July, July

Proud Mary

I wish these long, hot afternoons could last forever. We get out in early morning to take long hard bike rides before we retreat indoors to read, make love, visit the library (ours is gorgeous), or have an iced cup of coffee at a local place and catch up on feedly.com where I get the headlines from my favorite sites everyday.  Evening finds us out of doors again for a walk, or at a local bar having a glass of wine and small plates of botanos.

What else does Dress Muse love about July?

La Course of Le Tour de France  On July 27th "coinciding with the final stage of the 2014 Tour de France, the elite of women's cycling will come together on July 27th for the first edition of La Course by Le Tour de France. The event is destined to become an iconic race in the women's calendar." I can't wait. 

Trader Joe's Espiral Vinho Verde - a Portugese white wine that is light, dry, and effervescent, very inexpensive, my favorite summer drink when the temps hit a hundred plus. We're eating it with any version of figs that we can come up with.  I like fig jam with walnut bread and a cheese tray or as a base for fig and prosciutto pizza. Or if I'm not in the mood to cook up the figs, I just layer them on the pizza dough (I roll out puff pastry) add gorgonzola  and fresh rosemary and prosciutto and invite some friends over to show off.   

Proud Mary is a great site that makes a connection with artisans around the world

who, “receive a fair wage for their work and we are committed to creating long-lasting, sustainable relationships with these talented men and women.” My favorite pieces are the brightly colored woven bags  and white tunics and summery shifts.

Beaches -  The salt in sea water is healing, not to mention the great way it has with my hair. Body surfing and swimming, and banging around in a small DaySailor in the bays (Corpus Christi is the second most windy city in the U.S. and the sailing in Corpus Christi Bay is great) is just a road trip away for us.  My favorite beaches are at South Padre Island and its wilder northern sister, Mustang Island. I sit under an umbrella and read and apply more sunscreen and think about the Gulf shrimp I'm going to order for dinner. Hard days. 

South Padre Island

Melanie at Black Swan Yoga

Swimsuits seem to me as more athletic gear than fashion statement, but still, I want to look good. I order all my suits from Lands End. Since I am long-waisted, I can order them in long. Lots of pretty styles, but I stick to a simple tank in several colors. 

Black Swan Yoga - I am so lazy about getting to the yoga studio so I found a great substitute that gives me a daily workout in my own garden: inexpensive online Yoga sessions from Austin's Black Swan Yoga studios.  I like Melanie's channel. 

It's summertime. You know how the livin' is.