Footprints in the Sand

I have a cousin back home who is on a mission to get me to say I am lonely while on the road. I think secretly she just wants to be a loner van dwelling hippie too, and is looking at me to give her any excuse not to. But truthfully, sometimes I do miss seeing a familiar face.

However, last week Lexi and I took a long walk on Beach 4 of the Washington Coast to say good bye to the ocean before heading East. She sported her new blue marshmallow jacket and pranced along side me. I turned back to look at the waves and saw our footprints in the sand. It looked as though we had been dancing.

And I realized, I'm far from alone.

I Hit the Sea Glass Motherload!

Nothing makes one feel more like a local of the Pacific Northwest than finding an excellent sea glass beach.  It's like earning a secret that most gain after years of combing over beach after beach. And here I, miss van dwelling vagabond, find the mother-load of sea glass beaches (in, near, or somewhere around) Port Townsend, Washington. I can't wait to get working on these little treasures. I think I'll turn most of them into earrings.

One Year of Road Later

 

One year ago today I moved into my van and out of Omaha, Nebraska. I thought traveling around the USA for a year would change me and my life, I thought I would find my “place” in the world. Instead, I found I'm still me, just a little more interesting and the journey is my “place.” I never want to be stationary again.

To celebrate my anniversary, I bought all new LED lights to replace my old regular light bulbs. This way, maybe the next year of van dwelling will be even brighter.

Here are a few pictures of the places I have been. Come back one year from today, I'm sure I will have plenty more to show you...

 

The lookout tower and the Grand Canyon.

Lake Mead, NV

The Very Large Array, New Mexico

 

Point Wilson Lighthouse in Port Townsend, Washington

 

Red Rock, NV

 

The Wave (and an anonymous model), AZ

Upper Antelope Canyon. Page, AZ

White Sands in New Mexico

On a Fairy Hunt at the Lyre River!

The Lyre River and it's surrounding forest is magical. When there, I feel as if I've fallen down the rabbit hole or perhaps a hobbit hole is more like it. 

So this last trip I wanted to photograph the Lyre River in all it's enchanted glory to share with you. In doing so, I captured--dare I say it--a fairy! 

Don't believe me? Take a look. I'm sure you will agree it's as magical as I say and, if not, I'm bewitched. What do you expect? ;D

The rushing rapids of the Lyre River sounds as beautiful as it looks. 

Amazing! But no fairies up there.

My favorite spot. But where the heck are the fairies?

No, no, that's not a fairy. That's my van, Glorie B, parked at our FREE campsite.

A beautiful path. Lets hope it leads us to fairies.

Seems like a fairy should be sitting on it.

The most magical tree I've ever seen. It should contain fairies.

Not only do the berries look like fairy food, look how clear the water is!

Oh, there she is!

Ok, so maybe she is not exactly what you expected.

But you have to admit, she is quite *charm*ing

            

                For more info on the Lyre River & it's FREE campground on

            Washington's Olympic Peninsula,

          check out Vantramps.

 

 

Introducing Glorie B

Okay, it’s been a while since I last posted. Actually, I have not posted since my travels began four months ago. So, I’ve been contemplating just how to jump back into the blog-o-sphere. I could detail my journey from the start, but this is a blog, not a book. So, I’ve decided to introduce my van home, Glorie B, by showing her off at a few of the places we have visited along the way...

Glorie B thought it was funny when I was blown back from a hike at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico after a sand storm hit. However, the joke was on her. Or should I say in her? A fine mist of white sand showered the stove from her vent every time she hit a bump for a week after.

The Painted Desert National Park in Arizona has exactly what Glorie B loves--open road with artistic flair. The stratified waves of burnt orange, brown and red against a forget-me-not sky really gets her motor going. 

Glorie B likes long rolls along the beach (or in this case, The Colorado River in Page, Arizona). She had heard the Colorado River is green or brown. But was happy to see for herself it's as blue as her beloved ocean.

Las Vegas is nice to look at, but Glorie B doesn't believe me. We hit it's roads during the day when the lights were out and so was the traffic. So, we escaped to Red Rock Canyon where Glorie B had plenty of room to pose for the camera. We will be rolling back to Vegas next week and I'm sure the bright lights will bedazzle her.

On the Road Again

Well, soon anyway. This Bitter Moon has stayed within a stationary phase long enough and I’m just plain bitter about it. It’s time to make plans, set goals, look to the stars for guidance and get my full moon out of here.

My house is going up for sale and, come this summer, I’m packing up my torch and kiln. I’ll turn a van into a workshop/living space and travel the US doing art shows, meeting new people, keeping a video diary, and surrounding myself with my muse--mother nature.

The adventure starts now, however. There is tons to do and much to learn. First thing on the agenda? Paying off all my debt. 3 credit cards down, 4 to go (ouch)! I’m also getting my house ready to put in the market. Which reminds me…

anyone know how to patch a wall?

OOPS!

I've done it now. Had my kiln going and didn't realize half the house was on the same circuit breaker. Yikes! I came home to a few of the lights in my house out and the plug my printer was plugged into, GLOWING.

So now I'm taking showers by candlelight, not using my office at all, printing in my kitchen, blogging in bed, turning my living room into my photo studio, and not even touching my kiln.

But hey! At least what I had in the kiln turned out pretty!