#tahoehikes

It’s time for our Weekend Meanderings with Elizabeth and Juliet. I hope this holiday week has been a break and you’ve found some downtime. We were away for a few days up at our tiny cabin in Tahoe. I’ll share a little about that and a few other good things that popped in my head, so let’s start..

Ulla Johnson in AD

I know I shared Nancy Meyer’s California remodel from Architectural Digest last week (like everyone), but I wanted to recommend the July/August issue of the magazine as it has got so many unique and fun homes! This is a keeper issue if you can find it…Even the cover is so cute.

Ulla Johnson is one of my favorite designers and her Montauk home is lovely. She has collected cool objects from her world travels that figure prominently. Part of that comes from being the daughter of archeologists, and her mom also painted and collected folk costumes which influenced her. The house has a very Californian feel to me. I like the mix of natural elements and blending of light earth tones…

Ulla in one of her dresses. All the photos and more on the AD article.

Ulla’s clothing is gorgeous. Her shapes, details, and fabrics are especially pretty and unique. I own a blouse, but I have my eye on a few other things.

Some pieces of Ulla’s I love.. this blue blouse, Samara Dress, Cari Beach Dress, Nerissa Tunic and Sea View Straw Tote. More of her collection here. I know they are pricey, but they are gorgeous and I just had to share. I would splurge on one of these for a special event. You can also find her things on consignment occasionally or upcycled online!

Tahoe

We spent a few days at our little cabin in the west shore. Our cabin is small and in a very under the radar neighborhood which we love. It’s an old Tahoe kit cabin as are most of the cabins and there is a lot of open space and nature. It’s just good for the soul to get back to being in nature. I feel a big sigh when I’m up there breathing fresh air and having my coffee looking over the forest.

Our cabin needs some things and slowly we are getting to them. A big tree is dying and needs removing and we ordered new doors a few months ago. I can’t wait to have doors with half windows which will bring light in and update it. I also pitched some old rugs this weekend and added my Liberty bedding from the J. Crew x Liberty of London collection to our bedroom. I also simplified the kitchen open shelving, keeping only what we use.

I’m seriously considering painting the log walls of this cabin a soft white and keeping the ceilings and accents their natural wood. It would be an undertaking, but could brighten and update it a lot. Something like this.. ( Sorry can’t remember where this photo came from!)

We also want to move a hot tub, add a fire-pit and update windows, so stay tuned. We are doing this slowly and the more we use it, the more we know what we want there.

Tahoe Hikes

If you’re in Tahoe, there are so many trails to explore. My husband is a big hiker and last weekend we did two new ones with Jackson and his girlfriend Kristin. Though it was a holiday weekend neither trail had hardly anyone on them. Hiking is a great way to avoid crowds if you’re up there at a busy time.

The Gnome Trail is a fairly easy trail that starts from west shore. We brought snacks from the West Shore Market and had a tailgate lunch before setting off. We walked about a mile in until we got to the area with a little stream where the gnomes were all over, hanging from trees, tucked in branches and even a gnome wedding on the valley floor. A few kids were there and delighted to discover them all. You could spend some time finding all the gnomes!

The hike also passes through a beautiful meadow and some of the prettiest wildflowers are here.

Chickadee Ridge is less of a hike, more of a destination, but on the drive up the road you’ll pass some amazing panoramic overlooks to see the lake. If you park at the marked spot, you need to have downloaded the map to use GPS to walk up the hill in an unmarked trail to a ridge spot about a mile up where chickadees feed out of your hand. We brought bird seed from CVS, as that is all we had, but they prefer black seeds that are in the hull. Wear shoes that can take dirt and some to change into after.. We met a family that did this during the winter by snowshoeing in. It’s a popular spot to feed them in winter. Wouldn’t that be a fun winter day out and picnic idea?

Max promised me lunch afterwards at one of the best spots on the lake, Gar Woods. We usually make an online reservation in the morning the day we want to go as it can be a real scene in the summer. You can sit on the deck overlooking the lake, but it’s less crazy if you ask to sit upstairs where the views are better and it’s less crowded. It’s a quintessential Lake Tahoe experience and view and the food is good too. I loved watching the little boats from here. Many people boat over here for lunch from other spots on the lake…

You can see there was still some snow on the surrounding peaks..

Wimbledon

Well, things certainly have shaken out differently this year with the Wimbledon play, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the change the last two weeks and will be sad when it’s over. My favorite match so far was Thursday’s women’s semi-final between Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur and Germany’s Tatjana Maria. They played some of the most exciting tennis I’ve seen in years with a lot of net play and crazy points. It’s notable that both these women are remarkable. Tatjana is the first mother of two since Margaret Court in 1975, to reach the semis here. She is also 34 years old and one of only a few to reach it at that age. She gave birth to her second daughter in April last year is ranked 103 in the world.

She was beat by the number two Ons who is known for her kindness and is the first Arab woman, and first from Africa to reach a final at Wimbledon. After the match she made sure her friend got recognition for her Cinderella sweep to the semis. Both women are so inspiring and show kindness and toughness can go hand in hand. The message this week from Wimbledon is it’s never too late to see your dreams come true! I can’t wait for Saturday’s final with the adorable Ons, below right.

Wimbledon Spectator Style

I couldn’t let a year of Wimbledon pass without some mention of the spectator style which is almost as fun to watch as the matches. People dress so lovely and it’s fun to see the fashions- many preppy and tennis inspired, but mostly classic and lovely.

Princess Beatrice has my vote for favorite dress and Kate looked amazing in her blue polka dot and today in the final in a stunning yellow..

Some of the other celeb looks I liked..

Other cool things..

Vogue’s photographic diary of this year’s Wimbledon has some beautiful photos.

If you missed it, I did a post on travel and packing yesterday for this month’s Signature Style.

I bought this Serena & Lily gingham linen robe, on sale now, for summer and loving it ! Perfect weight and for travel and I love the pockets. they are also having their summer tent sale which is a green time to grab a lot of summer themed pieces for the home.

I loved Annie’s home office and she’s inspired me to print out all my favorite quotes for my own pin board!

I also thought Mary Ann’s office and Cindy’s were beautiful work spaces!

This 1973 t-shirt shows your support for Roe and five dollars is donated for each shirt sold to National Institute for Reproductive Health.

Well that’s my meanderings for this week. Please stop by Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs and see what’s on their minds this week..

PINECONES AND ACORNS

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

Thank you for being here. 

Kim

If you missed last week’s meanderings I shared Nancy Meyer’s home remodel, a day out in Danville, tennis fashions at Wimbledon and more.

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