My Home on Film

Come on over

It's been nearly 6 months here! A good friend of mine named Cecilia told me that time speeds up the older that we get, and I’m really feeling this. And so, I've been trying to document the day-to-day here - this is my little home (rental) by the sea. These images were taken on a Canon AE-1 and finished out a roll of Ultramax 400 on a sunny day.

I really love how much natural light sweeps through the top floor of this house. My first month was spent gathering furniture and frames to fill out all these walls. That print in the foreground is an antique map of Philadelphia that was given to me by a coworker before I finished residency and moved. In the very background on the window sill, the bottle comes from one great day tasting wine and playing corn hole at a winery outside Philadelphia with three of my closest friends. My cat Kiki loves to curl up on the fleece blanket on the couch.

This is the one plant that I've managed to keep alive, and I think it’s because this spot has the most direct sunlight in my house. After all of the deceased plants that came before her, I think she'll stay as a solo plant for now. That glass next to her had liquor from Sri Lanka. I met the most wonderful host family had a homestay in Ella, and the night before I left we talked about so much of our lives and split that bottle. The octopus print comes from an art market at Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia. My friends and I had spent that entire weekend at a bachelor party and ended with a mellow Sunday at the market.

I've been trying to keep fresh flowers here above the kitchen sink every week - thank you Trader Joe's. The flower candle holder was from a road trip with two amazing friends Abhay and Amanda, both of whom have a great eye for home decor. I used to be in the camp where I'd not want to buy a single thing while traveling, and now I love getting things like this that are a small daily reminders of the places that we've been to together. The incense holder is from a cement goods store in Houston named Amano (“by hand”) in the Montrose area.

I have a small roof! Right now the only thing that lives there is this drying rack, which is the home for my wetsuit and any number of swimsuits. Half the time this thing does topple over. I have a small hose on the ground floor that I used to rinse off stuff if there is no shower at the beach, and I bring everything up in the bin to dry out here. With it being spring, I’ve looked at a couple of outdoor rugs and hammocks.

Just having a space outside in the sun to dry all my ocean gear makes me smile all the time. The other thing is every single time that I pull into my garage and remember that I am not going to war for parking in the street (if you know, you know from Philadelphia). It’s way too easy for any woman in her 30s to feel behind on a number of things - relationships, friends, jobs, etc. Just existing in peace is not a thing, because when we achieve things, the bar constantly moves forward. BUT when I see photos like these, I also remember that nearly every day for seven years, all I wanted was to have a little house by the ocean, and in this real estate market where the horrors persist, a rental counts. Just being here, within walking distance of the beach (though a very, very long walk) is something that intern me would've been delighted by.

This is the extension of my home:

And to any friends, hope to see you here soon.