Closed for August

The bakery shutters. The pharmacy goes dark. Even your accountant becomes untraceable. It's not a vacation, it's an evolved philosophy that we should all aspire to.

When PORTA was just beginning, we learned this lesson comically — placing orders with our makers, each one situated in some gorgeous corner of the world with exceptional views and horrific wifi. We loved this way of seeing so much, we even named our annual summer caps in its honor.

No one can say exactly when the rule was written, or by whom. Some blame the French, and their August of 1936 — a month legislated into existence, paid leave and all. Others point to the Romans, and Ferragosto, and a holiday old enough to predate complaint. We've stopped trying to trace it.

To soundtrack this idea, and the shop this month, we're pleased to share this month's playlist. In no real order, it’s one for puttering about.

LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST

Pairs well with: Bossa nova, specifically the João Gilberto years. A wander to the market for nothing but the first heirloom tomatoes and something unpronounceable from the cheese counter. Plants repotted into terracotta that doesn't match. A watercolor of the view from the kitchen window, abandoned once the light changes. A tart recipe torn from an old issue of Cherry Bomb, attempted for the first time, judged gently regardless of whether the pastry holds.

Call it a day well spent doing absolutely nothing.