June Tunes

Yes, it has been a while since my last post. But don’t fret! I have been through several voyages in the meantime and still have Joshua Tree, Holcomb Valley, and Sasquatch posting to do. So in the mean time, sit back, relax, and listen to some tunes. I have made a June playlist just for you.

Enjoy!

Local Natives “Wide Eyes”

Portugal, the Man “People Say”

Beach House “Used to Be”

The Cranberries “Linger”

Death Cab for Cutie “Marching Bands of Manhattan”

Death Cab for Cutie “Little Bribes”

The Decemberists “The Rake’s Song”

David Bazan “Cold Beer and Cigarettes”

The Union Line “Strangers”

Pepper Rabbit “Older Brother”

Joshua Tree

Because of Minerva Hoyt’s dedication, and love for desert vegetation, a beautiful desert had been born again.

It started back in the late 1920’s when Minerva moved to Pasadena. She was a professor’s wife who had a strong, growing passion for gardening and was particularly intrigued by desert plants. Joshua Tree, Minerva’s neighboring desert, at the time was destroyed by those who dug up and burned a majority of the plantation. She devoted her time and energy in hosting exhibits and charity events to raise money and awareness to conserve this run down desert.  Later, Minerva created a proposition to establish Joshua Tree as a National Park. And in 1936, President Roosevelt did just that by signing a presidential proclamation establishing Joshua Tree as a National Monument. Minerva Hoyt’s zealous enthusiasm to preserve and protect Joshua Tree in its poor conditions, is what made it a mystical desert land of growing adventures for us nature folk.

This year will commemorate 75 years of preservation, a newfound respect for barren regions, as well as the commitment made by Minerva Hoyt to conserve this beautiful desert that has become the National Park that it is today.

Thank you, Minerva! Your strong spirit will live on through the beauty of this wasteland where I am more than privileged to find restoration in its brilliance. This weekend I will walk the desert grounds, climb boulders, and breathe in inspiration from Yuccas along with the rest of Joshua Tree’s surroundings.

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

What do you dream of when you’re wide-awake? Where does your mind take you when you need to escape the realities of your present world? Does it stem from your memories or as far away from practicality to a realm so bizarre and magical? 

Everybody dreams and our dreams only consist of what we know. Did you know 5 minutes before we wake up, we’ve already forgotten half of our dreams? If we don’t have control over dreams in the midst of our sundown coma, then why not create your own when conscious? A great way to find peace and tranquility is to roam freely and find that escape.

For example… I take myself back to the road trip Jeff and I took through the Redwoods. I imagine myself laying down in the midst of the trees, rich green moss, and brick red ground. I can see the sunlight peek through the branches with brilliant gleams of light and create illusions on the bark on the tall, green giants. Everything is still yet alive. 

You may envision yourself with a loved one far from home, at the beach with the sand between your toes and ocean mist against your bare skin, or even sliding along glassy slopes under swirly skies where gumdrops fall from trees. Whatever it may be, find that place and settle into it whenever you need a break from the weight of the world. Explore the depths of imagination; or should I say, let the depths of imagination explore you.

 

Artist of the Week: Rodrigo y Gabriela

 

This duo started in Mexico playing thrash metal music. Now with 20 fingers and 2 acoustic guitars, these two souls can play impeccable rhythmic guitar that takes you to a place where you can dance under a full moon and feel every bit of romance, aggression, and adventure all at once.

Listening to their album, Diablo Rojo, sent a sense of thrill through my veins and a conquistador’s impulse to encounter the world’s riches and hidden mysteries. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this pair, it would be DEDICATION. You don’t play flamenco riffs at 100mph by picking up the guitar once a week. What gets your heart racing like the strings beneath Rodrigo & Gabriela's fingers? What passion, talents, and skills are embedded in your bones? Fulfill your ambition and aspire what you may think is far out of reach.

So pop those headphones in while you’re at your 9-5 pace and tune your Pandora to the Rodrigo & Gabriela station. If you’re not hanging onto the edge of your seat during your dull work day, then there is no hope for you hombre.



Promises vs Commitments

This year is a year of commitments!

Today, someone special told me, “Promises are made by people who break them, commitments are made by people who follow through.”

To anyone who is reading this, I am declaring my commitments:

-I will spend more time rediscovering my passions and making use of my creativity.

-I will spend more time completing those back-burner tasks that are so easy to avoid (keeping my home in tip-top shape, getting healthy, and saving more dollars for future goals).

-I will reflect on what’s positive and encourage others around me to see the light in all things.

With this being said, I will celebrate each hour, day, week, and month this year has to offer.

 

I will have a lot to write about… so stay tuned for more posts on my future excursions and discoveries.

From San Francisco to the Rogue River...

First stop: San Francisco. It’s not our first time and definitely won’t be our last. We arrived in the late afternoon and made plans to meet with Nat, Graig, and little Mac for dinner. We went to a place called Namu, a Japanese and Korean fusion restaurant where everything is made with organic ingredients. The kitchen staff visits the local farmers markets for fresh vegetables, meat, and fish. We tried their Korean tacos, shitake dumplings, and fish head soup (yes, with a real fish head... eye balls and all). One word: AMAZING! Good times with good people.

There’s no way I can leave my heart in San Francisco knowing that I have Portland and Seattle coming up. Yesterday we spent six hours driving through Northern California. Driving up the 5 Interstate in Mt. Shasta is a whole lot better of a drive than Los Angeles and Orange County. We drove through golden pastures, purple mountains, and crystal-blue lakes. The air was fresh and the skies were bright blue. Having my hand out the window with the crisp wind blowing through my fingers made me feel I was at peace with myself and the nature surrounding me. This may sound so cliché, but in that moment, the cliché felt right.

We have been driving with directions purely from road maps, not by GPS or our phones. When we passed cities recognizable on the maps we got a sense of accomplishment, especially when we hit the Oregon State Line.
Oregon is an amazing place. It’s full of trees, old wooden houses, bearded-flannel wearing-old Ford pickup truck driving-mountain dog having men everywhere. Needless to say, I will have a really hard time coming back home. Driving through Oregon is best described as driving through Big Bear city but with more trees and rivers.

By 6:00pm yesterday, we hit Medford and decided to plant our camping gear by the Rogue River. I have never stayed at such a beautiful campground (although that could change soon). We ate sandwiches by the campfire and listened to Death Cab for Cutie’s Plans album. We did not say much by the campground just because we were still soaking in all we had seen between the beautiful drive and the Rogue River flowing only a hundred feet away from our tent. Just to sit and reflect on all the beauty that surrounds us makes me speechless. We have an amazing Creator, and I don’t want to take any of this for granted.

“There’s a movement in our stillness and however much we move we’re bound to stand completely still. Let’s all stand completely still…” -MeWithoutYou

 

 

And we're off!

It's an overcast day with a chance of green hills, strawberry fields, and the California coast.

It's exciting, yet so surreal that we actually have the opportunity to go on this journey. Just checked into Starbucks for the usual. Come one now... did you really think I would leave without my morning cup of Joe? That's the most crucial part of our excursion as well as our playlist. Cd check list is in place:
City and Colour
Morning Benders
Arcade Fire
The Fratellis
Mumford and Sons
David Bazan
MeWithoutYou
The Fugees
Murder By Death
Tom Waits
Bird and the Bee
and of course Eazy E

Time for a whole lot of good tunes, trivia questions, and Catch Phrase.
We are San Francisco BOUND and nothing can stop us now!