Vancouver Explorations

delicious baguette from finch's tea & coffeehouse

my fantastic tour guide!

nood

i love lamp.

boneta from the street

High Alpine Bliss

I'm back.

And ready to share. Today is another long day to cap off a week of wilderness trekking, summit hiking and hot springs wallowing. After teaching two yoga classes today, Travis and I head to celebrate the wedding of one of the owners of the fabulous Breakside Brewery. But tomorrow I have all day to blog, do laundry, and share.

So here is a little teaser to share with you. I fully intend to process all my pics and get them up to Flickr. I need to do a better job of photo management... iPhoto is kind of a mess when trying to organize, access & backup your library {please discuss!}. I just recently backed up & deleted over 12,000 photos! And that is only from 2008. My oh my. I've inherited the documentary bug from my dear Dad.

Have a beautiful, safe holiday weekend!

Handstands in Nature

I really need to work on my handstand to keep up with this guy!

{link}

Of course, handstands with friends is always the best!

pro-claim

From practicing AcroYoga you may find yourself:

• experiencing more joy
• practicing compassionate communication skills
• cultivating loving kindness (metta)
• taking more risks in your daily life
• making new friends
• building community
• feeling centered
• expanding the full spectrum of your being
• enjoying life as play
• releasing fear
• emabracing the unknown
• surpassing the limitations of the mind
• communing with the divine

-From my new AcroYoga Flight Manual DVD!

Fueling my addiction

I signed up for my very first sock knitting class for 2011. From what I hear, they are where the addiction truly sets in. The ultimate in portability and functionality, who doesn't love a squishy, soft pair of socks, eh?
*above images from the Yarn Harlot

The Harlot herself, Stephanie Pearl McPhee rants about the kind of crazy I can only dream of. She hired an assistant to organize her fiber ROOM. She giggles about border crossings with spindles and laps full of wool. (She frequents the US with her Canadian posse of yarn spinning, knitting cohorts)

For those of you who don't know, my current life plan is to end up on a farm with a goat, sheep, and all the berries I can eat! (raspberries, blackberries, salmon berries, huckleberries... they all grow completely wild up here.) So fleecing, spinning, plying, knitting, crocheting.... all of that is in my big plan. Of course the farm would have to be close to Portland so I can manage my yoga/cafe next door to Trav's brewery/bike shop. Oh the places we'll go.

And because I  can't resist sharing some of my other blog obsessions...

Thrifty Knitter

Leethal Knits

Lovely Summer

I {obviously} haven't been able to find the words to bring to this space. I've been lingering, limbo-ing, searching, working, and praying for my path to unfold. As I work with this guidance as it helps me find the way, some pushes in the wrong direction have actually made things much clearer. (Accepting a job I thought I really really wanted, then crying for 24 hours straight before declining the job...) After a melodramatic day I discovered a job posting for a part time teaching assistant at a Montessori inspired school. More specifically a small scale day care center for 2 year olds with a backyard garden, chickens, and art projects galore. Although my inquiries have not borne fruit, similar job postings have popped up on craigslist and I am determined to find the training to support my new goals!

My favorite job in college was at the First English Lutheran Child Day Care Center. The hardest part for me was understanding their policy of not drawing "with" the children, because they then want/need you to replicate your "better" drawing for them over and over again. The one time I did break the rules, I immediately regretted it after drawing about 14 angels. The best part of working with children is imagination. We would spend hours constructing adventure tales, usually based around toys or objects in the garden or play area. Tigers would fly across oceans, Dump trucks would make best friends with race cars in desert sand dunes and everyone would share, develop and make an epic tale. Together.

Learning about the Montessori and other play-based education methods has reignited a passion for the welfare of America's children. Naturally I am concerned for all the children of the world, but my work is here, in America (where I am legally bound to pay student loans for a long, long time...) and I really feel that there is a change sweeping our culture, a realization that allowing children to discover rather than conform is the healthiest way to create kind, well adapted adults to lead this country out of its abscess of the myriad chronic health problems we face.

