On the Road: The Pacific Northwest (Part I)

ROAD TRIP! 

Rodolfo and I (but basically Rodolfo) took a week-long trip to the Pacific Northwest. 

Driving isn't exactly the most relaxing activity, but I do enjoy the sights shifting landscapes. A lot of lush mountains. Here are some sights I caught along I-5...

As we passed Lake Shasta it became very apparent we are in a serious drought. The water levels have receded so much Lake Shasta is starting to resemble a giant rain puddle more than a lake. Mount Shasta had a small streak of snow, but I've seen that mountain covered in snow during hot summers in the early 2000s. 

    

As we crossed state lines, I saw gradual changes in the scenery. Beautiful, bright shades of green and tall, majestic trees. These pictures don't do the scenery justice, I totally recommend that you see it for yourselves. 

Portland is so...lush. I love Forest Park, I look forward to exploring it more next year. Lots of tall trees, beautiful ferns, and animals.

I got this pretty terrarium ring and it fits right into the landscape! *heart eyes*

First mushroom sighting in Oregon!

Next stop(s): Seattle and Olympic National Forest!

Jellyfishing, Jellyfishing, JELLYFISHING!

Something cool washed up along Ocean Beach over the weekend! At first, I thought someone had littered the beach with blue plastic scrub brushes, and upon further inspection, I realized these little jellies came from the ocean! A reader informed me that this little creature here is a Velella, also known as a By-the-Wind Sailor Jellyfish.

These little jellies aren't that big either, they're about the size of an average sand dollar.

All dried up

I've never seen a blue jellyfish up close, especially along Ocean Beach. The ocean is full of surprises! I normally find washed up jellies along the beach, but I've never seen such a beautiful jelly up close! Seeing these beautiful gem is inspiring me to take more walks to the beach, and perhaps go *Jellyfishing* 

If I could, I would.

Have a great week, everyone!

Life Happenings: the Best Sea Glass Haul!

Thursday's morning walk was full of nice surprises! I woke up feeling a little cranky because I'm in the 3rd week of the Whole30 program, but I decided to walk off my frustrations. I'm glad I did, because the ocean waves were fabulous today. 

My favorite finds of the day:

• A lime-green glass piece with swirls 
• A triangular mint piece
• A nice chunky piece of light blue sea glass
• A piece of red sea glass

I'm especially stoked with the red piece. When I took a trip to Fort Bragg, I stopped by a Sea Glass Museum, and I read that red sea glass is especially rare, because most of the red glass comes from old taillights from cars. Nowadays most taillights are plastic, so it's very rare to find a nice, pitted piece of red glass. HOW EXCITING~~

New finds: Shells and Bones

My collections keep growing larger by the month and I'm starting to run out of space to store them! My fantasy is to have a little museum in my house where I showcase all of the stuff I collected or found throughout the years. Just last week I added another piece to my shell collection and started a bone collection. In general I prefer finding items but in some cases I will buy them if I take a special liking to them.

Clear Sundial (architectonica perspectiva Linnaeus)

Coyote atlas from The Bone Room

Film: Instax Mini 7s

I just bought a new instant camera off my friend!  I have a Polaroid camera but I recently used my last cartridge. I considered buying more film, but it is so expensive, and I started thinking about smaller instant cameras. Polaroid film packs are pretty expensive (but nonetheless available) and each cartridge only has 8 exposures so I opted for the Instax with its more affordable 10 exposure packs.

The body of the camera is relatively compact, it's still a little bulky but it's lightweight so I can bring it around with ease. I really like the mini photos, I'm wondering if I should invest in a larger Instax too...

Some off-centered photos ...getting the hang of it though.

I found some great resources for shooting with the Instax Mini 7s and so far that's been helpful. I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to shoot with it! I'm so excited! I plan on ordering a lot of film to stock up because I'm already thinking about fun photo projects to try.

Plant Lady Life: Another Flowering Tillandsia!

 tillandsia funckiana

I'm very happy that some of my air plants are beginning to flower, it is a sign that I am taking good care of them. I used to water my air plants every two weeks by soaking them in water for 20 minutes, but I noticed some of my air plants began to brown at the tips. I figured they were drying because my heat is always on this season but I went to a specialist in Pacifica, CA to get some feedback. She suggested I water more frequently with some epiphyte food because 2 weeks may be too long of a dry spell, especially with so much heat in the area. Air plants absorb water and nutrients from the air, soaking them for more than 10 minutes can be somewhat traumatic for them, especially if left in water for too long. From my own understanding of tillandsias, they continue to absorb water until they get swollen and fall apart. That's actually what happened to my gorgeous tillandsia xerographica a year ago. RIP, but I will get a new one soon. Anyway, I switched up my watering schedule last month and so far all of my tillandsias are beginning to look bright, vivid, and healthy with little to no brown tips. 10 green thumb points for me!

New Favorites: True Facts About the Angler Fish

True Facts About the Angler Fish 

I enjoy this video so much! It definitely caught me off guard but it was such a great laugh.

Plant Lady Life: Tillandsia in Bloom

 Today is an exciting day for a plant lady: one of my pretty air plants has begun to bloom!

 I am in love with my mammoth zeolite mineral

My new tillandsia has found a temporary home on top of my pretty apophyllite mineral. Unfortunately I don't know the exact species of this tillandsia, it was a gift you know which one this is, please let me know!

Snail Mail: Post-holiday goodies from friends!

Last week my friend Maeygan sent me some goodies from the Holistic Science Company, a San Diego-based company specializing in apothecary products. I was immediately in love because all of their products contain no animal byproducts, parabens, and other toxins found in many face and body products.

The moisture stick is like silk, and the scent is light but so fragrant at the same time. I'm such a fan of green tea, and this balm actually smells like green tea. I have so many lipbalms and chapsticks I have lost count, but right now this is my new favorite. It's so special that it goes in my pocket so I don't lose it in my bag. I am IN LOVE with the Potion #9. I occasionally get mild headaches during stressful times, so whenever I found a chance to sit down and just breathe, I apply 1-2 drops behind my earlobe and it offers a light tingly, minty sensation that replaced the dull pain in my head. I love the smell of peppermint and whether it is actually working or acting as a placebo, I like the tingly sensation, the minty smell, and I can think clearly.

Thanks Maeygan!