Carrots, figs and lavenders.

On Wednesdays I always go to The Farmer's market. I looovelovelove this. The flavors, the colors, and everything is just so vibrant and ripe! It is absolutely fingerlicking awesome.

A few of my stables to get at Farmer's Markets are: raw cheddar, raw heavy cream, raw cultured butter, fresh figs, macadamias, dates, raisins, walnuts, blackberry preserves, tomatoes, carrots, sunflower sprouts, sugar snap peas, fresh eggs and lavenders.

I like lavenders. And sometimes sunflowers. It's like bringing the sun into your home.

I love that.

And of course I just had to make double dipped chocolate strawberries for tonight - so yummylicious!

Santa Monica Farmer's Market.

Like sunshine in your bedroom - so pretty!

Lavenders - I'll use them to make lavender infused sweet cream parfait with - simply raw heavy cream whipped til peaks form and then mixed with melted sugar-lavender brought to a boil over the stove and add in a couple fluffy yolks for good measure - in the freezer it goes, and 3 hours later pure decadence on your spoon!

It's BERRY season - love em with raw cream poured over in the morning!

And I used the strawberries to make double dipped chocolate goodness with!

The figs are for stuffing with buffalo mozzarella and wrapping in prosciutto,
a sprinkle of thyme, black pepper, flaked salt and a honey drizzle
- and then in the oven for 20 minutes! So good you better believe it!

Vibrant carrots for carrot-apple-ginger juice in the morning! Yum!

Love just eating thick chunks of raw cheddar with israeli cucumbers just like that!

The White Wash.

White wash of Portugal, GypsyTalesTM

Across rivers,

bridges and boulders

there's a place where time

stands still

if you listen closely

you can hear the whisper

so gentle; pulling you in 

the sound of silence

like parthenope wrapped in silk 

on the shores of naples

calling out your name

against the white wash

if you run fast enough

you can catch glimpse of moonshine

in the ebony black river

the coldness cutting into flesh

the fragility of our mortality

in the shadow of moonshine

is a space where no land exists

in the darkness of the soul.

things i love.

i love scars. i love the way they tell a story of things that have left an imprint in heart and soul. the boundaries that have been pushed. the chances we took. i love vermont summer rain kissing my shoulders on a humid june afternoon. i love feeling the sahara wind blowing through to my core. the penetrating silence. i love thunderstorms in the midst of the dry arizona desert. like a cry from the heavens above. i love the hot sand burning against my soles. feeling alive, free and vibrant. i love listening to the sound of the wind howling something i can't understand. yet somehow, some way the longing feels familiar. i love watching kids play carelessly and free in the tall grass. i love that moment someone decides to fly. that they've had enough of all the lies we live. no longer to be trapped by fake illusions. i love watching the lioness carrying her cub by the neck, gentle yet firm. i love feeling the rays of the sun caressing my soul. i love the way indian women wrap themselves in the colors of the rainbow. soft as silk. i love my coffee black as the lava of la gomera. strong, bold and intense. so smooth. i love the narrow alleys of napoli. the laundry hanging from the windows all around. i love the sea of smiles in myanmar. the small white rice balls sweet with coconutmilk. i love the warm soft waters of the caribbean. the turquoise blue and the swaying palm trees in the afternoonbreeze. that nothing matters yet everything does. i love the fragility of a kitten pressed against my chest. the rapid heartbeat. i love that something so small and frail allows itself to trust in a human being. trusting someone like you and me to take care of it... to always be there for it. i love the way lightning cuts through the rich, black sky over the savannah of kenya. i love that moment where we start from scratch. and then one more time all over again. i love seeing the passion in the eyes of street kids in marrakech. the zest for life. that there is something more. i love inhaling the spicy sweet aroma of a steamy hot chai on a cold autumn morning in the woods of sweden. i love picking crisp apples and making stewed cinnamon apples with whipped cream. i love boston when the leaves are changing to bright yellow and burning passion red. i love the sounds of birds chirping on those sweet mornings in southern carolina. i love awakening to the church bells in the countryside. i love those windy, rugged summers in new england. oh and eating crabs with your hands. i love the strong smell of spices on every corner you turn in the medina of marrakech. i love running fast along the sand on the endless shores of oualidia. i love feeling the salty ocean splash up against my calves. i love the comforting embrace of moist banana-walnut bread. i love licking the snow flakes off my lips under a white sky in austria. i love watching the cattle grass on the green pastures in the countryside of denmark. so calm, quaint and quiet. i love the ever-changing mesmerizing green-blue deep lakes of norway. i love eating buttered raisin-walnut bread so succulent and sun-ripened sweet. i love the touch of feather-soft cashmere against my skin. i love the way men dress in milan. timeless and elegant. i love sicilian pistachio gelato melting - evaporating - on my tongue. i love those scrawny alley cats hiding on every ancient ruin in athens. i love the moonlight reflecting in a lake in the midst of the woods. i love the burnt smell of marshmallows on a stick slowly caramelizing over open fire. i love the simplicity of sleeping in a tent in the woods of joshua tree. i love the sound of the waves in big sur crashing against the black cliffs. tearing apart, mercilessly and consistently. i love watching the leaves play in the wind for no particular reason. i love that.

