However, I have these Summer photos already uploaded to the blog — and if I hadn’t been waylaid by some cancelled trains needing to be rebooked (resulting in new routes through different cities, requiring new hotel reservations — Che cavolo!), I’d have posted it before the day I had to wear tights with my sneakers because it would be too cold walking home after dinner in bare legs. . . .
As it is, perhaps you might at least pretend enthusiasm for these photos of sights I saw on summer walks and photos of What I Wore while summer-walking. . . Mi dispiace, Sorry. . . . (But then again, this afternoon, on the elegiac last day of summer ’23, the sun shone beautifully, and I was too warm walking in sweats and an old lightweight cashmere V-neck. . . )
First up, a newly commissioned sculpture / public art in the beautifully landscaped little park next to an innovative new office building downtown. It took considerable sleuthing for me to discover the name of the artist as there was no plaque visible on my last two visits — but it’s by Cowichan/Syilx First Nations artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.
A playful and powerful piece that uses traditional elements of Pacific Northwest indigenous art (formlines, cedar) together with contemporary materials that seem (to me, at least) to allude to other traditional elements — feathers, abalone shells. . . Set against the downtown towers, it’s striking and provocative. And also, well, Fun!
You know I’m going to sneak a few OOTD pics in — packing these summer linens away this week, before we travel, but the sneakers aren’t done yet for the year. . . .
Another angle on that sculpture . . .
More linens, another day . . .
Another perspective on that sculpture, evoking a vestigial sense of forest, of what was here before these monolithic buildings. . .
And below, What I Wore to Italian class last week, White worn — gasp! — after Labour Day. . . with purple . . . (that skirt is now tucked away for the season though). . .
The same white T (from OOTD above) and the purple pleated skirt that is coming to Italy (and to Paris!) with me next week. It’s been folded and pushed into a compression packing cube, left there for a day or two, and pulled out to see that the pleats stay relatively wrinkle free and recognizable as pleats. (recycled polyester, Eileen Fisher, 5 or 6 years old). I LOVE wearing it with my purple sneakers. . .
Just a few more photos of Summer Sights that Made Me Smile:
Even after the autumn rains set in (our weather forecast shows a week of grey and possible wet ahead), this neighbourhood building will bring the sunshine, with its new mural by Victoria Sieczka, painted for this year’s Vancouver Mural Festival.
Nipping down a back lane a few days later, I spotted another VMF mural in the making by Alex Stewart — See more photos of the process for this mural here . . . and some gorgeous shots of the way it wraps the new building.
The mural is called Vibrance Overgrown. Here’s the plaque with the artist’s “mission statement” for it.
Nature’s vibrance is cultivated a few blocks away by a gardener with a portable visual . . .
I had to stop and snap a photo for you, of course, and share this lovely quotation: “Garden-making is the slowest of the performing arts.” It’s good, no? I hadn’t heard of “Mac Griswold, Garden Historian” before seeing this sign (I suspect some of you will have and have probably read her work), but now I’ve added some of her books to my To Be Read list.
Speaking of my TBR list, you might find some titles to add to yours in my last post and/or in the comments section. I always enjoy our book conversaations and would love to have you pop by there if you haven’t already. . .
Okay, that’s it for Summer ’23 on this blog, although apparently it has a few hours left here (11:50 p.m. Pacific time). Next post will be coming to you from a new season. Are you ready for it? Have you been spending time there already for weeks? I made bread today and a big batch of soup in acknowledgement (and as a distraction and calm-restorer against the flooded tracks and national scioperi!). Peeled and sliced apples from our trees, freezing the slices for future pies and crisps when we come back home in November . . . Hard to imagine November today, but it will arrive quickly. . .
Enough blathering from me. Please let me know what you’re up to this first fall weekend; maybe tell me what the transition looks like where you are; maybe tell me what fall foods you’ve been waiting to enjoy, what sweaters you’ve pulled out of that box under your bed. . . Let’s chat. . . .
xo,
f
How did you know I store my out of season sweaters in a storage box under my bed? Seriously, it’s been hard trying to figure out what the weather will be in another week when we, hopefully, will be in Italy. Here in the Mid-Atlantic region, it’s been cool, requiring a sweatshirt, in the morning and then in the 80´s (Fahrenheit) by the afternoon. I’m ready for autumn but will certainly miss summer. Have a great weekend !
Author
Well, that’s where I store my sweaters, so . . . 😉
We’ll be in Italy at the same time! I’ll be curious to follow your itinerary on IG!
