trip | the beach

fortunately, we went to east hampton the weekend before the snowstorm. it was beautiful.

we love the french restaurant pierre's for breakfast, lunch or dinner even though it makes use a little nervous to eat there. the menu is in french, so we feel kind of dopey ordering by pointing. c'est la vie (such is life).

scott found this vintage oil painting in sage street antiques in sag harbor. it's a painting of a local scene so we took it over there to compare. yep, well done and a special find as we love both places.

this recently restored victorian is so pretty.

the pond is on a busy road, but tranquil anyway.

scott loves to say the name of this shop when he speaks italian, which is rare unless he's ordering italian food. we're trying to learn italian and have been stuck on 'beige' and 'il ketchup' for the longest time. questa e la vita (such is life).

the american hotel in sag harbor looks so nice.

early morning light reveals cool shadows and wet slippers from the morning dew. such is life :).

xo, cindy

ps i just learned about the band lord huron and love their sound. they make me want to hop on a plane and fly off to somewhere warm.

travel | bartlett house inn

when we visited greenport on the north shore of long island, we stayed at the bartlett house inn on the recommendation of a friend. it is a beautifully restored victorian b&b enhanced with every modern day convenience, but the thing that stood out most to us was the hospitality of the innkeepers, jack & diane. reminds me of the song now that i think about it - wonder how many times they're heard that one?

we were supposed to go on a friday for the weekend, but scott's dad, charlie, wasn't feeling well and had an appointment with the doctor. we thought scott should go with him and called the inn to let them know we wouldn't be arriving that day. we expected to lose our money, but diane was so understanding and able to book the room for the night on super short notice making us really happy about doing the right thing.

the inn is very photogenic (beautiful light) and diane would leave the doors open to some of the unoccupied guest rooms making it easy to snoop. we didn't have enough time in greenpoint and will definitely being going back. not sure when, but we know where we'll stay.

xo, cindy

travel | north shore

a couple of weeks ago, prior to the hurricane, we went to the north shore of long island (greenport) instead of the south shore (hamptons). it is so pretty there and not as flashy. beaches, flower farms, tons of vineyards, bicycles, a vintage diner and more, so cool. i took about 200 photos in two days, so i'm afraid i'll have a second batch next week, including the pretty bed & breakfast where we stayed. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

ps aren't those light fixtures in the diner the coolest?

people | seeing is believing

jamie mentioned how much she enjoyed the documentary about bill cunningham, the legendary bicycle-riding fashion photographer for the new york times, so i put it on our list. ultimately, we went to see it in the sag harbor cinema on a rainy afternoon and it was great. the theater is classic, old school in design (chandeliers!) and the two just seemed to go perfectly together.

i really hoped to spot bill, i mean mr. cunningham, in his blue smock in the city sometime and was thrilled when he appeared right in front of us on his way to work this weekend. he's in his 80s and seems to have endless energy & bicycles. i think he's had 28 stolen, so far.

xo, cindy

ps we haven't been very diligent about making vacation plans this summer, but have been getting around. recently, i've been over to visit lenore, deb, jen and aimee w/jen. thank you ladies; i love your neck of the woods!

travel | springtime at the beach

we messed up. we thought easter was a week before the actual date and made reservations to go to east hampton. we're bad relatives because we didn't spend the holiday with our families. we never said we were perfect and made it up to them the week before and will again this weekend. even though it was cold and there was a storm on the horizon, it was great to go back to the beach because sometimes you need a change of scenery no matter what it takes.

xo, cindy

ps that last photo is my version of rolling in the deep, especially at night :).

trip : house & garden

i'll take any one of these homes, but the last one is my favorite. it's just steps away from the beach and i appreciate that they don't have those tall hedges in front to keep out the blogarazzi ;). enjoy your weekend, everyone! scott is being flat leaver tomorrow because he has to work and i'm not sure what to do here in the big city. any ideas?

