I’m starting to put together some gift guides for this holiday season. First up is one for your boyfriend, husband, dad, or good guy friend who loves the rugged look and being outdoors.
1. A beanie for staying warm on cold days. 2. A good watch that he’ll wear for a long time. 3. A waxed canvas duffle bag for him to carry all his gear in. 4.Persol sunglasses to give him that Steve McQueen look. 5.Red Wing boots so he can feel like Ryan Gosling in Drive (or so you can feel like you’re dating Ryan Gosling from Drive). 6. A Stanley flask for drinking whiskey around the campfire. 7. A good key ring with tools, just in case. 8. A pair of sturdy work gloves for working on his bike. 9. A coffee table book about surfing, to look at until the water warms up a few degrees.
This post was sponsored by Stanley. All thoughts are my own. We only recommend brands we have used and love. Thank you for supporting brands who support Wildlandia!
Recently I caught up with awesome dog people Leah and Aaron, the couple behind the wildly popular Instagram Life with Leroy to answer a few questions. This trio is a really special one! So, without further ado…
Dog’s name/Age/Breed: Leroy, 3 years old, Terrier Mix
What made you decide to get a dog?
Growing up, my dad was very allergic to animals so I had a lot of gerbils, birds and reptiles instead. I craved the companionship of a dog from a very young age, so as soon as I moved out of the house, I knew I was destined to have my own dog.
Tell me about the first time you met Leroy. I was helping a friend do some shopping in the East Bay when we stopped to get ice cream. There was a local rescue group holding a mobile adoption event right next door. I saw someone holding this scruffy little guy named Rascal, and I immediately gravitated towards his happy go-lucky attitude. I was head over heels when I saw how friendly and easy going he was with anyone who approached him. I signed the papers and then snapped a quick photo to send to my husband (who was away for the weekend). He promptly told me that I better not be adopting that dog, but I know we’re all very glad that I didn’t listen to him that day!
What’s the last thing he did that made you laugh?
Leroy is such a ham. He is always trying to please. He loves to show off his toys to us as soon we we walk in the door, and he’s really taken to bringing us every toy he has to make sure we know how good he is. It’s really adorable. I just wish he’d put them all back when he was done!
What are your favorite characteristics about your dog?Leroy is very easy going. He comes with us pretty much everywhere we go. From plane rides, to motorcycle rides, he’s always in on the action. Because he’s always in new environments, he’s become really good at meeting new people and being in many different types of situations so we feel very lucky for that.
Does Leroy have a nickname? If so, how did he get it?
Leroy’s nickname changes all the time. For some reason the latest one has been ‘Peter’. It’s just so funny to imagine him with the name Peter. He doesn’t respond to it, but maybe if we keep it up long enough he will.
Where do you shop for your dog (online shops, stores, etc)?
We tend to shop local in our hometown of San Francisco. Our favorite shop right now is Pawtrero in Potrero Hill.
Are there any dog products you especially love/couldn’t live without?
We really couldn’t live without Leroy’s leash by Found My Animal. He’s always getting into muddy or sandy situations, so having a leash that can stand the wear and tear is absolutely necessary. Something about the rope material is sturdy enough, yet still lightweight, and easy to hold on to; all very important things for us!
What does being a “Dog Person” mean to you?
It means that we are always considering the things we do with Leroy in mind. If we want to grab a drink on a sunny day, we make sure we find a patio that allows dogs. If we want to take a trip somewhere up the coast, don’t forget the dog food! It never feels quite right if Leroy isn’t with us. He’s just such a member of our family that being a ‘Dog Person’ is less about ownership and more about lifestyle.
What’s one piece of advice you would tell someone looking to get a dog?
Meet a lot of dogs, and make sure you take a look at your lifestyle. Be honest with yourself about how willing you are to modify your life to accommodate a dog, then find a dog that can match your level of energy!
Thanks Leah and Aaron!
For more Life with Leroy, you can follow along on their awesome (over 91k fans!) Instagram, right here.
Our bedroom is one of the brightest spots in our home and is easily my favorite place to hang out. It’s high up and our neighbor’s tree is right outside the windows so it really makes you feel like you’re sleeping in a tree house. You can also see the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate bridge too (west coast sunsets are the best!). Since moving in over a year ago, we haven’t really done much to the space besides put sheets on the bed. For the longest time we’ve told ourselves it was just “minimal”, but really we just never tackled it. We were so excited to be sent a new mattress from eve, the UK’s much-loved mattress that’s now being sold in the US. It’s made of three different types of foam – including luxurious memory foam – and feels like we’re sleeping on a cloud. We’ve already talked about how when we move into a bigger place with a guest room, we’ll get another eve mattress. Their design is so hip and simple – eve is basically the hipster mattress of mattress companies. With a business model similar to that of Warby Parker, they take the awkward showroom experience out of buying to instead allow you to choose a size and purchase completely online. Then the mattress is shipped to you for free to try for 100 days and if you aren’t sold on it, you can return it hassle-free. We’ve slept on ours for a few nights now and it’s a winner! It’s just the right amount of soft and firm. The dogs seem pretty stoked on it too!
Along with our new bed, we got a new rug, a couple new indigo pillow cases, and mounted a large framed print I took from the back of a Washington ferry to go above our bed. In the corner, I put a tee pee with a little sheepskin rug in it for Mila cat, and hanged a plant since it’s a good spot with lot of sunlight. I also put up a dream catcher we brought back from Tulum, Mexico. I love how airy the room feels and how “us” it is -minimal, cozy, with wild elements. I’m glad we finally finished this space!
Eve is offering $100 off one of their mattresses by putting your email in here. This post was sponsored by eve. All content and opinions expressed here are my own. Thank you for supporting brands who support Wildlandia!