And I, yours ! Hope the weather is good.
Author
Incrociamo le dita!
So nice to see you in your outfits!
I like the combination of colours and texture.
Glimpsing that First Nations artist’s work and sharing it here reminds me that public art is a relatively new thing that municipalities are funding.
We never had this kind of Art other than the occasional commemorative statue. I notice new pieces of art wherever I go and really appreciate it.
Hope you enjoy your weekend and packing!
Leslie
Author
Thanks Leslie! I’m always a bit shy about posting the outfits, so appreciate the encouragement.
I feel the same way about this kind of public art — it not only makes our environments more lively and pleasing, but also provides work for artists and engages us all in thinking about whatever subject the art is addressing. Those commemorative statues of old tended to reinforce and insist on certain values and narratives without much acknowledgement of our diversity.
I loved seeing your apple harvest photo, btw — Happy Weekend!
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful photos and outfits. I particularly like that mustard-colored blouse with the circle scarf in the 4th photo. I just finished reading Kunstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine with my book club and we all enjoyed it very much, me because I saw many connections between various places and circumstances in the book and myself, which doesn’t happen all that often. Here is part of the blurb: “ Mamie was only eleven when the Künstlers escaped Vienna in 1939. They made their way, stunned and overwhelmed, to sunny, surreal Los Angeles where they joined a colony of distinguished Jewish musicians, writers and intellectuals also escaping Hitler. Now, faced with months of lockdown and a willing listener, Mamie begins to tell Julian (her grandson) the buried stories of her early years in Los Angeles….” I recommend it to you and your readers. Our weather in Northern California has not yet turned cool enough for warm sweaters, but it has cooled. The air is smoky from the fires, so we are going out as little as possible. Thank heaven for books and music!
Author
I’m glad you enjoyed the post — thanks for the encouragement!
Kunstlers in Paradise sounds interesting — and a very relevant reminder of the plight and the value of refugees.. . From your description, I think it would read well with Anthony Marra’s Mercury Pictures Presents, which I read a few months ago.
Thank heaven for books and music, indeed!! What would we do without them?!
I have just packed for a week in Croatia where the temperatures are meant to be high and warm so the autumn clothes are safely stored in the wardrobe for a few more days. However, I have been pulling them out, considering and pondering, added a few new items, frowned over some old pals who may not make the cut this year. Wishing you joy of your travels and the minimum of disruption.
The theme this year: all the browns and some greens.
Author
Which part of Croatia are you heading to? I’d love to get back there someday. . . Smart way for you to extend your summer (which arrived late, if I’m not mistaken).
All the browns and some greens — so still a nod to the autumnal even if the fabric/cut etc. is cooler for the higher temps. . . I seem to have ended up with navy and purple, not sure what that’s about, but . . .
We are in Split and the day has dawned hot and sunny. A very beautiful city. Mountains – I gaze for ages. Blue sea. A Roman palace. Cold beer, fresh gish. And ice cream.
Author
We loved Split. I have great memories of being there with our granddaughter (and her parents) when she was about two.
I am not ready for fall at all!
But,that doesn’t change anything,does it? Sandals and summer dresses have to go away…”Dear,dear…….and yesterday things went on just as usual” and today is cold and rainy
Beautiful art! I love when you share with us your walk finds and lovely walk attires
Dottoressa
Author
You’re absolutely right! It’s going to come whether we’re ready or not!
Thanks for the kind words — I remember walks with you in Zagreb finding beautiful art along the way! 😉
I’m reading in the morning. I set down my first cup of coffee, pulled a box from the top of the closet, and dressed in my warmest and most chunky sweater. Much better now. Yes, it’s damp and chilly, and rain expected to continue, good good good.
I got my first squash of the season this week. Destined for custard I think. Food prep and cooking day today. And there are apples to be dealt with, maybe applesauce. Soup. Kale chips. Some light pickling. Then I’ll be ready for the week! (and warm enough to trade this sweater for a tank top)
Sciopero! The word strikes fear into the heart doesn’t it? And always requires follow-up, because it could mean everything. or nothing. Italia. 🙂
Author
Rainy here today as well, although yesterday was the kind of day when sweaters get forgotten on the back of a chair in a restaurant, peeled off by the sun and forgotten until a chill sets in at dusk. . . . Wildfires not yet quenched here, and fish still gasping so we’ll take it and smile under our umbrellas and raincoat hoods.
