haul your bags around from hostel, to ferry, to bus, to train. Usually I stack my stuff under my seat and fall asleep.
Between the security lines, extra charges, and crowds, we hear plenty of complaints about air travel, but I can assure you, you aren’t going to get any of that here. We love to travel, and are equally amazed and thankful every time we hop on a plane and land a few hours later and thousands of miles from home. We would rather spend our time enjoying the ride than letting the lines get us down. So today we’re sharing our packing strategies that help us maximize the fun and minimize those aforementioned annoyances, because truth be told, they’re bound to hit everyone once in a while.
Our community pool’s opening this weekend, warm weather is expected, and we are going to a picnic with friends. (Sarah here: Our pool opens this weekend too! I also have a picnic planned – Schu sisters for the weekend win!) The only thing that could make this weekend more summer-ific would be a big box of popsicles. So, in celebration of the many sunny days and warm nights ahead, we’ve found some cool popsicle inspiration to kick off your holiday weekend. We’ll see you back here next week!
Get your memorial day started with this giant popsicle pinata. Just don’t fill it with popsicles.
These whole fruit ice pops look delicious!
Paletas
Hey Philly friends, have you tried the Lil’ Pop Shop yet? We want to taste the Sweet Pea pop.
We love a good popsicle mold and can’t wait to start making some sailboat pops at the beach this summer. I may add this mold to my kitchen because I heard that its pop size is just right for little ones.
Speaking of the kiddos, I’m sure they would have fun making and playing this popsicle memory game.
I thought this was a genius use of popsicle sticks: painting one with each wall color from your house and then taking them with you when shopping for home accessories.
Spoonflower has you covered if you’re looking to expand your stash of popsicle fabrics. I have my eye on this one for a fun pool tote.
Who doesn’t love a good popsicle t-shirt? The poor lollipop is loosing his popsicle love. Oh no!
Remember our visit to the Asian market? One of our most favorite things to buy there are the black sesame popsicles. Don’t leave the freezer section without them!
When Sarah was in Thailand she was addicted (eating at least 5 a week) to black bean and coconut popsicles. She couldn’t find the exact pop on the interwebs, but this recipe sounds similar.
And please, for the love of summer, get yourself a popsicle tattoo!
