crater lake adventures

Little tent in the Big Woods

Old-growth Douglas fir

Chicken sausages, homemade pita bread, and grilled veggies with thyme. I am a camp food chef

Misty views off the Rim Road around Crater Lake

The lake: deepest in the US

Benanna

Endless forest

View from Mt. Scott

We climbed a mountain

Fire lookout. (Or watchtower of Rohan?)

Indian Paintbrush

Twisty whitebark pines

Dr. Seuss flowers

So happy

Our first official Oregon Adventure together was a raging and beautiful success. I am getting sad that fall weather is hinting more and more. Send me more endlessly sunny and warm days for camping!

This last week of August has been exciting in good and bad ways. The highlights include the death and resurrection of our fridge, and Ben snagging his first little Oregon job. An impressive feat considering the super crappy job market and economy here. Yay!

Ben has been here in Oregon for almost a week, and the only pictures I've taken in that week are of some trees, apparently. Typical.

My life feels a lot more real and complete. The kitchen has twice as many dishes and pieces of equipment, the empty apartment has six pieces of furniture instead of four (we are living with a small donated table and two mismatched chairs, a teeny tiny dresser, $15 garage sale desk, and a bookshelf. Need: a bed. Want: a couch), and Ben's incredible file organization system has blown me away. (Finally, a place for all those random appliance instruction manuals!)

So happy to have him here. 

p.s. There was an earthquake in Virginia. Did any of you feel it? I think it is highly ironic that my grandma was worried about me moving to the proximity of CA because of the earthquakes, but the minute I leave the east they have one out there. I know you're reading this, Grammy....

august thoughts on life

[Nachusa Grasslands, IL]

It's still hot outside, but at work up in the mountains every once and a while a breeze comes through that just feels so fall and I'm getting the strange and disorienting feeling that I've worked the entire summer away.  Eek! It's been a strange one. 

Spring 2011 will go down in the books as the crazy months I wrote my thesis, turned 24, got a fiance for my birthday, got my masters degree after tons of freakouts and stress, got a job (until December), and moved cross-country after more freakouts and stress. BAM just like that.

Summer 2011 is the one where I settled into life in Oregon working for TNC, which were both things I always "kind of" wanted to do [be careful what you wish for]. I work long, hard days and then just crash on the weekends and attempt to do fun things. Turns out that kind of schedule makes time pass REALLY FAST. In June when I was offered this job, I was not extremely excited because it meant Ben and I would be on opposite sides of the country for an indeterminate amount of time (2-6 months). Well, two months are up and Ben is en route as we speak (type/read?) to move in with me fiiiiinally! I am soooo happy to finally be able to have someone to share the awesomeness of Oregon with, and also to be able to travel and explore. I mean, I am living within an easy day's drive of the redwoods, Crater Lake, San Francisco, Portland, the Pacific, Tahoe, etc etc etc. I am so freaking anxious to get out and see the world!

Living alone as a woman can sometimes feel kind of confining. I am really cautious and alert all the time living in town and don't feel comfortable going too far into the wilderness all by myself. It sucks, but that is just how the world is and I do my best to claim my independence and deal with it. In addition, I have somehow followed my heart into a fiercely co-dependent relationship and just don't feel like my life is "complete" or real unless Ben is in it too, and exploring on my own just doesn't sound appealing because I end up wishing I could be sharing the experience with him.

This post is getting way more deep than I meant it to, but something about releasing your feelings into the internet is freeing and fun, isn't it? Anyways, I am watching myself grow up more and more each season, and this one is no different. Fall will be the one where Ben and I start a new chapter of our lives together, dirt poor, overeducated/underemployed but happy, and I sometimes can't believe how lucky I am.

banana ice cream

Have you ever tried putting a frozen banana in the food processor or blender and blending it until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream? Because if you like bananas, you really should. Especially if you are living in one of those crazy areas where it is 105* outside (not here-- it is incredibly gorgeous in S Oregon today. muahahaha).

