Saturday, October 27, 2012

mum&sisters join me. alas.

What a lovely treat. My mom and my lil sisters came out here last weekend and joined me. Finally I get to share these cool places with them. We had a lot of fun and I got to show them some of the amazing things around this island.

Love them.
xoxoxoxo.
To be continued.....
with photos and baby deer.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

me llamo arroyo

¿Quieres ver lo que es una sirena de verdad se parece?
[[Want to see what a real mermaid looks like?]]
A real mermaid looks like me....

Hooooray, I can attempt to speak spanish here.
Do I speak it well?
Yes, if your an idiot and don't know spanish..
 no, if you actually speak spanish.
Honest Truth.

I been wandering the streets of Avalon just about every night since I got here. I have adopted about 4 people as my friends along the wandering. They speak spanish, therefore, I attempt to speak spanish.

Want to see my lil' alley to my new home :
pretty, right?

So glad this girl came to see me :)
My amiga Mckel decided to come visit, only for 3 short days, but, they were 3 very fun short days. We wandered the streets together, went to the beach, kayaked, won deal or no deal, twice, went to zee hot tub, ate lots of food, listened to some jazz with our pina coladas. Good times. So glad she came out, it was very very fun! Some much needed girl time!

 Tree huggers and rainbows:

I finally went scuba diving! I did 3 wonderful dives over by the dive park at the Casino. It felt so good to immerge myself in the water and become a mermaid. I saw lobster, lots of fish, snails, a manta ray, some white sea bass, a sea kelp forest, oh, and more fish. What wonderful dives! Can't wait to go again! After my first dive, I went over to the stairs and got myself out of the water and floating about 20 feet from me was a lil sea lion, with about 4 big chunky bites taken out of it by a shark (it looked fresh)

Kelp Forest

Check out zat ray.


Off to wander....
I twist like a mermaid and dance like a gypsy....




Saturday, October 6, 2012

Another Island in the Sun

Here I am on Catalina Island, also known as Avalon, California. It is sunny, with warm ocean water to play mermaid in, touristy things to splurge on, and bright orange giant goldfish swimming around the shorelines.
It is a beautiful island, how can I not love it?
I just wish I had someone to share it with.
Loverboy Imissyou.
I work and stare at the ocean, every day
and then I go jump in and play.
Hooray.
Yes.

Just so happens I am here for jazztrax, its a big jazz music festival and on Thursday, I scored a free ticket for wandering in the same place an old man was wandering (turns out his friends got held up at the airport and didn't make it, so free ticket for me).

Did I mention, the jazz show I watched, had tambourines involved. It spoke to my soul, so glad that I happen to travel with my tambourine! It's a little different, but hey, its one of my best travel buddies :)

Photo from Jazz festival.


Everyplace I seem to travel too, there is always a place where I feel at peace. Here, this is it.
Descanso Beach.
My favorite beach, and not just for the comfy chairs and wild deer that seem to frolic by.

It's a nice chunk of earth. I like it.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Fair to thee well glaciers, withering winds, and radiant rain.




Fair to thee well glaciers, withering winds,  and radiant rain.


After hiking to Canada two weeks ago, I fell into a zombie mode. I woke up, walked to work, worked, ate, walked home, slept and repeat. I had to make up for the time I was gone and so I did in a mode that felt zombistic.

Coming home after the adventure I had in Canada was a bit difficult. I went into work the next day and thought to myself, did the past week just happen?  I know it did, I will never forget that adventure. I have a bit of a sprained akeles tendon on my right ankle back. It basically hurts whenever I walk, but its tolerable, and for that, I do not think it is torn. This was a bit devastating because we did have a few more sunny days and I forced myself to not go hike because I want my body in ship shape condition for winter and snowboarding!!!

So last two weeks, I worked my last days as a “bamboo so soft sales gal,” hung out with my friends and said my fairwells as they all started fluttering away on airplanes to go home for the season and awaited my turn to leave. Good news, it finally came!! I am on a plane from Seattle to Arizona right now and then I go from Arizona to Utah, zippppiteh.yay. I am soooo excited to see my lover boy and all of my family and a few friends before zipping off to an island til the end of October. When I say excited, I mean ecstatic, I mean so gosh.darn.freakin happppy, I may cry, the happy cry.

Alaska was amazing and I met some amazing people in both Juneau and Sitka. Grace, Carina, Koali and of course lil puppy sofie, you made Sitka amazing for me. Haley, Jenny, Kelley, Steve, Ted, Curtis, Toodles, and the rest of you ACT bus drivers, I love you all, and without you, I am unsure what I that I would have had as much fun as I had out in Juneau without you all! Kyle, it was good working with you and you know that I think you rock and you best be having an excellent time visiting Fiji (I miss it so).!! I met so many great people and had so many great things.

Thought I would make list of top things I did in Alaska real quick:

--Kayaking to the Mendenhall Glacier (and touching it, even though that was a stupid thing to do and I could have died, the photos are absolutely amazing).
--Hiking Mount Edgecumbe in Sitka. Mt. Edcumbe is a volcano and the hike is 14 miles round trip. Until this day it was the longest hike I have ever done. It went to an elevation of 3200 Ft from Sea Level and it ended up being an absolutely perfect day when I went.
--Hiking the Chilkoot Trail from Dyea Alaska to Canada. 33 mile trek, getting lost twice (once in the dark, once in the fog at summit), seeing four grizzlies, feeling like we may very well die due to being lost and very cold, and going with complete strangers. The things I saw, the emotions I felt, and the accomplishment I felt after this hike is irreplaceable.
--Spending time in the Yukon Territory and jumping into a hotspring after indulging on autumn leaves and Yukon wildlife.
--Kayaking in Sitka and chasing the Salmon during the Salmon run.
--Biking out to the rope swing and jumping into the ocean in Sitka.
--Hiking Mt. Juneau
--Riding in a Seaplane, seeing 5 glaciers and a black bear and then eating the most delicious King Salmon I have ever had.
--Eating at Ludvigs, hands down, best food ever. (in Sitka)
--Watching the sunsets in Sitka
--Seeing whales in the wild for the first time and bears in the wild for the first time.


I only have a few short days to be home though, it is bitter sweet really. I leave Oct. 3 for another adventure out to Catalina Island til the end of October. Just for a short month, enough time to work a bit, train a bit, get a tan a bit, eat a bit, swim a bit, scuba a bit, turn into a mermaid a lot and eat a bit.

I am excited to go somewhere warm for a change, it will be so amazing to dress down and wear short shorts, tank tops and bikinis and frolic around barefoot. I am ecstatic about that sunshine and warm ocean water. Hello sunshine and frolicking on the beach, diving into the ocean, and letting the wind ripple through my hair and enjoying it.

 Good bye Alaska, Hello Utah, and See you soon Catalina Island!


Let the good times roll…..and roll….and roll.