Views.

Today was all about beautiful views. Happy Monday!

Baldy.

It's after dinner relaxing time right now and we just got back from a walk where we watched two bald eagles vie for a crow's best. It was amazing. One actually just flew by again which I saw from the front porch. Uh may zine. There were also a few otters rolling around in the water just to add the the overall majesty of it.
In other Pacific northwest news, we took a ferry to Seattle today, meandered the public markets, and came home to Home so we could grill and ear freshly bought/caught salmon.
It was also the first day where the sun didn't come out and I've come to realize that I might just could live here despite the sunless months. There is such a striking beauty in the verdant heights splashed against the light grey sky and a lovely appealing quiet air about things. Except in downtown Seattle which is, as one might expect, loud and crowded.
Here's to four more days on the Puget sound and hopefully more wildlife.

Lavender.

We went to a lavender festival today. It was held at a lavender farm kind of in the middle of nowhere. There were some craft vendors and the farm has a store full of lavender products {soaps, sachets, etc.} but the best part were the fields of many lavender varieties. Rows of dark purple buds mixed with barely-there lavender colored plants. Large and full bushes ran alongside thin reedy plants. I had no idea how many types of this fragrant bud exist and it was glorious learning so first hand.
We also rambled through their regular garden and furtively tested a few raspberries off the vine which only left me wanting my own personal raspberry farm. Fruit that's still warm from the sun it was growing in is a singular earthly pleasure that I don't get enough of.
Other than the festival we picked up my in-laws {parents & brother} at the Sea-Tac airport {crowded!} and gathered more groceries to keep us snacking through the week.
Happy Saturday!

Jellies.

When you're surrounded by very calm and clear little inlets of water, it's hard to remember that somehow and somewhere, they actually connect to the ocean.
We started off the day with a walk in our neighborhood where we met some friendly sheep and also walked along what the low tide leaves behind. There were tons and tons of rocks and barnacle covered clam shells. Guinness sniffed around everywhere and wasn't one bit afeared of the water {a Big Deal for the little dude!} since its so placid.
After a nap and lunch we drove around the Key Peninsula {where we are} for a bit and checked out a few of the state parks that have shoreline.
In one park there was a long pier for boats and fishermen. It looked so much like California's alpine {and inland} Lake Tahoe! When we walked along the dock and looked over into the water we started to notice something very UN freshwater-like; jellyfish. There were hundreds of clear little upside down bowls floating in the water. Then we noticed the big guys. They were peach colored and ranged in size from a bocce ball to bigger-than-a-basketball. I cringed but could tear my eyes away from the creatures. It was a mountain lake lookalike but with jelly fish. And then I stepped on one that had somehow made it's way 15 feet up to the pier. There were no signs warning of any jelly related danger but I was a bit shaken nonetheless.
A quick trip to a local thrift shop {check out the Reno Stash below}, samples at the Gig Harbor Costco, and some local blueberries made me feel much better. It's raining right now after some intense clouds and lightening in the distance {our "show"during dinner on the porch} and we're looking forward to finishing a movie we started last night and welcoming Mike's parents and brother here tomorrow!

Home/Phase 2 : days 4 and beyond.

Today we checked out of our hotel in Portland, Oregon, and drove three hours north to Home, Washington, an unincorporated town. I have no computer access {this is on my phone hence the pictures only at the bottom of the post and the various typos} so I can't provide a link for you but Home has a super neat history and you could check it out if you're interested {think nudists and anarchists}!
We ran around the house and extensive yards, Guinness buried one of his bones from dinner last night, we got some provisions at a local market and are waiting on a pizza right now before we relax even more and enjoy our eight days of freedom from the road.
These pictures are of the house and the view from our porch. We're about an hour southwest of Seattle and in the Key Peninsula which is an inlet up here and it's beautiful.
And let the "Home" references and jokes commence.

Portland.

Phase 1.5 and day 3; Portland, Oregon.
This morning we {quietly} packed up our campground and headed out; all before seven AM.

We were there!

The redwoods loomed large in the morning fog and I soon passed out as I am wont to do when a passenger in the car. 