Clearly I am not spending the same hours on the internet, reading your stories, sharing beautiful images. But since I am living life much more fully, I will try my best to document the highlights, and share my reflections on the low times.

The Story of the Curious Oysters

Unbeknownst to me, oysters on the open flame are amazingly easy and delicious! After a couple years working at a seafood restaurant, shucking oysters in a hurry became another skill tucked into my toolbelt that rarely gets exercise. I was pleased to learn I've still got it!

My buddy from back home who is living in Seattle now, drove down this weekend to join my friends and I camping on the Oregon Coast for the holiday weekend. I rounded up the extra spicy cocktail sauce, lemons, and started shucking! Dave had the idea to throw them on the grill, and surprised us all when they started popping open, ready to eat.

I enjoyed their gently cooked plumpness. The black ringed edges frilled up like a lovely skirt. Next time I'll report back with proper food porn.

See the cute little baby barnacles attached to the oyster shell? We also took a little day trip down to Seal Rock state park, to wander in the tide pools and make new friends with anenome, starfish, and dozens of other tiny creatures!


I don't think I will be making any more trips to the coast without picking up a couple pounds of oysters... way too easy and delicious to pass up for a quick camping appetizer!

Images: 1   2

Blue Steel

Pedalpalooza 2010... The one ride I managed to attend exceeded any expectations! Next year I will make a concerted effort to attend as many as possible. Making friends and riding across town with a bike gang is just so cool. The pace is slow and leisurely, tunes are pumping out of the car battery powered stereo, what more can you ask for? Okay, a tutu perhaps,  but that is another ride in itself!





















 Video footage is awaiting editing and compiling... coming soon.
 Click on any of the images for more play by play commentary!


Upon deciding to name my bike Blue Steel, a google search eventually led me to this gem (random):

practice, and all is coming

wild iris

I couldn't find my handy little point and shoot camera for our camping adventure at Horning's Hideout, so I was forced to practice with T's DSLR. Overall I love it, but not many of my peacock pictures turned out well. I tried to stick pincha mayurasana next to a lovely dude, but neither he nor I were having it.

sunny day

A moment in time, as I lay in the grass next to a babbling creek bed, watching insects.
Travis and I explored the entire park on mountain bikes, and as he climbed to the top of twisty, adrenaline-junkie trails, I meandered down, the sound of the water pulling me closer through overgrown trails which ended in secluded spots, perfect for quiet contemplation.

Still working on getting back into my routine, I think I should start scheduling posts a week in advance for my yoga training weeks, because the long hours at work take over my evening blogging time!

One day at a time... "Practice, and all is coming" -- Sri K Pattabhi Jois

migration

Jam packed * fun fizzled * mossy meadows * weekend warriors * good times with my best bud T *

I bought many vegetables but had trouble finding time or energy to cook them. Travis made use of the spring onions for a killer grilled cheese. Finally Sunday night I buckled down and stir fried some baby bok choy, carrots, radishes, red cabbage, brussel sprouts, and onions. I had so much cooking inspiration this week, but its spilling over into next week! Perhaps some baking tonight of the strawberry rhubarb kind...

The camera tried to join my on our hiking adventure to Punchbowl falls, but alas, decided to rest in the car and take a weekend off. We all need a break sometimes, so I let time and photographic evidence fall by the wayside as I wandered through the forest. Wildflowers and titillated hummingbirds greeted us as the path wove its way along the ravine, bordered on all sides by mountain peaks.

After the hike, T and his cohort found a disc golf course to try out, while my lady companion and I rested in the sun, sprawling near the creek. I intended to crochet, however the yogas took over my limbs, and headstands comprised most of my creekside time.

We then ventured to a new brewery near home, Migration Brewing Co. Such a cute new hangout! Lovely use of garage style door making a wide open dining area. It was a bit windy so we skipped the parking lot patio and took over the sofa area. Portland seems to lack in patio seating, due mostly to the weather. Fortunately Glisan is a relatively low traffic street, which makes for a nice atmosphere. I'll be back to take some pics and sip on their home-made microbrews.


