autumn litmus

Well, it's here.  These pictures document the last sun I'll see for the next nine months.  Okay, well, I'm being melodramatic, but the forecast for the next week is clouds and rain.  Good ol' Washington.  I can't even remember the last time it rained here. This dress is kind of like my litmus test for the arrival of fall.  It never fails that this dress is one of the first things I throw on once the weather cools down.  It was one of those amazing thrift store finds, and had been placed out of its section after presumably being tried on and found wanting (though I can only imagine it must have been fit related, because who could pass up this little gem!).
A long time ago I remember pinning this home deoderizer thing where you put lemon slices, vanilla extract, and fresh rosemary sprigs in water and let it simmer all day, so last night I tried it and it was great!  So this afternoon I decided to make it a bit more fall-friendly and simmered orange slices, cloves, and cinnamon sticks! Oh man, if you haven't done that, I urge you to do it immediately!  It's the best thing in the world!  I want that thing simmering all day, every day during this fall.  I seriously want someone to come over to our house just so when they open the door, they get slammed in the face with fall-deliciousness.
dress/thrifted :: tights/fred meyer :: socks/forever 21 :: coat/tulle via lulu e. bebe boots/courtesy of modcloth :: photos by Dan
Lately Dan has been wanting to learn more about photography, and though he took a darkroom class last winter, all the settings and such look much different on my DSLR than the Olympus OM-1 he used for his class.  So we've been going on little walks and I've been teaching him what I know while he takes my outfit photos.  It's been fun.  I still love taking my own photos, but sometimes it is nice to do outfit photos while we're out and about when it's not so convenient to haul out a tripod and do them myself.   
I'm definitely going to have to make my camera more rain friendly, though.  Last winter I tried to make a rain cover with a ziplock bag, which worked alright.  I might try to finagle a ziplock cover again this year, or maybe invest in a real camera rain cover.  I've jerry-rigged an umbrella onto my tripod before also, but that always was a bit unstable.  Have you guys ever come up with a great solution for taking photos in the rain?  It's an almost daily occurrence here during the winter months.  I'm trying to prepare myself so I don't use the rain as an excuse not to do outfit photos.