2013 in review — January: There is sunshine after the gray

2013 was such an amazing year for me — crazy, busy, wonderful, but I didn't really have enough time make it a priority to keep up with my little record-keeping here. So I've decided to sit myself down and write a few posts about what happened last year.

In January, I spent a week in Germany visiting my parents. It was seriously the darkest, grayest week of my life. And I'm not talking about my mood -- I had a great time and did lots of fun stuff with my folks. But, during the entire week I was there, I never saw the sun. It just barely comes up over the horizon that time of year anyway, but in January 2013, new records were broken and even at high noon everything felt dim. This was pretty much the color palette of my visit there:

So when I came back to California, and within days saw this growing on the side of the street, I was very, very relieved.

Poppies are one of my favorites. They remind me of my Mom's garden in the summer, we always had some grow around the pond. And it is one of the most amazing things to see how those beautiful, large, vibrant petals emerge from the small, green, fuzzy bud of the flower. They are all crinkled up for a while, like tissue paper that was stuffed in a box. I think it's amazing how nature figures these things out.

The rest of January was pretty uneventful. Stay tuned for February!

Craving Springtime

Are you ready for Spring? I know I am. I love the holiday season, but as soon as New Year's is over, I'm ready to ditch the Christmas decoration and start making plans that involve outdoor activities and bright spring colors.

I spent the last week back home in Germany, visiting with family, and while it was a lovely time, I am seriously daylight-deprived and can't wait to get back into the California sun. I always forget how few daylight hours there are in the winter in Northern Germany, and how low the sun sits even around noon.

Classes start again next week. I am excited to continue my floristry education and see what other new ideas Spring may bring.

Aneboda makeover: paper and glue to the rescue!

Cleaning the kitchen isn't a fun thing to begin with, but when I embarked on that tiresome chore this week, I felt a real sense of procrastination-induced guilt. For one, I found a sizable amount of counter space under the growing pile of magazines and junk mail that I have been neglecting for weeks. And in my smallish kitchen, every square inch really counts. I also realized that I never did a post on a super easy, super quick furniture makeover project that has graced my kitchen for quite some time now. Apparently it's been so long that Ikea since discontinued the piece of furniture in question. Where "furniture" really is a bit of an overstatement, since the Aneboda dresser gives the term lightweight construction a whole new meaning — which I find okay, as long as the price and your expectations are in line with it. Not okay were the ugly plastic panels in the drawer fronts, I felt. But with a few sheets of scrapbook paper, some regular white glue and 20 minutes of work, the humble dresser suddenly looks all kinds of sassy.

A big plus: the decoupaged fronts perfectly hide the chronic mess that reigns inside these drawers, and which you could always somewhat make out through the semi-opaque plastic panels. In my defense, this dresser is the equivalent of what most people call their hallway, since our apartment opens directly into our kitchen. Hence, the three drawers contain a crazy collection of shoes, bags, scarves, plant pots, keys and screwdrivers. And really, nobody wants to see that, not even a little bit — and especially not in your kitchen.

My last minute date with Jean Paul Gaultier

The week before last I visited the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the de Young Museum, just a couple of days before it closed and (hopefully) moved on to another town and another museum. If you ever have the chance to see it somewhere, you should, no matter how much, or little, you care about fashion. The exhibit is fascinating in so many ways: the mannequins come alive thanks to some seriously amazing video projections; sketches, photos and videos let you peak behind the scenes of Gaultier's work; and the breadth of his collections, from 1976 to now, is truly impressive.

To be able to take close-up looks at the details and construction of such iconic haute couture designs was amazing, and it really made the point that fashion like this has a well-deserved place in art museums like the de Young. The vision and creative drive of an artist like Jean Paul Gaultier, paired with his sense for details, courage to explore outside of the norm, and ability to balance beauty, shock value and humor is unique and admirable, no matter what role fashion plays in your own life. Merci, Monsieur Gaultier!

