Gypsy

My blog got a facelift! I figured after a year it was time to change things up. Chloe's back in NYC! Since she's never been, we decided to go to Coney Island yesterday and act like kids. I did my usual Coney Island activities - massive beer, multiple hot dogs, the occasional ride. We also went to the beach. In the past I've gone too early or late in the year to have swimming be anything but an unrealized double-dog dare. I couldn't believe how pleasant the swimming was, despite not being a very beachy day. I wore this awesome kimono that gypsy-fies anything you put it over. Seems like summer is ending just as I'd hoped!

Beach bum

After a few days in Paris, Ella and I took the train through the French countryside to Nice. Our train whizzed past fields of lavender and sunflowers as we headed toward the coast. We arrived around dinnertime, but it stays light late in France. We checked in, dropped our bags and headed to the beach. Our feet tried to navigate the rocky beach and we jumped into the turquoise water. The water in Nice is so salty that it takes no effort to float. After our swim, we went out for fresh seafood and a drink. We met a bartender, Edwardo - a Portuguese man who was as amused at us as we were infatuated with him. He suggested a few places to go out. We went to a British pub and then to a bar that had live bands playing covers of American songs. Ella and I danced our butts off to David Burne, the Eurythmics, all "parent classic rock" as I deemed it (you would have loved it mom!) The shots were cheap and the walls were covered in guitars and classic records. We stayed out late and when we got back towards home decided to take a dip in the ocean before we bed.

The day we sunned our bodies like lizards on the rocky beach. We had no interest in doing anything other than being bum, bum, bums. We were supposed to meet up with one of my friends from New York who was traveling in Nice at the same time, but through the lack of phones it proved impossible. Long after we had given up on meeting her on the beach, we ran into her just as we were about to leave. We made a plan before we parted ways to de-salt and change. We stopped by to talk to our favorite bartender and then met up with Emily for tapas, then went to a hostel bar for cheap drinks. Ella and I were playing a drinking game called bottle hockey when two Chileans asked to join us. We bonded over the game and spent of the night talking, drinking and yelling "GOOOAALLLLL" (they had a clear advantage). We went out to a bar with live music for drinks, hip-dancing and lots of dips. We danced into the wee hours of the morning, my mind not wanting to stop but my body refusing to continue. As our custom had become, we went for a pre-bed swim. We crawled into bed just before the sun came up.

On our last full day we thought we would go out and see some of the sights, but all we could bring ourselves to do was lay out on the beach. We had a giggle-fit that lasted about three hours, luckily in the privacy of our room. Between the lack of sleep and too much sun, we found everything funny and couldn't even attempt to stifle the giggles that were definitely annoying to anyone in earshot. For dinner we went to a place recommended by Edwardo, which served insane portion sizes - probably the size of kiddie pools...though that may be a BIT of an exaggeration. It was definitely the best food we had in Nice. After that we had to say goodbye to our place by the sea and head back to NYC! Though I will miss France, it's always nice to come back to familiar faces.

Heatwave

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. It's always filled with hanging outdoors, barbecues, warm weather, hot dogs and all things America. It is also Natalie's birthday, which always adds another reason for celebration. We lit off little fireworks that we found in a box in the attic and ran around the yard with sparklers. The following day we packed too many people in Natalie's van and drove to the beach. The car felt like it was going to break down the entire time I was driving down the highway and the air conditioning was broken. It just meant driving with the windows down and the music blasting. At the beach we made Manuel into a mermaid (how beautiful is he?), spent time soaking in the sun and cooling off in the waves. Sitting in the backseat on the drive home and having our bodies touching at every possible point was so hot, the only relief was pressing my face close to the open window. There is a heatwave that has been making the days unbearably hot, but the nights are pleasantly warm.

Coney Island Photo Diary