Above the clouds, Tenerife

Perfect Espresso crema, Tenerife

Ships and Sails, Harbor of Sebastian, La Gomera

Clashes of colors, Sebastian, La Gomera

The white wash and rugged black lava beaches, La Gomera

Surfers, La Jolla, California

The stairs to the white wash, La Jolla, California

Quaintness of Copenhagen, Denmark

Bike, Copenhagen, Denmark

The countryside, Nivaa, North Seeland

Wild Apples, Sweden

Sheep, Sweden

The ocean separating Denmark and Sweden

The turquoise waters of South Beach, Miami

The skyscrabers of South Beach, Miami

Beneath Lifeguard house, South Beach, Miami

Sunset, The Caribbean

Bounty Beaches of Tahiti

Oualidia, Morocco

Solitude, Oualidia, Morocco

Fisherman's boat, Oualidia, Morocco

Eating fresh-caught just grilled over fire Dorade + Moroccan salad, Oulidia

View from Eden, Oualidia, Morocco

Streets of Marrakech

Tajines of street vendors in the old medina of Marrakech

Jewelry, Marrakech - the old Medina

Silk pants, Marrakech - the old medina

Marrakech - the old medina

Silence, The Sahara

Traveling the last stretch of the outskirts of Morocco before entering the Sahara

Spices, North Africa

Laundry, Western Sahara

The Blue Men tribe, Western Sahara

Mint tea, in our tent in  the middle of Sahara

Photography CopyrightGypsyTalesTM - All Rights Reserved.

The Sweetness of South Carolina.

South Carolina is one of my favorite Spring destinations to get lost in when the flowers blossom. The birds fondly chirp in the morning mist, while wrapping you in the sweetest embrace of pink hues and inhaling the intoxicating breeze from a new season, a new beginning... A new chance to let go, take that leap of faith where the mere anticipation makes you dizzy with fear, hope and something that you don't know quite yet how to express with words... something yet to be said, done and felt. Just hoping that your wings have grown strong enough to carry you through... maybe, perhaps... yes, it feels right.

This time, the time is right. And you watch as the townhouses turn into dollhouses, and the Southern belles walk to church all dressed up in their turquoise pretty pumps and tiny dogs.

The best time to grab your bags and go, is the Jazz festival in May. There is nothing to do but wander around and get lost in the cute-as-a-button dollhouse charm of Charleston, listen to jazz, drink a glass of chilled white with your fried fish and clams. Go from one art gallery to the next. Lay barefoot in the tall grass and watch the butterflies and sip sweet tea in one of the many gorgeous gardens.

I adore the sweetness of South Carolina like the sweet tea that I savor every last drop of on those hot, hot Southern afternoons hiding in the shade beneath the oak tree.

Photography Copyright GypsyTalesTM - All Rights Reserved.