prepping for humidity (gird your loins!)

my out of office email is at the ready! a short little piece for your wednesday

Jul 09, 2025

hi darlings,

i am not built for humidity.

i grew up on the west coast and spent the majority of my summers in california. my body simply doesn’t know humidity well. i loathe feeling sticky. can you imagine never fully drying after a shower? i can’t imagine it.

my family and i would run up and down the state for our summer vacations. i spent many summer seasons going down to palm springs. i’d feel like a lizard slithering in the dry heat and jumping in the pool once i felt like i had baked in the heat. some years we’d go up to the bay area for a few days. we spent years visiting the loews coronado bay resort and watching movies on the big screen from their pool.

but now…every year, i’m beckoned into the belly of the humidity beast.

a few july days on the east coast.

the days are some of my favorite of the year — i look forward to them all year long.

the town is beautiful and idyllic. we get good rest, go on long walks into town, tan, jump into the ocean and pool, and get our favorite local ice cream almost every evening. we drink spritzes on the veranda. i’ve downloaded music and rented books from the library to enjoy. we let loose, we read, we laugh, we relax. we look at the wraparound porches with deep, intense jealousy.

35mm film of the town // one of my favorite tweets last year

i’m so lucky to spend five days away in a beach town with my boyfriend’s amazing big family! and this year will the fifth time i join them on the trip.

i’ve been looking forward to the trip especially this year. my job has been dominating my schedule, and in my free time, i focus on seeing friends and working on a new writing project. these few days are my sanctuary and my singular vacation for the season this year. i want it to be extra special.

as i write to you, i’m finish tucking away as many articles of clothing and accessories fit into my olive green carry-on suitcase. i check the weather app and sigh as i see this:

and that’s jus the temperatures! not the most desirable weather lineup for our fun, dazzling summer getaway! oof.

the humidity is at 93%.

i’m girding my loins ((thank you stanley tucci in the devil wears prada! god, isn’t he so phenomenal in that role?)) as i change out items to fit the rain and potential thunderstorms in the schedule.

how am i supposed to prep for this? how do my friends on the east coast do it? and why haven’t they shared their secrets yet? or are they as exhausted as i am thinking about this?

how do you all do it?!

but, i’m still keeping my head up, even if i don’t know how to dress in humidity.

i’m excited to see the alluring wraparound porches and colorful hydrengeas. i can’t wait for my first visit to my favorite little deli. our trip feels a bit like an adult summer camp — i always enjoy shooting a collection of 35mm film and reminiscing on the trip through those shots.

as this drops to you, i’m on a plane to the east coast. i can’t wait to show you all the pictures of incredible, sweet memories we make this year. but, gooooooooooood god, i’m not ready to hit that humidity.

~ last week’s ephemera show & tell ~ 🫧🌟💐

over the weekend, i joined my family to start going through some of my grandma’s stuff — something that was difficult, but beautiful? and filled with a lot of laughter and grief. some of these things are from her, and i’ll probably continue sharing those here in the future!