abby try again

whatever normal was

 
 You know it's funny, this blog started five years ago as personal space and has sort of morphed and changed over the years into more of a public space where I share beautiful tidbits with you all. Sometimes it's hard to strike a balance between sharing too much and sharing to little.

Now is one of those times when I'm finding myself feeling that way. And to be honest, I sort of feel like the blogging I do is trivial-but I guess during the hard times in life we all just got keep on keeping on, right? I guess it's those trivial day to day things that make up life and keep up happy.

I'm back home in my hometown for a bit-and I feel lucky to be here with family during this time. I don't really want to get into too much but my parents (and friends, family and countless others) lost a friend and their church leader a few days ago. If you'd like to donate to the family, this is verified site. Needless to say, our hearts our broken for the family-but they are strong and positive in the face of this. Their courage and grace is just amazing.

* * * * * *

I'll be back to posting regularly next week.

For now I hope you enjoy these photos of one of my favorite little cafes in Austin, Walton's. Have a good weekend.

 
 
 

life

I wish I could share with you the post I was planning on sharing today.

I wish that I could somehow go back in time and erase the events of yesterday.

I wish that right now I could be home, hugging my parents and siblings and telling them how much I love them.

Yesterday some pretty terrible and tragic events happened back in my hometown, particularly in the church I grew up in.

I can't even begin to get into what went on and what happened and how this event is going to have long lasting effects on a community...it's just...well...it's just really sad and terrible and scary.

Going to take a couple of days off from this space.  If you're the praying type, I'm sure the Sannar family could use some prayers right now-or at least some positive thoughts.

a little slice of life with Nikole

(Good Morning, friends! Today I'm debuting a new little series that I hope to have each week or perhaps every other week here on the blog: a little slice of life. I try to share the good little bits about everyday life here on my blog-and there are so many of you out there who do the same. I thought it would be nice to celebrate that. I'm so pleased that dear Nikole is my first guest in this series. She has a way of capturing her life in photos and words that just makes me smile. Thanks, Nikole and happy Friday to you all!)

 

 

 

hi, i'm nikole!
i like words about food,

and travel by train.
and i like adventure and everyday
almost equally the same.





on occasion i eat ice cream for breakfast
and i'm keen on the sweet bits of summer.
so from me to you, by way of miss abby,




a wee post on pastel.

::::

i like summer because it seems so pastel.
i like it for it for its creamy pinks and muted grays.
for it washed skies
and long beige colored fields.
for its sandy shores and sunny days.

i like summer for its yellow string beans
and its cobblers of peach.
for its golden raspberries
and for its sweet cherry jam.



i like it for popsicles that drip
and its fruits full of stones.
for its iced tea and verandas
and for its clouds, puffy white.





i like it for its roadside shops
and its ocean walks.



but more than all that
i like summer i think,
for how its pastel cones
match its pastel skies.





thanks for having me abby!
xox, n.





::::

Thank you for that beautiful post, Nikole! You can visit Nikole at her blog, forty-sixth at grace or at her exquisite shop she runs with her father Herriott Grace. Happy Friday-and not to worry, five senses will be back next week.

mini post

Just a little mini post...two photos that made me happy when I picked up this roll of film.

The first-a salad with goodies I picked up at the farm and the second my first try at self portraiture with a film camera...more of that soon I hope!

Happy day to you.

favorite

 

 

 

 

So I've sort of developed a favorite neighborhood here in Austin and that's Clarksville. I think it's my favorite for many reasons but first and foremost-it's actually like a neighborhood, neighborhood where there are cute little houses and shops and schools and places to eat. There aren't huge parking lots everywhere which definitely gives it bonus points.

We woke up super early on Saturday morning and wandered around the neighborhood. I love the morning time so much. I love when shop owners are arriving to work and slowly turning over the "closed" sign. It was nice to poke around Sledd Nursery as the workers were watering all of the lovely plants. There's a coolness and a quietness in the morning and it's just the best time to look around. 

sponsor spotlight: Bricolage Life

 

 

(My blog sponsors  are paid advertisers who help me pay for all my film and developing and web hosting-basically-they make this blog possible. A huge thanks to all of them! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor , I am now booking 30 day spots- please email me at abbytryagain@gmail(dot)com. The ad spots are there on the sidebar and are available for indie businesses. Since it's still summertime and things can be a bit slow-I'm offering half off spots booked in August. Thanks! All photos in "sponsor spotlight" post belong to the sponsor featured.)

Bricolage Life is a sweet little etsy shop full of all sorts of pretty things including photography, textiles, jewelry and more. The creative mind behind Bricolage Life is Sandra who you may know from her fabulous blog.