Welp, Lola’s in the shop until the middle of this week when the air pump can be replaced. It’s an easy fix, but we had to wait for the part to come in for it to be fixed. Can’t wait to have her back!
This weekend was fun and relaxed. On Saturday we got some coffee and did some early Christmas shopping. After that we took the dogs to the dog park near us to let them run around. It’s funny how you get to know all the dogs and their owner at the dog park. There’s Elsa, the giant Irish wolfhound that puts all her weight into you for scratches (she’s our fav), then there’s McCovey the Swiss mountain dog mix who’s a ball thief. There’s peanut the overweight beagle that loves chasing other dogs, and the two shelties that the new parents down the road bring to the park along with their two new twin (human) girls. Oh! And there’s Auggie, the new black lab puppy that comes now too since he’s had all his shots. I’ll definitely need to take some photos to show the diverse crowd of dogs/people we see every day. Anyway, then on Sunday we slept in and then went to Fort Funston to play with the dogs on the beach in San Francisco. We all got sandy/muddy. Jack’s ears still smells like salt water. This week ahead is a busy one. For the last three years we’ve gone to Tennessee to be with Trey’s family for Thanksgiving, but this year we decided to stick close to home and hang with some friends in town. Bring on the sweet potatoes!
It’s Wednesday morning, 8:34 am. The radiator is humming and Jack is asleep upside down next to me. My brain wants coffee but my toes crave the warmth of the covers for just a few minutes longer. The city looks chilly today. Outside our window I can see the fog blanketing the Golden Gate bridge. In a few minutes, Trey will take off on his motorcycle across the Bay bridge into the city for work and I’ll tuck my cold toes into some warm slippers and relocate to our home office (it’s really a closet). In the past week or so the temperatures have really began to drop. It never gets that cold here, but it’s enough to warrant curling up with a blanket and a cup of something warm at night, and eating a slow cooked meal made in the dutch oven. The dogs have been loving their new dog beds and Mila has been occupying a sheepskin rug I tucked into her little cat teepee. Do you have anything in particular that you do to stay cozy during the cold months? Any good book or show recommendations? We’ve been meaning to watch more of Game of Thrones. “Winter is coming”, (that Jon Snow is so dreamy).
Sun of Wolves is the creative works of couple Steven (a graphic designer/illustrator) & Cleo (a photographer) who live together with their dog, Wolf, and cats Whiskey and Muffin in the Netherlands. They spend a lot of time on the road traveling (they even recently visited San Francisco and other parts of California!) and take the most amazing photos! I love following along on their adventures. They also create beautiful screen printed flags and posters, as well as high quality photographic prints and bags. Their designs are inspired a lot by their dog, Wolf, and are an ode to him and all the other dogs out there.
They have been so kind as to send us one of their exclusively designed Wolf flags that reads “It’s not the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog” for one very special Wildlandia reader! To enter, leave your email address in the comments section below and a winner will be chosen later this week!
To see more of Cleo and Steven, be sure to follow them on Instagram - @sunofwolves, and visit their website sunofwolves.com.
What are you guys up to this weekend? We’re going to the El Vy show tonight at the Independent if our friend can score us some tickets. The rest of the weekend is a free grab…maybe a hike at Lands End and tacos at Tacolicious? Maybe some eggs on toast? Hell yeah, eggs (always)! I’m also working on a little bedroom makeover that I can’t wait to share. So, that too.
Here are some links from around the web this week. Have a rad weekend!
Ha..So true! The best friendship movies of all time – Now and Then and Ghost World, remember those?!
This past weekend was one of those weekends where we hung around town and got caught up on everything. It feels so nice to wake up with fresh sheets on the bed, food in the fridge, washed dogs, and clean laundry. On Saturday we slept in, then went to the Berkeley farmer’s market. In the afternoon we picked up some local cheeses (Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam is my fav) and a few slices of pizza from Cheeseboard. Later we watched We Are Still Here, a horror movie (thanks for falling asleep, babe). On Sunday we made brunch at home (poached eggs on rosemary flatbread with avocado spread) then took the dogs to Point Isabel – a dog park on the water with great views of the city and bay. Then we came home and gave the dogs baths, made dinner, and fell asleep watching Homeland in bed.
Here’s to hoping the week is just as good as the weekend.
1. / Cat food bandit Jack / 2. Morning walk / 3. This hammock has been getting a lot of use this week / 4. Mila likes to groom the dogs / 5. Smells like teakwood, tobacco and sandalwood in our place lately / 6. Someone raided the cat food, but we don’t know who / 7. From our hike in Henry Cowell State park last weekend / 8. Her head is always out the window / 9. The prettiest new chair / 10. Her favorite spot / 11. Because we don’t have many photos of the two of us / 12. These three are best buds
I love fall. It’s my favorite season for a lot of reasons. It was fall semester when Trey and I started seeing each other again. At the end of our sophomore years in college we both transferred back home to NC State and ran into each other on a crisp September morning in Winston Hall. “Is that your purple bike?, I’d pointed out. “It’s maroon”, he’d correct me. Fall is when we adopted Jack and drove over the Golden Gate bridge to move into our little apartment above Dog Eared Books in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. Fall is when I moved to San Diego for grad school. Fall is when we moved to Florida for my job. Fall is when we moved back to California for Trey’s job (wow, it’s been a year!). Fall always feels like a season of renewal for us. Something about the leaves changing brings about a certain metaphorical newness in our lives. I’m looking forward to several things this fall, such as: cooking soups in the crock pot, drinking cider and spiced teas, camping trips, hikes and road trips, wearing jeans, comfy sweaters and boots, eating pumpkin pie and acorn squash, and reading a few good books. I’m also looking forward to practicing more yoga and living more simply. What are you looking forward to? Welcome, Fall!
