parklet, usa

nyc. may, 2011.

hot, the way only the city can get. a parklet in the middle of the street. carving pieces of sanity out of daily life, bit by bit.

oh, my feet

piute creek. september 2011.

it felt so good to take off my shoes. usually i kept them on at lunch, ever mindful of all the hiking left to do in the day. but this time i was ahead, just a mile to my planned stop when i plopped down for a late lunch. i knew i'd hike farther, and it made me feel triumphant and relaxed. off came the boots. i even took out my sleeping pad for extra comfort.

this trip was so much harder than i expected. the altitude, the long days, the heat, the heavy pack, the new pants that gave me blisters--on my hips--all added up to a strenuousness i wasn't quite prepared for. but really, it was the lack of a buddy. no one was helping, no one was tired, too, no one sat with me in the shade half way up a steep hill as my breathing slowed. when i stepped away from camp to read a book at the side of the creek, i was just as alone as when i returned. nature felt less of a respite and more, simply the landscape i was moving through, beautiful though it was.

there is something about knowing that someone is waiting for you to come back that makes it more soothing to be away.

mining tools in the desert

 

joshua tree national park. november 2010. 

a rusty circle of corrugated metal, holding nothing but air and the rocky ground; a heavy gear gone still in the dry desert air.

but flowers aren't critical

home. september 2011.

i saw my breath this morning, and then half an hour later was warm enough to ride to work without a jacket on. clear, sunny day; some red haze on the horizon after the sun went down. read an article in an old new yorker about a critic from the 1930's - 1960's which really examined the role a critic plays in culture and society--to firm up ideas, clarify connections, and make people think about their decisions more, well, critically. elucidating.

i love when a short article can make me think about a new idea; when i can feel that idea being incorporated into my world view.

yellow and blue

oakland. september 2011.

light up the sky

emeryville. september 2011.

the park ave grand opening celebration. a cool, blustery evening, with the fog rolling in. a brazilian band playing in the background.

good food is worth the wait

home. september 2011.

oh, foodie food food, i love you, yum! this started with, "i'm hungry and just want to eat so i'll just make a quick scramble," and ended with a squash, corn, roasted pepper, onion, leek, egg and squash blossom scramble, with avocado, and caprese and green salads on the side. oh, yum.

sangria and limes

home. september 2011.

my thirtieth birthday bbq. a big pot of sangria (strawberries, apples, oranges, melon, figs, brandy), a bag of limes, and a bottle of chile powder. you really can't miss, with those ingredients.

wallflower

emeryville, ca. september 2011.

this building is going to be torn down, and is actually quite a nice building, but has seen too many years of neglect to be salvaged. the issue at this point is that there are homeless people living inside who would probably be crushed when the building fell down in the next earthquake. so down it comes now. in the meanwhile, this dandelion has somehow taken root in the mortar between two bricks. 

low mountain light

lower dusy basin. august, 2011.

sunset, moonset

north end of evolution lake. september 2011.

laundry on the line

below lake helen, muir trail. september 2011.

dark on the right

south lake to north lake loop, kings canyon/inyo national forest. august/september, 2011.

orange silt, white sun

john muir trail, below muir pass. september 2011.

trailside (early morning)

heading north on the john muir trail, but looking south. september 2011.

peaks and valleys

bishop pass trail, inyo national forest. august 2011.

dead horse hill

piute trail, just north of kings canyon. september 2011.