Pacific Lady

I don't know the first thing about sailing. In fact, I've only been on a sailboat twice in my life. Once some friends of mine heard that I had never been sailing, they blindfolded me and guided me down a dock. When I opened my eyes, we were on a sailboat at sunset, on Lake Union in Seattle. We sauntered on the water while eating cheese and drinking wine until the sun fell and the air grew chilled. And then we went in.

The second time was much the same. I've never been on waters with any chop.

It's quite clear that Sharon Sites Adams's experience was nothing like this.

Pacific Lady is the story of this indomitable woman who, for reasons that remain somewhat mysterious, decided in the early 1960s to start sailing across the world. Alone. After her divorce, she had about as much experience on sailboats as I have. But something within her insisted that she change her life. In 1969, she sailed from Japan to California, by herself, in 74 days.

Good god.

It's an incredible story. Still, you could not have told me, when I first picked up the book, that I would be riveted by it. As fascinating as the story goes, Karen Coates is the woman who breathed the wind into those sails.

If you don't know her work already, Karen Coates is the Asia correspondent for Gourmet magazine. Her writing, incisive and sometimes haunting, always makes me hungry. The deeper feeling, however, is of something opening. When I read her brilliant blog, Rambling Spoon, I feel transported to a world I might never know personally. And her words, along with the searing photographs of her husband, don't point to a glossy-magazine lifestyle. Recently, she wrote about witnessing an exorcism in a tiny village on the India-Nepal border. Reading that, you know there's an entirely different Asia than the shiny image portrayed in the Olympics.

Mostly, Karen stops me with her writing. I'm always left feeling like the world is wider, and I am much smaller, after reading her insights.

So it makes sense to me now that Karen could bring Sharon Sites Adams's story so to life in my mind. I'm left, many months after first reading this book, with the expansive sense of the ocean. All that immensity. One lone woman on the edge of the earth.

If you buy this book — and I hope you do — you might notice a familiar name on the back cover. Karen asked me to write a quote in support of the book. I might as well share that with you here, to entice you to buy it:

"Pacific Lady tugged at me from the opening story. Even though I know nothing about sailint and solo ocean crossings, I was mesmerized by Sharon Sites Adams's determination, curiosity of the world, and intrepid spirit. When she embarked on her trip across the Pacific Ocean alone, I simply could not put down the book until I knew that she had made it safely home. Karen Coates has done a graceful job of translating this singular story into spare, elegant prose. I will never forget it."

You may not be interested in sailing either. But this book? You'll be fascinated by Pacific Lady.

Jessie Oleson from Cakespy

Oh, Jessie Oleson from Cakespy, I do so love your whimsical art.

Now, this might seem weird to gluten-free readers. Why in heavens would I recommend a website that glorifies the cupcakes, that sings the praises of bakeries around the world, and brings an overwhelming sense of glee of all that is sweet and baked? Well, you might not want to click on the main website, if you are feeling too down about not eating gluten. (For those of us are who are more hardy, it's difficult not to feel the enthusiasm in the photos and words.)

Instead, I'd like to direct you to Jessie's Etsy shop, which is a dangerous place to browse if you are trying to not spend money. Look at this Matisse-inspired watercolor, with naked bodies dancing around a pink cupcake. Or this painting of a cupcake and hot dog, either having a lively conversation or a therapy session. But I have to admit that I am partial to this Mama and Baby cupcake. Look how the little cupcake has its own sling!

If you are looking for more than paintings, check out this site for t-shirts, mugs, and mouse pads, all dazzlingly sweet and covered in cupcakes.

Hey, maybe all those cupcakes are secretly gluten-free! It's possible, after all.

Superhero Designs necklaces

I don't really buy jewelry. I've tried twice to pierce my ears, and over time I always seem to let the holes grow in again. Over the years I've owned a series of big rings — the ones that make a statement with size and color on the right hand — and then put them away. About the only piece of jewelry I wear is my plain silver wedding band now.

And two necklaces by Andrea at Superhero Designs.

Last year, I fell in love with Andrea's sense of color and whimsy, her open-hearted writing on her blog, and the pictures of her baby son. This woman knows how to live, imperfectly, and out loud. After reading her posts for a time, and feeling a sense of communion, I ordered a necklace, for my wedding with the Chef.

I chose one called Grass and Sky. Blue sky is one of the symbols of our love, and we would be married in our backyard, on the grass (and eventually in bare feet). Nature and connection. It felt right.

When it arrived, that necklace felt even more right. Andrea had found a gorgeous glass stone, in the shape of a red heart. It dangled down from my throat. I fell in love.

And in the flurry and funny details going wrong the morning of the wedding, I forgot to put it on. Damn.

But I have worn it on every special occasion since. At book launch parties, and speaking engagements, and television appearances — and more important, private moments, like the first time we visited our obstetrician to see if everything was okay with our Little Bean.

So I figured that one necklace I adore, and knew I would be wearing for the rest of my life, was probably enough.

But then I saw that Andrea was making this bullseye necklace. That one had to be mine as well.

If you don't know why the bullseye means so much to me, read this post.

I have a feeling that this plain, silver necklace is what I will be wearing when our baby is born into the world.