Life in the Trees

Still not feeling 100% percent today so my mind is on escape~ escape from discomfort, escape from normal life. What better place to want to escape to than a tree house, where you can live out childhood fantasies and feel as joyous as a kid again? These three houses make me want to scamper off to the woods and live for awhile in the middle of nowhere. Doesn't that sound wonderful and uncomplicated?  

But wait.... these places have Wifi right? 

ps- I must be the only human being to have gained weight after having not eaten for three days. I was on a liquid diet in the hospital yet I am suspiciously pudgier. What was in those fluids they dripped into my arm, bag by bag? Liquid cupcake? Jeez. 

"I'd rather live in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth." 

-Steve McQueen

More Dreamy Light

A few weeks ago I posted photographs I had been collecting along the way, all bookmarked because of the striking beauty of the light in them. I have found more to love and share. You know that saying, do something everyday that makes you happy? Looking at these does that for me. They also make me itch to take that photography class that was my New Years resolution/promise to myself nine long months ago. Maybe soon....

(Photos via Paper Tissue)

Passenger Seat

I roll the window down and then begin to breathe in

The darkest country road and the strong scent of evergreen

From the passenger seat as you are driving me home.

Then looking upwards I strain my eyes and try

To tell the difference between shooting stars and satellites

From the passenger seat as you are driving me home.

Do they collide? I ask and you smile

With my feet on the dash the world doesn't matter.

When you feel embarrassed I'll be your pride,

When you need directions then I'll be the guide,

For all time

For all time. 

-Passenger Seat, Death Cab for Cutie

You know how sometimes one small thing can trigger an especially wonderful memory or evoke something you love that has been buried in your mind? Every time I drive down a particularly lush, tree lined street or even just look at an image of such a thing I immediately think of this ridiculously lovely song. It is the simplest of love songs but I think I adore it so much because of its very simplicity. I can always imagine myself and that someone else driving in the dark through an alley of trees that you can just see through above, see through to the stars. I bought the above photograph because of this very song and every time I look at the beautiful image, it makes me happy. I am building my photography collection and soon I will have a gallery wall full of images that make me as happy as this! 

PS- Listen to this breathtaking song (or watch this). I highly recommend it. 

And congratulations to my huge crush Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie on getting married this past weekend to the adorable Zooey Deschanel (my girl crush from 500 Days of Summer). 

Buy Tunnel of Trees yourself here. 

Hello, Fall

Hello, Fall. I'm so excited to see you. I can't wait to feel your chill so that I can wear my favourite cozy sweaters again. I can't wait to dig my coats out of my hall closet, where they have languished under garment bags for months. I can't wait to buy a cute hat for those thrillingly rainy days. I can't wait to crunch through fallen leaves scattering the sidewalks of the city. 

Oh Fall, welcome to my life. 

Dreamy Light

p.s - As I wandered through the painting gallery (see post below), taking in the pretty landscapes, it occurred to me that everything I really loved involved either a beautiful sky or soft, dreamy light. Just as in painting, many of the photographs I bookmark for this blog have that same ethereal quality. I think I find it soothing and sweet and that nature is bestowing us with a lovely secret or a spontaneous gift when things are so irresistibly beautiful. A few photographs of dreamy light that give me goose bumps... just because it's raining again, and though I love it, this is prettier. xoxo

(Photos via Paper Tissue)

Hello September

I know, I know, it's still officially summer for several more weeks and, trust me, I fully intend to take advantage of the last vestiges of seasonal warmth, patio opportunities and skirt wearing before I break out the tights and boots. But September has arrived (insert squeal here)! I'm sure you summer lovers are cursing my name but look at the photo above~ how can you not love that? 

