guess what the mailman is bringing?

For years, I've been talking about getting a good camera and setting my mind to learning it. For years, I've been putting it off as too daunting of a task.

Two days ago, I ordered it.

Tomorrow, it's coming in the mail.

I can't wait to look that shiny little Canon Rebel T4i square in the viewfinder. I'll have a lot to learn, but I'm ready to tackle a new adventure. I'm enjoying this very, very rare phase of life where I actually have some available mental space (what a novelty!). So, here goes: pestering my brother and other talented photographer friends with a steady stream of questions, accosting unsuspecting people to snap their portraits, letting the dinner get cold while I try to photograph it, and totally geeking out over one more thing. And I hope, too, that this will give me a new platform from which to engage a different set of people. I'm ready.

adventures in composing

Working on a piece for four violins to be performed at the end of the month...which means camping out at the piano all week. That's what I'm up to. Hello, coffee!

post-rain loveliness

We had this gigantic downpour earlier, and now our little creek actually looks like a full-fledged river.

If I could meet any living author for a chat over tea, it would be Annie Dillard. I would ask her to come to Atlanta and teach me how to explore my creek.

Now that the sun is out, our tire swing is in rare form, too. At least, I think so. (The dogwoods are just starting to turn; do you see?)

couscous stuffed red peppers

Thank you, epicurious.com, my FOOD GURU. Maybe an exaggeration, but...maybe not. Anyway, these were a bit hit. Recipe here.

campus in the fall

J and I went up to Covenant College last weekend to judge auditions for Mountain Affair, the large-scale, blowout extravaganza of a talent show that happens every fall. They put us up in the Alumni Room, which had enough floor space to do a full cartwheel and came equipped with granola bars, and then we woke up to the most perfect crisp morning on the mountain. It was one of those mornings when the sky is perfectly blue, and looking down on Chattanooga from the mountain perch, the city looks exactly like a foamy ocean. Sometimes it's just really good to be back on campus.

rosemary & strawberry shortbread

A house down the street and around the corner has the largest rosemary bush I have ever seen. As my rosemary garden amounts to a long-dead pile of woody bits protruding from an old pot, I covertly steal handfuls of rosemary from this unsuspecting neighbor's stash whenever J and I take walks. Then my hands and pockets are all full and sticky all the way home and I smell lovely, radiating that soapy, herby goodness. (Don't judge me. It's like stealing sand from the beach; there's so much of it, no one misses a handful.) Anyway, after one such walk, I was inspired to make rosemary shortbread. Lucky for us (and for Topher, who was over at the time), there was some heavy whipping cream in the fridge. And some strawberries. Hence: rosemary strawberry shortbread. Ta da!

Note #1: I realize that a little sprig of rosemary would have been more appropriate as a garnish than a mint leaf. But I used up my whole hoard of rosemary. And I was too lazy to walk the blocks to the neighbor's house. (I really need to re-plant my herb pots--one is full of rosemary and basil sticks, the other looks like a gigantic head of green hair--it's actually an overflowing mop of oregano.)

Note #2: Topher ate the entire batch. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he consumed a stick and a half of butter in one go.

rosemary and strawberry shortbread
(adapted from Gourmet magazine)

gather.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons mild honey
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling (optional)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
Sliced strawberries and rosemary sprigs for garnish

get to work.
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and rosemary in a bowl.
Mix together butter, honey, and confectioners sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed, then add flour mixture and mix until dough resembles coarse meal with some small butter lumps. Gather dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until it just comes together, about 8 times. Roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper, and cut out rounds. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown, 20-25 min. (Optional: sprinkle rounds with granulated sugar before baking.) Cool completely.
Whip cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Top shortbread with sliced strawberries and rosemary sprigs. Fatten up your friends (they probably need it).

san francisco bay

A few weeks ago, Jordan was in California, and he called me to tell me that he was looking at a really cool rainbow. I thought, "Oh, that was sweet of him to call me just for that." And then he emailed me this iPhone photo. And then I realized why he had called: this wasn't just any rainbow. It made the news as one of the most remarkable double rainbows California had ever seen. Tell me that's not the most beautiful thing you've seen all day.