The Traveling Peach

2012-10-17T16:36:00.001-07:00

You know in romantic comedies where there is an (annoyingly) quirky woman who is frequently running into things, falling down, dropping all their shopping bags? You think, yeah right, that never happens. Move along.
Well, apparantly it does happen. To me.

Beloved Bianchi.

I was bike commuting to work this morning (FYI, I live in Seattle now), as I have done every morning for the past 5 weeks. Cruising around a corner, I started pumping my break, only to hear a pop. My brake cable snapped and soon I was heading straight towards a bench in front of a Starbucks. Not only did I hit the bench and tumble off my bike, but I hit the bench and fell of that too. It was like the wreck that wouldn't stop. When you fall (publicly) sometimes the worst thing is the humiliation. "Oh no, I'm fine!", you exclaim. Only to realize an hour or so later that your knee is swollen, bruised and aching.
Oddly enough, Mathew McConaughey was no where to be seen.

Updates

2012-05-20T12:25:00.002-07:00

It's been a good 8 months since I last posted here and figured it's time for some updating.
The end of September I packed up and left Portland, it was was one of the only times I drove away from a city feeling no sadness. I'm not sure why (who am I kidding, it was the hipsters) I didn't mesh with that town, but either way I'm gone. I spent a couple weeks in Port Orford before flying to Lake Havasu for a little over a month. It was glorious... until it wasn't. I was plagued with the plague and horribly sick for 10 days with strep throat and abscesses (lovely, I know).

In early November, I embarked on another journey to NYC. I spent three weeks there as my sister awaited the birth of her son. It was such a special time and I'm so thankful to have been a part of it. My mom flew out as well and we all spent thanksgiving together. It was a lovely trip back to my old stomping grounds and ended with the greatest thing of all. My nephew!

After NYC, I raced to the airport just in time to make my flight to LA. Is it weird I felt safer knowing Jimmy Smits was on the plane?
Rainy days in LA followed by snowy days in Big Bear for Wojtek's 30th.

Next, we piled in the truck and drove south back to Lake Havasu. We were joined by a German visiter and Wojtek's brother and explored the desert before we all got sick. Again.

After Christmas, we all headed north to Port Orford....where I got sick again and decided to stay to recover for the month of January as the rest of the gang headed north. In February, I packed up my bags and moved to Seattle! Wojtek and I found a temporary place overlooking Lake Union and I fell in love with this city all over again. I've been here for the past few months, took classes, pursued a possible career chance, and lived to tell the story of a nightmarish recovery from a tonsillectomy. And there you have it, my past 8 months in a nutshell.

Oh, hello.

2011-09-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

I have some exciting and scary changes.
I have....
....
....
....

Deferred graduate school for a year.

Put in my two weeks notice at my job (today!).

Not renewed my apartment lease and must move out at the end of this month.

I'm hitting the road for several months (2? 6? 9?) of travel and I couldn't be more excited (and of course slightly terrified).
Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy to quit a job in this economy, to opt out of graduate school when so many are trying to get accepted, give up my apartment and my security. And yet, all signs point to "yes, do this!" It is hard to live in the moment and not stress about the future but I'm at a time in my life where I have no children, no health issues (knock on wood) and no ties. Why not run off and explore the world?

Wish me luck!

they make a desert, and they call it peace

2011-02-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

I really miss the desert.
Maybe it was my mother's love for Arizona that instilled in me a need to visit, but ever since my first trip to the southwest I have felt at home. Spending the last fall in Arizona was a dream; warm weather, open space and glowing orange light. I have a mind inclined towards claustrophobia and the desert, with all its space to roam feels peaceful and free.

The Pacific Northwest is my home. Oregon is in my blood and I really do love it. New York is exciting and active with the feeling of anonymity a luxury to me. But the desert is where I truly belong. I really think that in the end I will wind up in this dry, rocky land.

Pittock Mansion

2011-02-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

It's been fun exploring my new city. Sometimes it's hard to shake yourself of the northwest drear, but once you force yourself outside you soon realize that things aren't so bad. In fact, I believe there have only been two days of rain since I moved here a few weeks ago.
Luckily, we live near Forest Park, the biggest city park in the country and have explored the area a few times. Most recently, Wojc and I drove to the top of the hill and checked out Pittock Mansion.

