Little Otsu

This came from a little shop which was found during my wanderings in SF. So many pretty little things there - I'm kind a sucker for that. It's probably much better to see all of the drawings and things in person, but in case you want to peek for yourself here's your chance.

Little Otsu

They have a link to their blog, which has links to all of the artists they work with. A cash of information really. This is a little drawing I picked up there, it's a card I guess, but I'm going to treat it like the fine art it is and frame it. I hearted it from the moment I laid eyes on it.

Thanks Aubrey!

Aubrey is the coolest! She let me stay in her awesome apartment even though she was too busy to be there herself. It was such a rad place, much nicer and roomier than my last digs in ny.
Since I was out all day exploring on my own usually at night I was so beat I'd hang out on this couch, hack, and watch movies. There were some classics I had never known I was missing out on. I watched "Bottle Rocket" for the first time, as well as "Strictly Ballroom" and some creepy documentary about a kid from Beaver, Utah. I felt incredibly intellectually and culturally fed.

State Building I found while wondering the first night.

This is my favorite shop that Aubry told me about, it was amazing, full of treasures. It was a taxidermy/natural science/gardening store. I spent a solid hour here.

Street art in the mission district - I felt like I was home in Brooklyn

It was really nice to be in a big city and have cool architecture, but then have space around it and the buildings weren't 73 stories high. It gave a nice open feeling.

How cool are San Franciscans - they not only have recycling every where (ok, not everywhere, but definitely in the rich people areas), but they have composting too!

Hit up the SF - MOMA with Callie & Andrew, I was so glad to have friends! We went there for the Frida Kahlo exhibit, but then searched around a bit after. These are two of my favorite paintings we found:

The next day I went down to Fishermans Warf to meet up with the gang, but got there a while before them and I cam across this crazy place.
It was this old school archade where you could put a quarter into one of the many creepy machines and get a performance. I wish I could have taken videos of all of them, but I only got a few. See video below for an example of the strangeness.

From here on out I was out of a camera, but there was so much more fun had! I loved San Fran, it has definatly moved up on possible places I would want to live.

my biking thoughts

I hope I don't regret sharing this randomness, but I suppose most people wouldn't have even read this far into this much text with no pictures (I know I have to use some serious restraint not to just scroll past it) - so hopefully I don't wierd too many people out.

Today I got on my borrowed road bike (which has gears gratefully) and headed out into the drizzle. The temperature was absolutely lovely, and the rain (if you could call it that) was no big deal. It was about 8:15 a.m. and I was approximately 2.5 miles up Milcreek Canyon when the drizzle had become a pour. By now I was pretty soaked through and through. My dads voice was in my head as I started thinking about turning around, he had warned me of such scenario as he got into his car and I got on the bike that morning. Looking up the canyon I couldn't help but notice that the grueling hills were just begining to turn into a lovely winding mountain road. Turning down the canyon I was headed towards the steep hills that kind of made me want to barf only moments earlier, but it was no big deal because I had concured them already! Now I'm screaming down the canyon (not literally luckily) water soaking my socks and the padding in my shorts - gotta love a soggy but, esp when the sogginess is from the foamy water off of the road - anyway, here I am freezing, my legs and fingers are bright pink/red from the rain hitting them at 30 miles an hour, my eyes are blurry from rain getting in my contacts and I realize . . .

. . . despite the pain I am as happy as I could ever possibly be. As bad as it ever gets, being in the mountains is just the greatest. The rest of my ride home my teeth were cold too because I couldn't stop smiling. That's all, that pretty much sums up why I wrote all that.

Finally some pictures of the Kings Peak hike over Labor Day - these are meant to make you very jealous, so jealous that you come next time.

First off, don't leave home with out one of these - a happy, strong, fearless mountain man to guide you.

The first day of hiking there were 4 peoples and 3 dogs. We camped in painter basin which is up and over this pass (pictured below) - it's called Gunnison Pass and it's a bitch at the end of a 12 mile day.

Kenya's so dainty even in the mountains. Poor chap didn't know what she was getting into, but she was a champ. I should also mention here that talented Amanda b James took all of this photos of our trip - I was a slacker and didn't bring a cam.

This is the giddy behavior that occurs some time after being completely exhausted and eating a tasty dehydrated dinner. Come on now, who wouldn't love that face?
This is the lightest, silliest looking tent ever invented. It consists of a floor piece which weighs 1.1 lbs, the circus tent piece which weighs .8 lbs, and one very light weight pole. Gratefully it didn't snow on us. (also note that I completely made those weights up, just believe me it is super light)

Lindsay and I preforming sorcery (note the Willow wand involved)
Fast forward to Brett pealing off the group to head back to his truck parked at Henry's Fork trail head - Lindsay, Amanda, Jessica, Max, Kenya, and Jack summit the mighty pile of rocks that they call King's Peak. Now we're back at Anderson pass where 6 of us head down the other side towards Swift Creek trail head, currently some 18 odd miles off.

Looking westward down Anderson pass. Good dog skinny Kenya
A few miles later Jack came loping up the hillside with a face full of quills. It took us/Lindsay 45 min to get them all out cause Jack kept biting at her as she came at him with the tweezers. It was funny the first 20 times, then it was just sad.

Walking and walking like pioneer children through a high unita swampy swamp. Little do we know we're only a few hundred yards from a lovely camp set up by my kick ass family (dad, sister, uncle, and cousin) that came up to meet us at Milk Lake. They brought with them 3 more dogs. We had a lovely dinner of Dinty Moore stew.
Very few photos were taken after this point. Weariness got the best of us and we mostly just put one foot in front of another the next day. We also were lucky enough to be hiking in a rain storm that wasn't snow (the people only 1,000 ft above us got 1 foot of the white stuff)

This is the after shot, but don't be fooled, we were only pulling those sad faces because our journey had come to an end - and Lindsay's just excited for dinner at the cabin.

Good old fashioned Americana fun

The most fantastic Utah State Fair Demolition Durby

This blur is a latino guy who had a smile plastered on his face the whole time he was getting worked on the mechanical bull. He was wearing some smashing Zebra fur cowboy boots.

This is where Lindsay and Nick bought their foot long corn dogs - you didn't know those existed did you.
Sigh . . . I love this place.
Gigantic bull

Zara sporting a sparkling pink trucker hat

James in his "JESUS DID IT" hat (in small writing on the brim it questions "would anyone die for you?")
This they call a fry loaf, well stated state fair.

Crazy French Man on Wire

I saw a beautiful, extraordinary movie the other night with Linds at the Broadway - Man on Wire
It's a documentary/story about a fabulously crazy french guy on a mission to tight rope from the twin towers - soo worth it.

Sigur Ros

My heart nearly skipped a beat when I heard these icelandic beauties were coming to Salt Lake. Buy yourself a ticket and come along! I can't wait, I just can't wait. Listen here until September 28th.