Notes from a Summer Well Spent
My seasonal novelty list, a glimpse of Alaska, getting over my fear of flying, summer highlights, and a few things I'm looking forward to this fall
Shifting Seasons
Driving home from my mom’s today, I glanced out at the highway and caught flecks of gold shimmering back at me. We’ve entered that in-between stretch of the year: not quite autumn, but no longer the height of summer. The mornings feel cooler, the leaves are just beginning to shift, and the changes are subtle—almost imperceptible—unless you’re really paying attention. Some of the most stunning days of the year happen in September, when the air is crisp enough for a T-shirt and the sky is still impossibly blue.
Lately, I’ve been struck by how quickly time moves, and I think that’s one of the reasons I write: to slow things down, to reflect on what’s passed and what’s ahead, to savor the small details before another season rushes in. Living in New England, I’ve always felt this rhythm of transition in my bones. The seasons shift whether we’re ready or not. That knowing—that both the beauty and the chaos will pass—has always been strangely comforting.
I’ve also felt like I’m in a creatively generative season. Maybe it’s the longer daylight hours of summer, maybe it’s the way weekends brim with activity, or maybe it’s just the joy of a shorter work week. Either way, this issue is all about savoring those seasonal shifts. Let’s get into it!
My Summer Novelty List
Inspired by an episode of the Liz Moody Podcast, I created a “novelty list” this summer with small ways to break up routine and make the season feel special, even on the ordinary days. Some ideas were ambitious (most of those never happened), but honestly the smaller swaps ended up being the most impactful. A good reminder that shaking things up doesn’t need to be overly complicated.
Of everything on my novelty list, these are the rituals that were the easiest and most impactful:
Starting or ending the day in the hammock
Switching up my second coffee of the day
Eating lunch outside on the patio…. (or eating lunch anywhere, instead of at my desk, period)
Re-watching a nostalgic movie
Taking a mid-day garden break
The hammock became my happy place. Suspended between trees, looking up at the shifting light, with the sound of birds and a hint of evening chill after a hot day—it felt like pure nourishment. Reading fiction at my own pace, without a deadline or a book club discussion, reminded me how much joy there is in reading for no other reason than pleasure.
Coffee is practically a religion in our household (we do nothing before coffee… except feed the cats). Our first cup is always an Americano with a blend of whole and oat milk, but this summer I started experimenting with second-cup options. Highlights: a matcha I actually love paired with homemade strawberry syrup, an iced Americano with maple-cinnamon cold foam, and a honey-cinnamon cortado for a quick pick-me-up.
Lunch was another area I consciously slowed down. Instead of wolfing down snacks at my desk, Alexa and I blocked the same hour in our calendars and made it a ritual to sit together. Sometimes on the patio, which felt downright luxurious. Our rotation included chicken salad, air fryer chicken wraps, eggs with tomato toast, and a steady stream of stone fruits eaten over the sink (nectarines were the star of our summer). Of course, things do come up but priortizing this time during the day has been a small luxury with big payoffs. I feel more productive in the mornings, knowing I have an upcoming break mid-day, and more focused in the later half of the day, when I tend to procrastinate or catch myself scrolling.
We also carved out time to re-watch a few ‘old’ movies. Little Miss Sunshine and Interstellar. It felt strange at first; my brain resisted sitting still after being conditioned by the quick-hit pace of social media. But once I settled in, I remembered the joy of a long story unfolding. There’s comfort in revisiting old favorites, and it made me want to add more movie nights into our weekly schedule. Looking to watch something new? We saw Freakier Friday in theaters and if you’re a millenial that grew up watching Lindsay Lohan in her Parent Trap debut, and then as a teen in Freaky Friday, it is a must-watch! My expectations weren’t high. I always find sequels/remakes to be a bit corny but honestly they did a great job and truthfully I could watch Jamie Lee Curtis in anything at this point.
And then, of course, the garden. Despite the weeks of scorching heat that stunted a few plants, we had a steady yield of zucchini, squash, sungold tomatoes, herbs, and cucumbers. I can’t explain how deeply satisfying it feels to pop a sungold off the vine and taste something so sweet and sun-ripened. Those small moments, bare hands in the dirt, a ripe tomato eaten right there in the garden— felt like the essence of summer.
Exploring Alaska
One of the biggest highlights of the season was our trip to Alaska with Alexa’s parents. Her dad was stationed at Fort Richardson in the late ’70s, and visiting had long been on his bucket list. The landscape was breathtaking. Mountains expansive and snow-capped, carved roads winding along the coast.
We drove from Anchorage to Seward, with a one night stop in Girdwood at Hotel Alyeska. Standouts: spotting a moose while aboard the Alaska Railroad, rafting the Cooper Landing River where we saw more bald eagles that I could count, standing just a few miles from the last remaining ice age glacier on the Kenai Fjord tour, (Also saw humback whales, sea lions, puffins, and coromorants) watching salmon leap upstream at Bear Creek Weir, hiking to Exit Glacier, and cheering on runners in the Mountain Marathon (the most treacherous 5K in the country).
Seward itself charmed us with Ray’s Waterfront Dining, Resurrection Art Coffee House, Dreamland Books & Yarn, Tony’s Bar (no website, the best sign of a true dive bar), and Ranting Raven an art gallery/homewares shop that featured local artists goods, which I absolutely loved!
The most incredible aspect of the trip, by far, was getting to know my father-in-law in a deeper way, hearing his stories of his time spent in Alaska and how things have changed in the last forty years. His face of shock, surprise and confusion when looking at the glaciers, that have receded at alarming rates due to climate change. Much to my surprise, all the little quirky details he talked about were also included in the book I picked up at Dreamland Books, The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah, which is a historical fiction that takes place in Alaska in 1978. Highly recommend to add any of her books to your TBR list. Her writing is impeccable.
