62: lecia phinney

lecia phinney
photographer

Lecia Phinney lives by the ocean with her husband and two boys in beautiful Seattle. She take pictures, writes, cooks, explores nature, and spends her days trying to make her home befit its name.She shares stories and photographs at A Day That is Dessert. Find her portfolio here.

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on the nightstand:

• little jar filled with sea glass
• notebook and pencil
• water glass
• Healer by Carol Cassella
• Girl in Translation  by Jean Kwok

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+am loving:

• peaches! preferably eaten standing over the sink.
• sitting outside in the evening until the sun goes down, then sitting under the stars
• traces of sand in everything, everywhere
• the smell of tomato plants on my kids after we come in from the garden

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how does summer inspire you?

I love everything about summer. Until I had children, autumn was my favorite season. I was indoors, working, so much of the time, I didn’t get immersed in the season like I do now. And I don’t just mean the weather and things related to it, like swimming. It’s a rhythm, an awareness, and for me has as much to do with me in relation to my children as anything else.

We don’t have a summer routine; our plans change week to week and day to day. I’m a fairly structured person by nature, and this forces me out of my comfort zone. Swimming, hiking, biking, beach play, exploring new places, cooking together, time with friends. It can require an exhaustive amount of planning and preparation, some days; others, we don’t leave the neighborhood. My to-do lists languish and my laundry piles up, yet I feel the most alive this time of year. We fall into bed tired and sleep heavy, sun-and-exercise drugged sleeps.

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what’s one item in your summer wardrobe you can’t go without?

A yellow sundress. Crazily, I’ve picked up three of them over the years.

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what’s your idea of the perfect homemade summer meal?

Fresh, simple ingredients with minimal preparation. Whatever I can get that was picked within the last day or so. Preferably eaten outside with people I love.

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what is your summer theme song this year?

Hmm. That’s a tough one. Last weekend we spent a day with some of our oldest friends in town. Afternoon blended into evening. Dinner, then s’mores over a fire pit in the backyard, and sitting under the stars until we were all almost asleep. Much of that evening Jimmy Buffet was on repeat; it’s still in my head so I’d have to say Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet.

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what are three constants in your day?

• One child up before dawn; the other having to be dragged out of bed
• NPR
• Alexi ‘setting up’ my toothbrush (with toothpaste) for me each night

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tell us about the inspiration behind these photos.

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled to Nova Scotia to visit my husband’s father, Robert. We spent time on the south shore of the province, at a cottage on a lake, and at Robert’s house, at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Bay of Fundy. While driving between these various locations, we listened to lots of music. At one point I had the thought that most music is essentially about love,  longing, and storytelling. This set of photos was taken one day at Robert’s house. We walked the beach, dug for clams, made a meal together, and watched the sun go down. These images are my love songs of this day.

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