Your kitchen will be so fragrant — the applesauce, the pickling vinegar, kale drying in the oven, the soup on the stove. . . squash custard? a pumpkin-y kind of squash? Mmmm. . .
Vancouver seems to have no end of beautiful and/or interesting things to see without even paying an entrance fee. I have been wearing my various pairs of white jeans these last weeks of summer, well past the Labor day cut off. who knows, if it’s warm enough this week they may even get a last outing. It is cooling off here though, especially the cool mornings. This weekend we are to have the remnants of a storm so may be sticking close to home for the next two days.
Author
Your comment is so interesting, Darby, because I would say that about other cities I visit, and don’t recognize it as readily about my own until I see what I post here. Showing my readers my city helps me see it better and appreciate it more. Thanks for your perception!
I love white jeans with a creamy off-white sweater in the winter — a cozy big Aran, maybe, or a plush cashmere, maybe in “mushrooom” or “light caramel”.
Enjoy the drama of those storm remnants through the window from a cozy room — with a good book!
I loved the way you gradually revealed the entirety of that sculpture! It was delightful to see each different aspect.
I must say to0 that the way you dress is very inspiring, original and an eye-opener for me. It’s never, ever boring! I am very taken by the mustard color, which I’ve always been afraid to wear myself but you’re giving me hope for more possibilities. Wondering how you choose colors and styles for yourself and whether you simply go with your own artistic eye.
Author
So glad you enjoyed that, Janie. The sculpture’s wonderfully placed so that it gives a very different impression depending on the perspective it’s viewed from.
And I appreciate your kind words about the way I dress — I’m always hesitant to share, so it’s nice to know that it helps others imagine their own possibilities. I never used to wear those mustard or ochre colours either, but I’ve liked them enough that I began to try ways to incorporate them and they’re better on me than I’d envisioned. As for your last question — I guess it’s a mix. We get to know what suits us in terms of colour, style, cut, etc., by this age, and then we find ways to let our personalities emerge in what we wear. . . And then our environments make a difference as well — I’m living in a vibrant part of a busy city, with a fairly young demographic, and I think that’s an influence as well. . Thanks for asking 😉
I am reading this on a cool cloudy morning in Corvallis, OR. Little signs of autumn have been showing up in the last week or so, with growing hints of the coming symphony of colorful leaves. I am trying to drink them in as deeply as possible. Our annual summer sojourn here (to spend time with our daughter’s family) will come to an end October 1st, when we start our drive back to Tucson. The grey skies feel like an apt reflection of my melancholy at leaving the little granddaughters—and this beautiful place!
On the other hand, I know that the endless rains that are heading here by tonight would probably drive me a bit batty. The desert in winter is quiet and beautiful. I’ll be fine at home after I am acclimated again to missing the daily contact with the girls that I have learned to live with since the first one was born in the summer of 2019.
Author
I know that feeling of leaving little ones behind — intensified for you because you get to see them daily throughout the summer months . . . But the PNW rains are surely descending now, at least it’s happening up here in Vancouver, BC! Seems to me you have a very good balance moving between the two places. Drive safely next week!
I’m trying to figure out how you tied your mustard circle scarf . It has a nice ‘ just thrown on look ‘ which isn’t easy to achieve . We are in Wales just now with long spells of serious rain . After 36 hours of bouncing stair rods of rain we set off to admire the local waterfalls . Spectacular they were too . The dog is abit fed up though – his mack is leaking .
I like the gardening quote .
Author
I looked at the photo again, closely, and it may just be that the scarf was “just thrown on”! 😉
I thought you’d like that quotation! It’s what you do, really . . . very slow performing art, takes years to appreciate!
Stay dry! (We’re entering some similar weather here and it’s making me a bit nervous about walking all day in Tuscany should we get a “bouncing stair rods of rain!”. . . . (which expression made me imagine “bouncing rain on steroids!”)
It, suddenly, became fall on Long Island today. Rains, winds, gale warnings and fleece are here.
Mac Griswold, by the way, was the author of the Long Island Reads pick in 2014. We held the event on the site of the manor which is the subject of her book, The Manor. It deals with the—previously mostly unexamined—history of a manor on Shelter Island which utilized enslaved persons in its agricultural production. It shed much light on an important but overlooked period in NY history. There is always much to learn about the beautiful world around us (and the ways in which humans have found to both improve and ruin it.)
Author
This happened here as well, this weekend — Rains and winds, with big concern about flooding because the soil is so dry after the drought and wildfires. . . Nature! Why does she have to be so dramatic?!
