A French Summer Jaunt.

Last week, along with 27 others, i found myself amongst hollyhocks and sandy beaches and houses where all of the shudders are varying shades of sea foam green. Ile de Ré is full of bicycles and donkeys who wear striped trousers and picturesque marinas, and when visited with so many friends it begins to feel a bit unreal. There was the 4th of July barbecue complete with burgers and homemade brioche buns and cobbler and onion rings, days spent on the beach and nights spent drinking rosé and playing foosball. And then to top it all off i went to Paris afterwards and re-fell in love with the city and again found myself feeling like my surroundings looked a bit surreal. Maybe it's just France.

A Shilton Birthday.

Out of all the places i've visited whilst living in England, Shilton is one that feels immediately close to home. Yet, that said, it feels more distinctly English than anywhere i've been as well, as this is a funny thing to reconcile. The cottage is cozy, with stone floors and a fireplace, a garden with a stream running through it, and a pub right across the street which always seems to be filled with locals. This weekend was a dear friend's birthday, and in the 24 hours that we were all in Shilton, we crammed in drinks in the pub, a huge feast for 12 around an old creaky wooden dining room table, dancing and marshmallows roasted over a fire, a walk to a 13th century church, scrabble in the garden, a nap on the lawn under a duvet, a picnic in the ruins of a manor home, and croquet. Not too shabby.

The Moon.

I remember when i was little i wrote a poem once about how the moon seemed to follow me whenever we took long car journeys at night. The other night, my curtain had gotten caught on the photo of my grandfather on my windowsill and right in that tiny little opening, the moon seemed to peek it's way into my room, finding me while i was trying to read.

The Light.

Lately i've been noticing little occurrences in the flat i will sadly be leaving in just over a month. Most of the time this happens right around when the sun seems to hit each of the buildings in the city and reflect golden light directly into our windows. For someone who likes neighbourhoods lined in trees with twisty cobblestone streets it's amazing how much i love, and will miss, the view we have overlooking the tall, shiny buildings right out of the windows.

Home.

Little Brother.

Things have gotten dusty around here. Everything has been a whirlwind between going home and working nonstop. But something must be said about my little brother, and how amazing it was to be able to see him graduate on time after an insanely hard year. It meant so much to me to be able to see him go to his senior prom, and walk up on stage and get a diploma, and to know he'll soon be at sarah lawrence. I can't wait to be in the same country as him next year.

Truth.

Life Lately.

Instant.

Every year at university i would start a polaroid wall with photos taken only from the summer that had just taken place. It would look meager, perhaps 20 pictures, and i would spend far too long trying to hang each picture straight. Every year this square would take over the whole wall slowly, as i would add pictures throughout the year, ending up with around 300 by the time i was done. May would arrive, and i would painstakingly take all of the pictures down, storing them in boxes which now sit on my bookshelves at home, boxes that i can flip through and remember four years spent at sarah lawrence. This tradition is something i miss. Building a new wall of snapshots always seemed like a wonderful challenge,  filling up an entire space. In london this faded, i think partially due to the fact that whenever you're around a new group of people they just want to ask lots of questions about a polaroid camera, and you can't snap away like you would with some little digital camera you barely notice. I wasn't up for having to have another entire group of friends get acclimated to me slinging around a polaroid wherever i went. Now that i only have a few months left in london i've realized i want to capture my time here in this medium, so that i can have a london box of polaroids to sit next to the ones from new york. A new challenge awaits.

Forest Feast.

Food photographer Erin Gleeson decided to skip town from New York and move to the woods in California, where she photographs beautiful feasts made from seasonal fruits and vegetables. I want to make everything she posts on her blog The Forest Feast. There's something that's always been really appealing to me about leaving a big city behind and making a wonderfully cozy life in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps someday.