just because you can, doesn't mean you should

Ann Romney wore this outfit
 on the Jay Leno show Wednesday night...

Clearly, she's trying to prove
 she can be one of the cool kids.
(The cool kids who live on the Jersey Shore)
 What's next? Tattoos?

straight from the horse's mouth...(or maybe the other end)

Thanks for clearing that up, Mitt...

the fruits of labor day

It's September, and that means it's the beginning of the end of summer. The markets are bursting with fresh fruits and veggies, and it makes a person just want to go all out to enjoy the fresh bounty while we can.
Here's one idea for using up those luscious, juicy nectarines I can't seem to get enough of:

Galettes are kind of like a free-form tart: just plop down a bunch of thinly sliced stuff on a round of pie dough, turn up the edges, and cook it 'till it's golden brown.

 Easy as pie, (or possibly even easier).

Anyhow, here's how to do a Nectarine Galette:

Slice up a couple of juicy nectarines (leave the skin on..galettes are all about being rustic)

and drizzle with some lovely local honey and a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

Place a round of the pie dough of your choice  (This one's made by Pillsbury, who did NOT pay me to say it...I'm just really bad at making my own) on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 

 Finely grind or chop about a half cup of almonds and sprinkle them over the dough,

then arrange the slices of fruit overlapping each other, leaving about an inch or two of crust around the outside.

It looks really pretty this way, but you could just heap them in a pile in the center of the crust, and it would be absolutely fine, too...it's supposed to be rustic, remember?

Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, making little pleats.

Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar (equal parts cinnamon and sugar mixed up) 

and bake at 400º until it's golden brown and crusty.

I don't want summer to end just yet...I'm not ready!

parallels

Existing simultaneously, 

separately,

 alongside,

yet not touching:

parallel.

Yeah, I know: my poetry sucks. It's only a crow and a squirrel doing a high wire act. 

Click here to see this week's other submissions to Thematic Photographic, and feel free to leave a link to your own Parallels in the comments!

grey

As a photo stylist, I work in a field that is incredibly detail oriented and really quite visually stimulating. Sometimes I just crave simplicity: an absence of color and detail. I occasionally find it after the set is cleared and the shoot is over, and it's just me packing up after everyone is done.

I looked at this shot I took with my phone the other day, and it made me just exhale deeply all over again.

Every week, Carmi over at the blog Written Inc., hosts an exercise called Thematic Photographic and invites everyone to join in. This week's theme ( No. 208) is called "Grey". Click on the links to find Carmi's and other photographers' shots on the theme.

feminism personified

"I think every woman should have a blowtorch."

~Julia Child

Bon apetit, Julia...and thanks for the inspiration!

more summer

Even though yesterday's damp skies weren't the brilliant blue that defines a perfect Oregon summer day, the rain that fell was warm, and the hope remains that there will be more sunny days ahead.  (We Oregonians are an optimistic bunch...if we weren't, I'm pretty sure the suicide rate would be sky high)
Anyway, despite the weather, there are certain signs that summer is here. One of my favorite hallmarks of summer is  a juicy caprese salad: sliced, ripe tomatoes, fresh, pillowy mozzarella and fragrant basil leaves snipped right off the plant. All this goodness is layered and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then sprinkled with coarse salt and ground pepper, for a taste of true summer.

{click on the photos to get up close and personal}

Mmmm. I think I can still smell the basil.

Over at the blog Written, Inc. Carmi  hosts Thematic Photographic and invites everyone to join in. This week's theme ( No. 201) is called "Welcome Summer."