a dapple of my weekend, in dc

You know those weekends that literally feel like they only lasted about five hours and make you feel physically ill to see them end?

Yeah, that was this weekend.

Since we had a car in the city, we took full advantage of driving ourselves around everywhere, even if that meant giving up a perfectly good parking spot and sitting in Fourth of July traffic. At least we got to drive by Lincoln sitting up in his chair.

Since the weather was oppressively hot, we spent quite a bit of time by the rooftop pool, having breakfast and playing water games and drinking cold mimosas.

No weekend would be complete without Eastern Market of course, so we bore the heat for about 20 minutes, admiring doorknobs and tasting hummus and buying the late-in-the-day on-sale produce. We then went promptly across the street into an air conditioned shop and gulped iced teas.

And of course, we trekked to the mall with a million other tourists to see the fireworks above the monument on Sunday evening.

Not included in photos: barbecuing with friends in front yards drinking beer, kayaking down the Potomac (if only my camera was waterproof!), going to the salon for extremely intimate waxing sessions (yipes!), relishing in bars just around the corner from Rachel's apartment, deciding to go home and eat artichokes instead of bar-hop some more, and falling asleep during movies on air mattresses.

Oh yeah, and we were eating something delicious every other minute, just as it should be:

And then I drove home alone with my book on CD, sadly.

A Dapple Of My Weekend + Ray Concert

Hello all. I'm back from an exhausting, but terribly fun, weekend. Doesn't it sometimes feel like having a good weekend is just too bittersweet to handle? It makes going back the regular old routine that much harder.

I drove nine hours round trip all by myself in the past two days. I am not looking forward to getting into my car tomorrow morning. I've seen enough of her. Also, I've seen enough gas drain out of my car quicker than I can fill it, it seems. Whew.

It was a really great visit to see Jana in Philadelphia, though. I arrived yesterday afternoon and we had tea and some birthday goodies and catch-up time. It was refreshing. How I miss that girl . . .

Jana and her boyfriend Michael are the type of people you envy. They have a seemingly perfect relationship (I know, I know--relationships are not perfect, but don't ruin this for me!), they are absolutely made for each other, they have books on their bookshelf like, "Beatles: The Complete Scores," and, "From Impressionism to Modern Art," they have cool handmade art hanging everywhere--everything anybody would want. They are one cool couple.

After we went out for a birthday dinner (and ordered waaaay too much), Jana and I made our way to the Tower Theater. I was nearly shaking with excitement. We are devoted Ray Lamontagne fans.

And he was just as amazing as I remember him. More, maybe. This show was completely solo, so it was just Ray, his guitar, and his harmonica (how much do I love a guy playing the harmonica?) No backup singers, no big band, nothing. Just us, and Ray.

At one point early on, some girl shouted out her love for Ray. Usually, he's a completely silent performer, saying no more than a cordial hello and thanking us for coming. But he stopped, chuckled, and told her he loved her, too. He paused and seemed to think about it for a second, before saying, "If you guys even knew how much I loved you, you'd freak the fuck out." Verbatim, people.

It was amazing how differently songs sound when done live. It's like listening is a completely different experience altogether. The emotion is so raw and right there for the audience to absorb--I seem to forget that he actually wrote these words himself, and actually felt what he was singing.

I could see a show every single day and never get bored of it. I'm contemplating becoming a groupie, actually. When I come into a large sum of money, that is. One show a year is enough to afford for now.

Did I mention Jana and Michael have a dog, too? His name is Morey, and he's hilarious. See? I told you they had it good.

And then, after a sad goodbye and a big long hug, I got back in my car and managed to make it all the way back to Connecticut, by myself. It was very depressing. I already miss Jana. And Ray. Mostly Jana, though.

Ray and I aren't that good of friends.

Yet.

PS
Videos coming soon!

A Dapple of My Weekend

" I gonna beat you UP"





This weekend I:

--played with kitties (you'd think I'd get bored, but . . .)

--had a "mom night" with Jana and our moms, filled with cocktails and cards

--baked peanut butter banana bread (not as good as it sounds, though)

--slept in

--had breakfast with Jana before she flew off to Philadelphia again

--finished Wuthering Heights (finally!)

--started The Book Thief

--started about five thousand lists

--cooked homemade mac and cheese with friends and enjoyed a scary movie

How was your weekend?

Reunited!

Jana's home!

And it feels so good.


I've got her for a whole five days, and I can't wait to get the show on the road.

How I've missed this girl.

Fancy Schmancy

Check out these adorable earrings by Jana of The Art Process on Etsy:

"Dancing Ladies"

"Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater"

Aren't these lovely? And they're only $10! I just may have to buy a pair . . . (And be sure to check out her accompanying blog!)

Introducing: Jannalyn

A new character to Ruth Writes needs a proper introduction. And she's not even new. In fact, she's been around for over ten years. I should really mention her more . . .

Meet Jannalyn Bailey of The Art Process. When we were thirteen she decided she didn't want to be "Jannalyn" anymore (read: she was born in January [Janna-] and her mother's name is Linda [-Lyn]), so she started telling people she was now "Jana". So I like to call her Jana. Or JaniePat (because we both have the middle name of Patricia).

She's an incredibly talented artist and just graduated from a small liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia. So yes, we are now miles apart and have been for four years. It's very sad, really. I love this girl like a sister.



She majored in painting and metals, so pretty much all my gifts from her are either paintings or jewelry. I love it. The majority of the earrings I wear are handcrafted by her. I get asked all the time where I got them. I love to say, "Oh, my friend Jana made them for me, she's an artist," as if I were part of some special club or something. Half my bedroom is decorated with her artwork. It's great having her as a friend.



Best of all, she has an Etsy shop! You should really check it out. Enough of those expensive Anthropologie pieces (as beautiful as I know they are), support a young artist! Really, she has some amazing pieces. And paintings, too. I want them all. Whenever I have my own kitchen, it will be covered in Jana's adorable fruit and veggie paintings. I can't wait.



Here's to you, Jana. Miss you.



(All photos courtesy of The Art Process blog and Etsy)