⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ August ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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This month was focused on enjoying summer in the PNW!
Photos taken on a 2009 Panasonic LUMIX Leica digicam.
❥ Dog Dates - Socializing my anxious pup 🐶
❥ Downtown - Vegan Milkshakes 🥤
❥ Anime Block Party - Bellingham Cider 👯♀️
❥ Community Centered Markets 💝
❥ She Kills Monsters 🎭
❥ Me Time: Lashes and in-home projectors 📽️
❥ Fairhaven 🏛️
❥ Painting Koroks - JUXT 🌰
❥ Visitors from California 👩❤️👨
❥ Book of the Month: All the Lovers in the Night 📖
❥ Cook potatoes or yams in a rice cooker! 🥔
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I’m having a lot of fun compiling my digicam photos and adding notes to them. I feel very thankful looking back on the month.Also, it kinda feels like whoever reads this is listening to me yap about what’s been going on.
I used to HATE summer. But since moving to Bellingham, I am in love! The weather doesn’t go past 85 degrees Fahrenheit (we get a heatwave warning, which is not hot for me, but I’ve been told it’s concerning for northern WA) and everyone seems to come out of hibernation — ready to explore and mingle. Many outdoor events take place too! The ONLY thing I do not like is… the bugs! So many different wasps, hornets, and bees. I think bugs are really cool… at a distance. But I panic when they get too close.
Since I recently moved into a new area, I have been taking the time to explore. That’s the fun part! I’ve been getting into a routine too, which helps with the adjustment period.
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⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Dog Dates ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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This summer, my dog, Maru, went on weekly doggie dates with M’s dog, Fen! Fen is such a goof and looks like a unicorn. I am super thankful, because Maru was able to get along with Fen quickly and is less reactive about other dogs. I can see a confidence boost in her. It is also good for us humans too, as we get sunlight and can chit chat :)
Maru was unsure of other dogs, so I had no idea how this was going to go. If you’re in a similar bind, I highly recommend finding someone with a social dog and going for walks together, somewhere not too over stimulating. M and I just walked our pups in a circle until they got used to each other. I had Maru walk behind Fen at first and we slowly closed the gap. On the second dog date, I let Maru off-leash so that she can decide when to interact with Fen. Eventually, we were able to let both our dogs off leash. Maru isn’t besties with Fen, but she tolerates when they are close. They’ve gotten a bit playful at times, but Maru is awkward. She was taken from her mom too early and grew up with cats, so I don’t think she knows what to do…
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Downtown ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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Okay, vegan milkshakes?? I found them on accident.
You can find them at It’s The Sweet Things!
Downtown’s nature scene isn’t the best, but it is still nice in my opinion. There is more trash, unfortunately due to it being a popular place to frequent.
At first, Maru would always get anxious in Downtown (more noises and movement). She has improved tremendously. We are now working on settling down. If I stop moving, she starts getting whiny.
I always thought this building looked cool. I’ve eaten here before and the falafel was good.
Practicing taking photos with my digicam!
I can’t remember what it is called, but the jar is basically Ube cake in a cup. It was too sweet for me though.
More random test shots. I really like this camera!
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Anime Block Party ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀
Two BB Production regularly hosts events, especially in support of the BIPOC community. The last vendor event was an anime themed block party in downtown Bellingham! Super cool to know there is a small community of anime and manga fans here. I forgot to get a full body shot, but I was wore a pompompurin gothic Lolita style dress and M dressed up as Hisoka from HxH. The street was lined with a few vendors, entertainers, and music. We came towards the end it wasn’t crowded.
M is an artist! Look at her go!!
I drew the derpy pompompurin…
Some other chalk drawing by visitors of the block party.
Afterwards, M and I went to Bellingham Cider and tried a flight of drinks. We had a pretty romantic view of the city, don’t you think?
If you are vegan or have dairy allergies like me, Bellingham cider has limited food options. I ended up getting truffle fries (huge serving btw). But the drinks were good! Not strong and interesting flavors.
