chasse au trésor

June 24, 2018 by Kirsten

Each time I go to Paris, there are certain things I just must do. A picnic along the Canal, a nap in Place de Vosges, un tradition from my favorite bakery. I thought I’d share a few of them here with you, starting with a trove of treasures that was new to me this time around…

If you should find yourself with nothing to do on a Sunday in Paris, put on some walking shoes and make your way over to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen to peruse one of the city’s most bountiful flea markets. If you push past hoards of folks peddling dress shirts wrapped in plastic and “designer” sunglasses for €10, your persistence will be rewarded with a enclave of antique gems and oddities, ripe for the cherishing.

Practice your french bartering with sellers for a pair of tiny tin soldiers to bring home for your brother. Pick up an antique Dijon container to fill with flowers back in Providence. Fall in love with a random, romantic napkin ring- of all things- boasting your mother’s first initial elegantly scripted in metallic. Remember the sound of the Edith Piaf crooner in the lively restaurant sinking into the market’s mid-section, savor the smell of a dusty summer in the city.

*Pro tip: Stop by the hip commune-style café La Recyclerie to fuel up on fresh assiettes du jour, homemade in an eco-forward oasis of a cafeteria. Again, not for the timid traveler, but fully worth the one-of-a-kind experience and healthy helping of trendy french fair.

to the moutains

August 29, 2016 by Kirsten

20160828_124755 FullSizeRender 104.jpg

rising up before the sun
with fuzzy stardust eyes
through sherbet-tinctured pink webs we blink
to wake the sleepy sky

a cozy Coffee Pot sign
says “celebrate everything!”
so strawberry waffle, pockets all full
my REAL maple on the side

out and up the mountains now
towards the clouds we climb
we sneak and peek and dare to swim
in the veil of a marvelous bride

on the road we snack and sing
over lakes we row in time
these hearts a part of the same blue chart
under stars our two combine.

photos of me by Michael (cutest) Collins.

hello, sweaty july

July 7, 2016 by Kirsten

Greetings from the hottest day of the year. Let’s backtrack…

If you are looking for something original to do on the 4th of July, consider walking around your nearest city (bonus points if it’s the Creative Capital). While everyone else burns at the beach, take advantage of the quiet. Stroll from one end to the other and hit every nook and cranny (winky face). Explore with iced tea and curiosity. Consider trying the old penny walk trick or making a list of things you’re thankful for over yummy samiches (extra bonus points if you get free pickles, too). Feel the sun, find the shadows. Download a timer cam app (no one is around to take a cheesy couplish photo for you, and no one is around to watch while you struggle to capture yourselves in the frame). Take touristy pictures. Sit down on every bench, read about famous singers you never knew lived (and died) in the area, pretend you go to RISD (and then Brown). Choose your favorite building on the block, and then choose again. Regale your patient manfriend with every architectural fact you’ve learned in the past month, and feel dang smart doing it. Trek home, commence nap. Wake, pack picnic, and place yourself under fireworks.

Actually, forget all that. Continue running away to the beach and leave the secluded city to us. :)

photo of me by Michael Collins, photo of us by iPhone-gen youth taking exorbitant amount of selfies.

get lost

August 8, 2015 by Kirsten

I’ve grown to love my remarkably terrible sense of direction.

It leads me off the beaten path, through the scenic route and onto adventures I wouldn’t have otherwise found. This extended summer has provided ample time for such misguided endeavors, whether that means sipping iced tea to the sounds of the Grey Album…

Or driving an hour sans copilot in pursuit of a solo beach trip, only to realize I’ve forgotten my wallet in Providence and will have no way to pay for parking. Luckily for me, a small portion of Westport, MA agrees that our beaches should be free for all to enjoy, and my absentmindedness led to the discovery of this little slice of nirvana- free of charge:

To those of you possessing the inner compass that will forever allude me, I suggest you “pull a Keeks” (as my friends so lovingly refer to it). Get lost. Forget the map, miss the exit, take the wrong turn. Follow the road until you hit water, flowers, lights, buildings, trees, the edge…

Leave no breadcrumbs, no stone unturned. You may just find something worth finding.

PS- for more on loving your flaws, check out my guest post over at onballence.

unplanned

August 3, 2015 by Kirsten

we Watch july’s final sunset from a Hill

cheap thrill

golden full moon rimmed by stars that spill

melting into the blue waves’ sound

surround

a striped sky globed protectively around

like this small beach town is

all there is

pink

drink, tipped matches,

tea room, my mind attaches

Marcia’s cats are mischievous

fishing grey smiles and jungle spotted thievery

palm trees

a reminder never to drink alone

from a framed man and his talismans

a bar cut into thirds

how is it that a painting speaks of its creator without words?

winnie-the-pooh walls and wooden beams

sing us to sleep, but the morning steams

all sunshine, hot tea, and muffin crumbs

you call me Lady

my hands go numb

amber honey, thin syrup, glass bottles, iced tea

buttery rolled lobster in the clouds

artichoke hearts and vitamin d

a soulful walk to Hammonasett

tiny towels steeped in sand

our day in lists, firsts and new places we’ve kissed

all so perfectly unplanned.

sing me to sleep

July 20, 2015 by Kirsten

I’ve become a bit of a lady of the night as of late.

