the taste of summer sweetness.

my summer came late this year. 'twas a pity, but alas, i now have the "taste of summer sweetness on my lips" (streetcorner symphony - rob thomas). and boy is it sweet. i went on quite the hike up McGee Canyon the other day with my buddy Brent and my precious dog Lydia. it was a delight to dirty up my sneakers and converse with a long-time friend. i am seriously spoiled to have lived in such beautiful places. it has been far to long since i got the chance to get into the wild. surprising i love it. (i say surprisingly because most of you know me as the clean-cut, santa barbaran who loves dining out, gallery openings and GQ. but lest you forget, I was a mountain-kid first.) while i do love my high-speed internet and nordstrom's, i am a sucker for the quiet of the sierras. for the slow-paced culture. the bright, twinkling stars. and the view of the mountains and crowley lake from my room. there is something so sweet about summer and fall in the sierras. a sweetness i have missed while in santa barbara. as you can imagine, we have all four seasons here. something that doesn't exist in sb. 'course the perpetual seventy degree temperatures are by no means something to complain about. but i do love the changing seasons. (and you all know i love change). it is something to look forward to. something to break-up the routine, the monotony. and of course, with the seasons, comes photo ops a-plenty and decadent dishes a-plenty. i have a martha steward cookbook that is organized by seasons, and i love it. ingenious.

i was chit-chatting with my sista the other day and she was saying that september is her favorite month. i said, "of course it is. you were born in september and were married in september. and you love that country song with the line: "it was labor weekend and i was seventeen, bought a coke and some gasoline and i drove out to the county fair..." we laughed. and then i agreed. tis such a delightful month. september marked the end of summer and the start of autumn. the leaves change color and the thermometer changes its readings.

and of course, it involves the tri-county fair in the one-and-only town of Bishop, California. haha. i have not been able to go since i started westmont because it always falls on labor day weekend which is just a short week after classes starts. i have missed and am enthused about getting to this year. my family and i bought the all-fair pass. this means we will be there every day for the next five days. my sister and brother-in-law are the seasoned veteran all-fair attendees, so i am new to this gig. i am thrilled. i will be sure to post some photos and tale from the Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fair next week. i am sure you will get a kick out of 'em.