a little college reunion

and then the fun continued! within days of my family adventure ending, more of my favorite people arrived in town. this time for a little college reunion.

it's not easy to coordinate the lives of six friends in five cities across the country and to agree on one location and one time for them to all to converge. but thanks to some marathon email chains and several "just do it!" phone calls, we managed to reserve four days, several plane tickets, and an excellent campsite for one laugh-love-food-filled weekend.

our main destination was jalama beach, three hours north of los angeles and a solid half hour from general civilization. there in good company, we got our fix of campfires, enormous egg scrambles, late night dominoes, banana s'mores, cowboy coffee, and sunshine.



a special thanks to in-n-out for being conveniently located by the airport. to gmail for making our email marathons possible. and to skype for allowing dave in prague to join in on the fun. it was all very well worth the effort.

see more photos of our camping at lillieinthecity / flickr.

listening to: total eclipse of the heart by bonnie tyler (listen)

family in the city

greetings! lots to catch up on in life and online. the past few weeks have been awesome and exhausting and adventure-filled and enjoyed with some of my very favorite people.

our little family reunion in san francisco was a perfectly balanced weekend of catching up and relaxing, eating and drinking, sitting in coffee shops and exploring the city. we have a good time for ourselves.

a few lasting memories: the many hours spent at the bean bag coffee house on divisadero. pesto pasta at caffe sport in north beach. makeshift sleeping arrangements in my little brother's apartment. visits to the flower conservatory and the craft & folk art museum. an amazing dinner at chez panisse (more on that soon). one night at a little cottage on the russian river. wine tasting via bicycle in sonoma valley. plus, a great roadtrip from LA to SF and back with half a pie, garlic ice cream, and an unexpected detour to the outskirts of yosemite.

it was a very good weekend.





see more photos of our family adventures at flickr / lillieinthecity.

listening to: thunder road by bruce springsteen (listen)

san francisco weekend

a few photos from my weekend exploring san francisco...

i'm in love with every aspect of this city: historic buildings, art and music, neighborhoods with big personalities, car-free living, so many city parks, delicious fresh food, and lots of coffee shops. although a dose of southern california sunshine wouldn't hurt. it's a near perfect city just as it is.






see more of the weekend's photos at flickr / lillieinthecity.

listening to: her morning elegance by oren lavie (listen)

::images from lillieinthecity

welcoming the new year

hello 2009!

this new year has had a slowwww start--or maybe it's just me. i am still trying to get a handle on all of the projects and adventures and plans and resolutions for the next 12 months--while cleaning and organizing and making sense of the clutter left in the wake of 2008.

but i'm feeling optimistic.

i will get to writing more soon.
for now, a few favorite photos from my time at home...





see more photos of my holidays at home at lillieinthecity / flickr.

thanksgiving in los angeles : a day in photos

:: thanksgiving breakfeast with holiday magazines.



:: out for a walk - glorious cloudy blue skies.



:: crowds at the grocery store.



:: apron from grandma.



:: pie from nana. my first solo pie-baking : success!




:: sunset - more gorgeous clouds.



:: giving thanks chez schwartz.



:: and one more slice of pie.


see more photos of my thanksgiving day in LA at lillieinthecity/ flickr.

photo: blazing sunset

it's 90 degrees in november, the full glory and perennial curse of southern california on fierce display. devil winds, hill-hopping infernos, smoked mansions, torched trailers, barren freeways, and brilliant sunsets lingering in low-hanging canopies of burnt dreams. (latimes)

:: image from our kitchen window tonight, myflickr

family photos

my cousin took these photos around our family cottage in maine.
he just turned seventeen. aren't these photos beautiful?

the coast

sometimes i forget how beautiful it is.


:: image from myflickr

labor day weekend -- a trip to maine

the summer was complete with long-weekend trip home, including a night with family (and friends!) at the cottage in maine.

if you ever find yourself in west newfield, maine, check out:
- barnswallow pottery (buy yourself a mug!)
- willowbrook (mostly for their sweet shop)
- bond mountain (where you can still get fresh & free spring water)
& boonie's country store (they still sell penny candy!)




orrrr just sit by the lake and relax.


:: photos from myflickr

cheers to moms!

a photo from one of the adventures that mum & i had in western massachusetts.

this view is not too shabby for an east coast sunset!!

(i love how both our hair is a little bit wild here.)

she's a great adventure buddy.

happy day to you, mum!

polaroid

the sunset sky on a walk in my neighborhood.

exploring brooklyn

i had the pleasure of spending an excellent work-hard-play-hard week in new york & brooklyn. fantastic friends & wintry weather.

here are a few shots that i managed to snag in park slope & williamsburg.




[photos via myflickr]

[backdated]

saving daylight

happy daylight savings time ~ enjoy your extra hour in bed!


[photo via myflickr]