Redwood stumps.

I woke up to one of the most beautiful scenes I've seen in a car, surrounded by tall pine trees, steep hills, and rugged rocks. I was glad to realize we hadn't yet left California and an hour later we officially left the state, waved adiós, and cruised into Oregon.
It was a long but gorgeous drive. Pulling in this afternoon felt Glorious. We're staying at a super funky downtown Portland hotel. 

Portland is a dog-loving city.

After a bit of a walk and dinner, the hotel bed and TV won over and we're enjoying our time out of the car.

Still coughing but loving Oregon.

Tomorrow we'll head up to Home, Washington, which is Phase 2 of our amazing journey. 
After eight hours in the car today I can't imagine the many more we have between us and DC but over a week in the Puget Sound area I'm sure we'll be recharged and ready to go!
xoxo, natty ♥

Phase 1 days 1 & 2.

Yesterday and today were the first two days of our trip and part of phase 1. There are 4 phases total.
Yesterday we drove from San Jose, Ca, to Avenue of the Giants {giant redwood trees} State Park. It took us about seven hours and it was a beautiful drive. Mike has a horrible hacking cough that won't go away and I felt a bit carsick {of course} but other than that we are loving this part of the trip.
We are camping and set up was easy. The hardest part of all of this is taking stuff out of and replacing it back in our very full car. Let's hope that remains our biggest challenge!
Last night we snacked and went to sleep early. Guinness enjoyed his first sleep in a tent and we slept pretty well too.
We're not cooking or having campfires to keep things simple these two nights so we went to a place called Garberville for breakfast and a yummy dinner today. In between we drove a bit of the self guided auto tour of the Avenue, checked out the very informative visitors' center, napped, took a ten minute shower that cost four quarters and just relaxed.
I have dessert in my purse and a headlamp waiting for me.
This has been a great start to The Big Move and our last night sleeping in California will be spent under these wise trees; we are lucky. We miss San Jose's family dearly but are excited for our new adventure.

And they're off!

Like a herd of turtles. Wish us luck!

Oh my.

This was a long day and a sad day. It was our last full day in San Jose. We're planning to leave by late morning to head up to Stop #1 : two nights camping in Avenue of the Giants. I'll reveal Stop #2 after that. Don't expect much by means of blogging in the next while {not that I ever, it's always a happy surprise when I get up a post even if it's daily}, I'm thinking mostly just "here we are" kind of posts and I'm OK with that because it will give me some time to enjoy our beautiful surroundings, focus on our travel but also give us a means by which to remember how we will get to where we're going.
Anyway, Here We Go.
xoxo, natty ♥

Zoo date.

Today my dad and I went on one last zoo visit before Mike and I leave. We went here all the time when I was growing up and to this day I still love the San Francisco Zoo. We walked around the whole zoo and noted the changes that it's seen over the past 20 plus years {there I go, aging myself}.

I don't often try to take pictures at zoos or museums, better to let the professionals do what I would only butcher. Though I do want to remember the our trips and experiences so I do take pictures and they're usually limited to some snapshots of us and maybe the local flora. 

Pink Passion Flower?

I did end up taking a few animal shots at the San Diego Zoo earlier this week {yes, I totally went to two zoos in one week} but those were entirely necessary because they involved hippos playing in water and warty pigs up close and personal. And I'll be doing a post about that soon.
Today, though, I was challenged in my try-not-to-take-amateur/far away-animal pictures. I was challenged by this girl.

She's over 30 years old! And she loves her vegetables. I was also drawn to her because no one was visiting with her and her docent and I felt bad about that. Once we walked up more people came around and I felt like I had done a good deed. Her young docent also explained that these guys are vulnerable in the wild because when people stumble across them they often put them on their backs because they think it's funny. But then they can't get up and their lungs are in the top of the shell and being upside down causes everything else to crush the lungs and that's a no longer living turtle on your hands.
Sorry about the Debbie Downer turtle rant.
Moving on.
Then we rode the merry go round. 

