The Sweet Smell of Summer

Today JB and I went for a bike ride along the towpath, where huge masses of honeysuckle abound and the air is as sweet as perfume.

I Lake It Like That

This is me diving into Lac de Paladru, a glacial lake in the southern part of France, sort of in between Lyon and Geneva. Our friends S. and C. have a gorgeous, ramshackle old farmhouse there ("La Ferme") that's been in C's family for decades. They were married there, and I had the honor of being a witness in their wedding. Friends came from all over France and slept in tents in the back yard, or in sleeping bags in the huge, dusty attic. A heatwave had taken hold of the area, but the beauty of the farm and the backdrop of the incredibly blue lake somehow offset the discomfort of being in a suit and tie in a sweltering municipal hall for the civil portion of the ceremony.

Small Fry

I only discovered I love snorkeling a little over a year ago. I can literally swim around a reef for hours, oblivious to everything but the amazing marine life I'm lucky enough to get so close to. One day, as I was heading back in to the beach after a particularly long swim, I realized I had made a little finned friend. He followed me around for at least twenty minutes, and would've stuck with me longer had I not been so tired that I simply had to get out of the water. He never got more than a few inches away from me, and tended to stay right near my mask. He would tap on my mask every now and then, as if he wanted to make sure I was paying attention. I'm not kidding when I say I was in heaven. It was truly awesome.

A Star On 45

 

This is my best friend, J., doing what he most loves to do: shop for records. He has a jukebox in his house and a whole room devoted to his record collection. Here, he's shopping in London, where he went, with me, on his very first excursion out of North America for my birthday last year.

My Pal, The Pachyderm

I've ridden an elephant. This elephant. In Jaipur. Not too many of my friends can say that.

Just Crew It

It may seem strange to include a store in which I can no longer shop as a reason to be happy, but I have to admit that there's something about J. Crew that warms the cockles of my heart.

(Un)Married Lady

Her name begins with a "J" but JB just calls her Sadie, which makes both of them laugh. Sadie is enthusiastic and kindhearted and, to be frank, a bit of a mess sometimes, but she's JB's best friend and nobody makes him laugh louder or more often than she, and I love her for that because his laughter is music to my ears. She's going to kill me for posting this photo, even though she's completely relatively unidentifiable, because that's the way she is. She moved away awhile back and both JB and I miss her terribly. I wish she'd come back home, but I'm still happy to have her in my life, even if it's just by text message and iChat.

Petal Pushers

There's something awesome about the rows of garishly dyed flowers at delis. In addition to brightening up otherwise dismal or nondescript corners, they offer an easy (and cheap) opportunity for a little spontaneous indulgence.

He's So Shy

I've been trying forever to get a snap of one of these guys.

Two For Two

Anyone who owns a dog knows it takes a lot of work to be sad with a pooch around. In fact, it's nigh impossible. That's especially true for me, with this pair of goofballs. 

The Number One Reason

Hey, did you know you could get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after three weeks on a job? Me neither! Well, I didn't, but now, unemployed, I do. So...as I work toward pulling myself together (and pulling myself out of the deep clinical depression I've also found myself in), I decided that one of the best things I could do is to remind myself of the many reasons I have to be happy. There are lots, and I'm going to put 'em here as they occur to me. Reason numero uno is JB, without whom I simply can't imagine myself. We've been together eleven years and he's the sweetest, nicest, most awesomest guy in the entire world. I couldn't love him any more than I do, I couldn't live without him, and hope I never have to.