The mansion was built atop the hill in the very early 1900's by The Oregonian editor Henry Pittock and has been used in many films. That's about all the history I know, but I do know that it's a beautiful building with an even more beautiful view of Portland.

On a clear day I'm going to come to the top of the hill and hike down one of the many trails winding through the park. It's pretty exciting that there is so much to discover here and everything is so accessible. In New York, everything seemed so exhausting with subway travel that having a car for exploring feels like such a luxury.

i am yours, you are mine

2011-02-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

After my depressing post earlier the day took a turn for the better after a strong coffee and phone chat with my sister. Wojc, J and I decided to explore the city a little and headed out to the car only to see the whole block shut down with smoke billowing out of an apartment building down the street. Pretty intense. Turns out some guy left incense burning, took a shower and came out to an apartment on fire. Luckily, no one died but a whole building of people are out of their homes for awhile.
We got the car out and drove to east Portland to search for a building for sale that looked promising a few weeks ago. We couldn't find the building but we did find the delicious Produce Row Cafe. I love this place. It's the type of restaurant where you feel comfortable and welcome and want to spend the whole day in a comfortable booth. Not only is the food fantastic (get the beer bread!) but the people seem more genuine and nice than in many of the hipster haunts throughout the city. To top it off, our waitress was so adorable you kind of wish she'd sit down and hang awhile.
Next we headed out in search of Voodoo 2, the offshoot of the famous Voodoo donuts, in our typical fashion we forgot where it was and after driving a few blocks gave up and came to a Vacuum shop and museum. We decided to stop and check it out, kind of a strange place, but we walked out with a vacuum! Yes, it was one of those random days but now we sit in a dust free apartment complete with clean rug.
After our east side adventures we headed home where I plotted my cupcake of love concoction. After finding all of my supplies I got home ready to start baking when I realized that we had no measuring cups or spoons. Luckily, we had a math major in the house and I was able to finagle my way through the recipe. Shockingly, the cupcakes turned out delicious. Happy day of love!

Back To The Grind

2011-02-13T13:05:00.000-08:00

I've worked at my new job for three days and it's less than stellar. There are no big red flags and everyone seems pretty nice, it is just not what I expected. The hours are long and the duties are not what interests me. I know complaining about a job is pretty snobby these days, but isn't life more about being happy than toiling away the majority of your life in a position you dread? I'm going to give the job a few more weeks to see if things improve and in the meantime I was scheduled for a second interview for a position more related to my field of work, here's hoping everything works out in the end!
In other downer news, I got sick my first week back in the job world. Not necessarily a great way to spend your first weekend but I'm starting to feel better. Luckily my brother came to town for the weekend which boosted my spirit considerable. We explored Sauvie Island yesterday and hiked along the Columbia River and today will hopefully find something fun to do as well. That's about all for my update today, cross your fingers for a better work week.

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it" -Eckhart Tolle

Ecola Beach

2011-02-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

I looked at my archives today and wow, I am shocked by how little I've been posting. I'm thinking about doing another "blog for every day for 30 days"; I really enjoyed writing regularly and feel like I've been negligent.
Updates!
I got a job and I start tomorrow. It might not be a dream job, but it will pay the bills and has some perks. Wojc and I are settled into our little apartment in NW Portland, I believe the neighborhood is called Nob Hill. It is a far cry from New York, but a relaxing change that seems to be growing on me.

Our first week in Portland Wojc and I took a day trip to the coast. It's only about an hour and half drive to Seaside and as a born and bred coasty that is a relief. We explored Ecola State Park beach at the magical hour right before sunset. It was chilly, but so beautiful.

After being on the road as nomads for 7 months, it has been hard to adjust to a stable life. It feel good in the sense that my heart isn't thumping out of my chest from stress, but I won't lie that it has been all peaches and cream. I was down for several days, thinking about life on the road and NYC, luckily this yoga video pulled me out of my funk. Our day trip to the beach combined with the weekend jaunt to Port Orford has eased my way into stability and today my mood had improved greatly.

It's In The Water

2011-02-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

When Wojc, my brother and I were in Port Orford last week we were supposed to drive back Monday. However, Monday was so beautiful that we just couldn't tear ourselves away. It was one of those days thats so warm and sunny that your mind plays trick on you and you think its May or June.

