don't quit your day job(s)

one of the things about being a crafter is that you're often so busy making your stuff that you can't take time to learn new techniques. because i'm not doing any major holiday craft shows this year, thanks in part to the impending arrival of a new little one in january, i've been taking some time to hone my craft. i've started gretchen hirsch's craftsy course as a dressmaking refresher. i'm working with fabrics i haven't used since high school, to get reacquainted with sewing on satin and taffeta. and i made a pleated satchel at the request of my dear friend marigan, who has been so generous with her insane photography skills for my family.

making a bag tested all sorts of sewing limits for me, especially since i (a) didn't want to use a pattern, and (b) wanted it to be both functional and attractive. i based the look and functionality on tannei casey's pleated hobos, using the same IKEA fabric that she used in one i bought from her last year. marigan wanted slightly different detailing - a long strap and two shorter ones, instead of one long adjustable strap - so i tweaked my design to include those. the bag is faced and lined and includes a gusseted bottom, interior pockets, interior key hook, and a snap closure. my sewing machine wasn't quite up to sewing through many layers of heavy fabric, so the straps involve some serging that i wouldn't have otherwise chosen, but all in all i'm very happy and thrilled to have learned how to do things like gusseting. that said, i'm not going to be providing competition for tannei casey or my lovely beeps' peeps anytime soon - i'm happy sticking with non-handbag accessories and apparel in my little shop.

at least i made brunch

we don't entertain nearly as much as we once did or would like to. our little house, two crazy dogs, and no backyard space to speak of don't really lend themselves to big parties, especially with kids. but once in a while we have a few friends to dinner or, as was the case this morning, brunch. i always look at these occasions as a chance to try out new recipes, a practice that d has rightly pointed out has a high probability of back-firing. fortunately, today's tester recipe was a big hit with our guests, my godmother and her husband. i adapted it from this recipe from Simply Recipes, using 8 eggs, crusty french bread, farmer's market tomatoes (two colors!), zucchini, fresh basil, and Dubliner Irish cheddar, and baking it in an oval dish rather than a 9x13 casserole. INSANELY good and highly recommended. (image from Simply Recipes, because it didn't occur to me to photograph mine until after we'd eaten half of it.)

time for my quarterly post, apparently

i'm trying to think of really good excuses why i haven't blogged in THREE WHOLE MONTHS, but they just aren't coming. well, maybe we've been a little bit busy?

first, there was christmas, new year's, epiphany, etc. then, my mom came for a fantastic, too-brief visit, and we were too busy skiing, eating, and watching the inauguration.

then, there was hawaii - four days on kauai, including a stay in a treehouse-like cabin up in the hills, and an incredible hike on the na pali coast, where we encountered i guy who'd been hunting overpopulated goats all day with his bow and arrow:

after that, we had a visit from dear san francisco friends - again with the skiing and eating.

and there was this, our gorgeous new downstairs bath, courtesy of one drew derrick (i was no help at all on this project, or any other of late, thanks to a frozen shoulder and other, ahem, developments:

for a moment, i ask you to recall the "before" photos of this space (before we even moved in), and shudder:

and then drew's parents came. you guessed it; more skiing and eating, especially since betsy cooked up a storm the whole time they were here. they left this morning, and we're pretty sure we no longer know how to shop for our groceries, cook our own meals, or do our own laundry. and the house is totally transformed, thanks to their industry - new french doors in the kitchen, lots of installed woodwork and trim, and even a bit of exterior painting. while they were here, we spent a couple of days at a forest service cabin in the shadow of mt. adams, in washington state. it's a 2.5 mile ski in to this rustic little place with propane lights and no running water. lots of fun topography to explore, including a series of collapsed lava tubes and ice caves. a highlight was discovering just how much huck enjoys woodstoves. he'd literally stand with his head nearly IN the stove, until his eyes must have felt like raisins and he was too hot to touch. heaven for a skinny guy like him, i guess.

now we've got no more (planned) visitors, and we're on to one of our biggest and most exciting projects, the complete overhaul of the kitchen. no big whup.

mt. st. helens is okay, i guess

actually, mt. st. helens is insanely cool. drew, tis and i headed up there for the day this past weekend. as a friend mentioned, it's like being on the moon. you get the sense that any one of the hundreds of COMPLETELY CRAZY cyclists attempting to ride up highway 504 with its 3000+ foot gain in altitude could vanish instantly, without a trace, if the right wind came along.

our hike out to the site of this video wasn't really a persuasive argument to the contrary; i couldn't get a photo showing just how narrow the path was at points, and just how steep the cliff was immediately to the side of the path. then again, drew and i are notorious acrophobes.



please do not turn the sound up on your computer. whatever i am saying probably SHOULD be drowned out by the high winds. plus, i sound like i'm 10. but what's new?


drew demonstrating where the top 1500 ft of the mountain would be had it not slid down into the valley below in 1980, followed by a 500 mph rush of boulder-filled gas. not scary or anything.


i was apparently hoping to rope me some steers up on that there mountain.


climbers on top of mt. adams 35 miles away watched the eruption as it filled in silver lake (bottom right hand corner of this shot), instantly and permanently doubling it in size. (and yes, we did sit through three separate presentations on the eruption, so i remember a few facts, okay?)

weekend in something like paradise

in which we "participate" in the volvo ocean race

May 2006 030
Originally uploaded by na_praha.

yesterday, after drew, scott songer and i ran a 10k across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (and survived, joints intact), we went out on the derricks' big fishing boat with a bunch of folks to chase down the seven yachts competing in the 2006 volvo ocean race, as they left annapolis to sail to new york. unbelievably cool. there were a zillion other boats of all descriptions on the bay and yet we were able to get very close to the racing yachts as they flew by us, the u.s. ship "pirates of the caribbean" firmly in the lead.

farewell dinner

April 2006 012
Originally uploaded by na_praha.

this week sounded really bad on paper: left job, had oral exam on thucydides and herodotus, responsible for initiating class discussion on marx, etc.

but it turned out to be rather a lovely week - the weather was spectacular, not having to work meant i could really prepare for my oral, and on tuesday i was able to get together with my mom for pizza in her back garden, followed by dinner wed. at our house with justin, coralie, spenser, and amy.

our excuse for gathering was the end of my contract, and by that night i was largely over my monday malaise (though no more prepared to deal with four free days a week). with the exception of a fairly unappealing fava (a santorinian split pea appetizer), the meal was yummy: d grilled feta with peppers and onions, coralie brought a wonderfully grassy small-batch cheddar and spicy crackers, and i improvised a vegan-friendly risotto with baby portabellas, canellini, edamame and scallions which drew did a mean job of tending (the only downside of risotto - all that broth-adding and stirring). served the risotto with an avocado and orange salad on spring greens, and finished the whole thing off with a homemade cantaloupe, strawberry and basil sorbet and grilled pineapple. simple and good.

oh, and they brought us a bottle of evan williams single barrel bourbon. oh.my.god.so.good. so good that it's going camping with us and drew's parents this weekend. but i might not share.