Category: Travel

PNW Playlist Spring 2012

~ Crystle ~ 5 Comments

Prior to and after the road trip out here to the Pacific Northwest, I purchased several albums to start the new PNW era.

If you are anything like me then you store your memories along with scents, sounds and tastes.
Each new phase in my life brings forth a new catalog of music, food, fashion and literature. This new period in my life in Washington is no different. I’ve listed a few albums that I’ve been listening to lately to share with you, in case you hadn’t had the chance to check these artists/albums out.

1. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions

One word to describe this album: catchy.

These guys captured a synth heavy afro-pop feel on this album. It’s my current go-to record for all present progressive verbs (i.e. cooking, cleaning, living room dancing).

2. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials 

I know this album dropped late last year, but that hasn’t stopped me from including it in the Springtime library. This album is empowering. The powerful vocals help me dig deep on particularly difficult runs and the track ‘Shake it Out’ has been the perfect backdrop for Tacoma exploration. I’m a fan. 
3. Gotye – Making Mirrors
This is my most recent purchase. My rainy days are filled with multitasking around the house so I love listening to this album while running up and down the stairs herding laundry, books and my dog to their respective places. It’s also fairly mellow at times too, which makes cozying up to my laptop equally pleasant. 
4. First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
Ladies, we finally have ourselves a Joni Mitchell / Carole King style duet. These girls come to us from Sweden but have a distinctly Pacific Northwestern sound. Think girl-folk Fleet Foxes tracks. I listened to this album a lot before moving and on the way out. 
5. Y La Bamba – Court the Storm
This album is a beautiful blend of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom stylings. Hello bilingual folk album of my dreams! I believe Joanna Newsom (a Tacoma, WA native, woohoo!) also collaborated on the title track of this album. 
I’ve included reviews of these albums. I really pay no mind to the ‘ratings’ they receive by music critics. Music is not just something you listen to and critically analyze. It’s an accessory to life, a soundtrack to pace your experiences. Music is the score of our sentience, and the score is exactly what we make of it. 
Enjoy the tunes, and Happy Spring!

Settling In

~ Crystle ~ 7 Comments
I must say, it is nice having the house almost completely unpacked. We still need a few more bookshelves and storage pieces for our books and media, but for now the house is totally functional (let’s pretend the spare room isn’t in the picture). 
Not working is a little strange, but I do keep my days surprisingly busy. Between cooking every meal, cleaning, and exploring the new town, there isn’t a whole lot of time for much else. That isn’t to say that I don’t have time to lounge in the living room to this:

I’m also getting used to my new MacBook Pro and reading up on the local outdoor opportunities. I’ve already scoped out the nearest REI (sorry, Backwoods) and gauged the best local hikes per season. Looks like we won’t be outdoors outside of the metro until May. 
With time aplenty, I’ve been able to cook breakfast, pack lunch and prepare dinner for both of us every day. On the menu today is a pizza on homemade dough with pesto, spinach and goat cheese. I prepped it earlier today so he and I can go running right after he’s done at work. After hitting the pavement, all I have to do is pop it in the oven. 
Ah, I love foresight. 

Did I mention that we’re going to a military ball this Friday? I went shopping at the Tacoma mall earlier this week and scored a classy little outfit. I really have no idea as to whether or not I’ll be underdressed, but there will be an open bar…which means it will only matter for like thirty minutes. 

 Well it’s the end of another business day in which I was not a cog in the wheel. Tanning, grocery shopping and library going is still a contribution; right?
Happy Wednesday!

Manifest Destiny 2012

~ Crystle ~ 10 Comments

Hello friends!

I’m writing this post from my new macbook in my new place in Lakewood, Washington. The trip to the Pacific Northwest went well, albeit long. Thirty hours in a budget truck with my dog and husband was way more fun than it should have been. We have so many annoying inside jokes from this trip.

We drove through Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon then finally Washington. I cannot believe how scenic the drive was after Kansas. Oregon is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been! I can’t wait to explore the Oregon wilderness. I was also very surprised at how well behaved my dog was. After the first 12 hours in the truck, he understood what was going on.

Most of the photos I got were from the comfort of the truck cab. Since we were on such a long journey we didn’t make much of an effort to stop off and take proper photos. The weather was also inclement across every state, making for grey monochrome photos on the canon rebel.

So here are some photos from our journey, via instagram:

 The truck ended up being much more packed than this. Glad I did the 100 thing challenge last year!

 There were wind farms across every state we drove through. This photo is from one such farm in Kansas.

 This photo pretty much summarizes the drive through Kansas. Wow, endless flatlands.

 I slept through a lot of Colorado, but not so much Wyoming. This photo is from just over the Wyoming border with Colorado. I love those states!

 We were fortunate to drive through quite a few mountain ranges.

 Idaho’s best kept secret, ladies and gentlemen. French Vanilla Popcorn. Oh, my. Speechless.

 I can’t remember the last time I rode through a tunnel. Why don’t engineers opt for this anymore?

 When almost to Utah, Wyoming looks a bit like Arizona. The sky seems much richer in this area.

 We were limited with our dinner options in these small towns. Pizza was the go-to meal. Terrible,  I know!

 Yango slept like a king! He was so well behaved, how could I not permit him to have the second bed and go crazy?

 Daybreak over Idaho was quite the sight for sore eyes. Empty valleys were surrounded by snow capped mountains while the clouds above curved with the shape of the earth. I was reminded once again of the Arizona landscape and skyline.

 I think Yango wanted a chance to drive. Poor dog, he was stuck on the floor between the captain seats for the duration of the ride.

 Once we got to Oregon the scenery changed quite a bit. We passed some sort of abandoned mill before we got into the mountain range. Creepy.

 We made a quick stop in a town called Baker City. The weather started to turn precipitous thereafter.

 We rode along the Lewis and Clark trail, parallel to the river they traversed. We wondered what it would have been like to make this journey on covered wagons. Grim.

 We finally got to Portland on our second to last day of travel. We drove over the bridge and into Vancouver, Washington. I’ve never seen it both rain and snow at the same time; it did that night.

The following morning we woke up to a snowy scene. Apparently this is unusual for this area in late March. I was happy to see the fluffy stuff since we had a rather warm winter in Oklahoma. Turns out Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR are about two hours from our home. It would have been arduous to push through the night prior, but knowing that these beautiful cities are just a skip away excited me! I can’t wait to take day trips back to explore a new metro.

Well, my break is over. Time to get back to unpacking. Who wants to help?