in which my cape escape has ended

I'm baaaack! After a ridiculously relaxing week spent passing idle hours on the beach, we drove home through an epic rainstorm (seeking refuge at H&M and stuffing ourselves with Indian food--sooo good--like chipmunks storing nuts along the way) and spent a cozy Sunday watching movies and generally hiding from Irene. It didn't seem so bad, despite the terrible news from Southern VT, but by morning it was clearly worse than we had thought. Not only was our water black as night, but every exit route out of town had become a lake-like extension of the rushing Winooski river (which hasn't flooded this much since the epic flood of 1927--20 ft!). I won't lie, I wasn't devastated by the fact that I was unable to get to the office on Monday morning...

(skirt/blouse/scarf/belt: thrifted; boots: seychelles)

I didn't take as many photos at the Cape this year as I have in years past, and I'm not sure why. I guess I just get tired of playing paparazzi sometimes and want to just step back and enjoy the moment. Perhaps I took fewer photos because we did more... instead of taking long leisurely strolls after dinner at the house, we packed our evenings full of fun & games. I'll do a quickie Cape Cod post later on...

My dad and brother are currently in Washington DC with Bill McKibben to protest the Keystone XL pipeline project, and I'm quite proud of their commitment to the cause. Somebody has to be! It's kind of funny that last year my brother came to Cape Cod straight from a West Virginian jail, and this summer he and my dad left the Cape and went straight down to DC for a (probable) stint in prison. My family is just a bunch of jailbirds!

Meanwhile, I am getting super excited for my autumn wardrobe, and although I've let blogging slide a bit this summer I fully intend to ramp it up to its former glory as we transition into September and the holiday season. I've already stocked up on fall dresses (from Goodwill and H&M) and can't wait to wear them! I'm trying to figure out what K and I should do for Labor Day weekend and I'm a bit stuck. I wanted to go camping but the weather is supposed to be kind of icky, and I can't really afford to shell out for a hotel and a day (or two) of driving and sightseeing in some new town. So we'll see.

What about you? Any exciting Labor Day plans??

apples to activism

Whew, what a weekend! It was jam-packed full of fun, and though I spent most of it in kind of a whirlwind-induced daze, I had some really good times with some really good people. On Saturday, K and I got to sleep in pretty late before heading to Shelburne Orchards for some apple-picking. I always make the apple pie for Thanksgiving and I for the past couple of years I have made it with apples I hand-picked in my home state (speaking of Thanksgiving, I wish you a happy one, Canadian readers!). I was kind of disappointed when we got to the orchard because there were hardly any apples on the trees! There were about two rows that proved fruitful (pun intended), but that was about it (come to find out, apple season was early this year--my dad said it was "in the paper"--who knew!). First things first, this is what I wore:

(chambray shirt: Walmart; skirt/belt: Goodwill; tights: HUE; booties: Seychelles; scarf: F21)

This is pretty much the only good outfit photo we got, because K always grumbles when I ask him to take my photo. He thought I looked like I was about to go ride a horse, which is okay with me. I was going for the farm look :) I'm so delighted to be able to wear my bright red tights again! They're a perfect autumnal hue.

After filling our bushel bag with ripe red McIntosh, we grabbed some hot cider and shared a cider donut while lounging in the grass overlooking the mountains and Lake Champlain.

It was a beautiful fall day--the air was crisp but the sun provided just enough light and warmth to keep us cozy. I was kind of bummed that none of our photos came out very well because of the blinding sunlight, but it's not about the photos, it's the experience! Now we officially have an apple-picking tradition! Here I am in the same spot last year (note the abundance of apples):

Saturday evening I had my friends S and E over for some dinner&wine&conversation. It was really great to see them again and cook together and reminisce about the old days. I don't seem them nearly enough anymore because we're in so many different places with our lives right now, but whenever we get together it's as if no time has passed! We made a sort of ragu (eggplant, zucchini, onion, garlic and fresh tomatoes over brown rice) and drank a few bottles of wine. This is where I make a suggestion for all of you: I don't care how decadent and delicious that bottle of Chocovine looks on the shelves--drink at your own risk. E and I both had two glasses and S only had one (now that I think about it, I'm not sure she even had one), and E felt sick that night and I felt realllllly sick the next morning. Just saying--beware.

Anyway, I managed to scrape myself out of bed the next morning so K and I could head over to my parents' house for brunch before the big 350 event that my father and brother organized. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy the brunch as much as I should have (thanks to the Chocovine), but a nice refreshing walk through the woods with my mom and my dog (K fell asleep in a chair) seemed to do the trick. We headed down to my old high school and hung around for a few hours as people began to gather for the march down main street.