Since we had another day, we loaded up the two hard shell kayaks and one blow up kayak and headed to Garrison Lake not far from my home. It was late afternoon and the sun was shining, absolutely perfect.

We glided out on the lake and I immediately vowed to kayak as much as possible this year. I really am a fish, I'm just more comfortable on the water. Rafting, kayaking, swimming, sailing, anything on a boat and I'm happy. I used to raft and kayak quite a bit in high school and even did a four day trip down the rogue river so boating is kind of like second nature to me.

Garrison Lake is a beautiful place, it's in town but surronded by trees and just a few houses, the lake is only separated from the Pacific by a small beach. We paddled almost all the way around the lake with very little wind (shocking) and caught the beginning of sunset with a few purple and pink clouds.

Of course, no float would be complete without some delicious Olympia (sarcasm). The day was so energizing and I can't wait to get on the water again. Who would've thought visiting Port Orford in January is like a beach vacation?

Keep On The Sunny Side

2011-01-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

Wojc and I decided to take a drive down to see my brother in Eugene a couple days ago. In our typical style we didn't leave Portland until 4:30 and pulled into Eugene around 6:30. We were all pretty tired, but decided to all drive down to visit my mom and dad in Port Orford; we continued the drive and arrived at my Mom's at 11pm on the dot. I really love living in Oregon again, it's so amazing to be able to drive down to my hometown on a whim and spend the weekend, a five hour drive doesn't seem so bad post-NYC.

On Sunday, we woke up to one of the most perfect days since summer. Sunny, no wind and fairly warm; the kind of day where you want to spend every minute outdoors. So we did. We drove north to Floras Lake and hiked out to the beach.

This beach is one of the most beautiful. You rarely see anyone and the orange cliffs looming over the ocean provide such a spectacular contrast in color. We hiked way down the beach, climbing up cliffs and exploring inlets.

On our way back we passed a cave in one of the cliffs and wanted to explore. It was awesome, you could crawl back about 20 feet on your hands and knees to a little "room" that opened up enough for three people to fit. My claustrophobia kicked in ever so slightly, but what a cool spot to watch the waves.

The day and hike was one of the best in months. These two days have been the exact combination of family and sun that I needed so desperately. I really was feeling a winter depression kick in where it feels like my body can't go on without sunlight. Luckily, I got hours of Vitamin D that will hold me over for the next couple of weeks.

In other news, I got a job in Portland! Oddly enough, I heard I got the job the morning I moved to Portland. Talk about good timing. I start next week, I'm a little apprehensive about starting a full time job, but I know it's for the best right now. Things are really starting to look up!

2011-01-17T17:48:00.001-08:00

While I wait for my mom to edit some grad school application stuff I figured I'd pop in and let anyone who cares to read that I GOT AN APARTMENT!! I finally made the decision to move to Portland. After much thought I realized that Oregon is the best state around so of course I should move there. Finally, after 6+ months I have a place to call my own (or I will in a few days when I move in). It is so needed, there is only so long one can wander around without privacy and a place to unpack your clothes. Now here's hoping that I like Portland!

In other news, I thought my grad school application was due April 1st and very recently learned it was February 1st. This news set off about 24 hours worth of anxiety as I scrambled to gather my thoughts. Luckily, I have nothing but time and have made quite a bit of progress on the application and only hope my recommendations get done in time. I feel like a slacker who has been out of school way too long but can't wait to get back into the world of academia (if all goes well).

And in other amazing news, I will be insured within a day or two and I am ecstatic. Being uninsured makes me paranoid so this is a relief. What a life of luxury I'm living with BOTH Health Insurance and a home.

The Power of Now

2011-01-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

It's weird that I haven't tried to live in the moment for the past 7 months or so; in fact, I had completely forgotten about the practice. As I was sitting on the couch in Wojc's brother's house as they were loading the last of our suitcases in the car I started to stress. Who am I kidding? Even the cat was nervously pacing as we packed all of our belongings. I sat on the couch and my mind started to go to an anxious place where I began to worry about leaving for Portland tomorrow and looking for an apartment and what if I didn't like any of the places and so on and so forth. All of a sudden it hit me: right now, right this very moment everything is fine and I'm happy. If I could learn to live in the present moment then my life would be different. If you truly live in the moment you really can't stress; all of my anxiety and stress stem from worrying about what will happen a day from now, a week from now, a year from now. Because of all this stress I often let days pass without fully enjoying them.

"Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now.
Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now."

Eckhart Tolle provides me with an excellent meditation that I really hope to incorporate in my life as often as possible. I think it's like a muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it becomes and the more I practice living in the moment the easier it will become. When I had this epiphany it was like a cement block lifted from my shoulders.

Home is where the heart is.

2011-01-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

Y'all I'm getting serious about this apartment business. Wojc and I have pretty much agreed on Portland and so we will be making yet another drive down on saturday to really truly look for a place. I have about four appointments set up thus far all in the Pearl area and the Hawthorne area. If any Portlanders know of good neighborhoods I should be checking, please let me know! I really don't know the city that well yet.
Anyway, back to "settling down". My last home was my apartment in Harlem over 6 months ago. For months I have lived in a tent, a truck, under the stars, an empty vacation home, my mom's house, my boyfriend's parents' house, my boyfriend's brother's house, a shack in northern Washington and too many friends' floors to count. I realized the other night that I haven't been alone in a house for over a month. And wow, for a person who needs ample "alone time" this has been an adjustment.
Within a week (knock on wood) we will have an apartment. My nest egg will be slightly smaller and reality will have finally set in. As I approach this permanent move I find myself feeling deeply nostalgic for New York City; because, oddly enough, it is my comfort zone. When I'm not tearing up over NYC skyline footage, I'm getting that old familiar urge to hop on the first plane to India. Aww, the joys of being a commitment-phobe. This is the end of an era. New York was unexpected and three years passed in the blink of an eye, all my memories feel like a dream and I think, "did that really happen?" With the end of traveling, reality is sinking in that I am no longer a New Yorker who can proudly gripe about rent prices and subway rides. And with this sudden turn to melancholy, I will only look forward to a slower paced, less expensive, happy daily existence.
I desperately long for a place to call my own and know that after the initial stress I will love the stability; however, staying still has never been my strong suit. So now, I push away that urge to roam and settle back in my beloved home state, Oregon.

Sleepless in Seattle

2011-01-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

After several days exploring Portland (which I am growing to love) Wojc picked me up and drove me back to Seattle.

I really love Seattle, it's so unbelievably beautiful on a (rare) clear day. It has been bitterly cold here, but clear and that is all I ask for.

Wojc and I have been having a back and forth struggle about where to settle: Portland or Seattle. There are pros and cons with both. As a friend said, I need one of the options to be taken away and I'll know (by my level of disappointment or relief) which is truly best.

I'm going to check out a few apartments in downtown Seattle tomorrow and this weekend I head down for my weekly Portland visit for a second interview. Fingers crossed (maybe).

A Year In Review

2011-01-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

As per usual, I'm a little late in the year in review/resolutions post. Better late than never, right? Minutes before pulling alongside James Lipton, I awkwardly asked a car full of people as the last few minutes of 2010 ticked by, "if you had to use one word to describe your year what would it be?" Apparently people weren't feeling introspective as I was met with a change in subject, but I thought about my question and realized mine would be unknown. 2010 was full of adventure, excitement, stress, dread, joy but the most common theme was the unknown, both good and bad.
I was preyed upon by two guys with guns and ski masks in February. This caused so much stress, anxiety and fear and was the final push I needed to plan my escape from New York.
I quit my job in June. One of the most difficult and yet best decisions I've made in some time.
I packed up a truck and fulfilled a life long dream of driving cross-country in June and July which turned into one of the fondest memories of my life.
I spent my summer and fall traveling happily between Arizona, Oregon and NYC.
I stressed more days than I care to count about where to move and wondering if I will ever get a job.
2010 was filled with some of the best times and some of the worst times but not a day that I regret.
In 2011 I hope to continue my adventures but with a little more stability. I am so happy to be on the west coast again within driving distance to almost all of my closest friends and family that I already feel like I've succeeded in 2011; however, I am not without resolutions.

In 2011 I hope to decide on a city to live in, find an apartment, get a job and travel overseas. And apply/get accepted to graduate school. The End.