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Community-Centered Markets ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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I checked out LemonAid Market’s last event at Laurel Park. What is nice about this event, is that it is free-to-vend and very community centered! I love the idea, as you get to see rising creators and can support smaller businesses. Of course, Maru was popular with the folks here. She did great. I really wanted to get some freshly squeezed lemonade, but I really had to use the washroom and there wasn’t one in the area.
Oops!
There are other community based vending events in the same area, such as Birdhouse Market Collective.
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ She Kills Monsters ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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I watched my first play at New Prospect Theater with E. She Kills Monsters is about two sisters, your stereotypical “normal” older sister and a more brazen nerdy younger sister. When the younger sister suddenly passes away, the older sister reads / plays through her younger sister’s dungeons and dragons notebook and learns more about her sibling than she ever imagined. I actually teared up. I no nothing about DnD and was able to follow along. The pacing and acting was well done! I recommend watching it next time it comes around :)
E and I grabbed food and drinks at JUXT! Their cocktails are really good, but pricey! I liked all of the drinks that we tried.
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Me Time ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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I have been going to Cherry Bomb Aesthetics regularly for lash lifts / perms. I want to try a dermaplane facial next. They opened up a new location and it’s very cute! This place has great prices, service, and is very mindful. You can opt for silent appointments if you don’t feel like chatting, but the person who does my lash lifts is fun to talk to. She remembers things we’ve talked about in the past, that’s always cool.
I’ve been winding down at home watching shows and movies on my projector! I’ll shrink the image onto a small space in my studio, think TV-sized. Or at night, I’ll pull the floor couch out and blow up the projector on the biggest wall space I have, like I’m at the theater.
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Painting ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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I took a painting class with E at Roam cafe. The theme was Koroks from Legend of Zelda. There were four of us and the instructor was very friendly and encouraging. I would love to take more classes in the future! It was sooo therapeutic.
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Fairhaven / Thrifting ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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I tried a Polish style cafe with H in Fairhaven. It was good and I would try it again!
H and I are plant parents, so of course we checked out Babygreens Plant Shop. The staff is always helpful and the plants I’ve gotten here have been healthy and well.
We stopped by Penny Lane Antique store in downtown. I love this place! You never know what you’ll see.
I dunno why but we really liked theses vintage spice containers!
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Visitors ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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G came to visit from California! It was a short visit, and he ended up getting really sick. But it was still really nice to see him. I was really sad when he left, but I’ll see him in October in both CA and Japan!!! Woohoo!
G and Maru got really close, as in attached to the hip.
Wild Oat Bakery and Cafe in Downtown! Vegan and one of my faves ~
G said he liked the sandwich he got (I forgot the name, but it was very [vegan] meaty and you dip it in a savory sauce). I usually get the Philly cheese steak. I liked his more!
I like seeing other people smile when they spot Maru in a sweater :’)
My sister K also visited me the very last day of August! She ended up staying with me until the end of September, so I’ll post more about our adventures in the next blog post ~
I got these matching Sanrio charms from my friend’s shop, Kayekame! I got one for me, my sister, and for G since he loves Pompompurin (not pictured).
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Book of the Month ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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I have found an author that I love, Meiko Kawakami. I was blown away reading All the Lovers in the Night, because my thought process is similar to how she writes. The main character is a bit insufferable, but it emphasizes the theme of connection (and lack of). It isn’t an exciting book, but that is my preference. Slow, day-to-day, and reflective without being too direct (as in you have plenty of room to put in your own interpretations). It felt relatable.
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Rice Cooker Hacks ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
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Remember how I was yapping about my mini rice cooker in the last blog? Something I’ve been doing a lot with it lately is cooking potatoes and yams. It is SO easy. You just fill it with a bit of water (like two cm, you really don’t need much) and wait till it’s done (like 10 min for mine). When I’m extra lazy, I’ll eat Yakimo by itself. Or I’ll butter up a sweet potato. Or cut a regular potato in half and add dairy free sour cream, chives, cheese, etc.
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Thanks for reading!
See you with the September blog ~~~
- May & Maru
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