hiatus

In a little over 24 hours we (the both of us here at Wonder Net) will be on our way to COSTA RICA.

Good bye until June 9, Wonder Net.

(photo by credit here)

another wolf sighting

I can post pictures of Roux too.....

Costa Rica tomorrow!!!

done and done

Feeling a lot lighter...

to be here

One of the best things about moving away is coming home. I definitely think going off to school has been tremendously valuable, but along with that I have a deeper love and appreciation for everyone and everything when I am back in Colorado. Things like this little overlooked corner in my parents' house make me so happy:
Colorado really is a great place to be from, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up back here down the road sometime. The Mexican food alone is enough to draw me back...

you're gonna love this

This just forever changed the way I will want to view photos.

Try it.

Thanks, Denmark.

the cut

I've been meaning to cut my hair for oh, about six months. On a very basic level, I'm just sick of it and ready for change, although that never proved to be enough of an impetus to make me actually cut it. It's a stressful thing, getting a haircut.

A few weeks ago when I met up with Julie (our good friend undergoing chemotherapy), my hair happened to be down and hers was gone. It just seemed like all my hair was so unecessary. After that I was sure I wanted to chop it. So I made an appointment and did a little research. I've decided to donate it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. I looked into a few others (who knew there were so many places to donate your hair?), and it turns out there's a lot of variety in the causes these programs donate to. For example, Locks for Love donates to kids who have a disease which causes them never to grow hair. I knew I wanted to donate mine to a program specifically designed for women undergoing chemo. Beautiful Lengths does exactly that, and distributes their wigs around the country for free. Also they have a Flickr group and Flickr is pretty much the bomb.

So after tomorrow all this

will be gone.

Sayonara, hair.

artist|of|the|week: Maija Louekari

I came across Maija Louekari last week and have been saving her for my artist of the week this week. Her illustrations and design concepts are to die for. I also love that she's Finnish. I wish I was Finnish.

(It took me a while to figure out you have to scroll sideways so I'm saving you the inconvenience of figuring that out).

at long last

Thank you Claire for diligently tending to the blog whilst I was out gallivanting around the Northwest. After what seems like months, but has only been about a week and a half, I am sitting in my new apartment listening to Bon Iver (who I forgot to add to my ipod and missed dearly). What's great is that the next time I will be here after tomorrow morning you will be with me and it will be late July.
And now for a brief photographic glimps into my latest adventures. The day I left Palouse it was beautiful and sunny around the whole region, the first teasing of actual warm weather we have had. I have learned that a sunny warm day is a big deal around here, especially closer to the coast. People soak up every second of it because they are aware of its anomaly. Although, it's great to be so appreciative, I have desperately been missing the seasons of Colorado. Most of the drive west across Washington consists of farm land, and here I tried to capture all the tiny little dirt tornados I was driving through. They were everywhere and I sort of felt like I was existing in post-Apocalyptic times. Turns out I didn't capture them at all but I still liked this picture:
Seattle was a fabulous time. I always appreciate any amount of time I get to spend with Shauna and her family, and am so thankful that we ended up in Washington at the same time. It was so warm that we headed to the beach one day, and of course it was packed with all the people who had come out of their hibernation. Amongst those people were Dave Matthews and his family. It's no wonder they live in the area when they have views like this. I am in love with the beach+mountain combination common to this part of the country.
Early Sunday I got in the car again and drove north towards Canada to meet my brother and his girlfriend in Vancouver. I barely made it past the sticklers at the border control, and was pleasantly surprised to encounter yet another amazingly beautiful place. Weather was still warm, so we rented some cruiser bikes and rode them all around Stanley Park (their much nicer version of Central Park). In just one loop we saw totem pols, the ocean, the forest, the city, the flora...everything. I am convinced that the second best way to get around (after horses) are cruiser bikes.
Another thing I have really grown to love in my time living somewhat coastal, is the constant and aesthetically intriguing presence of boats.
And boat equipment.
A major highlight for me...getting to see some Timber Wolves up close. They were in an enclosure, but a delight to see nonetheless.


