every day

i have been
in neuchâtel
for
over a year
now.

i am struck
with how
something
so foreign
at first
can
normalize.


 

 


and then
it becomes
your
every
day.

you walk
the same
streets
past
the same
windows.
it soon
becomes
just
your
walk home
regardless
of whether
it is
in
neuchâtel,
washington dc
or
seattle.









when
you have
lived anywhere
long enough
it is
just home.

it isthe
familiar.




i try
to
remember
what was
like to
walk these
streets
when it
was all
so new.
when
everything
was
charming
and
so different
from what
i was use to...





i think
abouthow
we lose
the
feeling
of looking
at something
for the
first time.
that feeling
of excitement
associated with
the
unfamilar...

like a baby
holding
an object
for the first time.

how much time
must elapse
before
the novel
becomes
the
every day?

is that
amount
of time
the same
for
all objects?

for
all people?

at every age?





i imagine
what it
will be like
to go back
to the states
after being away
for so long...
will it feel
unfamiliar
for a while
or
will it
quickly
feel
like
home
again?

will
i notice
when
the
unfamiliar
passes
into
the familiar?

probably
not.


 

xo

staying in

sometimes
the best kind of
saturday
is simply
staying in...





i can be
perfectly content
spending
the day knitting
on the couch,
writing letters,
and
drinking tea.





i took
a few moments
on this
cold rainy day
to photograph
some corners
of our home.







hope you
are having
a good weekend.

xo

caves ouvertes

every year
local wine caves
open their doors
for tastings...

there are
many routes
you can take
to local caves.




we decided
for practical
reasons
to head
a few
kilometers
north
to
auvernier.

the first cave
we went into
was just about
to begin
their tour.



they
handed us
2 glasses
and
the tasting
had begun.













tastings
are a cozy
affair.
we were all
clustered into
a small barrel room
passing
cheese and bread
around
while
the winemaker
told us
about each wine.
then he
walked
around pouring us
a glass.



it was not
very different
from many
of my experiences
in the sonoma
wine country.

afterwards
we strolled
around
auvernier...

we

wandered

in and out

of some

less formal

tasting rooms

trying

a glass

here

and 

a glass

there.

we headed
home
on the tram
as
a big grey cloud
approached
and the rain
threatened
the afternoon.

xo

z i n a l

a few weeks ago,
before the snow
was
giving way
to spring,
our friends invited us
up
to a little
300 year old cabin
in the mountains
of the valais.
a cute ski town
called zinal. 


















we took the train
to sierres.
they picked us up
and drove us
up
the
windy mountain.


















we arrived
as the sun
was beginning
to set.
christophe and jesse
brought out
cheese, bread,
and wine
from the valais
for a sunset feast.

we talked

and ate until 

the very last bit 

of sun

vanished from

the mountain tops.

in the morning
we awoke
to a bowl
of coffee
and
the sun
on our faces.

 

we walked into town
to see about
maybe
spending the afternoon
on the slopes.



our timing was bad.
everything was closed
for lunch.
so we had a beer
and waited...

 

then
up...

up into
the mountains
we went...

finally, we had
the opportunity
to snowboard
in the alps!


{photo by grub}

after
an exhausting
afternoon
christophe
made us
fondue à la tomate.



we stayed up
late
a listened
to christophe's
stories
of research
in faraway lands.
. . . . . .

sunday morning
meant
it was time
to pack up
and head home.

we lingered
over coffee
in the morning light.







we said
our goodbyes
and headed
homeward.


















xo