Soft Summer Evenings

This screen porch is the spot for soft, summer evenings. It is shielded from the neighbors by hydrangea, lilac, and blackberry bushes. It's the perfect place to strum the guitar and sing a little tune; or, to practice mindful listening by focusing on one bird call and then another. It reminds me of the summer nights of my Omaha childhood, night breezes orchestrated by crickets and katydids, sitting on a still-warm cement porch stoop. 

It's the perfect place to enjoy a blackberry lime frozen yogurt pop. Made with blackberries that grow on the bushes right outside of this porch. 

There are moments, small and quiet, that are everything. They are moments when my gratefulness hums through my body, when I am acutely aware of being alive in a beautiful place.

Blackberry Bonanza and Blackberry Cheesecake Galette!

Look at these blackberries! This warmer, drier summer actually seemed beneficial to them. I love blackberries. They are dark and sweet and their seeds don't annoy me as much as raspberry seeds. My husband likes to freeze them to eat all winter. That's okay with me, but I wanted to celebrate these beauties. My friend, Dodi, and I decided to try this recipe from Deb Perelman's Smittenkitchen.com. She said it tastes like a cheese danish, and I agree. 

One of my great cooking challenges is making pie crust. Just. Cannot. Usually. Get. It. Right. This crust was different and easy, and making it in a cheesecake pan worked well. 

I followed Deb's recipe to the letter, except that I didn't have any pistachios. This recipe uses lime rather than lemon. I like lime with most fruits. I especially like it with blackberries. Look at this glorious creature!

Yes, I know the crust is a bit of a mess, however it was tricky to fold it over in the high-walled, spring-form pan with the liquidy filling.  It proves looks aren't everything : )

It tastes every bit as good as it looks. Make it!

Calm

My Maineiac mind has been a bit roiled, of late. The political landscape is unsettling, our state's Governor just will not act civilly, and work has been busy this summer. The latter is unusual, as I tend to see fewer clients this season. Anyhow, we realized that a good chunk of the summer has gone by, and we have not made it to our favorite kayaking spot off of Deer Isle/Stonington. The weekend was going to be cloudy, but we decided to make a go for it. I was worried that my pics wouldn't come out well with these skies. Boy, was I wrong. Between the carpet of clouds and my new wide-angle lens, the sky in these pictures is stunning. Don't you agree?

The sea was so calm. We were able to cover much more ground and circle islands that usually have spots that can be a bit treacherous with some wind and waves. With every soft paddle-stroke, my body relaxed. The briny air and the smell of the rosa rugosa growing on the edges between spruce and pine trees and the granite rocks was intoxicating. I kept inhaling deeply, trying to lock in the memory of it. 

This place is my healer. Hopefully, you can get a little feeling of it from these photos. 

Now, on to the second half of summer.