You mentioned these flowers in your last post I believe. I am very fond of them as well.
This is my favorite scene from our day trip out to Victoria.


There are many more lovely Canada pictures, but I'm going to move on to avoid and unruly length to this post. While in Seattle I got an invite from some friends in Portland to do a camping trip near Bend, Oregon. I jumped on the opportunity to spend time in the outdoors and see new places. Unfortunately, the previous weekend of warm weather was not making a sequel and camping was abandoned due to rain, cold temps, and , yes, even snow. But, we still hiked up to Proxy Falls, I in shorts and Keen sandals, through the snow. Conditions were less than ideal but I think seeing the waterfalls made the experience worth it for all of us. There's nothing like a little misery to make something more memorable.

And , with out the snow I never would have been able to create this masterpiece!!
Alright, I am exhausted, and I need to get many things done before I leave again tomorrow...this time it's to Colorado to see you!

Ski to Sea '08

The weekend + Monday was pretty wonderful.

We got a little time at A's parents' house in Issaquah, Washington. I love that house. I do have limited memories of it from when my family visited the Hudgins when I was seven or eight, and those memories are inevitably fleshed out when I visit it now. His parents have recently added furniture that came from their parents, so the house has a musty old furniture smell that reminds me a lot of my own grandparents. It's a good place, that house.

A's mom is apparently in the process of choosing paint chips.


Being a native Coloradoan I never can get over the abundance of foliage.




These flowers are EVERYWHERE in Washington right now. According to A they are Rhododendrons, a name I do not know how to spell.

Saturday we drove to Bellingham and had a little time to kick back. We seriously underestimated the Northwestern weather, and every day instead of the 50-degree rainy weather we were anticipating, we got 80 degrees and sunshine. A hadn't brought any flip flops, so borrowed some from his dad. He chose to believe they were Hawaiin print, which can be gender neutral at times. But they weren't. They were covered in blue daisies.

Sunday was the actual Ski to Sea race - a pretty amazing adventure race that begins at the top of a mountain and ends in the ocean. Again, the weather was gorgeous and the scenery was unbelievable. The race start:

A was the runner - an eight mile downhill run on pavement that has left him walking like a 90-year-old man. Still, he ran like a champ.

The post-race BBQ with the team members + their respective families was easily one of the best parts of the weekend. You get that wonderful evening light forever in Washington this time of the year, and there were kids, dogs, good wine and good conversation.

Apparently I can't go anywhere without taking photos of someone's dog anymore. This is Jake and he is very lovable.

Now we have just five days to gear up for the Rica...

Россия

Every day at work I pass a contemporary Russian art gallery. I've always liked it, not just one piece in particular, but the way the art looks through the window of the old building. I feel a weird kinship with Russia, thanks due entirely to my parents. My mom studied Russian in school and spent some time there before she was married, and my dad worked there for a long time (he is also pretty fluent). When I was little my dad was travelling almost all the time and was spending months at a time in Russia. Whenever he returned from a business trip he'd bring my sister and I each a surprise, so as a result I grew up with Russian toys and childhood stories. In the way that things remembered from your childhood are comforting simply because they were a part of your childhood, I fancy Russian names, sounds, places, people. (Also if you love letters like I do, how could you not love to look at the Russian language written with all their crazy backwards letters? GOOD STUFF.) I even have a misdirected fondness for Stalin because in my frenzy to read every book in our house as a kid, I read several Stalin biographies my dad had lying around.

All this has a lot to do with why I like the Russian gallery next door. I was thinking this morning, hey maybe I'll actually buy something there before I go back to school and then not only will it strike my Russian chord, but it will also remind me of this time in my life, this single working girl time. (Single as in not married, not single as in not attached). I haven't yet had a chance to go in and peruse prices, but reality did come crashing down and I have to admit I doubt I'll actually be able to buy anything at all. So instead maybe what I'll do is bring my trusty Canon down one day, shoot a photos from the street like a stalker, and frame one of those. These are from my phone on the fly today.

