I think our experience living in sensory-overload China has driven me over the edge for a moment.
When I visited my uncle and aunt in Pennsylvania last month and saw how the good Amish folks lived, a part of me think maybe I should try out the Amish lifestyle as a form of spiritual detox.
And why not? They grow and make their own delicious, organic food. Here I'm getting my full-fat, homemade vanilla milkshake made with milk that probably came from the same cows we were smelling in the air, though foul, strangely enriches the experience:
And if you're a sew-ist and have seen the racks and racks of absolutely stunning hand-sewn quilts I did, I think you might be tempted to "convert" too...
This is my aunt, not Amish (duh), but sews beautiful quilts nonetheless. I'm amazed and inspired by all the hand-quilting she does, and even she said she's in awe with the Amish quilts...
But I snapped myself out of it as quickly as I downed that yummy milkshake, after seeing how they get around (or not) with their one-horse-power ride (aka horse & buggies) and their hardworking way of life (you should see the calluses on these women's hands).
Oh well, there goes my Amish dream. But I tell myself I will try to do my best to enjoy the simple things that happen around here. For one, I've taken my sewing machine back out from storage, dusted it off and have started sewing again :)
Here's a little preview of the Halloween costume I'm making for the duo, can you guess what Bryson is? (Hint: Eva's character wears a red cape and has an elderly relative who got eaten by a predator)
Ha ha, isn't he such a good poser! Good Big Bad Wolf Bryson...
And we took full advantage of the nice fall weather around here, and took a couple of short weekend trips for some simple R&R: 2 hrs north to Pointe Reyes/ Nicasio for a romp in the pumpkin patch, and 2 hrs south to Monterey/ Carmel for the beaches and a trip down memory lane (we were married in Carmel 7 years ago...).
Here are some highlights of the trips, and for the full albums, see here for Pointe Reyes/ Nicasio, and here for Monterey/ Carmel. Enjoy!
See the beautiful waterfall tumbling into the beach? It's the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 45 min. south of Carmel. Totally worth a visit.
This is Mission Ranch, Carmel, the meadow behind Eva is where we got married, and the honeymoon cottage below is where we stayed our first night as newly-weds (little did we know... 7 years later, one little monkey...)
The end.