Salt N' Pepper Revisited

2010-12-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

A few days ago on one of the only sunny days on the southern Oregon coast the family and I embarked on a visit to Salt and Pepper beach south of Port Orford on 101. My mom, sister and brother-in-law hadn't been yet and they needed to see such an outstanding place.

The day couldn't have been more perfect for a December coastal day. Trailblazing down the hillside, slipping down the mud and tripping our way through blackberry vines quickly warmed us up. With the sun shining it felt like a perfect sunny day.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is the most spectacular beach I've seen. As you walk down the final grassy hill and look down upon the beach you can't help but feel part of a mystical place. There are no buildings, electric lines, roads; there are no sounds other than the boom of the waves crashing on the rocks. It's as out of this world as I've been while staying right here in Oregon.

When I'm on Salt and Pepper beach a feeling of peace washes over me. Maybe it's my brain waves syncing up with the tide. Maybe it's the memories I have as a child splashing through the waves. The sun rays peaking through the clouds and the glow of the blue/gray ocean balance and calm me. I want to do yoga, sleep and run when I come to this place.

It has been such a good week down in Port Orford with my family. We haven't been all together for several years and this time has been memorable. I wish we could all stay here for at least another week, and yet real life awaits. My sister and bro-in-law will fly out shortly, I'll be heading to Portland and my brother off to where ever the wind takes him. It's sad parting ways, I only hope we'll all be together sooner than it took last time.

2010-12-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Festivus To All!!!

Christmas morning was magical. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day regardless of what you celebrate!

How Lovely Are Your Branches

2010-12-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

A week ago I hopped on the train from Seattle. My sister and brother-in-law got on a plane and my brother took his car. We managed to coordinate our arrivals within a half hour of each other in Portland. Shockingly there were no delays. We then proceeded to make the 5 hour drive south to Port Orford where we have spent the week lounging and making the most of family time.

A couple days ago we woke up to a gloriously sunny day and knew it was the perfect day to find our christmas tree. Throughout my childhood we spent hours and hours driving the logging roads in search of the "perfect" tree; of course, this rarely happened and we could never agree on a tree. Usually the search would end in desperation as the sun dropped and the rain fell and we were left with a scrawny Charlie Brown tree. Honestly, the tree doesn't really matter; it's the adventure and tradition that means the most.

We all packed into the truck and began the drive up China Mountain. Not ten minutes passed when my brother spotted a nice tree on the side of the road. We inspected it and knew it was perfect. Luckily, my conscience was eased when we noticed it had a disfigured trunk and was growing a steep hill not suitable for survival.

Utku got down to the business of sawing it down with our less than sharp blade. With such a small trunk, the tree came down quickly.

The speed in which we found and cut down the tree was unheard of so we spent the remainder of the afternoon seeing the sights and going to the beach. It's times like this when I so happy to be an Oregonian.

Later that night my sister and brother put up the tree and we all decorated it. Not the greatest picture, but believe me it is one of my favorite christmas trees yet, made even better with the smug satisfaction of finding the perfect one deep in the wilderness.

A Day In Birch Bay

2010-12-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Wojc and I drove up to Birch Bay north of Seattle to check out a possible temporarily home. We had some friends from Lake Havasu that offered their cabin until April. We were pretty pumped to check it out and figured it would be the perfect place to hole up for the winter and write and apply for jobs.

Unfortunately, the cabin was slightly more shack-like than we had imagine and sadly we marked this off our list of possibilities. It was fun to take a morning run to Birch Bay State Park and see the quaint little town and I really liked Bellingham; it just wasn't meant to be.

And so we drove south back to Seattle to continue our search for the perfect place.

It's the most wonderful time.

2010-12-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

I am super pumped for Christmas this year. Oh, what am I saying? I love the holiday and always have. The lights, smells, tree, holiday spirit, music; everything is so magical to me. As a kid I loved the night before Christmas and all of the anticipation and excitement.
Tomorrow morning I board yet another Amtrak and head south to Portland where I will meet up with my sister and brother-in-law who are flying in from New York and my brother will pick us up and drive us all down to Port Orford. We haven't all been together for about a year and a half now and I am beyond thrilled. My siblings are, by far, some of very favorite people. I can't imagine my life without my bro and sis; really, they are the best. It's pretty cool to genuinely like your family. With all of us home it feels more like a festive party.
Top on my to do list is watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (best.movie.ever) and Love Actually, COOK, make hot drinks, wrap presents, sing Christmas songs horribly off key and go on many more hiking adventures.