Yet another note on t-shirts: I check Shirt Woot daily, and about 80% of the time what they have is weird and not at all appealing. But today's shirt struck my funny chord and every time I think about it I laugh inside my head.

Also, TODAY IS FRIDAY. WOOP WOOP. We are leaving for Seattle tonight and I am bringing the Canon, so come Tuesday expect some Seattle snaps.

gig

I've had several people request that I do doggie portraits, and just this week I had my first real photo shoot. I shot a shitzu and a shitzu-poodle mix. They were...difficult to photograph. It was the middle of a very sunny day, so the light was harsh, and they just seemed to look like mop heads no matter what I did. Nonetheless I think I got a couple good shots that hopefully she'll be happy with. And then I'll get paid. Which is good becaue I've been needing a little extra moola these days.

This little buddy definitely grew on me. He's sort of like a lovable furry mini-troll.

My personal favorites (which are not likely to be chosen by said client):

horse mania

I've been spending more time than usual at the barn, and have actually been riding regularly - a first since last October. I'm amazed at how much Annick remembers, and am myself remembering why I love riding so much. My time with horses is so sacred because it's the only guarantee that I'll have time free of thought. Horses are such immediate creatures - they don't dwell on the past or worry about the future - so being with them keeps me in the moment.

Last night I met my trainer, Laurie, at the barn for a lesson. When we arrived there was a herd of elk in the field with the horses, all of them grazing together. We stood and watched for a while. Turns out the horses actually run and play with the elk. I've heard of elk jumping into pastures with horses before, but I'd never seen them interact. When I finally did go to get Annick, the elk watched suspiciously until they saw how Annick let me walk up to her, and then they seemed to be at ease with me, too. Most of them left shortly after that, but a couple stayed through my lesson while I was riding and just watched us curiously.

We were there until 9pm, letting the warm evening air surround us, catching up. I loved it. After Laurie left I spent some time taking photos. Music was drifting out of the old crackly radio, the horses were calm and happy, and my tired self was completely content.

Thanks be to the horses.

i love austin kleon that much more

Austin Kleon posted today about Joseph Campbell. And not just any Joe Campbell, but Power of Myth.

Imagine that.

keen on patagonia

I have the unfortunate/fortunate luck of working right down the street from a Patagonia store. For the most part I exercise self-control when it comes to letting myself wander in there. Most times I don't let myself go in at all, sometimes I let myself go in but make sure to leave my wallet safely in the car where it cannot be emptied. That way the only manner in which I could score a brand new Patagonia hoody would be to stuff it in my bra and sneak out. And let's be real, no hoody is worth that.

Or so I thought until yesterday. No, I did not steal it. I bought it. For full price no less. But had I not had my wallet, I may have had to restort to stuffing it in my bra and making a break for it; I love it that much. You know how a lot of times when you buy a clothing item there's one or two things you really like about it and that's what sells you on it? Half the time one of those things is the price. Well, this hoody wasn't like that. It matched every single criteria I've ever had for a zip up hoody. It's like my soulmate of zip ups. The icing on the cake is the monkey thumbs, which I have made sure to point out in this little illustration.

I also bought that skirt. It was $35, which in Patagonia land is a total steal. I realize I may have been able to find something very similar at Target for $7.99, but knowing I only spent $7.99 would have made it feel cheaper. Also I keep imagining the white sand beaches and tropical cafes in Costa Rica, and I am really going to need something to wear there. Like that skirt. And a bathing suit.

