scenes from the beach house.

1. Sunrise.
2. Golden light.
3. Hailey and Coleman.
4. Super garlicy bruschetta.
5. Token puppy photo.
6. Ben post-haircut, Manteo.
7. More sunrise.
8. Cuties on the boardwalk.
9. Crab cake/butterbean dinner.
10. My favorite view (in the world).

when the sky turns pink.

Our last week at the beach house is always a bummer -- all the guests are gone, we're as tan as we're going to get, we have to limit our purchases at the farmers' market, and so on. We all know the end is coming, but we refuse to address it or even think about returning to reality.








A couple days ago it was gloomy and gray with no end in sight.  Dull skies, uninspiring light, the kind of day best spent reading and falling in and out of hazy sleep (read: I borrowed my sister's sleeping mask and stayed in my pajamas until five o'clock).






As the evening went on, the sky became filled with more and more clouds until finally at sunset, we were surrounded by hot pink skies. We finshed our dinner in a rush and ran outside to sit on the dock and marvel. We stayed there until dark, riding bikes around the island and soaking up every ounce of the intoxicating salty air.

Whenever I need to go to a happy place in my head, this is what I envision. It's amazing what open spaces and pink skies can do for the soul.

flourless chocolate cake.

I love simple recipes. Recipes that don't require trips to the grocery stores, recipes that you can whip up on the spur of the moment, when everyone finishes dinner and decides a little something sweet is necessary. This chocolate cake is that recipe.

I chose to do mini cakes (using a muffin pan) instead of a round cake because otherwise I might have accidentally-on-purpose cut myself half the cake. Forced portion control. The cake is dense and rich, with an almost brownie-like consistency. It's to die for; definitely a new staple in my repertoire. Blueberries and blood orange gelato on the side don't hurt either.



Ingredients:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Melt chocolate and butter over low heat or a double broiler. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar and eggs. Add vanilla extract. Sift in cocoa powder and salt and mix until smooth. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or longer if you use an 8-inch round pan.



P.S. Huge thanks to Janis and Ana for Everyday Musings' supercute new look!

dock sittin'.

(an addendum to porch sittin')



It's weird how much, and how quickly, things change once you finish school. It seems like just yesterday that I was writing this post, feeling totally anxious about graduating and becoming a real person in the world.









That anxiety quickly turned into the purest form of happiness -- freedom from school, freedom to do what I want to do. Not to say that the unknown isn't ever unsettling, but sometimes there's nothing more empowering or exciting.

Luckily, my family and friends make the unknown less scary. It's not often you find people who only want the best for you, people who build you up and encourage you and genuinely want you to conquer the world. People you can just sit with, on docks and porches and living room floors, for hours on end.

weekend.

My sweet friends from Charleston visited the beach house this weekend. We watched sunsets from the dock, ate seafood steamer pots and climbed dunes, drank wine from the bottle, and buried Hailey in the sand. We had the perfect balance of relaxing, peaceful moments and laugh-till-your-cheeks-hurt moments. I miss them already.










Hailey and Ben just returned from a month in Europe, where Ben got to meet Mike and take the (second annual) road-trip to the Isle of Skye. The few photos he has shared so far are jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

scenes from the beach house.

Nights like these make me nostalgic as they're happening. Clam chowder, bike rides, dreamy sunsets, so many people I love in one house. It doesn't get any better.

sunsets from this week.

Although this week started off notsogreat, mailing July Christmas gifts to friends (these cookies) and ordering my global rail pass (22 countries!!!!) turned my mood right around. To top it off, my dear sweet friends (who I haven't seen in far too long) are visiting the beach house this weekend. I'm actually a little giddy.





P.S. Thank you for the kind words on the new facebook page yesterday! It means so much.