Of course you’ve read Mac Griswold’s writing! I’m going to make a point of reading at least one of hers, and The Manor appeals — I do like a well-written, well-researched cultural history, especially those that trouble received perspectives. . .
I too like the gardening quote, the wonderful new sculpture – very Pacific Northwest, to me, and especially the knobby skirt. We are evidently devoting the weekend to a “tropical cyclone” here on the US south east coast. So far just some very earnest rain, starting last night but not making huge puddles or flowing gutters, and it is chillier than anything tropical should be. However, many things are cancelled and we are urged to stay off the roads if possible, so we are making applesauce, cleaning fans before they are stored for the season, and who knows what else will appear to amuse us. The dog is trying out different napping spots from her summer cool tile floors, so there are transitional projects all around.
ceci
Author
Yikes, hope you got through that “tropical cyclone” unscathed. Don’t you love these descriptive labels for emerging weather phenomena? We’re currently under a “bomb cyclone” warning — it hasn’t hit us heavily here yet, although I think they’re having to hunker right down on parts of the island and further up our coast.
I like the dog’s evidence-based approach to the seasonal transition. I might adopt this. . . coziest napping spots should be mapped! 😉
Oh, that sculpture…it’s exquisite!
I’m still bouncing between cashmere and linen here, as mornings have turned quite chilly, but afternoons warm up quite a bit. I love how you’ve used and mixed textures in these outfits.
Happy travels!
Author
Thanks, Sue! I just checked your weather forecast, and I see you have a much wider range than we do — you’re fairly close to the temperatures we’ll see in Rome next week.
Love the sculpture, the quote, and the navy/mustard combination!
Author
Thanks, Genevieve. That seems to be a popular combo!
Hi Frances,
We’re currently in Puglia, and yesterday in Lecce I saw a sign for the Via Francigena, which immediately brought you to mind!
It has been very warm, 30C, but after a huge thunderstorm last night, it’s a beautiful cool and sunny morning in Alberobello. we’re on our way to Matera today, then Sicilia later in the week..la vita bella.
Looking forward to hearing about your successful walk
Jules
Author
Cool! The VF apparently goes from Rome to Bari, perhaps even further. . . I’m envious of your current situation because we didn’t get to Lecce or Alberobello when we were in Puglia 9 years ago, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get back to that area.. . . Enjoy Sicilia! (how could you not?!)
I so enjoy your love of urban art. I hope you have a wonderful trip.
Author
Thanks Lisa! I do love it! Art for all of us! 😉
Author
Thank you!
How delightful, the Mac Griswold gardening quote on the side of an older pickup located in a city filled with interesting flowers and urban art. Just perfect.
The skirt in the outfit you wore to Italian class is one of my favorites from your summer wardrobe. What caught my eye, besides how clever the outfit looks with the purple cape, is the texture on the soles of the runners you are wearing. The sole texture seems to mimick the texture in the skirt. Have a great upcoming trip and walk! Looking forward to the upcoming pictures and writings.
Author
I’d never noticed that about the texture of the runners’ soles echoing the skirt’s texture — well spotted, thank you!
Just back from holiday in Sweden and catching up. Standout outfit for me is the olive top and navy trousers – both shape and colour combination are so great. I realise that I always feel an initial micro-second of surprise when I see someone wearing a skirt, as I never wear them (don’t own one). It’s almost like a reverse moment of surprise that people apparently felt in the 1930s on seeing a woman wearing trousers! Looking forward to your Italian travels, partly as an antidote to end-of-holiday-itis!
I love the sculpture! Thank you for sharing it in great detail. That eye! That fin!
Vibrance Overgrown is also wonderful. I followed the link to see how it looks wrapped around the building. Mission accomplished!
I’ll be late to the transition from summer to winter clothing. I just don’t have time to open up closets and unpack. I have a trip to California in a couple of weeks and I’ll want warm weather clothes, so I’ve decided to delay my seasonal clothing move until after the trip. I always have enough things about to layer, so I’m using long sleeve shirts and pulling items from a bag of cotton or cotton/wool blend cardigans. Cashmere and corduroy will have to wait. I tend to run warm anyway, so layering works best for me. Last night, I put on socks for the first time (other than for exercise), but I’m back to no socks with my Birkenstocks in my house today.
Like you, I’ve set aside linen.
Good luck with your packing and planning. It sounds like an exciting time.