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Shooting grainy on-the-fly night photos doesn’t always yield the best results, but it’s done a great job of documenting this year’s Season of Light. I hope yours is as warm and bright as ours has been, and that you are surrounded by joy while the sun makes its way back to us.
Good Yule, and Merry Christmas.
Because we’re having a record-hot summer this year, everything is coming into season early. And it’s all ripening at once, which made us look at the shelf of canning jars in panic.
But there was nothing for it but to dive in and start filling jars (and jars and jars).
To me this season is not about a certain day, or even a series of holidays—it’s a collection of moments. It’s those moments that I cherish above anything else—especially when they happen with the people I love best, in this part of the world I call home. I hope your season, however you might celebrate or mark it, is filled with the moments you’ll want to remember always.
Merry Christmas, and happy holidays, from our home to yours.
At long last, Tacoma has a real ice cream parlor—I can’t tell you how many years we’ve waited for this. Today I stood in line for the best coffee ice cream I’ve had in years, and while I waited my turn to pay, I noticed something familiar behind the counter!
It was our Just Desserts postcard! Jessica and I couldn’t be more proud. So to the new shop, Ice Cream Social: welcome to Tacoma, and thank you for making us a part of the decor!
I know I should be in the studio right now, but the first strawberries of the year deserve something like a holiday.
It’s the time of year where our kitchen is a lot hotter—and the days much longer—than anything summer might throw at us naturally.
The Tailor and I have been up late with the dilly beans,
out at dawn at the Blueberry Park,
and across the mountains to get peaches right off the tree.
And then everything has got to get washed and sliced—
—and packed into jars—as quickly as possible. It’s the best way we know how to make the fleeting summer last.
You can imagine my delight when I came home to find a book I’ve illustrated waiting in my mailbox! I’m happy to announce that The Edible Landscape by Emily Tepe, published by Voyageur Press, is now available!
The book is centered on a subject very close to my heart: urban homesteading and the slow food movement. It’s all about crafting a garden plan centered around edible plants. My drawings are sprinkled throughout the book, illustrating lots of design possibilities for gardeners. I love the idea that my watercolors might help someone dream up a plan for feeding their family and beautifying their home.
Many thanks to Voyageur Press, and most of all to my amazing art director, Cindy Laun, for bringing me onboard!
Hey, everyone—Gilles is back!
He’s here for Thanksgiving, but that meal’s not until tomorrow—so what do you think our favorite Frenchman would choose to serve up for lunch?
Fresh, raw, Pacific Northwest oysters, of course.
But I’d better stop blogging and get back to the table—before he eats them all!
You know what might just be the best thing about fall? It’s pumpkin pie season again!
I should be packing for my next trip, really. But hand me a bowl of fresh raspberries and the whole world comes to halt.