July Issue Preview 🦭
Salty sea snacks and the beasts who enjoy them the most.
Here we are smack in the middle of summer and we are definitely fraying. Summer is such a full and frenzied time here in Vacationland. Everyone you’ve ever known in your entire life is in town; schedules and routines are shadows you can barely recollect; deadlines are ridiculous jokes one part of your brain plays on another part of your brain. Summer is manic and extroverted and just really, really full on in all the worst and best ways. Everyday has “first day of vacation” energy, which is fun and electric and also like, wow OK, are we really spending three entire months swimming in this water?
But then again, there is the levity and the poetry and the little pockets of ease that summer is truly unmatched at conjuring. The sprinkler catching the light as it sways to and fro in the garden or, say, the din of quiet sports like tennis or baseball on television—simple and beautiful, cozy in an 80% humidity kind of way.
And in that vein, here’s the July issue, which is playful and pretty and really such an expression of this mid-summer moment, despite the fact that I put it together when there weren’t even leaves on the trees! Here’s what to expect when the issues hit your mailboxes this week.
On the cover, we have two images from the forthcoming book “Cone of Shame,” by Winnie Au. I’m so happy to be back working on something with Winnie, who used to shoot a ton for Knit Wit back in the day! Winnie has been collaborating with Marie-Yan Morvan on this project for several years, creating these fantastical cones for patient dogs to wear. The resulting book—out this September!—is sweet and funny and beautiful and joyful. I couldn’t help wearing a very big, very silly smile while flipping through the galley.
Reprinted with permission from Cone of Shame by Winnie Au © 2024. Published by Union Square & Co. Designs by Marie-Yan Morvan.
Inside are some sea snacks. Last year I had some Kusshi oysters at Snail Bar in Oakland, which were pretty transcendent and this is a little ode to those. Until then, I was stubborn that raw oysters should have either just a squeeze of lemon or a wee dribble of mignonette. But these little compositions—the one I had was Aji Amarillo Oil, Ramp & Purple Pepper Vinegar Gelée, Cilantro Blossom—at Snail Bar are really special. I was especially interested in the gelée, so that’s what I tackled here: four flavors of essentially jello jigglers, each atop a different delicious sea creature.
But really, if you want to talk about sea creatures, you’ve got to talk to Sarah Xiao. Sarah is a ~shellfish procurement specialist~ at Island Creek Oysters, and a very nice person, and pretty, pretty good behind a camera, to boot. Here, some film photos she took while aboard a scallop boat. If, you know, you’re in the market for the aforementioned summer poetry.
And as usual we do a gleeful round-off with something mined from the Met’s creative commons, but you’ll have to get your hands on your July issue to see what that is!
Here’s an absolutely massive and very impressive old trail bench in New Mexico. (LINK)
We already know this, but I am a sucker for a good wood stove. (LINK)
I’ve had the extreme good fortune to be at two (!) different houses this week that were mere steps away from the water, which got me interested in looking for some more. The ones linked here are all under $1M, because OBVIOUSLY you can get waterfront for loads of money… these are a little more interesting then, in my opinion. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
I know absolutely zero about motorcycles and their subsidiaries, but this one in Portland, OR is pretty sweet. I think. (LINK)