That’s not to say I don’t rise early to pack my days to the peak with iced tea, research, ballet class and freeze dance (oh, the joys of 10-year-old bunheads).

I do.

But I’ve developed an affinity for indulging in as much adventure as 24 hours will concede, stretching long days into late nights, a hot summer sun taking its sweet time to slip into July’s hot, sticky sheets. The birds that wake most, often sing me to sleep. Midnight’s tired eyes linger hours longer before puffing up into a mug of English breakfast and beginning again.

So how is it these humid dog days blend into nights so outsrteched? Well that is a simple one word answer, my friends: Providence.

The Grange, The Duck & Bunny, The Avon, The Dorrance. The rooftop at G Pub and some lesser authorized rooftops closeby. Old friends and new ones, learning, teaching, and loving. Over cities, on beaches, in cafés and under stars. These are the summer nights I could live in forever.

end of summer bliss

August 11, 2014 by Kirsten

Ahh, the sweet sights of late summer in New England.

Colorful, shiny, enlightening, trips to the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Rustic flower arrangements by the beach in York, Maine. Summer fruits in the spotlight for a healthy breakfast in Providence. These are the captured moments of happiness and creation that have fueled my curious mind these past few weeks.

It’s all too easy to find one’s self unmotivated, uninspired, stoic, and stir-crazy as mid-August approaches and the nights lose their humidity. Luckily, that hasn’t been much of a problem for me this year, as planning for my upcoming trip to Ireland (!!!) has kept me beyond activated in the inspiration department. In 9 days I will fly from Boston to Dublin to meet up with le boyfriend’s family in celebration of his graduation from college. When the rest of his family returns to the states, K and I will spend another week exploring the beautifully green postcard-ready viewsof Ireland. Already on the itinerary: a visit to Galway City, Connemara, and hopefully a few more destinations close by. We plan to hike through the Cliffs of Moher, check out the art museums, hop on board a ‘ukulele bus’ and be lead through the woods of the countryside by donkeys. If you have any suggestions of sights, restaurants, pubs, or anything else that cannot be skipped- please let me know in the comments section!

all photos via my instagram (@keeksevans)

start of summer

May 16, 2013 by Kirsten

Now that our Aurora’s have been awoken for the last time (for this season, at least), it’s time to start enjoying summer. Luckily, we’ve been graced with some beautiful weather so far! A few friends and I decided to spontaneously head to my family’s beach house in York, Maine for a few days of much needed R & R (read: cheese plates, cocktails, long walks and early bedtimes). We had SO much fun and can’t wait to go back! Highlights of the trip? The invention of our own new drink (vodka, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, seltzer and basil…my mouth is watering already), and our courageous rescue of this baby duck we found on the side of a busy road. He was equal parts cold, scared, adorable and fuzzy, so I scooped him up, carried him to a nearby pond and set him into the water to find his parents (who were swimming confusedly just a short distance away).

Hope you’re doing okay out there, Ducklass! (Yes, I named him. We bonded, okay?!)

dog days

August 26, 2012 by Kirsten

{A few photos from my instagram that have defined August thus far}

For me, these past few weeks have been bittersweet. On one hand I am ready to get back into my regular routine and have a schedule again, but on the other hand, the beginning of fall means a whole lot less sleeping in, rarer beach days and my favorite cousin/best friend leaving to study abroad in Rome for a whole 4 months! But, just as boots and scarves make up for a lack of beach trips, there is a silver lining: her educational enlightenment creates the perfect excuse for me to take a trip to Italy, where leather bags and boots are plentiful! Until then, I’ll be clinging on to my canvas beach bag and flip flops as I absorb the last of those beautiful summer sunsets.

lately i’m loving…

August 22, 2012 by Kirsten

{new silky soft pj set from victoria’s secret}

As summer winds down, (can you believe September starts at the end of next week?!), I find myself strategically looking for ways to distract myself from the impending termination of my favorite season. Most of these summer-extending techniques include relishing in the wonders that June, July and August have brought me, and clinging on to these things, both physically and mentally, as long as my iced tea-clutching hands can cling. I hereby proclaim that until my tan completely fades, summer will live on! Who’s with me?!

And until then, I will continue to enjoy some of my favorite things I’ve collected this summer…{my collection of delicate earrings- all purchased on Nantucket}{the most AMAZING go-to shirt. ever. seriously, perfect fit on everyone and works for every occasion. & i snagged it on sale at anthro!}{upcycled cliquot bottle as a bracelet holder}{my secret collection of perfume samples from Nordstrom- right now I’m loving Viktor&Rolfe Flowerbomb, Hanae Mori #7, and Marc Jacobs Dot}{an antique print i picked up at the brimfield flea market (anyone else going to the next round in september?)}

xoxo

Setting The Barre

Tag Archives: summer