xo, cindy

ps rob drabkin is a musician i learned about recently and he just released a cover of melissa featuring davy knowles that is pretty great. i love that song, it just says summer to me. he has a sound similar to dave matthews and his own rise at sea is a wonderful track. and yes, his hair is pretty great, too!

quiet post | farms

people think of the hamptons as all glitz and glamor, but its real beauty lies within the natural elements, especially the farms. there are fewer these days because not too many farmers can turn down $2,000,000+ an acre, but fortunately charlie brown won't have to worry about finding a pumpkin patch this year.

quiet post | beach towns

a quick trip to our favorite beach towns kept us far from the maddening
crowds at least until noon.

vacation | le beach

hello, hello! well, it wouldn't be summer without a trip to the beach at least once and the jersey shore has some lovely ones. i grew up in new jersey and we always said we're going down the shore. in new york, we say we're going to the beach. i'm not sure of the difference, but they both share the same beautiful atlantic ocean. these pics were taken in new jersey from long branch to sandy hook where you can actually see the new york city skyline it's so close.

starting next week, i'm going to participate in line's silence on tourne series and susannah conway also has a series called august break. the objective of each is to post images that speak for themselves with very few words. i've always wanted to write shorter posts and now we'll see if i can, although there will be a few exceptions. enjoy your weekend, everyone!

xo, cindy

ps last week, the photo of our thread holder was featured on shutter sisters and it was thrilling!

 
there was some sort of race going on here. they're on surf boards, but all i saw was a lot of paddling. so, we watched endless summer 2, which is a favorite surfing movie because of its whimsy. i can even just listen to it.


i love italian ices and this booth looks so old-fashioned and sweet.


fort hancock at sandy hook was operational as a military base from 1895-1974 providing coastal defense for new york harbor. the yellow houses were for the enlisted men and so charming, although a bit dilapidated. the tunnel was a former gun battery and full of mosquitoes (i'm still itchy) and that's the oldest continuously operated lighthouse in the us. i found the nesting shells as is on the beach and felt lucky because we don't find shells like we used to.


ahhh fishing, so calming and tranquil for somebody else that is. i would be bored to tears, but love all the gear in a tackle box.


summer would not be complete without a sunset, which i still don't have, but i do have some shadows!

vacation | le bungalow

hello, hello! last week we visited the jersey shore for a couple of days looking for snooki & the situation. just kidding about the last part as we're not fans of the jersey shore show, but we did go to long branch and it was very nice. almost antiseptic as they seem to have flattened a good part of the town and put up pristine condos and a shopping/dining mall, which kind of made me sad as i spent many summers growing up down the shore and missed the old-time shops. but, i suppose it is better to renew rather than let the town just fade away.

other than the nice beaches & boardwalk, one of the highlights was the bungalow hotel and if you've watched the show 9 by design you're familiar with this very cool (new) boutique hotel. first up, some pics of the hotel and then the beach later in the week. hope you all are well!

xo, cindy

ps staying in this hotel business is getting expensive. the last time with the reno we fell in love with the fiberfill pillows and scott was able to sleep on his back without snoring. this time, the bed was so comfortable i woke up without the aches and pains i often get from our own ultra-firm bed, so a new one is on the way. kind of gives the concept of 'souvenirs' a whole new meaning ;)!


love that upside down patio umbrella and the outdoor fireplace. they also used wallpaper in a unique way in the hallways by putting it on every other wall.


the beatiful ann carrington pearly queen of bow piece is made entirely from thousands of shell buttons.


the rooms are modern, but have a surf lodge feel. among other things, each one has its own ann carrington flag over the bed, a fireplace you can turn on with a switch and chalkboard & bulletin boards opposite the mirrors in an open bathroom, which takes some getting used to. in fact, we never got used to it.


for an extra fee ($25 @ per day), we had access to le club located on the beach with a restaurant, cabanas and a saltwater pool on the third floor over-looking the ocean, but it was too glamorous for us to go to more than once.