It's already starting to feel like autumn here in Washington, D.C. The air is clearer, the sun a different kind of gold, and the nights are getting cool.
But a mere two weeks ago -- two weeks! -- we were sitting on the beach, drinking cocktails (like the Big Gulp Aperol Spritz pictured above, a favorite libation of ours over the past few months). Oh summer, we already miss you.
We wanted to share some shots from our summer. Some of these are exciting; some mundane. But they added up to a wonderful summer for us.
Come along with us!
Way back in June, we went with a group of friends to Costa Rica, to celebrate our friend Trevor's birthday. The house we rented was, well, incredible. (YOU SHOULD GO TO COSTA RICA!) That's the pool at the house above. We also did a day of "canyoning" -- ziplining, hiking, repelling down waterfalls. It was so much fun!
Uh, also, monkeys terrorized the house morning and night. Okay, not "terrorized," but they did come right up to the house and shake mangos out of the trees to eat. And don't get us started on the howler monkeys at night. ::shudder::
Sunset in Costa Rica.
Zach got a freelance travel-writing gig in Williamsburg, Va., so we went there for a weekend in June. Did we take any photos of colonial homes or the beautifully restored 18th century buildings? No. Did we go have lunch at the famous Peter Chang's and order an obscene amount of incredible Chinese food including these huge airy pillowy scallion pancakes? Maybe.
The entire summer was unusually cool and beautiful. We ate dinner in our backyard many nights, even into July and August, which is unheard of in D.C. This is a shot from one backyard dinner -- fancied up with sweet little flowers from our CSA and a handmade wooden vase Zach's mom sent us.
One lazy Sunday morning, we walked over to a newish bar called Mockingbird Hill -- in the mornings, it serves amazing (non-alcoholic) coffee drinks. We had a coffee-and-tonic and a coffee-and-cola. They were delicious!
This summer, the National Building Museum constructed a huge human-size maze in their atrium. We had fun getting lost.
Vacation is a time to eat whatever you want. Case in point, this Red Dragon cheese, a sharp Welsh cheddar which is made with ale and studded with mustard seeds. We found it in a gourmet wine and snack shop while on vacation in Provincetown, Mass., in early August. We bought this hunk of cheese, intending for it to be a pre-dinner nosh for our large group of friends we were sharing a house with. Did that happen? No. We pretty much ate the entire block just the two of us. Viva vacation!
Here's a shot of us in Provincetown.
How much do we love summer cooking?
...and also necatrines??
In August, our CSA farm, just outside D.C., hosted a tomato-focused farm dinner. It was a beautiful night of delicious food!
Another week, another beach. We were so lucky to get to go to four (!) different beaches this summer. (Pro tip: Befriend people with access to beach houses.) We spent Labor Day week on the Outer Banks with a few friends. The sunsets in this patch of North Carolina are always so beautiful.
While at the Outer Banks, our friend Drew got a hankering for a peanut butter cheesecake. Well, it's his family's house, so making one was the least we could do. We used this recipe and IT WAS GLORIOUS.
North Carolina no-sauce barbecue, with beans, collards, and slaw. Gooooood eatin'.
Finally, we'll leave you with two photos of clouds. The first is some skywriting we saw at the beach one day. The second is of some beautiful clouds looking awfully autumnal -- shades of great things to come this fall.
Where did adventures take you this summer? Did you eat something that was especially memorable? We'd love to hear about it.
~ Zach & Clay
