A Fall Walk

One of the things about Portland that I most looked forward to seeing and enjoying was the nature that bloomed all year long. Last winter, when Jac was doing her best to convince us to move to Portland, she'd send photos of flowers blooming. It amazed me. There I was in the middle of winter, in freezing New York where everything was D.E.A.D. And here she's sending me these flowers. Even though it's not winter or December (and honestly it barely looks like fall yet - some streets don't even look like fall has started!), I'm still amazed by all the flowers that continue to bloom as the weather gets cooler and the leaves begin to change and fall. 

Someone growing black tomatoes. Jac, P, and Z got us some a couple weeks ago from a CSA. Yum.

An example of a place where it barely seems as fall has started. 

Lauralhurst is staying pretty green, for the most part. You can see some leaves have fallen, but when you look up, it's still pretty green. Ooooo and it smells sooooo amazing there! I wish I could bottle it up and bring it home! 

Kale. There's a house a block or so away that has the most kale plants and pretty large ones too. Think about how many yummy kale chips you can make with all that kale (which is what I've been doing every couple of days with kale from the backyard garden). 

nyc in film

Upstate New York

I think it's weird that everything North of New York City is called Upstate New York (seems a bit pretentious if you ask me). But despite that, I headed upstate for an overnight trip for work this last week.


It was absolutely beautiful, and I couldn't help but wish to stay longer, exploring the forests and hiking in the trees, snapping photos at me leisure. Despite being November, the weather wasn't too chilly, and we only dealt with a little bit of drizzling rain for part of the evening (not enough to keep us from roasting marshmallows over a camp fire).

The leaves were fantastic yellows and reds. The sun light was perfect.

The Catskills, where New York City gets most of it's water from.

The whole time I wished Seth were there to enjoy it with me... I think a trip upstate is in order! (And Jac, we must all go together, because P would LOOOOOVE it!)

Sunny Saturday

a look up.

a look down.

a perfect fall day in the park.
happy to see the sun shining and the blue skies above.
sitting on extra layers in the grass
because the rain from last week left the ground a little muddy.

tired of the rain

dear rain,
i liked you yesterday, yet that doesn't mean you must insist on staying for so terribly long. please pack your bags and head on.
love,
alicia

i haven't actually blogged in what feels like... forever. and i probably won't allow myself too long this evening either. life has just taken over and my free time... who am i kidding?... i don't have free time.

multiple rainy days make me wish i were anywhere else. yesterday, when i took the photo above, i had this feeling like i was somewhere else... living another life... it's the feeling you get in a moment when a memory from a book, a movie, your imagination flashes in your mind and something else almost feels like reality (weird right?) but now, i'm tired of this rain.

and to be quite frank. i am kind of just tired! fall is slowly creeping in and here i am wishing for even cooler weather these rainy days. the leaves are starting to change slowly. the days are getting shorter and i'm already barely seeing the light of the day other than through the windows of a building. but i'm also excited for the new season... i just hope i can enjoy it, really truly enjoy it.

Feels like Summer's Ending

I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of summer... And even though the temperatures are still warmer (today was a perfect 80) on some days, I am already starting to think about FALL! Some of it is forced. For example, I have to come to terms with the end of the summer, which is partly marked by the fact that summer concerts in Prospect Park are OVER! If it were my choice, they'd keep going until Labor Day, at least!

While I don't want the summer to end (I barely pulled any beach days!!!! What kind of summer do I think I'm trying to have here!?), I'm also ready for the fall to come. The City is so wonderful in the fall, as the weather cools down and the season changes so beautifully. New York has some AMAZING trees that we don't have in the Midwest.

I'm also looking forward to a few trips north... I want to do Sleepy Hollow again and maybe even go further into the Hudson River Valley for a weekend away. I want to be able to wear jeans comfortably and even a sweater. I am starting a new job in the fall and even though I love the time off right now, having a consistent set schedule is one of my favorite things too! Weekends at the coffee shop would be a nice addition too... Summers are just too busy!

P.S. I have lived in the City for over two years, and we've been friends even longer... It's amazing after our time together that I'm still filled with such a great love for this place! It's been hitting me hard and often lately!! :) It's so much that I have to share it with someone!

P.S.S. Many people at this time of the year, who are in my career field, start to have dreams... They dream about going back to work. I hadn't had my first one until last night. It involved me working with kittens (cute cuddly ones!) instead of people. And it also involved a blimp making a crash landing On Us. Does anyone know what it means when you have kittens and blimps in your dreams??