i hope you're somewhere warm and cozy, as in either a tropical island or at least a heated interior. in yesterday's snow, between racing, bundled, from the house to the car to the corner store back to the house, i stood under an awning for a few moments and deeply inhaled the smell of snow and wind and still winter air. it was beautiful.
well, i guess it doesn't surprise you that i'm the crazy lady who drives around taking pictures of lawns and gated entrances. but really, can you blame me? some of them are so beautiful, especially in the fall! the one above, from a gated community in my area is my absolute favorite of all time. the amazing contrast between the purple cabbages (my new favorite fall plant) and the orange mums is just spectacular.
clearly, i wasn't kidding about snapping pictures while driving. AT RED LIGHTS! don't worry - no motion photography.
my favorite mums i've seen this season are the ones right outside my parents' front door! i love how each bud is a combination of the classic red mum color and the orange. it's like a mix and match score all in one plant!
hopefully our unpacking and settling will wind down this weekend or next so i can take myself on a fall artist's date, and maybe take mitchell too - driving with a pumpkin latte and siriusly sinatra and snapping some shots of the other beautiful fall displays i've been eyeing.
we haven't had much glorious weather here in new york this summer. yes, i said it - glorious. to me, that's sunny and breezy, in the 60's or 70's...just perfection. it makes me want to do everything outside like in school when we would all request for class to be taught outside. and when the teacher obliged, it was such a treat. i'm thinking that this year, fall will be the time for that kind of outdoor glory, since the summer has been sticky and pretty much unbearable, even in between one air-conditioned haven and another.
so for the fall, which is coming rather quickly, i'm glad i set up my new balcony - a place i can go each morning and night to breathe in fresh air and listen to the birds and watch the trees sway in the breeze. i'm sure i'll do a little more work out there, and revive some of the very thirsty plants when the fall finally comes. for now, i draped some giraffe-print (or floral, can't tell) towels i love on the chair and the floor because i love the feel of terry cloth to sit on and to rest bare feet on...weird or relatable? you decide.
i love looking at pictures of little outdoor spaces people clearly love and use well. it gives me ideas and also the feeling of kindred spirits knowing that so many of us love to be outside but still in our own private space. there's something really wonderful about being out in nature and the outdoors, but still shielded and set back from the world.
here are some spaces i love. to me, one of the key elements is a sense of relaxation...not just that i could see myself at rest there, but also that the furniture and plantings aren't all perfect and matchy matchy...in most of these, there is a sense that the spaces came together over time, and i think that gives them such charm.
do you have an outdoor spot you treasure?
all non-original photos from apartment therapy
back in high school, my friend liza and i were the only ones without curfews, so we used to drive around aimlessly into the wee hours and talk, observe and of course smoke cigarettes (clearly that was before we wised up and quit). and we used to discover beautiful houses, new developments breaking ground and remnants of a historical village so different than what it had become. then we used to bring people back to our discoveries in the daylight hours. when i think about all the gas we used and the miles we clocked, it becomes clear that being green wasn't much of a thing on the east coast at the time.
one of my favorite streets in port washington is litchfield road, specifically because the houses aren't too big for their lots (a common problem in suburban towns, i've found), and are sufficiently set back from the broad, tree-lined streets. and the trees are big and tall and old, not sad and tiny looking. the street looked so pretty a few weeks ago after a downpour that i just had to freeze the moment and bring you with me. 
i went to college in washington d.c. and one of my fondest memories is the cherry blossoms. spring in washington is a special time and it opened my eyes to the gorgeous flowering trees that are actually quite abundant in new york too, lucky for me. and right now is the sweet spot but it won't last long so we have to soak in all the beauty, and my god, are they beautiful.
these blossoming trees come in many varieties and colors but are, for the most part, made up of a collection of little flowers that, together, look like pillowy puffs of white or pink on the branches. when you see them up close, the blooms themselves are surprising and delicately beautiful.
i have a special love for the white pear blossom trees that line many of the main roads around our area on long island. OMG. they are simply breathtaking - there's no other way to put it. mitchell can attest to my feelings here, as i have been regularly stopping him mid-sentence and saying "just look at those trees." one of the only standards i have written in stone is that at some point in my life, i must have a few of these trees on my lawn - what lawn, i don't know, but it has to happen. they are dreamy. 
i hope you have some of these trees in your area and that you use this weekend to take in their special, exquisite beauty because they'll be gone far too soon! make an artist's date of it and breathe deeply while you admire.
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