Images: {frolic} - liikennevalo - weheartit - me

hello today

This moment reminds me of a recent stop travis and i took as we got lost somewhere off highway 5, searching for a perfect yoga stop.

{sarah kate via - frolic!}

My darling is embarking upon a brand new career of bicycle building. What a perfect city he chose for us to rest our heels. This has led to fits of day dreaming about a cross-continent bike trip we will take, bike mechanic tools in one hand, camera in the other, and yoga all the way. Canada to Argentina and everywhere in between. Then perhaps catch sailboat home. Perhaps I should become a sailor to engineer that part of the adventure. {more details soon!}

I spent a lazy weekend practicing with our fancy camera... learning to love the Aperture - focused setting (if that is what it is called!) I do have the manual, but haven't peeked at it in a while.







It fills my soul to dig in the dirt, playing hide and seek with big fat earthworms. Phoebe quietly joins me at my side, curious for a moment, then silently moving on to a sunny spot to warm her fur. That's Jenny in the stripes, she joined me for a little photo session in the backyard.

I planted strawberries, chard, dill, cilantro, carrots, turnips, arugula, wildflowers, cucumbers and zucchini. Yum!

good times

Hope your weekend is lovely! I hope to go rock shopping, for a little walkway with herbs and flowers and greenery tucked in between the stone path. I always try to make it to the farmer's market to support my local growers... yum! I always end up with a few more plants to bring home too... what if they started selling baby goats!

I haven't had much to post about, Wednesday I took a day off because a wonderful friend offered me a ride and a free lift pass to go downhill skiing! Travis and I stick to the nordic trails usually, it is only $15 for rentals, which makes the ski lodge experience look so expensive in comparison. Plus I am not a speed junkie, so I enjoy the ups and downs of the cross country trails. Here are some snowy pics and a silly video for you to enjoy! See you next week.

*clicking on the images will take you to my flickr with a little more information for each.

ninja training

{kameralek.blogg.no} via we heart it

Growing up a tomboy, my best friends and I tore around the neighborhood on bikes, climbing trees, hunting for treasure buried in yard sales, climbing trees and splashing through as many creeks as we could find.  I even once was mistaken for a boy (granted my long blonde hair was stuffed up into my baseball cap), though the appeal of looking like my best boy pals wore off as junior high, and other things hit (or didn't!) Seems like a natural progression, flinging from one extreme to another, from the frilly, tutu wearing girly identity phase of pre-k personality development, or as my mother called it, my Madonna phase (1980s kids!) and then rejecting all the frills for torn jeans and T-shirts to go faster on my bike and climb higher on trees.

I was also an expert lizard catcher! They adored my mom's chemical-free garden with thick, southern ivy, native flowers and herbs, and big flat rocks and boulders to sun themselves on in the afternoon.

Looking for a new way to enhance my adventures and fitness, this weekend, I tried on a pair of Vibram's Five-Finger MultiSport Shoes.

Pretty odd looking huh?! {REI.com}

I've been reading about the marvels of these new types of shoes, how the minimalist shoe enahnces the mid-foot strike, thereby reducing stress to the knees. Mark from Mark's Daily Apple is a big fan:

"They provide the physiological benefits of going barefoot with the advantage of having some level of armor against the elements. You don’t have to worry about stubbing your toe, or cutting your feet on glass or other sharp objects you are bound to come across in your travels. And you also don’t have to fret over the damage years of sneaker wearing would invariably do to your feet." {Read more about flat feet and shoe damage!}

I don't expect to see these on any fashion spreads any time soon, but after reading about some of the damage just regular shoes can cause, (not to mention high heels... I can't even deal with those anymore) I think I'll start paying a little more attention to my health below the knees. They are crazy popular, and out of stock in my local store, even the website is on backorder. But they will be mine... eventually!