Campsite 48

We almost postponed our annual anniversary camping trip a few weeks because so many California campgrounds were full, closed for the season, shut down due to plague, or under extreme fire/drought restrictions. The thought of camping without a fire just made me sad and I was getting pretty bummed about it all when Evan found a campground near Yosemite with one spot left. We grabbed it and a week later, we were pulling into the loveliest little campground!

It was mostly full of fishermen and hunters staying for a few weeks with their campers & pup companions, so it was quiet and clean. In the mornings we walked to the lake with our coffee and at night we slept (fairly) soundly with our tent open to the stars and full moon above. The campground and lake were situated in a little valley, so we had beautiful mountain views on all sides and watching the moon rise above the cliffs each night was sort of magical.

We were both a little drained after a h-o-t summer in the city with little traveling, so I can't tell you how much this peaceful respite soothed our souls. This is my very favorite of our traditions.

finding seasons

when you live in a place with only the very subtlest of seasons, you may just have to drive until it's cold enough to wear a sweater (finally) and there are crunchy leaves on the ground. in this case, that meant a quick 45 minute drive to mount  baldy to spend an evening amidst a little bit of autumn. 

two years coasting // on a monday

this was my monday morning, two weeks ago today. we had driven into the redwoods late at night, in total awe of the dark, mysterious giants in the forest. we set up the tent in the beams of my headlights and went to sleep to the sound of raindrops making their way through the canopy of trees. i could not wait to wake up and see everything in the light--unzipping the tent to look outside felt like opening your bedroom door to see the Christmas tree with presents underneath. we made coffee on the fire and couldn't stop looking up to see how far the branches reached into the skies. everything was wet and dark and gorgeous. 

if i can make a life where monday mornings can be like this, i'll be living my dream. 

branded bear fleece sweatshirt c/o indy brand clothing

post-adventure blues

I've got those post-adventure blues. Like, big time. 

We returned from our anniversary west coast road trip just a few days ago and I've been in mourning ever since--it was such a wondrous, beautiful week and I can't stop thinking about everything we saw. Softening the blow is the memory card full of photos that I get to edit and look through over, and over, and over again. We saw so many sights we'd never seen before, places that filled us with awe and become ours. What a special thing, to see a piece of the world for the first time with someone you love...it forms a bond that is forever yours, a place you have only been together. The place and that person are permanently entwined in your memory, perfectly preserved. I'm so grateful. 

Here are a few photos from the first few days of the trip in Portland & Eugene, where Evan was performing in a play called The Ghosts of Tonkin. I was so happy to be in Portland for a day, a city with which I will always have a love affair. We drank Stumptown coffee, visited Powell's books, drank freshly brewed beer and prohibition-era cocktails, strolled around the gorgeous Portland State campus, and both got to spend time with our mothers--altogether, the best day. After Sunday brunch the next morning, we drove to Springfield, a tiny town outside of Eugene where they had their second performance and we watched the sun set over this bridge. The next day, the adventure truly began--more photos to come. 

e x p l o r e : secret sea caves

One thing (of many) my boyfriend is really good at is finding new adventure spots that few people know about. Even when it's in my city and it's my turn to find the adventure--he's just so much better at it. Last weekend we raced against the incoming tide to explore this hidden sea cave in Point Loma, and the view was more than worth the wet shoes and (my) fear of the unstable cliffs high above us. There's something beautifully mystical about places where you can only be when the tide is low; it's as if nature is allowing us to see only her beauty but only when she says we may. Just another reminder that man doesn't control the earth, we just live among it. 

the watering hole

Here are the rest of the photos from our adventure with Indy Brand. It isn't an adventure unless something goes wrong, yeah? Like when two Pacific Northwestern-ers trek through a park named for its creek, walking in the hot sun much further than they ought without sunscreen and water, only to finally get to the creek and find it completely and utterly bone dry? Yeah, we kinda forgot that California is in a drought. You can't imagine the sad, pathetic looks on our faces when we came upon that dry stream bed--we are still used to to western Washington, where there is a body of water on every corner. And oh, we were hot. But, we kept hiking and found this little watering hole where kids were wading, teenagers were drinking cheap beer, and we got to cool down. We learned some lessons for the next adventure, missed the PNW just a teensy bit, and had so much fun photographing these tees--livin' the dream is right. All part of the story, all part of exploring with my love.

on him: 'find home' tee in green

on me: 'livin' the dream' tee in grey