Sandra describes herself as a lifelong collector and observer with a compulsion to document.  I think this definitely comes through in her work. I adore her photo printed scarf that documents the wilting of a flower. I also love her collection photos, particularly this print.

Sandra is offering a 10% discount to readers of this blog. Just shop add "abby sent me" in the note to seller at the checkout and she will refund you the difference via paypal. At the end of September she will then randomly pick one customer to win a $25 gift certificate to her shop. That's a pretty nice deal.

You can visit Sandra's shop, Bricolage Life-right here. Thank you for sponsoring me, Sandra!

the springs

 

 

I thought I knew all about pools. I grew up in a place where almost everyone had one in their backyard and swimming season went from May to October. Coming from a large family of modest means meant that we ourselves didn't have one-but no matter. Pool parties, afternoon swims at friend's houses and church socials meant that swimming pretty much happened whenever I wanted.

Pools in Central California are always cold. The heat is a scorching dry one and the water is a nice relief. Fast forward to spending almost six years of my adult life in Portland-aka the land where you pretty much don't ever swim in a private pool. The few times I did swim in Oregon were in freezing cold rivers and waterfalls. 

Texas pools are a different story. In Austin the humidity can be so high that a pool can feel like bathwater. Earlier in the summer James and I frequented our neighborhood pool. James loved the 80+ degree warm waters and I enjoyed the fun parts about swimming but never really felt refreshed.

Buying the car a couple weeks ago meant that we could finally head on over to the much hyped Barton Springs. I'll admit, I had my doubts about this place. I'd heard so many great reviews about this swimming pool that I wondered-can a swimming pool really be that amazing?

Well, yes-yes it can. Barton Springs is a man made pool-but is also surrounded by grassy fields and big shady oak trees. The water is spring fed and cold-around 68 degrees. The moment I plunged in I realized why everyone loves this place. The water instantly energized and refreshed me. It was great to float around and people watch, too. My favorite scene of the day was watching a young boy (maybe three or four years old) jump from the big old diving board. After several failed attempts he made it and the whole pool erupted in cheers and claps.

And there is something really magical about the springs...even though it was 110 degrees outside, the sunshine felt lovely. And I noticed that after my swim, the heat did not bother me for the rest of the day. That is pretty darn amazing.

Oh Austin-you are growing on me.

bright times

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

A big Hello to all the new readers out there-thanks for stopping by.

James and I had some good times and adventures-can't wait to share more about them later on this week.

(My film developing turn around just ain't that quick these days.)

For now I leave you with some bright images that hopefully make you smile.

Happy Monday!

five senses friday

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there.

Hope you are all well. To be honest with you-I sort of wrote this last minute...I didn't even realize it was Friday this morning! I feel like I lost a day this week-hehehe.

Anyway...thanks for the Indian Food cookbook recommendations. I can't wait to check them out at the library. And thank you for the kind words about yesterday's post. Glad you enjoyed it.

For those of you who are new readers (or maybe never understood what I was blabbing about) five senses friday was started years ago by my friend, Shari Altman. I use it weekly as way to sit down and reflect on what the past days have been like for me.

I would love it if you played along-you can leave your own version in the comments or on your blog.

Smelling:

-a custom blend of tea from Mr. Natural-it includes chamomile and other lovely things I cannot remember

Seeing:

-the most amazing sepia toned light the night of the thunder storm

Feeling:

-the chilly waters of Barton Springs pool

Tasting:

-strawberry, fig and honey jam from Boggy Creek Farm

Hearing:

-this song (thanks Julia)

sponsor spotlight: Elephantine

 

 

 

(My blog sponsors  are paid advertisers who help me pay for all my film and developing and web hosting-basically-they make this blog possible. A huge thanks to all of them! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor , I am now booking 30 day spots- please email me at abbytryagain@gmail(dot)com. The ad spots are there on the sidebar and are available for indie businesses. Since it's still summertime and things can be a bit slow-I'm offering half off spots booked in August. Thanks! All photos in "sponsor spotlight" post belong to the sponsor featured.)

If you don't already know Rachel Blakley, you should. She is the woman behind the gorgeous jewelry line Elephantine and the blogger behind the design blog of the same name.

Rachel creates her line of simple, light jewelry by hand from her home in Seattle. Specializing in items made for everyday wear, Rachel has made a collection of pieces that appeals to my heart, eyes, and pocketbook. I especially adore her modern bracelets and pretty necklaces. Rachel makes all types of adornments; from earrings to rings and almost all are well under $50.

Rachel has a degree in design and a knack for finding interesting things from around the web. Be sure to check out her blog for her latest finds.

Thanks for sponsoring me, Rachel! You can browse and shop Elephantine right here.