{simple pleasures} perdu + trouvé: lost + found

“I suppose if I thought of a metaphysical element, ‘the Good’ to me is what people mean by God: the existence of, the idea of, good. I think of these philosophies as an enormous lake feeding into this thing called The Good. Literature is also a tributary, a smaller one, in this lake. To participate in it is to be close to God.”

— Zadie Smith

perdu + trouvé: getting lost means stumbling upon the unexpected, even while visiting + exploring my hometown of chicago. i happened upon the baha'i temple, a domed structure standing 191 feet tall; from afar, its simple poetry moved me. its milky exterior, made of concrete + quartz, is surrounded by immaculately manicured gardens + blue sparkling fountains. this edifice brings to life a lovely place to meditate, to contemplate + to take in the spellbinding details of an architectural marvel, the oldest surviving temple of the baha'i faith.

{simple pleasures} ombres et lumières: shadow + light

“I thought the most beautiful thing in the world must be shadow, the million moving shapes and cul-de-sacs of shadow. There was shadow in bureau drawers and closets and suitcases, and shadow under houses and trees and stones, and shadow at the back of people’s eyes and smiles, and shadow, miles and miles and miles of it, on the night side of the earth.”

— Sylvia Plath

ombres et lumières: while it's true, the architecture + the immaculate unpigmented palette against the deep azure sky captured my attention, it was the shadows cast across the visage of this church that truly captivated me. reflected upon its face were the shapes + forms of the town's aged ferris wheel. i've always thought there was something quite magnificentl about shadows.

{simple pleasures} salon de thé: the tea salon

“There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life.”

— Lin Yutang

salon de thé: the quiet morning hours are my favorite time of the day; i like to head out with my camera, stroll solo + get lost {figuratively + literally}. i stumbled across this quiet + compact tea house: a tea salon, café, and a book shop. my cup of tea has a lovely little top floor for a moment of solitude + a bottom floor packed with shelves of old books + new books.

young + old congregate here {this dear little duck heard the click of my shutter + caught me midshot; he gave me a cordial, sideways smile, his mouth filled with bits of freshly baked croissant}; lots of lively chatter among the locals intermingles with a carefully curated selection of blues + jazz tunes spilling from speakers. what a happy discovery.

{simple pleasures} la langue de la couleur: the language of color

“Color, what a deep and mysterious language. the language of dreams.”

— Paul Gauguin

une langue mystérieuse: the streets of marseille reflect the colors of the sea, the sand + the sky. it's crumbling walls + ancient edifices present in the most vibrant + brilliant colors. it's as though one has stepped into the most technicolor dream your mind can imagine.

{simple pleasures} du toit: from the rooftop

“I am experiencing that feeling of zest which goes with exploration.”

— Ruth Gruber

du toit: a friend asked me recently what it was like to travel solo. and my simple answer: exhilarating. sometimes i get lucky + adventurous mates will accompany me on a hike that reveals sweeping views like this. located between the mediterranean sea and the alps is france's sunniest city. this is marseille.