So far...

Thanksgiving with my

new friends/ coworkers: Bobby, Swift, Sarah, Pablo, Kim, Seth, Gail and Gracie

The Austing Haus during a small snow storm

view from my front yard

My backyard

My new home!

There is my kitchen in the corner

and my bathroom, complete with hotel shampoos and soaps!

A view of the tiny Taos from a hike on the Adivisadero trail that almost killed me

the passage of time measured through turkeys...

On my way to Taos I stopped in Fort Collins to pay a visit to the Cape family. I had a lovely time visiting with my Abby and I got to see the turkeys again! Unfortunately it was the last time I would see them, two weeks later they were served for Thanksgiving dinner : (

Before:

After:

Oh yes, and here is a picture from my last night with the wonderful Carolyn in Livingstone, Montana

Taos and the Austing Haus

This is where I will be living and working for the next 3 1/2 months: The Austing Haus in Taos, New Mexico. There have been some slight problems since I arrived here, but I believe they are all fixed and the rest of my stay here should be smooth sailing (I hope).

In related news... I hate saying goodbye, and because of that it is so difficult thinking about continuing to travel. I meet so many great people, and am reacquainted with so many great people, only to say goodbye to them again and again.

Yellowstone !!!!!

So my next stop on this journey was to Gardiner, Montana. I was staying with Carolyn, an old friend of my dad's and impressive Yellowstone employee. The day after I arrived me, Carolyn and two of her friends traveled into Yellowstone. The three of them were so incredibly knowledgeable about the park and had explanations for everything before I was even able to ask. We were there for nearly 8 hours and I was able to see some of the most incredible natural inventions that I have ever seen. I must say, though I was impressed by the geysers, waterfalls, mountains, bison and elk, I think my favorite part were the roots of the fallen trees around the park. They were so beautiful and beetle-juicy looking. 

See the bison?! (they are in a forbidden romance, and can only stare at each other from a far...)

Old Faithful

See the leaf that is now imprinted in the thermophiles?

See what I mean?!

I love the bison.

A few days later, I went for a little walk to Mammoth Springs in the snow

and discovered another cool spring

trip to the oregon coastline

I realized about a week before I left that I hadn't made it to the notoriously beautiful Oregon coastline. The day after this realization I woke up early and drove to it. I spent hours laying on the beach, which was practically empty this time of year, and walking in the surf to the infamous Haystack Rock.

Then I went to the nearby Ecola State Park. Here is my obligatory self portrait.

I made some rock sculptures.

And then went for a hike up the cliff and into the woods.

After the hike I sat on another cliff and ate some food and wrote about some stuff in my notebook.

Later on that day around dusk, I ran into a herd of Elk. I had never seen an Elk before, so I watched them for a little until they were frighteningly close to me.

After I got into bed that night I replayed the events of the day. I considered how different it would have all been if I had spent the ten hours with another person. I suppose it might have been nice to share it with a friend, and it could have made for an epic-ly romantic day were I with a man, or the right man, rather. Instead I was alone. I didn't have to wait for anyone to catch up during my hike(which is often the case due to my long legs and generally hurried movement), I could sit and stare at the same rock, elk, or tree for as long as I wanted, and I only had to worry about the timing of my own bathroom breaks. I decided in my half sleep that I preferred the solitude.

Bainbridge Island!

This past weekend I visited my cousin Rob and his lovely wife Holly in Bainbridge Island (which is right next door to Seattle).

I had such a wonderful time with them. One unanticipated gem of this whole journey has been the opportunity to connect with family members that I had previously known so little about. Rob was always so much older, and we lived thousands of miles away, so the only opportunity to visit was in the summer time. Admittedly, I was a little nervous about the visit- I didn't know if we would get along, or if our conversation would be awkward and forced. Thankfully, it was exactly the opposite- I immediately felt at ease, and the two of them were even more wonderful than the best case scenario I had pictured in my mind. The love that they feel toward each other is obvious right away, and was actually very inspiring. I have had very little hope for love lately, but seeing their perfect, patient interactions, mutual respect, and blatant displays of affection make me hopeful and excited for my next chance at love.

They live in a beautiful home in the middle of trees and scurrying animals. I was reminded how much energy I receive from being in the presence of nature. They seem to have the perfect set- up: living in this paradise of solitude and greenery, with just a short ferry commute into the city.

Here is what I did:

took a walk through the 'Grand Forest' which was right around the corner from their home

TRIED, yes, just tried going out on their boat.. apparently the best two days of owning a boat is the day you buy it, and the day you sell it

When we finally gave up on the boat, we went to the nearby woods and had some wine and watched...

... a really beautiful sunset

The next day, despite our horrendous hangovers, (margaritas and copious amounts of wine were consumed later on) we got on the ferry to Seattle

and then had delicious oysters!

Pike's Market

we saw an incredibly impressive multi- tasker

and found an abandoned pair of pants

Here is Holly enjoying our feast of Gin, Kirkland Cheese, and Kettle Chips on her brother's boat

It was such a wonderful weekend, and they are two wonderful, wonderful people. 

THEN it was back to Portland, which has been especially fun lately- more on that soon!