It was a short march (only about 1 mile), but we made some noise (I was pounding out a rhythm with some sticks, my brother played a drum, and my two brothers together were single-handedly leading the chants. After the march we reconvened in the cafeteria to hear a panel of local politicians give presentations on their dedication to combating climate change, and several locals stood up and offered small solutions for this enormous problem. It was interesting how each of them had a unique perspective on the issue and they were all passionate about very specific (but all different) ways in which we can help to fight the good fight against global warming. My brother Colin spoke about his experience in West Virginia with Climate Ground Zero and the heinous environmental crimes committed by big coal every day (especially mountaintop removal), one woman urged us to curb the population explosion by not having children (I thought that was a little bit extreme and told my brother that I fully intend to have three children, even if he is completely committed to having only one--I have kind of a lot to say about this, but my opinion on the matter basically comes down to the fact that children are a wonderful thing and a very important part of what makes our lives worthwhile. I don't think that we are the people who need to worry about having too many children. In fact, it's probably best that we keep having them to pass our knowledge down through the generations (adoption is also a possibility, but I have always wanted to have my own children--maybe my brother can't relate to that because he's not a woman). Anyway, I could go on and on. I think we should focus our attention on providing proper contraception and family planning to people who may not have access to those services, instead of telling people to have vasectomies for the sake of population control--it's just not a realistic solution and I actually think it's a little bit crazy. Recommendations like that are what give liberals a bad name. On the other hand, there were a few suggestions that I could fully get behind--one fellow spoke about ways in which we can put carbon back into the earth and get back to a more cyclical process of production and consumption (specifically through composting), instead of the linear factory-home-landfill model that we're currently using. I never realized that topsoil could be so valuable for sucking excess carbon back out of the atmosphere.

Finally, the "celebration" began. The Buffalo Mountain Coop served food and musicians from all around played for a couple of hours. The family band went last--I sang "Whiskey in the Jar" and "I'll Tell My Ma," said my farewells, and went home for nachos and Ugly Betty. And now I'm exhausted. But in a good way :)

a certain sort of stripes

Man, you guys. My posing skills are rusty (see blooper reel, below):

This has been one of those weeks. Not bad or anything, just a little... off.

(tunic dress: Plato's Closet; cardigan/belt: Bargain Boutique; necklace: UO; boots: ALDO)

Tomorrow my brother flies back to West Virginia for his trial and may potentially go back into the slammer (here's hoping he doesn't have to...) for a time. He got out on bond and was able to come to the Cape with us, so we got to hear the full story of his action (how they hiked for miles under the cover of darkness, how he held firm to his chain while the head of Massey security threatened him and sawed dangerously close to his hands), and his consequence (the unsatisfactory conditions in jail and surprising support for his cause within the prison walls). He's a trooper, that's for sure. I really think he's capable of doing some incredible things in his lifetime if he puts his mind to it!

activism and thriftivism

#1: Firstly, check out my new purse!!! K and I went on a thrifting spree this weekend (I love that he hits the thrift stores with me, although he's usually finished in about five minutes and I can peruse for hours!!) and I found this classic, vintage Dooney and Bourke purse in a special display case at Goodwill. I've been looking high and low for one of these on etsy.com, and I've bookmarked a couple dozen as favorites but never got around to actually purchasing one. I had specifically been looking for navy and tan, but the burgundy suits me just fine! At $25, it was a little steep for a cheapskate thrifting adventure, but I couldn't pass it up!

#2: I got this skirt at Bargain Boutique on my lunch break last week.

#3: Let us please observe a moment of silence for mon petit frere, who is indefinitely unable to participate in any sort of wardrobe remix, as he is currently clad in an orange jumpsuit at a West Virginian state penitentiary (!!!).

I can't help but mention it--sorry, Colin! It's really not a terribly tragic story--we were all expecting him to land in the slammer sooner or later. He's been down south with the Mountain Justice/Climate Ground Zero crew, protesting mountain top removal. Last Wednesday he was arrested for chaining himself to a high wall miner on Coal River Mountain (video) and charged with trespassing, misdemeanor conspiracy, and obstructing police activity. His bail is currently set at $2500 and he is waiting for an available public defender. You can read his statement of action here, if you're interested... I'm kind of proud of him for standing up so firmly for what he believes in! He's an extremely smart guy, and I think his eloquence and understanding are a real credit to the movement.

(skirt/cardigan: Bargain Boutique; shirt: Old Navy; socks: Kohl's; shoes: Seychelles; purse: Dooney and Bourke c/o Goodwill; necklace: UO; glasses: F21)

In other news... countdown to Cape Cod: 4 days!!