If you are like me and think no way is this 'healthy alternative' going to quash my freakin ice cream craving then adding a scoop or two of French Vanilla ice cream to the food processor will make ultra-creamy banana flavored soft serve. Chocolate banana might be even better. Garnish with a crispy almond cookie.

5-minute Banana Ice Cream

-one banana, peeled and frozen

-at least one scoop ice cream (any flavor)

Put the banana and ice cream in a food processor. (A blender MIGHT work but no promises). Process until smooth and creamy. Mmmmmm.

the hair

My hair is big. And red. 

I like it a lot, except when it is humid outside. 

It can be straightened (only with a CHI), but I hardly make the effort. I have been cutting it myself for over a year now, maybe two, because I don't trust stylists and I am too cheap. I think I finally have the layer thing down. 

It can only be tamed with copious amounts of mousse; and very few brands carry the right formula (the secret: Herbal Essences, orange bottle). I can give up as many chemical products as possible, but I can't imagine giving up the mousse addiction. It took me 17 years to figure it out.

In the dry air of the central west the curls relax and look almost perfect, which might be the main reason I don't want to leave this region.

austin adventures

I absolutely love going to a place that lives up to every stereotype you had in mind, which is how I felt from the moment I saw longhorn cattle on the side of the highway driving into Austin. Texas really does feel like its own country, and everything there is somehow more epic than it is everywhere else. The heat, the giant Capital, the barbecue, the weddings, Whole Foods, the music scene, the enormous university, the state pride, etc etc etc. Also, the bus drivers are very friendly, and the last Harry Potter movie is my favorite of the rest. It was a fun weekend, but I am glad to be back where the air is dry and life is a little more serene and calm. 88 degree weather never felt more like springtime.

whirlwind life

{random flower pic, lupine ?}

Do you ever feel like your life is moving too fast for comfort?

That has been this summer for me. But I am ok with it.

I have been working super long (read: exhausting) days lately to bank some time for this weekend, and I am soooooo freaking excited it's finally here! I'm flying to Austin for a friend's wedding. I am prepared for heat. Oh, and I get to see Ben for the first time since I moved here in early June. Like I said, so freaking excited! He's been finishing up his life in Pennsylvania but has begun the long cross-country process of moving out here to be with me. This isn't the first time we have been long distance, and isn't the longest we've gone without seeing each other, but it still sucks after a while no matter how busy you are. Maybe someday I will write an entire post about what I've learned about LDR coping ;) But I don't really want to depress myself now, haha. I should finish packing and get to bed so my 4 am airport wake up call is as bearable as possible. 

Instead, I am eating ice cream and painting my nails. 

caprese pizza for one

My love affair with fresh basil began in the late summer of 2009, when I had just moved into my little apartment in Pennsylvania below my crazy-gardening landlords. They had a basil surplus that year and gifted me a few bushes, which turned into so much pesto that I found some still lurking in the depths of my freezer when I moved out this summer. 

The point of this story is that I bought a little basil plant at a roadside market on my way home from Jacksonville this weekend, and was inspired to make this little caprese pizza. Truthfully, the real star of the pizza is not the basil but the AMAZING pita bread that I used for a crust, made from this recipe. Seriously. Make the pita bread. And make sure you let the dough rise the full amount of time, it is key for the airy squishiness factor. 

Caprese Pizza for one

-one pita bread, preferably that of Annie's Eats (prebaked) but you don't have to be an overachiever. use pre-bought; it just won't be as delicious...

-cherry tomatoes

-fresh basil

-dried (or fresh!) oregano

-fresh mozarella

-shredded Asiago

-olive oil

Brush or spray the pita with a little bit of olive oil (I got a Misto at TJMaxx for five dollars and it is so useful).

Sprinkle with oregano, layer with sliced tomato, cheeses, and basil.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Honestly, this MAYBE would have been even better unbaked, with the pita warmed up beforehand. So if you are too hot to think about turning on your oven or even toaster oven, feel free to skip the baking altogether!

Happy August!