tied to the ocean

            The rain begins to strip the trees of their leaves and my windshield gets its first taste of frost and hazy summer days on the shore of Rhode Island grow further and further away.


Photographs by Audrey.

lazy afternoons

Sunday we had a party at Tim's, drinking keg beer and playing badminton and staying up until 4 in the morning being silly.  Monday we slept in, then enjoyed homemade egg sandwiches before  heading to Sunset Lake in Harrisville for a swim (and fun on the swings!)  Erin and I went on a little walk exploring the pretty town lined with vine-covered brick houses and old mill buildings; eventually meandering to meet Dillon, Joel and Tim at the general store.  The boys had cucumber sodas waiting for us, which were strangely refreshing...

mint juleps and jazz on a hot sunday evening

On Sunday, Sarah and I had some of our closest friends over for a "Mad Men" cocktail party.  We placed out the linen and china, and filled my apartment to bursting with fresh cut flowers.  We had fake cigarettes, and playing cards, and a homemade advertising trivia game.  There was plenty of food, and we all munched on hors d'oeuvres including fondue, antipasto, sandwiches, bacon lettuce wraps, pigs in a blanket, and spinach pastries- and for dessert we served cake, brownies, chocolate dipped strawberries and blackberries, and pudding.  It was such a wonderful evening and well worth all the preparation.  Here are a few film photographs from the night- they were taken with a disposable and there wasn't much flash-use going on, but I still think two or three of them turned out rather lovely.

a charmed life

Goose Pond, Keene, New Hampshire

Don't you love when a weekend makes you so happy you don't even mind that it's Monday?

I woke up this morning on my couch, with records and empty cocktail glasses scattered around the living room.  Today my best friend, Sarah, moves to Rhode Island.  Friday night everyone showed up at the bar to drink one too many beers and give their goodbyes. 

On Saturday I spent the day in Dublin enjoying idyllic New Hampshire (there's a reason I live in this state).  It was one of those hot, sleepy days where you wish you could stop time because the sky is so blue and the sun is so warm and the water is so clear.  Dillon, Erin, Tim and I manned up and went swimming in Dublin Lake- the lake was so cold it stopped your heart, but once it started beating again, the water felt like heaven.  That night after I left work, Sarah came over and we planned our Mad Men party until the wee hours of the morning.  We pinned list after list to my bathroom door, made trivia cards, and set multiple alarms so that we didn't forget to wake up.  

Yesterday was a whirlwind.  Sarah and I started party preparations at 8am, which including robbing armfuls of fresh flowers from campus, spilling a bag of ice all over my kitchen, and lots and lots of baking.  We were so on schedule we even allowed ourselves thirty minutes to run down the trail to Goose Pond for a quick swim. 

The party was wonderful.  My apartment was full of my favorite faces, and seeing everyone dressed up made me realize what good-looking friends I have.  We drank Tom Collins' and mint juleps, ate fondue, snapped silly photos on disposable cameras and listened to jazz records.  After the last guest left,  I sat on my couch reflecting on everything.  The muggy midnight air floated through my open windows and fused with the sweet smell of the flowers scattering my apartment.  I breathed it in, and felt so lucky.  Saying goodbye to Sarah was very hard (I don't think I've ever cried so much saying goodbye to someone),  but I knew this weekend had been the perfect send-off. I grabbed a blanket and pillow, unplugged the twinkle lights, placed A Love Supreme on my record player and drifted off to sleep feeling very blessed and fortunate to know such lovely people.