Gray's " The Oldest General Store in the US", Adamsville, RI
Somewhere along the way we stopped writing posts but the adventures of course did not stop - in fact if anything life's adventures sped up.Some of our hiatus had to do with the fact that John transitioned from a full time studio job into a freelance photographer and part of it was navigating my own role in this process. We had no idea what freelance would mean long term for our life or finances but we both knew it was something that we absolutely had to pursue in order to feel fulfilled as humans.
Going freelance of course is ultimate freedom in theory ( you don't have that pesky 9-5 anymore) but it also means that the call for a job can come at any time. It truly means hitting the ground running and I love that John put this into practice when he accepted his first gig while we still were in Asheville ( for the very next day) .To make that work we drove all night,slept for a few hours at my parents house in CT and then he drove back to RI for the shoot. It certainly was intense but so worth it! Then of course there is actuality of making it all work. There's the meeting with a financial advisor (because we have never "adulted" before ) and taking care of things like a business license, keeping track of all mileage and expenses, chasing new work and of course the balancing act of keeping monetarily afloat.
The upside of course is the aforementioned freedom. When we first met John was working at an arts center for adults with special needs and I was a barista which meant we usually had afternoons together for bike rides, picnics, the beach....all those lovely outdoor activities. We then went through many years in between where we worked opposite schedules or I worked holidays/weekends and so our quality time was something we had to savor when we had it.Now we have days together again (and while it is an adjustment to get work done while co habitating ) we are getting closer to a routine of working in the morning and rewarding ourselves in the afternoon with an excursion.
This weekend started off with Seattle weather and I started to feel the cabin fever bleakness start to creep in.Miraculously the storm broke and we had the most gorgeous ( and much needed) sun filled afternoon. We set our sights on Westport where after a quick pit stop at Gray's market ( "the oldest general store in the US" and home to some pretty choice antiques) we picked up some delicious treats from Lee's market and had ourselves a good ol' country picnic.
Swallows in the air, baby bunnies poking out from the ferns, foxgloves and delightful local wine to sip on - it was the perfect setting for a camera lesson ( and for those of you who are camera people it's my first digital - a Fuji x100s) ! By late afternoon we were dehydrated and in need of the cool shores of Little Compton where the ocean was roaring in and the beach roses were sill in full bloom.
Me & You Sakonnet Point, Little Compton RI
To cap off the evening we stopped by our friends new home (which to anyone pining for their own dwelling could bring you to tears). A gorgeous house it has the feeling of a Wes Anderson set crossed with Edward Gory's garden - built in cabinets, hand stamped wall paper, reading nooks and the most incredible outdoor grape arbor strung with lights. An evening with beautiful friends, more delicious wine and fireflies in the air ,I can wholeheartedly say that I was filled with deep gratitude for such wonderful experiences.
The hostess at work