June, July, August~ see you next year! xo

(Photos via Paper Tissue)

Smile of the Day

I had tears running down my face when I stumbled across this video yesterday on yahoo. Do your cold cold heart a favour and watch it. You will be glad you did. It is literally impossible not to smile. Really, just click here. Now. You're welcome.

xo, Ally

A Fireball Sky

On Saturday afternoon I got dressed for work as usual, grabbed my handbag and headed downtown. It was an impossibly muggy day and I clutched onto my iced coffee (or rather iced soy toffee nut latte, thank you very much) for dear life. The afternoon could be summed up in two words (as my friend Nicole likes to succinctly say): mustache sweat. Yeah. I know. The sky was clear as a bell and being in the restaurant was like working in a sauna. Powder was my new best friend. 

Around 7pm, from seemingly nowhere, the sky appeared dark. Clouds had rolled into the city in what seemed like minutes. Before I could even see a drop of rain there was the ominous growl of thunder in the distance. Not exactly what 100,000 or so people had counted on for a night of fireworks in English Bay, but hey, it's billed as rain or shine for a reason. After all, this is Vancouver, where the weather changes as quickly as Lindsay Lohan's relationship status. I'm not exactly sure when monsoon season here commenced but on Saturday it was in full force. The streets (and our poor little terrace) were awash in a matter of seconds. Lightening and thunder were nature's rock band~ noisy and rhythmic. To my delight the air temperature plummeted dramatically~ I was comfortable again! 

And then it happened. I suddenly noticed several co-workers lingering on the terrace, leaning over the balcony and staring at the sky. Puzzled, I wondered what the big deal was. Anyone who had gone out to peek seemed to come back inside with eyes that were slightly....googly. Amazed and pleasantly glazed over, silly smiles on their faces. Never one to ignore my curiousity I waded through the puddles, stuck my head into the rain and looked. Wet bangs be damned, it certainly was a sight to behold~ one I'd never seen before and yet one I fervently hope to see again. The sky was a fireball of orange. Not just a streak of orange sunset in the distance. I'm talking the entire sky itself was the colour of flame. We may as well have been on Mars. It was breathtaking, intense and magical~ and yet these words don't do it justice. 

Only pictures can capture what the night was like (enjoy these~ stolen shamelessly by various friends on Facebook). I can't look at them without getting goose bumps. It was a night not soon forgotten as I once again bow down to the beauty of nature and everything our world gives us. And if you ask me it was a far better show than any display of fireworks could ever hope to be!

(Photo 2 courtesy of Tiffany Fournier, Photo 3 courtesy of Chris Norwood, Photo 4 courtesy of Kai Wong~ thank you!)

Happiness

A perfect summer's day today. This week I can't wait to spend afternoons reading on the beach, grocery shopping on Granville Island, lazy lunches and puppy walking with friends, sleeping late, seeing Harry Potter and work on getting some of those freckles back! I feel like I haven't been outside in ages and I fully intend on making up for lost time in the upcoming days! Life seems so sweet right now and I don't want to jinx it, but it's wonderful to feel so fully happy. It makes me want to jump around!

Today's Smile

Yesterday I had a wonderfully girly day with my friend Erika. After brunch at Pastis we made our way back into my neighbourhood to head to our visit at Blo (more on that later). We parked a few blocks away (darn you, Vancouver, and your ridiculous permit system, I shake my fist at you!) and as we were meandering back to Hemlock Street we could see people in groups standing all around the place and hear the most strange and desperate of wails just down the block. As we hesitantly approached we could see a mama raccoon (yes, in broad daylight) trying in vain to get her two frightened babies to cross the road. The babies were loath to cooperate and were hiding under cars and darting back into bushes to hide. Mama Raccoon was crying loudly (easily one of the most heart wrenching sounds I have ever heard), trying again and again to corral her terrified babies to safety and, inevitably, sleep. Everyone was mesmerized, watching this vision of nature in the middle of the city. I was terrified the little family would be confronted with the cars whizzing through the neighbourhood and had dialled 411 to get through to the SPCA when Mama picked up one baby in her mouth and basically shunted the other baby across the street and into a thicket of bushes where, assumedly, their den awaited them. Their cries quickly quietened and the clumps of fascinated bystanders began to dissipate. Erika and I moved on as well, but deeply touched by this sweet familial tableau in an otherwise normal day. To see the sweetness of these beautiful creatures still brings a smile to my face today.