I chose the cat and they're my favorites because their tales stick straight up and they look really perky and proud holding a treat in their mouths.
We had Korean food afterwards and I promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home - some things never change.
It was a great second to last day in the Bay Area; thanks Dad!
xoxo, natty ♥

It's Real.

When we were driving through Los Angeles last weekend we saw a decal on a car's rear window. It included some profanity so I won't repeat it for you here but part of it read "...It's Real". 
Today I taught my last little class.
Then I finished cleaning out my classroom and cubicle; I recycled/shredded SO much. There were papers from my first year of teaching six years ago; can you say "pack rat"?

That's a cleaned out cubicle.

I rushed out to meet some friends for adios coffee and then rushed back to school so I could do the deed and turn in my computer and keys.

That's an empty mailbox.

Then I realized that this is Real. Hence the title of the post. Everything had felt normal, kind of, up until now. We had moved before and summer happens every year but I had never, ever, turned in my keys!


I was lucky enough to then have lunch with some other friends and it was sad. I've done so much with these ladies in the past years and grown so much, personally and professionally, with them around me. I know that there are wonderful things to come for us but I want to acknowledge, at least here and for me, that I have made fabulous friends and gained amazing experience.
Then I went to my grandmother's house with the intention of sorting through some of our stuff and ended up napping instead. Oh well, it happens. I woke up smelling something lovely and when I finally opened my eyes I saw exactly what it was.
My grandmother, my love, picked my favorite flowers, gardenias, and left a few blooms next to me.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I'm going to miss so much; friends, family, weather, work, good restaurants, to name a few. But not having casual afternoons hanging out at the house and little gestures like this bouquet is going to leave quite a void in my life.

We are about to begin a Big New Part of our lives and though I'm sad to leave I am also really excited; for what we will do and where we will live and our many {many!} upcoming years and experiences together. Ready? Set? Go!
xoxo, natty ♥

Something new!

*Update : I'm back to brunette! It's cheaper and requires less maintenance, that's no lie, though my blonde days most certainly were - ha!

From this...

...to this.

I keep looking at myself in the mirror; this is most definitely more like my natural color than before, no bones about it, and even though I've gone back to brown a couple of times in the past decade, this somehow feels like a bit more of a change and it certainly IS quite a change for me when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror. I'll get used to it in a few days and I will also get up some more, ahem, quality photos {ones that weren't taken using Photo Booth}.*
First of all, a Feliz Cumpleaños to my mama! We love you so much ♥!
Second of all, I'm sitting in a chair doing something to my hair. I'll come update with pictures later...maybe.
Third of all, I'm anxiously awaiting not being in this chair so my mama and I can go get our dinner on!
xoxo, natty ♥

Stars and stripes.

Home?

We got into San Jose a bit over an hour ago and I felt so relieved to be home in the way one feels only after a vacation; ready for normal days and more greens in my diet.
Except we're not really home anymore. We're in a weird sort of limbo. For us, it's staying with my mom until Monday. Between now and then we have some more refined packing and sorting to do and some sad goodbyes to make.
I'll end this little hodge podge of a post with a picture of my favorite part of today; other than spending great time with three great guys.

Still toasted!

We had another great day; we checked out what felt like almost all of San Diego and Coronado island.
Again, I'm having such a good time and so happy to be down here.
Happy Monday to you!

Toasted.

We arrived in San Diego last night at about six PM. We left San Jose at seven AM. It took us a bit longer than it should have but that's OK because we had a lovely lunch in LA and we are all super happy to be here!

Last night's dinner was delicious, we hung out with Mike's parents{who drove up for a few days from Phoenix} and their friends, and just enjoyed not being in the process of moving.

Today brought us to the beach and though we weren't there for more than a few hours I got completely and totally ROASTED. I'm red and not happy about it. Let's hope for a quick recovery.

We had dinner in Old Town tonight which is a fun place to walk around and tourist watch.



There was a bit of a wait for our table so we walked around the shops and enjoyed window shopping. I'll have up more pictures, probably when we return to San Jose, but here's my favorite of the evening.

I'm having a wonderful time here, sunburn be damned, and I'm super excited about more hanging out tomorrow and some zoo time on Tuesday!