trapped.

i mean, you've experienced this before, right?

the elk came out to play.

mom and i went hiking in point reyes, the friday after thanksgiving. it's one of my favorite places to be, and i've written about it a number of times on this blog. i feel at home when i'm roaming in that space, as if it was created for me as a respite where i can go to just be. it's where i go away to get re-centered, focused, and relaxed.

naturally, i took my mom there since she loves to hike and she loves the ocean. she normally takes 10+ mile hikes in the mountains every weekend, so this was an easy 10 mile hike for her. we went to the famous tule elk trail that starts at pierce point ranch. it's 4.7 miles to the tip of tomales point, with very few inclines. easy.

funny thing is that, as many times as i've been out to that trail, i never knew it went all the way to the tip of the bay! i felt like i had gotten robbed when i realized that trail was actually 10 miles total. in fact, i told my mom the trail would be only 4 miles or so because that's all i had ever done. to my delightful surprise, we hiked all 10 miles, ate mom-made kimbap at the end and then tailed it back in time to indulge in some fresh oysters on our way home.

 

 

random | wishing.

it always looks better from the other side.

havasupai | all the little things

(and sometimes big.)

 

 

 

havasupai | campground

it was an unexpected delight to have three wild horses freely roam right next to us! we were all in awe when they would come by to eat & drink. that was also the time when we stopped using that water they trekked through... eep.

chloe

i've been bird sitting this skittish beauty for the past six days. during that time, i noticed that: 

• she has either impeccable vision or smell and can immediately identify if i have a carrot or fuyu persimmon in my hand
• she bites very hard. ow.
• from her seed mix, her first choice is dried fruit. in fact, her food looks tastier than human trail mix. what the heck?
• she will make a commotion if there's fun being had and she's not involved
• whistling piques her curiosity, and she tends to sing along
• she's a very effective alarm clock when you least expect it

it's good for me to be responsible for a living creature (e.g. cats, chickens, small children) every so often... it helps me get me out of my head and slows me down while caring for others.

montana | highlights, the visual version

i don't think i can use words to describe how i feel about these images. so here they are. beloved moments captured from my recent trip to montana - the second of many more...

flight from bozeman to ennis.

i just sat there and let susan push a plane with me in it.

rattlesnake.

the view wasn't too shabby.

walking home.

up close at home.

my room.

bare.

resting at the saddle. 

the high holy 4th of july parade in ennis

virginia city store.

yes.

o sweet jesus. this is one of my favorites.

virginia city post office.

candy making.

textures.

the making of a cake. german chocolate, to be exact

missed the fireworks, but got a bumpy ride instead.

thunderstorm + lightning.

breakfast in dell at calf-a.

red canyon road. yes please!

shop, set up.

prepared for the grizzlies. 

the sun rose.

we finally say hello.

by far, one of my favorites!

we watched everyday as she just sat there in all her majesty, drawing every good thing towards herself.