Oceanside Morning Walks

Having a dog and a three-year old means taking many many walks each and every day.

If we don't get out of the house by ten on any given morning, we all grow irritable. Luke will be frustrated with excess energy; like any boy his age, he needs constant stimulation. I will get grumpy at his moodiness and at having to corral him from one activity to the next when he is clearly unable to focus. Byron will be sad as he’ll still have to pee. That’s how dogs roll.

Lucky for us, and you Salt & Fog reader, we live in such a lovely locale. Documenting these morning journeys through countless pictures has become an unavoidable habit of mine and was in a large part the inspiration for this blog. I mean, I can only post so many pics to instagram without clogging up everyone’s feed. Plus, it's so pretty here I just have to share.

It seemed only fitting the first blog post up on Salt and Fog’s launch day would be my ten favorite images from this past month.

The last shot was obviously during an evening walk - it being sunset and all, but it was too pretty not to add to this bunch.
 

Do you have a favorite? Is there any seaside imagery you would like to see next month? If so, I will keep my eye out for it. I love a good photo mission.

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Turntable:Ryn Weaver – The Fool

In addition to the mixes and new singles we explore coast-side, we pick one or two records each month to focus on and give extra attention. This monthI chose Ryn Weaver's LP The Fool.

Octahate, was a standout track for me a few months ago with its pounding slightly off-tempo dancing and yelling. We would all rock out to it when it came on the car stereo. I could not wait to hear Ryn Weaver's full album.

Because we are a blog about focusing on the positive, here are the things I really liked about her record:

The title track, The Fool, is as catchy and fun as the track Octohate and the song Promises is a close second (or third if you count Octohate which is also rightly included on this LP).

I really appreciated that the opener Runaway feels very much like a first song. In a world of singles,  it’s nice to see someone focus on the  record in its entirety. 

Much of The Fool feels reminiscent to me of Ellie Goulding and My Brightest Diamond. Both of whom I dig, so I did not have a problem with that.

The third to last track, Traveling Song, also stood out to me mainly that it was a departure from the rest of the record, giving the listener time to catch their breath before finishing. 

Have you had a listen to  The Fool? What do you think about it?

Apartment Sketching: 5 House Plants

I am at home more than anywhere else. It has been that way since I started working as a freelance designer and illustrator seven years ago, but even more so after becoming a mom.  I love my home base —see that part about living a block from the ocean.  Seriously, it is my favorite place I have ever lived and I have moved almost every year or two for the last twelve years (ugh, even typing that made me tired).

Still when you are anyplace so often, routine and habit soon replace awareness.

Since I am never more present then when I am drawing, I started this series where I will periodically pick a set of objects from my fantastic 900-square foot flat that contributes to my loving of it. Even when I am not paying that much attention to actually being in it. We also like to name our plants. Do you name yours? Okay. Here it goes...

The Triplets 

Snake Plant (only one shown)

Our friend Kirsten gave us three spider plants, all floating in water from a larger mama plant she had in her home. We were surprised these little guys were happy to live in just a little jar of water, so we put ours in empty spice bottles and mason jars. Any given plant is a better plant. 

I love the free-floating root system, it was super fun to draw. 

Ladyfingers 

"Sea" Succulent

I'm a sucker for any plant that looks like the it belongs on the ocean floor. Ladyfingers also has the advantage of being cradled by the lovely macramé netting Julie built for her based on the design she saw on JenLovesKev.

P.J.

Air plant (Tillandsia Kolbii)

P.J. was born right here in our home. His mama is a larger air plant that he sprouted from which we had purchased at the Pacifica Fog Fest last fall.

Luke named him after what Little John calls Prince John in Disney's Robin Hood cartoon. 

The Billy Balls

Dried Flowers

Technically not a plant, Billy Balls are uniquely-shaped flowers. These six are actually dried and rest in an empty container. We totally love Billy Balls and they occupy multiple jars around our apartment. 

Courtney

Air Plant (Tillandsia Xerographica)

The curling twisting leaves were an intense project to draw. I did get into a nice zen state which I suppose is part of the point of this exercise. We bought this plant at the incredible San Francisco based Flora Grubb Gardens.

Courtney is named after our very dear and very green-thumbed friend that had helped both Julie and I with our plants many years back. Sadly, she is no longer with us, but the ringlet-like leaves reminds us of her hair.

All sketches done with uni-ball pens, watercolor and Copic markers.