Posts focused on taking good care of our mind and body.
As we move through our August, we’re trying to find moments of calm and peace. Sometimes that means we miss a day or two on the blog, but know that we’re cooking up great things for September. In the chaos of your weeks, remember to find a space for quiet calmness throughout the day. Try a bit of meditation or read a good book 🙂
We found this particular hike in a book of trails that was in the house, but you can easily find information about it here and here. The trail is in the Northern Sierras, near Truckee, CA, and it’s just 4 miles from the Soda Springs exit on Route 80. It’s proximity to the highway makes it an easy and worthwhile stop if you’re on a road trip. There is ample parking in the lot next to the Sugar Bowl Academy (we visited in summer, I’m not sure if the parking situation changes when school is in session). From there, you have to take a short walk down the side road to get to the trailhead. You could also drive down that road and park at the trailhead, but I’m not sure how crowded that area gets on the weekend.
The total distance for this hike is about 4.5 miles. You begin on the Pacific Coast Trail, hiking towards the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, and on one of the runs is where you’ll bump into the Mount Judah Trail. You could take a left there and head up the trail, but we continued on the PCT and took the second intersection with the Mount Judah trail (there are only two points of intersection). Whichever way you connect to Mount Judah, you’ll end up hiking the one initial PCT section both in and out to the parking area.
This hike is marked as moderate in the trail guides, and I would agree. The most difficult portion is the initial (and final) ascent (decent) on the PCT. The terrain is rocky, the trail relatively narrow, and the incline steep, but after those switchbacks, the rest of the trail is much less rocky with a more gradual climb. The trail covers a total elevation gain of about 1000 ft.
Side note : someone in our group was concerned about going on this hike with a bum knee, then Calder’s sister reminded them that they would be hiking with a septuagenarian, a pregnant lady, and a lady with a baby… if our rag-tag bunch could handle this hike, then most readers probably can too!
Can you see it? Yep, that’s three adobe programs open at once. My to do list is a mile long this week month and while it’s a little intimidating, it’s also thrilling and I love trying to squeeze it all in. There are never enough hours in a day, but that’s why I organize my list by week! I’m definitely a list person.
As you know, I’m preparing for my trip to Nepal, which means I’m squeezing in all kinds of odd jobs and activities before go. Right now I’m focusing a lot of energy on my RAW gallery show in Raleigh. I’m digging through my archives and ordering prints, designing postcards and trying to envision my space. I’m shooting a wedding this Saturday and working in the darkroom on Sunday then next week I’m off to visit Katie (the other half of Seasoned) in Colorado :)! I’m also trying to iron out all the details of the upcoming Schu Farm Fest, a mini music and arts festival, the Schu siblings hold every year. Okay, last year was the first year, but it was amazing and it will go on forever. Of course, I’m always working on organizing and creating materials for Haand, the lovely housewares company where I work.
Oh yeah, I’m 26 now! My birthday was last Saturday. I spent the morning at The Honeysuckle Tea House, hiked in the afternoon with Cash and Kevin, and then went to an event held at a local goat cheese and milk farm. While the farm party was not exactly what we envisioned (beer flowing freely from a dozen spouts and baby goats in pajamas), we had a great time. While we waited for the local brewery reps to arrive, K and I rowed a boat across the pond, mooed at innocent calves, ate our weight in Middle Eastern food and kissed baby goats.
I shopped online for health insurance yesterday. It was worse than doing taxes.
Ack! This week flew by in a flash. Ready for it?
In between all of that I’ve been working to repair my broken hard drive. The one with all of my photos since 2003 (yikes!). We’re in the homestretch and everything is going to be recovered! And if you’re wondering where my backup was, this was my main copy and my backup. Thanks LaCie.
How was your week?
Yesterday we took a little moment away from moths to whip up some lemon curd a.k.a summer in a jar, but today we’re back with some moth madness! Originally I intended to show you how to attract moths, but I apparently moths hate me. I hung up a white sheet yesterday and today and NADA. I’m blaming it on the late evening rains we had because I promise you I did everything that I was advised. You can try that activity for yourself and let me know how it goes, hopefully better than it went for me ;). Fear not faithful readers, I searched the web far and wide for some fun moth links sure to delight the moth lover in you.
