Fish in a box, fish in a van
10 Thursday Jan 2013
Posted california, salinas, u.s.a., Uncategorized, Where
in10 Thursday Jan 2013
Posted california, salinas, u.s.a., Uncategorized, Where
in04 Friday Jan 2013
Posted by Jessie | Filed under california, san francisco, u.s.a., Uncategorized, Where
26 Wednesday Dec 2012
Posted idaho, u.s.a., Uncategorized, Where
in08 Saturday Dec 2012
I won’t tell you how I feel about the Capitol Building.
And greetings from Washington D.C. (in real time for once)!
Posted by Jessie | Filed under u.s.a., Uncategorized, washington d.c., Where
27 Tuesday Nov 2012
Posted arizona, tombstone, u.s.a., Uncategorized, Where
in22 Wednesday Aug 2012
Posted fife, tacoma, washington, Where
in13 Monday Aug 2012
Posted cancun, florida, florida keys, mexico, u.s.a., Uncategorized, Where, yucatan peninsula
in{No. I’m not in Cancún right now. But I am at my computer for tens of hours a day. My screensaver is a randomized slideshow of all my photos from the beginning of digital time, and I love it. Seeing the end goal (mostly the photos are of friends, travel and time off) helps keep me inspired through the mental fatigue of the 80-100 hour work weeks of salmon season.
The slideshow also gave me an idea I really like – pick one of the first three images that pop up on random and share the story with you guys. I promise it won’t be your grandpappy’s slideshow…except I know of a lot of pretty badass grandpappy’s, so perhaps it will be (assuming your grandpappy is or was a gypsy adventurer). Regardless – I’m excited to share some little travel fables, and I really hope you enjoy them.}
(Gran Meliá hotel room balcony)
Once upon a winter fishing off-season, I traveled to the Florida Keys to visit some dear chums. I had not been to the Keys before, but I didn’t think it unreasonable to pack my swimsuit and flip-flops.
Unfortunately, I timed my trip during the coldest ever weather in the history of all Florida. Iguanasicles were falling out of trees, marine creatures were seizing up in the really-not-that-cold water and beaching all over the place. (Seriously. No floating the Joe in Idaho for those weenie tortoises.)
We huddled up in blankets in the uninsulated beach house and watched movies for a couple days, but with an extended forecast for cold and my vacation minutes ticking away, I turned to Internet research.
Prices were decent, and very soon all three of us had booked a two-hour flight from Miami to Cancún, México (mine was $250 round trip through Expedia) and an ocean-view room at the Gran Meliá hotel (also from a discount website, I’m sure. Ashley and I know how to bargain shop.).
I don’t know how you cats travel, but my methods usually involve shared bathrooms, backpacks and bus rides. The less I spend per day, the longer I can stretch the trip. So perhaps this is not too surprising, but this hotel had the most splendid lobby I have ever seen. In addition to the obvious full jungle habitat, they have koi ponds in there!
(Gran Meliá hotel lobby. NBD.)
(View from the balcony of the room)
It was almost enough to make a man want to change his travel style. Perhaps if I could find myself a rich benefactor…
But for now, I must fund my own trips and to do so, I’d best stop living vicariously through myself and return to the late-night logistic-ing. Only one and half months left of this salmon marathon.
11 Saturday Aug 2012
Posted tacoma, u.s.a., Uncategorized, washington
inI really appreciate deep forest in the middle of a city.
One block you’re dodging SUVs and strollers and (other) people blindly texting, and then you take a quick right turn off the sidewalk, walk four feet in, and you’ve entered an alternate reality where things are cool and quiet and ferny as all hell.
{Puget Park, Tacoma}
I did this today, and it instantly soothed my salmon-jangled nerves. Then I ran to the bottom of the gully where you can barely hear the noise of the cars, took a few deep breaths and sweated my way back to the top.
Now that my video game health meter is in the green zone again, I will return to my desk and continue my attack on the relentless logistical monsters. Thanks be to god we’re in the home stretch of the season.
(P.S. Oh hi, friends! I’m still alive.)
24 Tuesday Jan 2012
Posted seattle, tacoma, u.s.a., Uncategorized, washington, Where
inYe gawds, friends. Things have been insaner than usual as of late. Christmas, home closing, new keys, friend visits, moving, housewarming party, impending Alaska work, oh my. And now I fear I may become an insane-o home improvement web logger. Mostly this may happen because I have no effing clue what I’m doing.
All I know is this mint green:
(decor of previous owner)
and this stinky pink:
(please note pearlescent toilet seat)
…shall NOT stand.
Here are my newly-researched thoughts.
Bedroom:
Walls – The greenish carpet stays for now, so I’m thinking neutral boring beigy on the walls.
Ceiling – Bright-ish off-white-ish
Built-in drawer fronts on the sides of the room – ? color
Built-in bedside bookshelves – ? color
Bedding and curtainry – shiiiiit. I don’t know.
Bathroom:
Walls – All bright-ish off-white-ish to minimize the long hallway, except the far window wall. I’m thinking a dark greyish (with blue tones?).
Good gourd, this home design sorcery is complicated.
Any ideas, gang?
Benjamin Moore tabbies
The new frontier
15 Thursday Dec 2011
Posted alaska, boise, idaho, new mexico, santa fe, sitka, tacoma, u.s.a., washington, Where
inYou might not expect this, but I love me some Christmas. Not the awful consumery, commercial part that makes baby Jesus cry – but the family, friends, traditions and sparkly bits of December.
Growing up in the snowy mountains, the tree hunting expedition was one of my very favorite traditions. Despite my highly-mobile, apartment-renting, vagabond lifestyle, I can’t shake the urge to decorate a tree which leads to the following list of unconventional greenery:
(See explanation here of why I don’t just go cut down a tree in the woods or buy one from a lot).
***2007***
Minimalist but heartfelt. Very easy clean up.
***2008***
‘Twas the year of my Fantastic Zip Tie Christmas Bush.
Beautiful and festive.
And really a 2-Dimensional bouquet of sticks in a bucket.
***2009***
I traveled all December, so no tree for me.
:*(
Traveling cheer at El Paseo bar in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Celebrating a very Navajo Christmas with cousin in front of the fireplace at the Navajo Room in Boise, Idaho.
***2010***
Kristaf and I set out on an urban tree hunt in Sitka. It was very barely illegal as we harvested our wee spruce from beside a not-our-property chain-link fence where it eventually would have been cut down anyway.
Nestled snugly in a flowerpot.
Looking deceptively handsome despite its razor-sharp spruce spines which left us scratched and bleeding after our decorating party.
***2011***
I broke down and went to the tree lot as I was passing by one recent afternoon. I asked for a tiny pine, but they didn’t have any less than five feet tall. They did have a pile of branches with a free sign. Hmmmm.
I am the MacGyver of holiday foliage.
Ta-daaaaa!
Happy Christmas, everyone.