kelsey

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[kalexsmith]

[kalexsmith]

This business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself - how alive am I willing to be? -- Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird

[kalexsmith]

Handmade udon, maki rolls, and an amazing soy-sesame-ginger sauce. One of our most unique and delicious meals in Paris.

[kalexsmith]

The views at Etretrat are just as breathtaking as promised. Pure blue waters, pebbled beaches, and elegant white cliff arches. (at Étretat, Normandie)

[kalexsmith]

A breakfast of champions: eggs, arepas dulces, pancakes, 4 types of marmalade, 3 types of juice, and coffee of course.

[kalexsmith]

"She had never imagined that curiosity was one of the many masks of love." Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Photo by @edizquierdo

[kalexsmith]

Breton crepes with Basque ingredients and a cold cider for our last dinner in Bayonne.

[kalexsmith]

Gorge du Verdon. We white water kayaked down the gorge in these little inflatable rafts. Neither of us flipped - Eduardo was disappointed. (at Gorge Du Verdon)

[kalexsmith]

Picnicking in Beaune. #picnic #outdoors #france #tourdefrance #vinyard

[kalexsmith]

Lunch at the apartment. (at Rue du Faubourg du Temple)

[kalexsmith]

At the top of Montmartre. (at Montmartre)

[kalexsmith]

Une biere au Cafe St Regis. (at Cafe St. Regis, Ile Saint-Louis, Paris)

[kalexsmith]

Au revoir Paris!

[kalexsmith]

Soon, we'll be traveling around France for a month. We'll stay the first days in Paris then rent a car and travel the coasts. I've filled my iPad with audiobooks for the plane and car rides. Any suggestions of a place you know and liked? Or even just a neighborhood that you think we might enjoy? Something cozy, picturesque, bohemian, artsy, romantic? Recommendations welcome.

[kalexsmith]

Familia Woodstock, NY Christmas 2013

[kalexsmith]

Links I'm loving

Recipes for travel

Cherry ginger cacao bites from The Year in Food Salad dressings

Cherry tomato vinaigrette from BA Lemon anchovy vinaigrette from BA Rhubarb and Strawberries!

Almond breakfast cakes by The Year in Food Baked almond pancake with strawberries by The Year in Food Rhubarb cornmeal crumb cake by BA Vanilla bean millet porridge by The First Mess Coconut blu-barb ice cream by Dolly and Oatmeal Summer eats

Socca pizza with summer squash by Cookie and Kate Sweet potato and lentil gnocchi by London Bakes France preparation

Ode to the classic bistro by The NYT Various 36 hours articles on Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Paris, Cannes, and Montpellier

[kalexsmith]

A room of my own

The room of my own will have a big, illuminating window that frames my desk. The desk will be old, heavy, and powerful with a little lamp in the upper right corner only to be used after sunset or on rainy days. The room of my own will be filled with plants to bring nature into the space - as all good work is done in nature. The room of my own will have wooden floors worn smooth from afternoons spent pacing over ideas. And the room of my own will have two deeply cushioned chairs - one for working, the other for reading. The room of my own will be quiet, fresh, organized. But will also be inviting, warm, and homey. The room of my own will be a space for refuge, for learning, for self. A place for productivity, for reflection, and for thought. It will be yearned for each morning after breakfast, each night after dinner, and all times in between.