west coast trail

I haven’t done a lot of camping, unless you count the weeks at the end of the summer when my sister and I would sleep in a faded blue canvas tent my dad bought at the Holiday surplus store in the 60s. We would pile in all of the blankets from our bedroom, listen to Neil Diamond and John Denver records, and read chapters from The Boxcar Children or Judy Bloom to each other by flashlight. When the time came for us to take down the tent and return to our beds, days before school would start, the grass would be flat and yellow and match the changing aspen leaves.

In early August, my husband Ben and I spent 6 days backpacking across the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island in British Columbia with our friends Ryan and Jess. We hiked 50 miles along foggy coastlines and through canopy covered rainforests, making our way up and down ladders and over suspension bridges and zip lines, falling asleep every night on the beach, listening to the waves moving away from the shore as the tide went out. It was paradise.

When we finished the hike, our boots were thick with mud and our bodies were covered in a weeks worth of sweat. A ferry took us back to the landing at Port Renfrew to sign off of the trail and wait for our pick-up. We sat on our packs by the road watching cars pull in and out of the harbor, waiting for a man that we had never met. After an hour, Evan arrived. He was easy to spot. We could see the rubber testicles dangling from his trailer hitch as he drove up. He was tall, his head was covered with tight red curly hair, and bright gold crowns covered his 4 front teeth. Jess and I rode in the back seat of his white ford truck with an older Swiss couple that had finished the hike shortly after us. Ben and Ryan jumped in the bed with our packs and Evan’s dog. I could see them through the back window, bouncing as we drove over the washboard surface of the dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust behind us. If we had the supplies to turn around and do the trail again, we would have, but at that moment it was good to be back in civilization.

In my first week after moving to Ann Arbor the rain hasn't stopped. I finally pulled my nylon jacket out of the trunk of the car and could still smell the heavy smoke from the driftwood campfires we had every night on the beach. It reminded me of the trip, of being with friends, of the musty tent from my childhood. It made me feel like I was home.

(photos by: erin)

strategic style

refinery 29 may have cracked the code to getting noticed by the sartorialist and making street style history. a scarf or quirky hat, a pop of color, menswear, or a vintage bike just might increase your curb appeal.

clippings

like lacework, each piece is linked to give strength to the delicate off-white rice paper artist bovey lee uses in her paper cutouts - letting light and shadow give dimension to the semi-translucent sheets. each piece is dense and intricate, with images rich in cross-cultural references that seek to contemporize and preserve the ancient artistry of chinese paper art.

tender, juicy, and tasty

i don't have a green thumb, or at least not a very good one, but the hot sun and local farmers' stands make me want to get my hands dirty. luckily, according to monkeys always look, anyone can keep a succulent alive. these hearty little plants are low maintenance and are growing in repurposed containers that would be perfect for a kitchen windowsill or deck bench. with sweet names like baby toes, topsy turvy, calico kitten, and hens and chicks, who could resist?

human-like

humanoid's summer collection looks so light and airy, with layers of jersey and voile, it might be the only clothing line that can withstand a humid midwest summer. in august, i've decided to wear nothing but cotton.

day pack

when ben and i were back in los angeles last week we were so busy seeing friends, moving, and finalizing a million details after being gone for a year that we didn't have a chance to go to the beach—we even rented an apartment in venice just to be close to the the hot sand and salty water. i was so disappointed. if we had gone, i would have packed up all of the necessities in my trusted canvas bag. 

here are some of my favorite totes from around the web: (1) anatomical heart, (2) kindling, (3) paris map, (4) letters, (5) bingo, (6) blue lace, (7) permanent vacation, (8) pillaging protection, and (9) snarling fox.

the heartland

i'm back in minnesota for a month. back to writing. back to family and friends. back to the lake and the garden and the place i called home when i was fresh faced and sun kissed. memories make my heart ache - riding bikes to the store on sundays for homemade donuts, catching turtles in the bay, sunbathing on the roof covered in baby oil and lemon juice, sneaking out of my bedroom window past curfew, laying on the dock at night watching the stars, waiting endlessly to grow up. now, wanting nothing more than to go back and stay a little longer.

(photos by: erin)

back soon

over the past 4 weeks ben and i have been traveling from france to california to colorado and will be heading to minnesota and michigan before the end of the summer. i will be back posting after july 4.

(photo: by erin)

letterhead

mike perry is a midwest born self proclaimed "maker" currently living in brooklyn where he works primarily as an illustrator, typographer, and art director. instead of creating a universal font that everyone can use he focuses more on the poetry of the word. expressing meaning through handmade design.

typeface

last night i finally watched helvetica, a film that discusses the way type affects our lives while centering around the proliferation of the title font. there seems to be two factions regarding helvetica—those that believe it is perfection, and those that feel it is some sort of global monster. i have to say that i agree with the few individuals interviewed that think there is a time and place for all types. my heart fluttered at the beginning of the film when massimo vignelli said, as he was rejecting the idea of expressive fonts, “you can say i love you in helvetica, you can say it with helvetica extra light if you want to be really fancy, or you can say it with the extra bold if you are really intense and passionate.” now that is romance. he is clearly not a fan of georgia type. 

weird science

paris is known for its art museums, but there are other, more unconventional museums that are definitely worth checking out, including the gallery of palaeontology and comparative anatomy at the national museum of natural history. large windows boarder the main space sending dusty beams of light on the collection. a large herd of skeletons face the main entry surrounded by glass cases of different species and organs preserved in jars of liquids. the museum houses a public collection of the great expeditions of travelers and naturalists of the 18th and 19th centuries. the entire contents seems to remain untouched since the museum was formally founded in 1793. beautiful hand printed calligraphy labels mark the different classifications, yellowed from sun and age, and colorful wax seals preserve the freakish jars of brains, parasites, and 2-headed fetal pigs behind the glass shelves.

(photos by: erin + ben)

coif panache

playful handmade, vintage inspired headpieces by ban.do. each creation comes with a haiku and is thoughtfully named, like "ain't too proud to beg," "she's not scared of anything," or, my favorite "kiss me you fool, we are in paris." 

la collectionneuse

i adore built by wendy. i was heartbroken when they closed their los angeles store at the end of last year. when i was back in january i drove to hollywood and found an impossible metered spot on 3rd street, but when i got to the location a gate was pulled over the entrance, paint still announcing a closing sale on the large glass storefront. i guess i'll just have to resort to online shopping. a few summer dresses were just added to the newest collection - just when i thought it couldn't get any better.

with anticipation

perfect images to match my mood, from french photographer alain astruc. i'm restless waiting for summer travel. packing and unpacking, long hikes on muddy trails, my minnesota lake, new thrills, old friends - these are a few of the things i look forward to.

fresh paint

over the last 2 weeks, ben and i have been enduring the long lines wrapping around the museums, our bodies inching slowly in unison for a glimpse at some of the new exhibits around paris - warhol at the grand palais, kandinsky and calder at the pompidou. this past weekend we went to the musée de l’orangerie, in the tuileries garden, where contemporary painter didier paquignon was showing a selection of his work in the main gallery. we were unfamiliar with the artist and eager to see his work, especially on such a large scale. the exhibit encompassed his creations from over the last 20 years, including urban and industrial landscapes, female nudes, and still lifes. the bright colors and tremendous energy in his pieces was exciting to see.

(photos by: erin + ben)