Presently, present.

"Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pajama-esque, polka dots & pirate chic...long live Consuelo Castiglioni!

Over the weekend, I saw a pair of shoes that I absolutely loved. Here they are. I’ll never own anything like them because, I could buy a pretty nice used car for the same price! Buying them would be just plain silly. Even if I did manage to get my hands on them, I would tip over in 10 steps or less. But, wow they are hot, hot, hot. 

I later found out that the shoes were designed by Marni. Yesterday, as the rain came pouring down, I sipped my coffee and took a look at Marni’s 2010 Spring Collection. At first, I was a tiny bit unsure of the crazy mixed patterns, sequins details, cropped vertical stripped leggings and subdued colors. Is it too much or not enough?
Then, I looked at the collection all together and decided, wow. I love it! It so charming and easy. I’m sort of amazed that I like these pieces since some of them have very little structure. That’s the appeal. It’s nonchalant but, entirely sophisticated.  
I guess I should be grateful I don't have these clothes. If I did, I would have to iron everyday. And we haven't even started to discuss the dry cleaning bill...My cotton shirt and I are off to lunch! Hmph.

Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest is a festival held each year in Germany during late September (and running through early October). It’s one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair. People tend to each huge amounts of hearty fare and then wash it down with German’s finest biers.

This year, American Flatbread in Burlington transformed their alley/patio into a full-on German-style biergarden with live music, sausages, kraut, pretzels, lederhosen, dancing and general merriment OH...and of course an incredible selection of German and German-style biers. A group of us got together to take part in this event. The highlight of the evening for me was the weisswurst and sauerkraut loaded with bacon! Wow. Heart attack. My favorite bier was the Zero Gravity Rauchbier. Delish!  

the music makers

the taste testers

Jeffe' and Fraulein Stürker

weisswurst, spicy mustard and sauerkraut with bacon 

Prost!

Life on Mars or a dust storm in Sydney?

Since we're still some time away from being rocketed into space, (destination: Mars) the images below are, of course, from the recent dust storm in Sydney. What an amazing site! Thank goodness no one was injured but, you can't deny how unique and beautiful the images are that were captured in the midst of this storm. What an eerie experience it must have been to wake up to this mess. Here are some details about the event from NPR News.

"Australia's worst dust storm in 70 years blanketed the heavily populated east coast Wednesday in a cloud of red Outback grit, nearly closed the country's largest airport and left millions of people coughing and sputtering in the streets. No one was hurt as a result of the pall that swept in overnight, bringing an eerie orange dawn to Sydney. Such thick dust is rare over Sydney, and came along with other uncommon weather conditions across the country in recent days. Hailstorms have pummeled parts of the country this week, while other parts have been hit with an early spring mini-heatwave, and wildfires. The storms — visible as a huge brown smudge in satellite photographs of Australia on Wednesday — are the most severe since the 1940s, experts said. One was recorded traveling from southern Australia all the way to New Zealand some 1,400 miles away."These dust storms are some of the largest in the last 70 years," said Nigel Tapper, an environmental scientist at Monash University. Ten very dry years over inland southern Australia and very strong westerlies have conspired to produce these storms." -NPR News

Hot Apple Pie!

This weekend was the most relaxing and restful one I've had in a long time. Friday night was low key and consisted of dinner and a movie, "The Informant" with Matt Damon. I gave it a 6 out of 10. Saturday was the last day of yard sale-ing for the summer. I found an almost complete collection of Berenstain Bears books that I scooped up for $4. Miss Gretchen is coming to visit in just a few weeks. I can't wait to introduce her to these books. They were some of my favorites as a child. Saturday night and Sunday morning were reserved for a fall cleaning session. I can never believe how much dust settles in the corners of a room with hard wood floors. I think I waited a bit too long to sweep and mop this time around. Ew. Anyhow, after the work was done I was ready to relax. I met up with Steve at Red Onion for sandwiches. We ate them in City Hall Park. The weather was perfect! We ended up laying on the grass for a little more than an hour. We entertained the idea of getting up and going somewhere to do something exciting but, then we recognized that we were already doing something. We were relaxing. So, we stayed a little longer and just enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. I let my eyes close...Later in the day, I was feeling inspired to bake. Reading all of the delicious recipes in Bon Appetit will do that to you. I decided it was a good day to make apple pie. I went to the market and bought the items I needed (nope, I didn't pick my own apples...shame, shame) and used my Ben and Jerry's coupon for a free pint of vanilla ice cream (thanks Jay!). This was my first pie of the season. It wasn't perfect but, it tasted yummy a la mode. Here are a few pics...

Shh...

A quiet morning kept me company for a few minutes before I started the last day of a busy week.

Fantastical!

One of my favorite stops during this year's Art Hop was Beth Robinson's studio space. I'm not really into dolls but, I found these to be delightfully mysterious. I loved their honest and entirely delicate expressions. The patterns and colors Beth used to give each it's own personality seemed to be just right. Some of the dolls were downright creepy! The imagination needs a work out every once and awhile. Beth's creations certainly did the trick.  

"These odd dolls are not something you will find in a toy store. They are hardly something you would buy for a child. They are misproportioned, strangely dressed, and they have a story and character uniquely their own."  http://www.strangedolls.net/