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

2010-12-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

I've been in Seattle for the past week and its been lovely to be at my old stomping grounds. I've been applying for jobs like a mad woman but there is just not a lot of work out there. It can be a very frustrating process if you let it; so far, I've managed to maintain a pretty positive outlook. It's easier to stay positive when most of the jobs I'm applying for I don't really want anyway. Sure, some income would be nice, but I'm having a bit of an identity crisis and rethinking my career in social services. I find the work satisfying and motivating but as anyone in social services knows the work can be draining, stressful and emotionally exhausting. I'm just not sure I want that anymore. And yet, I'm not sure what I want to pursue and have been thinking deeply about what my true passions are and how I could relate them to employment I'm not there yet, but I think this is just one of life's never ending struggles.
My sister sent me an article today written by a nurse who had been at many deathbeds and the top 5 regrets she witnessed.

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Sometimes I find myself getting caught up in what I should be doing versus what I want to do. It's hard to not get wrapped up in the mainstream ideals of happiness even though they are not usually in line with what I want.
The one that really speaks to me right now is number 5. It really is a choice to be happy and I don't want to look back on these years with regret that I was stressed rather than enjoying my freedom. Even though I'm unemployed I'm not broke (yet). Even though I don't have an apartment I'm so lucky to have a support system and connections. Even though I don't have work I have the much desired freedom that I've always dreamt of. And so, I will choose happiness and not let this horrendous economy and job outlook effect my mood and happiness. All my life I day dreamed about being free from school and work and now I am living it, doesn't it make sense to embrace it?

No Reservations

2010-12-09T00:49:00.000-08:00

Oddly enough, one of my favorite memories from this past summer's cross country road trip was sitting round the campfire reading aloud Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw for both Wojc and I to enjoy. We had some internet/tv/phone withdrawals deep in the Smokey Mountains and what a replacement this was. If you haven't read Bourdain I suggest you run out and pick up Kitchen Confidential or Medium Raw now. I adore his wit, foul mouth and to the point style...and I'm a vegetarian so that's saying something.
Now go build a campfire and start reading!

On an unrelated note, I really want to drape my future apartment with maps and globes. There's a reason I was a geography minor; I could stare at maps for hours on end.

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings

2010-12-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

To kill some restlessness and jitters last week, my brother and I decided to make the trek up Humbug Mountain. Humbug is part of the state park about 7 miles south of Port Orford. The mountain is notorious for its steep trail to the summit which is a killer both going up and coming down. We started out in the cold and dreary day.

As we started up the trail we were taken by surprise by the out of this world misty fog and beauty.

Environment so lush and ripe that every inch of ground is taken up by ferns, trees and plants. So fertile and untouched you expect to see saplings shoot up and grow before your very eyes.

Imagine a real life Jumanji and this is what you will see. So rich and vibrant it is only magnified by the fog and drizzle. Lucky for us the trees provided such good coverage we barely go damp.

By the time you reach the top your legs are like jello and the descent isn't much better for bad knees like my own, but it is all worth it in the end. Mission kill anxiety? Complete.

So Spectacular You Can See The Earth’s Curvature

2010-12-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

It is as close to the end of the Earth you can get. A place so enormous, so profound you can see the curve of the Earth, the swell of the see and the horizon stretching as far as the eye can see.

The trail around the Coast Guard Hill Heads in Port Orford is the most beautiful couple miles I’ve had the privilege of seeing in all my 27 years. Every visitor to our house, everyone of my visits home (and there have been many), every holiday, a hike on the Heads is in order.

I am not a religious person, but these cliffs looming over the powerful Pacific ocean are a spiritual experience. I guess I just worship at the church of the great outdoors.

I went to the Heads on two separate occasions. The first with my brother and the second with my mom and brother. Both were different and both spectacular. And in case you were wondering, these pictures are not edited. Oh the beauty of my home state!

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

2010-12-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my mom I was introduced to the best flash mob yet. This is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. I'm hoping to see the Seattle Symphony perform Handel's Messiah in a few weeks. What a beautiful piece.