I might need to add more nectar plants to my yard to attract moths in greater numbers.
Raise a little moth lover of your own with this cute and colorful caterpillar sleeping bag for kids.
I think this fabric moth sculpture is pretty rad.
This moth halloween costume is so cute that I may make an adult version this year!
The Moth actually has very little to do with moths. It’s true stories told live, and most of them are amazing. Read about how The Moth got its name here.
This watercolor painting of a Luna Moth is absolutely gorgeous. Have you had the pleasure of seeing a live Luna Moth? Thankfully I have and even though it was a decade ago, it’s something I won’t forget.
I love this moth watercolor too. I wish I could paint!
The woman behind The Butterfly Babe Gallery has an amazing story and lovely photos.
The internet is amazing. Remember when you would search for the perfect piece of clipart all computer class long?! Well now you can easily search and find what you need, like this pretty moth vector.
A few years ago, I was living in Thailand and visiting plenty of night markets. I came across a stall that was basically a rummage sale and I found a framed Atlas Moth. The stall owner was nowhere to be found, but I waited there for ten minutes until they returned so I could purchase it, for $5, which is hella expensive in Thailand, but crazy cheap (in my opinion) for the largest moth in the world! At the time, I had no idea it was the largest moth, I just really, really like framed insects, now it’s one of my most prized possessions.
We’re not trying to make this a competition, but ever since I made the venn diagram and wrote ‘moths typically have drab-colored wings,’ I’ve felt pretty bad about it. So here are twenty beautiful moths for you to feast your eyes on and to ease my guilt. #sorrymoths
This week has been equal parts work and play. On Monday and Tuesday, I ran around from job to meeting to gallery walk-through, and now that Friday is here, I’m chillin’ on the beach. This is my first visit to the Outer Banks and so far it’s lovely. The beach is free and alcohol is permitted so that’s where you can find me all weekend!
Hey There! We’re taking a couple of days off to fully indulge in the Fourth with our family and friends. You can be sure that we’ll be spending plenty of time swimming, drinking lemonade, hiking, and eating some good food. If you’re lucky, we’ll pop in with something fun, but if not, we’re still posting on Instagram, and we’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo
Now that we’ve moved to a higher altitude, I think about sunscreen year-round, but particularly in the summer when we are spending more time outside and wearing shorts and t-shirts. Additionally, I’ve started to have an internal debate about my use of sunscreen, because while I use it every day to protect my skin from aging, I’m starting to think that a little bit of tanning is Ok and even good for my health by naturally increasing my Vitamin D levels. Do you know about the negative health concerns associated with Vitamin D deficiency?
The other concern I have while using sunscreen are the chemicals found in many over-the-counter products, especially since I’m still nursing little Luc. The problem is that a number of the chemicals in certain sunscreens can enter your bloodstream and some act as or disrupt the natural hormones in our body. The Environmental Working Group provides a detailed overview of both the chemicals and minerals used in sunscreens and the toxicity concerns associated with each. So, what’s a person to do? Read on to find out a little bit more about sunscreens and my current solution…
Oh my skincare routine has changed throughout the years, and I only wish that I was as gentle on my skin in high school as I am now. Back then I thought my skin was too oily and would never have dreamed of actually applying oil to my face to moisturize and nourish it, instead, I would be drawn to any cleanser that promised to dry out my face. In reality, I’m guessing that all of those harsh, drying products likely irritated my skin, stripped it of its natural oils, and caused it to over produce oil in order to try to hydrate my face and reverse the damage I was doing. Jump ahead ten years, and I slowly came around to the amazingly beneficial characteristics of plant oils for the skin. Jump ahead another couple of years, and I’m now adding some essential oils to my basic routine.
I like to shy away from the camera when it comes to our posts, but if any post calls for a headshot, it’s this one! So I’m putting my face in focus for this post, and hopefully it will stand as a record that I can refer back to when looking at how my skin responds to a few years of essential oil use. I should also mention that I really believe that healthy skin starts from the inside. So while I’ve found these skin oil potions to be effective, I also make it a point to drink plenty of water and eat a well-balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables.