Americana with a side of local cheese...

I am sitting in a coffee shop here that could pass for any indie coffee shop in America.

and I must say, this is the best Cafe Mocha I have ever tasted.

We also hit up the local Pizza joint for dinner last night (after 3.5 weeks of eating off the same limited hotel menu, we needed something different.) While I hesitated at getting the "Veggie Max" special (Soya crumbles, pineapple, mushroom and "local cheese"), it certainly was one of the best pizzas I have had in a long time. (And whatever the difference is between local and improved cheese, I could tell no difference.)

While I have thoroughly been enjoying the local cuisine (I could live on curry and copious amounts of pineapple alone), it is nice (comforting?) to have a taste of America every once in a while.

If you live or have lived abroad, what do/did you miss the most? What is your can't-live-without piece of Americana?

{August Break} A road trip and new shoes...

{August Break} Tools of the Trade

What I have been using for the August Break:

-Instagram in my iPad (I am taking a break from worrying about shutter speed, f stops and my ISO and concentrating on composition. I have a long way to go.)

-I read this article about using the Camera+ app to add captions to my Instagram shots. I have a feeling I will be using this alot more.

-Blogsy app for blogging. Easy to use and I can out together a quick photo post in a minute or two.

I closed my eyes today.

I closed my eyes today on my run. The sun was hot on my face, even though I was one of the first runners on the trail. I had to work a bit harder to breathe through the humidity. But with the flora to my right and the ocean to my left, my eyes closed and I pictured what my morning run will be like in two weeks. My breathing became rhythmic and my senses opened to the smells and the sounds. The birds, the lizards in the path. The conflict of the poverty asleep in the park and the wealth that even I have that allows me to be here in Miami on {a working} vacation. In two weeks, I may get up to run in Guyana and my nose will fill with the same smells of spice, sand and heat. I may be surprised by how different it is. But, today on my run, when I closed my eyes, I was almost there.

{August Break} Ten on Ten

My day in Instagram:: ten pictures documenting my day on the 10th of the month. (Which, by the way, is my dad's birthday...Happy birthday, daddy!

good morning, Heather...breakfast date to start the day...

finding color at the store...

sunlight through the trees at the park

library time

nap time means a little summer color

working on the calendar for September. Next month is a clean slate.

Summer time is pool time, a good book and some sunshine.

30 day shred. Day 6.

After dinner:: keeping the high-energy 3 year in motion. Sun up to sundown.

before retiring inside for the night, checking the pears for ripeness...can't wait till they are ready!

{August Break} Collections

from the collections around the in-laws house...

{Day 3} On the Map

{Shoe} Minimalism

photo: June Vintage on Flickr.

What I am loving right now: my Kork-Ease Ava wedges..Natural color matches everything, dresses up or goes casual...perfect when living out of a suitcase and down to the bare minimum!

{PS...I just did this whole post with my new Ipad...total love fest!}
{PPS...I really need a pedicure.}