Floral Stylings: Mini-Carnations, Garden Roses, & Trick

These photos are from about a year ago, and span a stretch of three weeks during which I tried to preserve my bodega purchase of bright pink mini-carnations, garden roses, and trick for as long as possible.  I actually love each week’s arrangement for different reasons, but I think week two may be my favorite...

Traveled: Jeju Island Seogwipo Coast

These photos are from our whirlwind tour of Seogwipo, which stretches along the southern coast of Jeju Island.  Two big highlights were visits to two of Jeju Island’s major waterfalls: Jeongbang (the first waterfall image you see below) and Cheonjiyeon.  You can get close enough to Jeongbang to feel the spray of water on your face.  It’s essentially right on the ocean, and the outcropping rocks provide a stepping stone path to the base of the falls.  You can’t get quite as close to Cheonjiyeon, but the surrounding area is simply amazing for its incredibly lush flora.  There are also some trees with yellow-green leaves (you can see them in one of the photos), which are apparently unique to the area.  We ended the afternoon by walking across the Seogwipo harbor bridge.

(1) view as we head to Jeongbang Falls, (2) my dad on the rocks leading to Jeongbang, (3) Jeongbang Waterfall, (4) "dolhareubang" statues that are unique to Jeju Island, (4) beautiful leaves in the park surrounding Cheonjiyeon, (5) Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, (6) can't get over the density of the trees, (8) Seogwipo harbor bridge - I kind of love the brightly colored windbreakers in the picture, (9) Seogwipo harbor.

Traveled: A Beach Detour on Jeju Island

We're back to some more digital SLR photos from my May trip to Korea and Hong Kong.  These images are from a small, beautiful beach on Jeju Island (sadly, I can’t remember the exact name).  We made a brief stop here while en route to some of the other major geological attractions on the island.  I love the volcanic rock and black sand against the crystalline blue of the ocean.  With so many interesting stones lying on the beach, Stephen was inspired to generate some Andy Goldsworthy-esque work.  After leaving the beach, we watched from afar as a young boy tried (unsuccessfully) to add to the rock structure.

Snaps: City Commute Life

I’m happy to say that my work life is no longer quite as frantic as it was during my last blog post.  Luckily for me, my commute (mostly walking + a tram ride over the East River) served as a bit of a respite during my hectic stretch at work.  Here are some recent snaps from along my commute route. My favorite is the first black and white image; for one reason or another, I rarely have this view when riding the Roosevelt Island tram!

Almost There...

In the middle of madness at work the past few days, and also kissing the weekend good-bye.  But the end is in sight...

Feeling like this (in terms of the focus, not the actual work!):

Needing to remind myself to do this (at least mentally):

And wishing I could enjoy something like this once the hard push comes to an end.

Image sources: (1), (2), and (3)

Happy weekend!  I will live vicariously through your good times.

Wish List: Bathrooms

When I think about our Philly condo, I do regret not having fully renovated the bathroom.  We made a few changes that improved the space (replaced the bathroom sink and vanity, installed floating wall shelves), but I always wished we could have redone the tile as well.  Below are some of my current favorite bathroom spaces (lots of white, black, and wood).  Generally, I prefer a clean, open space whether it feels more classic like the first image below, or much more minimal, as in the second.  And one day, if we ever live in an appropriate climate (and actually have our own house), I would love to have an indoor/outdoor bathroom.

Image sources (starting from top left): (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)

As an aside, a fun “rescue” project during our minor bathroom redo resulted in the large mirror on the back wall of our living room (you can see the finished product in the first image here).  That mirror took up an entire bathroom wall, and we asked our contractors to try to take the mirror down without damaging it.  It was a successful venture, and so Stephen constructed and stained the wood frame that you see around the mirror!

Summer Evening on Roosevelt Island

I feel as though I’ve paused almost every day this spring and summer to take in a stunningly beautiful sky.  For the clouds, for the sunset, for the moon... These lovelies are from a Sunday evening on our apartment rooftop.

Wishing you a happy weekend!

Happy Fourth of July!

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th!  Here’s a VSCO CAM photo of the fireworks show from this past Princeton Reunions.  Love the pairing of the moon and one of my favorite types of fireworks.

Traveled: Deoksugung Palace + A Little Cheonggyecheon

Deoksugung Palace is another of five royal palaces that are still standing in Seoul; it is much smaller than Gyeongbokgung (which I posted about here).  This was my second visit to Deoksugung (the first was back in 2006), and I really enjoyed walking around the grounds and snapping images that caught my eye.  I’m also including one lonely image of Cheonggyecheon.  We headed over to the path along Cheonggyecheon stream after our Deoksugung visit, and were greeted by the bright colors and music of the 2012 Cheonggyecheon Festival.

(1) interior of building on Deoksugung Palace grounds, (2) visitors seeking respite from the hot day, (3) anticipating the changing of the guards ceremony, (4)Heungcheonsa Bell, (5 + 6) a beautiful tree - love that bark (7) court stones that designate positions of court officials, (8 + 9) colors & patterns on the palace grounds, (10) perspective, (11) festivities along Cheonggyecheon