If we go again, I’d rent an RV, spend more time in Alaska, and explore further out. Homer and Sitka would be on the list, definitely. Packing was the hardest part (Alaskan weather is famously unpredictable), but my most worn items were this REI packable puffer, My L.L. Bean zip-up fleece, these fleece-lined leggings I rewore several times, and new Allbirds that managed both city walks and trails. (I’ve also been using the allbirds for the gym because they are SO comfy!) Surprisingly, I only needed my rain jacket on two excursions, Alaska blessed us with no rain the whole trip which is actually pretty rare.
My friend recently reminded me that so many items from REI, Patagonia and other brands can be found gently used on Poshmark or ThreadUp. I’d definitely recommend looking there first and wish I did consider that as an option instead of purchasing new... So many items are listed for half the price! For Connecticut locals, my cousin reminded me there is an L.L. Bean Outlet in Southington, that I definitely plan on checking out in the future.
Getting Over My Fear of Flying
I’d been dreading the flight for months. My fear of flying crept up over the past few years, and every news story about turbulence or safety only made it worse. But with my therapists recommendation to focus on exposure therapy, (And a lot of other coping mechanisms) I am finally getting over my fear and becoming a ‘regular’ flyer. Between leisure and work, I’ve flown four times this year, and each time feels slightly easier. Movies helped distract me on the way to Alaska, and I found solace in the r/fearofflying community and a research-backed audio album that really helped me calm anxiety during turbulence. Before flying, I also try to do a meditation and found this one on insight timer to be extremely effective. I have four more flights planned before the end of the year, and for the first time in ages, I’m actually excited.
Summer Highlights
Normally Alexa and I sneak away to the Cape each summer, but with Alaska, it didn’t fit. Instead, I embraced the underrated joy of a staycation. We knocked out a few nagging house tasks, (Touching up scratched paint on cabinets from TWO years ago and patched our shed roof that has had a hole in it for at least a few months…) went to the Waterford town beach recommended to us by our friends, grabbing sandwhiches and pastries at Cooked beforehand. We stopped at Scotts Garden for native vegetables and cut-your-own flowers… a peak summer day! We indulged in Ferris Acres ice cream, quite a hike from us but welll worth the drive. It’s my number one rated creamery in Connecticut.
Other glimmers from the time off included reading
debut novel You’re Safe Here in just about six days (the fastest I’ve read anything recently), catching up with friends at Gastropark over pierogi’s from Smetana (My favorite food truck there!) and thrifting a NWT Old Navy dress from Vagabond trading company as well as a brand new Bills baseball cap at Refill Vintage. We also got to celebrate Alexa’s grandmother’s 91st birthday with an outdoor BBQ on an absolutely stunning Sunday evening, followed by another birthday for our friends son on the holiday. The weather over Labor Day Weekend was PEAK New England Summer and I’m happy to say I enjoyed so much of it. Our staycation was definitely a reminder that rest and leisure doesn’t always require travel.Another noteworthy highlight from earlier this summer: joining a cookbook club with friends. Our first pick was Wishbone Kitchen by Meredith Hayden and we shared dishes potluck-style while dining al fresco on a balmy August evening. My heirloom tomato galette with burrata was a hit, but so was the whipped ricotta with crispy garlic, the shake and bake chicken, and peach olive oil cake. Since then, I’ve remade several recipes including the sungold tomato pasta with my mom which was… chefs kiss, 10/10, NO NOTES.
Alexa and I are hosting our next cookbook club meetup and my pick is Nights and Weekends by
and I simply cannot decide what I want to make, because everything sounds fantastic and looks so incredibly delicous.
Looking Ahead
Honestly, I’m sad to see summer go. I’ll be holding onto tomato toast, evenings in the hammock, and quiet mornings in the sunroom for as long as the season will let me. I love embracing what I call “second summer” — those golden September days that feel like a secret gift before autumn fully settles in. I don’t feel the need to rush into the “-ber months,” despite how loud the online chatter has been this year.
That said, I am of course, excited for fall in New England. As I’m writing, the first football Sunday of the season (Go Bills!) has commenced, and in our house that means the comfort of the Sunday ritual which includes good food, cozy clothes, and not leaving the house. (Perhaps my favorite part of the ritual!) A welcome respite from the bustle of busy summer weekends.
Fall also brings a full calendar of joy: two trips to Boston, a leaf-peeping getaway to Kingston, New York, and a soup swap with friends. I’m thinking about Liz Moody’s Zuppa Toscana as a top contender. Other fall dishes I’m equally excited for: White Chicken Chili, Ina Garten’s perfect roast chicken, Alison Roman’s lasagna, and of course, a freezer stocked with chocolate chip cookies.
On my Fall watchlist: the final season of Stranger Things, season two of English Teacher, and maybe finally… Gilmore Girls. (Yes, I know… what took me so long?)
I won’t make my fall novelty list until the equinox, but I’d love to know: what made your summer special, and what are you looking forward to this season?
Here’s to holding onto what nourishes us, welcoming what’s next, and noticing the beauty of the shift.
Be well,
Vanessa
I can’t wait to see what you make!
Wow, that’s a lot of recipes already on your mind!!
The mid-day garden break is also a ritual I enjoy when remote-working, to collect ripe vegetables and notice new flowerings. On the other workdays, I replaced it with a return-from-work garden break before entering the house.
The thing I’m looking forward this fall is a weekend retreat in a cabin with my 7 college girlfriends. This has been an annual tradition for 4 or 5 years, through many new babies! It’s calm time to talk about the real things, enjoy the spa, cook meals and hike a little.
Thanks for the update!