Dear readers,

We have come once again to that moment in the year when we pause and step away from this here blog for a breather, taking stock of how far we’ve come and envisioning where we want to go next. This August will mark the fourth birthday of Zelda and Scout  — four years of cocktails and cornbread, subway snafus and rooftop reflections, old memories and new adventures, ups and downs and everything in between. We’re so grateful for this space that allows us to share bits of knowledge and fun with you, and to reflect on our lives as we know them and our ever-evolving relationships with the region where we’re rooted and the city we now call home.

But as much as we love being here, sometimes we need a break. So as has now become Z&S tradition, we’ll be taking the month of August off. Zelda is headed to New Hampshire for some family time, to Pennsylvania for some music under the stars, and to her roof for some iced coffee and good reads. Scout’s family, on the other hand, is coming to her, and she’s hoping for a much-needed brain break — full of bad movie-watching, bar patio-chilling, and probably some furniture re-arranging (got to start the new season fully feng shui-ed). We will return after Labor Day, refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to tackle Year 5!

In the meantime, there’s four years’ worth of posts on here to keep you occupied during the break. And we hope you take this time to, as the supreme goddess Janelle Monae reminds us, be gentle with yourselves. Whether it means getting away for a week, or for a day, or for an hour — or if it means curling up in your own bed — hold a space in your life for some self care. We’re going to try to do the same.

Wishing you cold beers and lightning bugs and freckles and petrichor and all the other joys this season can bring.

Love,

Zelda and Scout