Which is the original reason I even went to Patagonia in the first place. I have a bad neck which gets very angry when I try to tie something around the back of it. Especially when what I'm tying around it is the same thing holding my boobs up. My neck gets all super pissed and the muscles clench up and pretty soon I am a miserable and mean person. It's not a good scenario. But have you ever tried looking for a semi-decent bathing suit that does not tie around the neck? It's IMPOSSIBLE. I kid you not, just try it. Go check out Victoria's Secret bathing suits, of which there are hundreds, and there will be approximately ONE bathing suit that does not tie around the neck. And it will be designed with your 87-year-old grandmother in mind.

But in this regard Patagonia is also my friend because they have MULTIPLE bathing suits that do not tie around the neck and do not look like mom suits. So I ordered various bathing suit components from the Patagonia website, planning of course to return one set.

Despite the fact that I feel I have some very good reasons for spending a lot of money yesterday, I am feeling guilty about it today. Luckily, Patagonia is friendly the environment, so in that regard it's sort of like donating to a good cause.

Still I'm considering setting up shop on a street corner (preferrably the corner directly in front of the Patagonia store) with a little sign begging sympathy (and donations) because Patagonia has drained me of my resources.

early artist o' the week

Since I will be out and about, and perhaps a little absent from the blog I thought I would do my artist of the week today. Hope ya don't mind. I'm starting close to home because I am feeling sentimental about the departure of the friends I have made here at WSU and who's time has expired. My friend Peter has one of the most sincere and unique minds I have come across in almost anybody. Knowing him personally obviously provides a slight bias for me, but I'm certain I would be a huge fan of his work even if I came across it randomly. I could only retrieve these small thumbnails off of his website, but you can go check it all out.

hitting the road

Tomorrow begins it all. Day one of my summer travels. I think I am in a state of denial right now about what lies ahead, but I'm sure it will all sink in as soon as I'm on the highway headed west. Most of the denial has to do with the fact that when I return everything will be so different. I will really really be living in a new town instead of this partially here partially there business I have been up to lately. All my second year friends will be gone. Most notably Mary and David will be gone which is the strangest part of it all. They have been my family for the last year, and their absence will leave an uncomfortable void. I am trying to figure out a way to get some false documentation that I need a therapy dog, because therapy animals are the only ones allowed to live in this building. Yes, I think a therapy dog is the perfect solution for an uncomfortable void.

Tomorrow's destination: Seattle.

one (smallish) bag

I heard this guy on NPR the other day and thought it might be a good thing to post, with our upcoming trip to Costa Rica and all. I especially like the diagram of how to pack and am planning to print it out and follow the step by step process to a t.

(NPR story here)

thank you, wes anderson

Tell me you've seen The Darjeeling Limited.

I know I've been missing the boat on this, but I finally saw it last night and it was one of the best movies I've seen all year.

new gig

One of the reasons I am far worse at posting blogs is because I live in a world of unreliable and often slow internet service. So, please forgive me for that. 

The most recent bit of excitement in my life is that I have been accepted to an artist residency. Residencies are something that fly under the radar to the general public, but in the art world they are pretty exciting. Tons of them exist all over the world, and each one is different, but basically they are places for artists, dancers, writers, etc. to live temporarily and concentrate on their work with out dealing with life's daily distractions.

I applied to the Art Farm in Nebraska and hardly expected to get accepted, but I just received word the other day that in fact I was accepted! The only bump in the road is that they offered me the month of August which isn't ideal, but I am in the midst of doing a little schedule juggling and crossing my fingers that it will all pan out. Nothing is set in stone yet, so I hope this post isn't putting the cart before the horse.

Rural Nebraska isn't necessarily the most exotic destination, but from the website the place seems really charming. There are about  3 or 4 artists working there at a time.

I will have access to explore and use anything on the whole property:

The old barns serve as gallery and studio space:
I will get to live in this delightful little house with the other artists:

And, at night I will see this:

If it all works out it promises to be a thrilling experience. The one thing that makes me nervous is that it will be the first thing I do as an "Artist." Or maybe I should say the first thing I will be doing where I am not a student. I don't know if I am communicating that well, but to me this whole thing exists in a world I have yet to enter.