my favorite color is shiny

southern summers...

today i am grateful for...

my first real vacation in a looooooooong time. we loaded up my brother-in-law's truck and journeyed out to alabama for a memorial weekend at lake martin. while i was there, i crossed off some summer to-dos. here is how i began a good start to a southern summer...

1. made a dent in my summer reading, on a hammock, underneath the poplars, oaks, and hickory trees.

2. witnessed spectacular sunsets(and thunderstorms) from our little cove.

3. fed some breadcrumbs to a family of geese, and collected a few fallen feathers.

4. collected dirt samples from the terracotta red clay back roads leading to our cabin.

5. captured a few lightening bugs in a tiny, hinged mason jar.

6. scoured a little alabama church thrift shop with my mother-in-law.

7. grilled most of our meals outside, next to a sweet-smelling gardenia bush.

i also managed to get tugged behind the boat on a tube. freckled all over. nearly stepped on a baby copperhead snake. weighed down my pockets with lake stones. witnessed the mimosas and crepe myrtles explode all over georgia and alabama. visited chimney rock and goat island, on an evening boat ride, courtesy of my father-in-law. and lounged, loafed, dawdled, and dilly dallyed all weekend long.

it was a perfectly lovely beginning to the summer. what is your recipe for summer?