[31:52]

a saturday morning at the market…

crowds of people and lots of exploring. I love it when it’s busy like this. 

new things to try

here’s all of our goodies… zucchini, sweet corn, three kinds of basil (thai, lemon and sweet), green onions, thai eggplant, sweet banana peppers & heirloom grape tomatoes.

fresh flowers

and we ended the morning with some really fun music!  note the little musician on the far left… he was playing a cardboard guitar 😉 and he did so good! the guy to the boy’s right was playing a saw and it had the most AMAZING sound!  can you hear it in the video? it has a haunting whirling sound at the beginning of the clip.  so cool….

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our dinner last night including so many thing from the market and they tasted amazing!  banana pepper dip with sticky rice, corn-on-the-cob, caprese salad, Thai eggplants and naan bread. 

❤️ michele 

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Yesterday I finally painted… I struggled with it and kept trying but in the end I finished it and was thinking… Ok I think I’m good with it…

I hope you do the things you love even when you struggle with them, and feel like it’s not working out… Keep trying and pushing through it… eventually you’ll love that you did xo

❤️ shirina 

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it’s that time of year I love so much… the hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer.

wild, barefoot and free…

sunshine, sand & salt… the best medicine

run through a sprinkler… its so fun!! : )

Watch more sunsets than Netflix.

❤️ Michele

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may your walls know joy~
may each room hold laughter~
and may every window open to great possibility.
~Mary Ann Radmacher-Hershey

❤️Shirina

[28:52]

a warm summer afternoon spent lazing in our hammock, swaying amongst the trees… down by the mississippi river. these kind of days renew me… mind, body and spirit. 

❤️ Michele 

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Recipe for Happiness 

• Live with enthusiasm 
• Smile for no reason
• Love without conditions 
• Act with purpose 
• Listen with your heart
• Laugh often

❤️ Shirina

[27:52]

The 4th of July

Since I was a little girl, I have always loved this holiday, probably because it takes place in the summer and it involves so much fun… family, friends, carnivals, food, parades, fireworks and so much more. As an adult, I have come to realize that it also represents something much much more…. we are celebrating the history of this country, our freedom and our way of life, the sacrifices made by so many of our military men & women… brave, courageous souls who are willing to give up so much in order to keep you and I safe and able to celebrate holidays like this one. Happy 4th of July friends… be safe, give thanks and have a blast!

  🇺🇸👫👬👭 🌭🍉🎪

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Michele 

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I read a quote that said Every Summer has a story… Summer in my area means it’s really hot, dry and the threat of fires are always there…everything turns brown except the rice fields and the orchards. 

I’m not a traditional summer loving fan as most of you are, probably because where I live we have very mild seasons.

I love the more moody seasons of Winter with the cold winds and the empty barren trees, the beautiful atmosphere and rich tones of Fall, and the lovely orchard blossoms of Spring.

When we were kids though that was a different story, we laid out at the beach all day, laid in our back yards with baby oil on and tanned until we were a rich deep golden brown, and yes even getting many sunburns… too many to count, we put lemon and sun in our hair to make us look blonde-which really made our hair orange… but we did it anyway.

Those were the lazy days of summer, no school, and just hanging out enjoying listening to the radio, playing records and mtv, yes I’m that generation long before walkman, Ipods, computers, and all the other techy things they have now… but those were fun days I have to admit and it’s fun to think about them.

Now I’m much more into the moodiness of the Northern coast, the foggy damper days, the cooler days and I think that’s why I really enjoyed Half Moon Bay on my last visit to the Bay Area, it reminded me a lot of Oregon which holds a special place in my heart, so today I’m sharing those photos with you and wishing you a lovely summer filled whatever it is that you love about summer… and hoping it will give you a story to tell.

Shirina