First of all, two weekends ago was the best weekend ever. Matt and I went on various adventures (including the Blue Springs trip with the manatees from a previous post), but it seemed that no matter where we ventured, a nature boner followed. No, I’m being serious here. Without bearing food of any kind, animals allowed us to get freakishly close to them and in some cases they even followed us. Which leads me to believe that a.) animals in Orlando are simply far more comfortable with (and overfed by) people than in any other city I’ve been to, or b.) we’re animal whisperers. I’m just going to choose to believe the latter because I’m in my little fantasy world and it’s loads of fun here!

Keep in mind that this all happened in one afternoon, within a span of maybe an hour…

Exhibit #1: The Farmers Market in Downtown Orlando

Exhibit #2: Walking around Lake Eola

Exhibit #3: Driving through a neighborhood in Thornton Park

Also, I like this photo!

All photographs shot by Matt Morris on either a Mamiya C3 TLR or a Nikkormat FTN.

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Via: http://www.madeinphoto.fr/

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I was ecstatic when Design Sponge alerted me that Angela Adams has posted a new nature-inspired collection that includes gorgeous hand-tufted wool rugs. I really like how she explains the muses behind each design (she notes everything from her grandmother’s kitchen table to “the glistening of light on water” to the leaves of her favorite plants). I found myself most drawn to the earth tones, but they’re all kind of charming. Check ‘em out:

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And while you’re at it, view the slide show to see some new furniture designs and rugs not yet for sale through the website. Specifically the Forest Floor rug and Sea Bird Sidecase. Eeeee!

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Makr Carry Goods designs lovely and ethically made wallets and bags. The lacy treasure below is my favorite piece.

According to the site, the artist is in the midst of designing a new line due out soon. In the meantime, be sure to check out the sale section of the site for some amazing finds like this!

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When it gets cold in Florida, the manatees head to Blue Springs by the dozens to keep warm. So that’s where we ventured to!

Lagoon!

The mama and the baaaaaaaby!

They showed off for us.

Gorgeous Blue Herons were everywhere as well.

One of the manatees had propeller scars all over it from bastard speed boaters

I found out what it feels like to be inside the belly of tree!

Some sorority chick got lost and ended up at the Springs in her puffy-painted pajama booty shorts.

Which in turn of made me think of “What What (in the Butt)”!

Oh, hello.

That we did, Blue Springs.

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My weekend was short but sweet. Maybe not as sweet as Wendy’s though (as expressed through her text message today)…

But I did manage to score a lovely $2 flowering kale plant from the farmers market to replace my poor lil orchid that the frost killed…

And I baked the best muffins I’ve ever tasted (via Smitten Kitchen)…

Rocked the best $1 thrift store skirt I found…

And I rode my bike and caught up on Parks & Recreation.

All in all, a win (and greater than Kenny G).

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While recently taking a walk on Park Ave. with my best girl Wendy, I saw two of the coolest (and weirdest) looking bikes I’d ever seen. They were really long (but not tandem-style), and one had a pimped-out setup that looked ideal for groceries (essentially a huge tupperware bin with a bench built into it) attached to the back, and the other had a high-tech child seat and storage area attached to it. I gawked for a few seconds, then looked to my left where I saw a friendly-looking couple, their two rosy-cheeked kids, and their adorable dog. Naturally, I started a conversation with them about how badass their bikes were, which turned into them telling me about a unique challenge they’ve committed to. They have been documenting this “adventure in car-light living from the land of urban sprawl” in their blog - 4 on a Quarter.

PC: Keri Caffery

Jesse and Angie Ross (and their two and five year old daughters) are attempting to live on just 25% of the national average for car miles (4,000 miles). And let me tell ya folks, in the city of Orlando, that’s a HUGE commitment. The majority of roads here, especially main roads, are not bike-friendly and very few have bike lanes. Like most mid to large sized cities in the US, drivers and cyclists have yet to find a harmonic balance.

I absolutely admire what the Ross family is doing, and their balls inspire me (perhaps I should use a word like “courage” or “initiative” or even “guts”? Nahhh!). But in all seriousness, when I moved to Orlando and almost immediately started The Downtown Orlando Bike Club (lovingly referred to as DOBC, which is currently in hibernation), I preached that drivers will never respect cyclists until cyclists respect drivers. And though most cyclists I know DO, some do not. Supporting things like ‘corking’ traffic (made popular by Critical Mass) - those are the kinds of things that piss drivers off most. They think “if we can’t do that why can they?” Talking about this reminds me of a story I heard on NPR that almost made me cry…here. That’s one of the reasons that I try to follow the laws of the road while on my bike. When the light is red, I stop (or at least yield if it’s not busy). And it sucks because I’ve been assaulted numerous times by vehicles while on my bike, and those experiences really make me want to say EFF THIS, but I can’t. For example, a friend and I once had an SUV pull up two feet behind us, rev their engine, and flash their brights and honk at us. I could smell their Ed Hardy cologne permeating from their disgusting car and imagined them fist-pumping the air while listening to their crap techno music (though I never turned around to actually confirm my suspicions). They thought this was necessary even though there were three OPEN lanes around us. It was horrifying and pissed us off to no end, and I remember having the urge to hock a loogie on their car, but I chose to take the high road. Because if I wouldn’t have, I’d just become part of the problem - the vicious cycle, if you will.

End rant. Back to Angie & Jesse! Their journey is great. Here are some photos of things I bet you never thought a family could do by bike:

Groceries!

Trick-or-treating!

Taking the Christmas tree home!

They’ve got the right idea.

PC: Keri Caffery

Follow their adventures: http://fouronaquarter.com

Read the great Op-Ed piece Angie wrote for the Orlando Sentinel about their decision to go car-light here.

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Viktor and Rolf’s spring 2010 runway collection at Paris Fashion Week: Insanely impractical? More than likely. Wildly interesting, thought-provoking, and inspiring? Tooooooooooootally.

And then there was the random absolutely wearable dress that I would rock any ‘ole day. Well, maybe not ANY, but most…

Love ‘em or hate ‘em - it sure is nice to see something this unusual on the runway that’s not flat-out fffffugly. If nothing else, a mighty inimitable conversation starter, yeah?

PhotoCred: www.coutorture.com

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Back in May, I posted a blog post about an Orlando-based artist named Plinio Pinto (look back by clicking here). He debuted two  portraits from his local art & music scene series last week in Thornton Park’s Latitude Zero Gallery. The painting of me was one of the debuts, along with one of my friend (and amazing musician), Matt Butcher.

I don’t think I was ready when that photo was taken…

If you’re in the Orlando area, the exhibit, Small Wonders, will be up through the end of the month - check it out! It’s a rad space, good people, and killer art.

Find more on the talented and wonderful Plinio Pinto on his blog here.

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I just love them. That is all.

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