Camping with peacocks

I had the most wonderful weekend. For one, we went on another camping trip, which in and by itself is great. But not only did the campground teem with wild peacocks, but our neighbors decorated their camper with homemade paper garlands. Peacocks and paper garlands are two of my most favorite things, and to find them side by side in a campground made me feel like I had died and woke up in heaven. The campground was nestled alongside a beautiful creek, and the 104℉ weather was a perfect excuse for lots of R&R, and refreshing Gin beverages. We did another version of my Camper's Breakfast Burritos from a few weeks ago, and returned home on Sunday with an array of peacock feathers that were strewn across the grounds, and a lap full of peaches that we picked up at one of the local farms. Again, it's almost too good to be true...

Orchid fever

On the first day of the orchid class I have been taking at CCSF this summer, the instructor asked everybody for the number of orchids they currently own, to judge who may already be an "addict" and who had yet to get hooked. The answers ranged from "none" to "about 50", and he wasn't kidding about the addictive potential—after two weeks of class my orchid collection has grown from one to six; I stopped by the SF public library to browse and borrow from their selection of books on orchids; and I found a new subject for watercolor practice. Oh well, I guess there are stranger obsessions. (Then again: one of the books I borrowed from the library, Eric Hansen's "Orchid Fever", an immensely entertaining tale of his 7 year-long investigation of the world of orchids and the highly politicized international orchid trade, had me completely baffled more than once at the peculiar traits of certain orchid species and the individuals involved with them).

Luckily, most of my new orchids weren't actually purchased (with one exception) but came home with me from school: on several days we got to take a plant home from the many that we divided and repotted in class. Like they say—the first fix is free... I guess we will see if I learned anything good by how long these babies will make it.

Orchid class

The Fall semester is almost here, and I can't wait to continue my Floristry education. To tide me over, I enrolled in a short-term summer class at CCSF on Growing Orchids. I think of it as making amends for the number of orchids I killed over the years.

We spent the last few days learning to identify orchids, how to control pest and fertilize, and got plenty of hands-on experience in dividing and repotting oncidium and dendrobium orchids. I hadn't been inside the CCSF greenhouses before, they are impressive! I wish I could live in a greenhouse.

Certified sailor!

Sorry that it's been so quiet over here, but I took a sailing class this week! We were out on the water every day Monday through Thursday, plus classroom segments and lunches spent tying knots. It was my first-ever sailing class, and it was amazing. What a fantastic way to take advantage of living by the San Francisco Bay! It was definitely tough at times, especially since we had very unfriendly weather on the first two days, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. Now I'm certified to charter and sail small boats up to 26 feet. Crazy, right? I'll need a lot more practice, but when "practice" means cruising around on a pretty little boat in a beautiful environment, what's not to like? We even saw a sea lion swim by right in front of the boat!

The Mister took this lovely picture on our last day of class. You can see San Francisco and the Bay Bridge in the background. Happy Friday!

Back from the woods

Our camping trip was lovely, and I think I'm still on "Living Outdoors" time — this week is just flying by! We stayed at Kelsey Creek Campground in Clear Lake State Park, and it was every bit as relaxing as I had hoped it would be. We read, we fished fed fish (those fish are clever up there!), we hiked, and sat by the fire. And in between, we had the most delicious meals. I am working on a longer post about how we managed to cook great food with minimal effort, so stay tuned for that! Coming back to city life is always tough, I think, even after just a few days in the Great Outdoors, and the street noise seems louder to me now than last week. Oh well, I guess it's nice to have options!

About to be a very happy camper

I'm busy today cooking and packing for a little camping trip over the long weekend; we're leaving tomorrow morning and I just can't wait to be out in nature with good food, good company, and a fully loaded Kindle. We're bringing our fishing poles, so wish me luck!

Photo by Greg Hirson via Flickr

Convergence

I am going to the opening party of artMRKT tonight. Since gallery hopping can get tiresome, this event brings 70 galleries from all over the US (plus a few international ones) under one roof. Meaning, your browsing of contemporary art won't be interrupted by taxi cab rides or the frustrating discovery that the fabulous heels you're wearing stand in stark dissonance with those treacherous San Francisco sidewalks.

Photos from artMRKT

Yummy on wheels

The Food Truck Frenzy event on Friday night was so much fun, I wanted to share a few pictures. The weather was amazing; the food was fantastic; and the wine selection ranged from late afternoon Bubbles to post-sunset Reds. The great turnout made for some pretty long lines, and several of the trucks ran out of food fairly early on, but I am hoping that this means they will be back soon with even more of their mobile food goodness. We certainly didn't leave hungry, and took home a pretty selection of cupcakes to share for dessert.

