In January Azzi & Rom flew me to Asmara, Eritrea to document their homecoming & wedding celebration. I stayed for 15 days and ate injera and curries for lunch, rode a bicycle out of the city into an arid landscape devoid of electricity and running water, and happily found myself lost in a city of decaying Italian architecture. I’m missing my morning greetings from grandfathers on bicycles who cheerfully called “buongiorno!” at me, and the gaggle of kids I spent my afternoons losing soccer matches to.
In February Brady and I loaded up our little sedan and hit I-5 South for San Francisco. I had a meeting with one of my wedding couples– so we decided to turn the week into a full-fledged road trip. On our way down we hit snow (surprise!) in Grant’s Pass, and pulled into blanketed Ashland, Oregon at 3 in the morning, teeth chattering, eyes tired, but excited to lay our heads at the quaint Peerless Hotel. The next day we drove through Northern California’s rolling hillsides, our eyes scanning the road for grape fields, pine trees, and coyotes. When we made it to San Francisco our friend Josie opened her townhouse up to us and we explored the city from there. I shot in that beautiful, honeycomb, Cali-light I go ga-ga over, opted for twilight hikes around the city in sandals over the bart, and consumed more delicious food & coffee in a 72-period than I ever thought possible (tartine, flour & water, mission chinese, outerlands, sight glass, four barrel, ect). On our way back to Seattle we hit up Petaluma to stay with our friend’s Jazzmyn and Dennis. Jazzmyn (one of the most talented baker’s on the west coast) had four different kinds of cookies ready for our tummys, including lavender lemon shortbread (melt). We hiked through point reyes, making imprints in the sand with our toes, peering out into fog so thick, the ocean disappeared before our eyes. And then we went home.
I keep coming back to these images. It was a small moment in this grand life. But so supple & telling.
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”
-Edith Sitwell
I’ve never been much of a homebody… but something about winter’s bite makes me perfectly content with staying in, making mulled wine, and catching up on all those books I bought over the summer but never got to. Last night as I was riding my bike into town I watched people stringing up lights, and decorating their yards with wooden reindeer and other knick knacks. I rode home down a street lit up like a roman candle on the fourth of July.
We’ve had some clear blue sky days in Seattle lately. Perfect for walks around the lake with a mug of chai, taking photos with ice skates on, and watching the sun go down at Golden Gardens next to a bonfire.
// I hope you’re staying cozy.