Food Truck Frenzy

I will be skipping lunch today in anticipation of an event tonight that I have been looking forward to all week: Food Truck Frenzy 5: Mother Trucker! at Rock Wall Wine Company in Alameda. Rock Wall Wines is located in a converted airplane hangar on an old naval air base, with fantastic views of San Francisco (weather permitting), and I can't think of a better way to end the week than sipping wine and eating my way through a fantastic lineup of gourmet street food, from "Cajun inspired awesomeness" to "Fried Chicken and Donuts." Happy Friday, everybody!

Photo by Ricky Brigante via Flickr

Less leather gear, more wicker basket

Supposedly, trying something new every once in a while is a good thing. With that in mind, I am visiting a motorcycle class this week and next. I don't really care about owning a bike and vrooming around by myself on way too much horse power tightly packed under my buttocks. But, learning a new skill never hurts, and it will probably make me a better passenger on the Mister's Harley. And I'm pretty sure that the learnings will translate beautifully into riding a scooter—and that idea I'm just completely in love with. Zipping over to the farmers market in style? Renting a Vespa on vacation to explore the area? Yes, please.

Photo by Fabian Heusser via Flickr

Things I did this weekend

1. Had coffee and a bite outdoors on a beautiful Sunday morning at Jack London Square in Oakland.
2. Gutted, scaled, and stuffed two trout that my husband caught on Friday morning at Lake Chabot.
3. Made a to-die-for Strawberry cake from this Bon Appétit recipe.

I also rescued a dragonfly from drowning and made a fresh flower wreath, but I'll keep those stories for another day. I hope you all had a lovely weekend, and wishing you a great week!

Holiday party in the park

This weekend we're having our annual Second Thanksgiving/First Christmas celebration. It's how we celebrate the holiday season in my circle of friends—right in between the two big holidays, since it's the best chance to get everyone together one last time before the year is over, and after/before folks leave town and travel to see their families. We usually share a festive meal at someone's house, potluck-style, so it doesn't get too overwhelming for anybody, and keep things pretty low-key.

Last year, we mixed things up and celebrated outdoors at a nearby park. We grabbed one of the picnic spots with a large table and a barbecue, grilled up some sausages and brought hot soup and mulled wine in thermoses. After it got dark, we headed over to the old Merry-Go-Round that's housed in the park, because nothing says "Festive" like a ride on a shellacked pony.

Seasonally induced baking craze

I don't know if it's the arrival of fall or our return from a lengthy vacation, but I've been feeling all sorts of cozy and domestic lately. Consequently, I've been all into baking.

I made a blueberry pie on Sunday (the lazy efficient kind: using frozen berries and a store-bought crust), and in search for a savory breakfast treat I tried this recipe for Cheese and Scallion Scones yesterday. They came out great, despite some substitutions on the ingredient list (I didn't have feta or scallions on hand, but grated cheddar, chives, and sundried tomatoes made for lovely stand-ins).

If room wasn't such an issue in our tiny kitchen, I would splurge on some nice baking supplies right now. But for the time being, I'm afraid we'll keep serving the pie straight out of the aluminum dish that the crust came in...

1. Scallop-edged pastry wheel
2. Reversible birch pastry board
3. Porcelain cake stand
4. Ruffled pie dish

XOXO, me

I just sent Valentines to three perfect strangers. I hope they'll like them.

Craftymess

Look, Martha Stewart. That's what a craft room looks like. You know, one that somebody actually crafts in? Yes. That's what happens to it. Definitely no room for a cat on the table.

Sunday night potlucks

We started having Sunday night potlucks in our circle of friends a little while ago. With most everybody on a budget, potluck dinners are a great way to get together, enjoy a variety of food, and hang out without running up a large restaurant tab. We intentionally bring more food than we can eat that night, and at the end of the night we divvy up the leftovers so that everybody takes home a bit of everything. Which might be my favorite part, because nothing beats having homemade meals for lunch at the office the next three days without having to lift a finger.

Retro Lunchdosen-Set von uglysanta via Etsy