.dune trail on 35mm.

I finally developed a roll of film from my trip to the cape this past November. Of course, the roll was mostly pictures of the dune trail. I'm not sure why I hadn't done this walk before. Being that I went in November, I had the trail to myself - fully engulfed in the dunes. It's pure cape cod magic with undulating dunes just a few minutes drive from the seasonally chaotic ptown. Within a few minutes of walking, the presence of town and the highway fade away, transported to another world. Walking up and down the dunes, the views expand and contract, and sounds rise and fall. Then, after maybe a mile of walking in the sand, a final hill brings you to the wild open waters. The trail offers a short beach walk and then loops back inland. As you climb back up into the dunes, suddenly, tiny weathered dune shacks appear. These little artist retreats are the ultimate off-grid residency. I was reading The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (again!) this morning, and a quote stood out to me. He wrote, "when we build our awareness, the universe expands." The silence and solitude of these dune shacks - I wonder about all the art that has come from such an expansive space.

.july.

I spent most of July traveling. There are places that feel extra special in certain seasons/months/transitions but I love summer everywhere. 

I left the hot muggy summer thunderstorms of Western North Carolina for the arid summer heat and wildfires of Central Washington. I grew up in Central Washington but having spent many summers now in humid heat and it struck me this time going back the way dry heat radiates from the earth. On a hike in the sage hills I could feel the heat radiating from the dusty cracked earth, heating me from the feet up. 

I travelled to my favorite lake - bathing in the crisp crystal clear alpine lake, saw the dense smoke from wildfires across the hillsides and went to my favorite hikes collecting sagebrush. It always feels like home, the pulse of land is the strongest there.

The next stop was Boston for a few days to teaching a jewelry workshop. The city felt so loud and chaotic after time in the quiet vast west. I was thankful for the fun of summer nights biking thru Harvard Square with girlfriends and also the reminder of the space I need to feel free. After the weekend workshop I headed north for a week long camping adventure staring in Southern Maine and ending in New Brunswick. 

I’ve been curious to explore Acadia for the past 3 summers, but timing was never right. It’s July and the chaos of the tourism season is in full swing but it was beautiful and wild. A new rugged Maine I’d wanted to meet. 

We hiked as many trails as possible, swam in the freezing ocean and forage for wild blueberries. I can’t wait to go back sometime in the Fall when it’s a little less chaotic.

The surprise of the trip was New Brunswick, Bay of Fundy to be exact. En route driving thru the city of Saint John the fog was so thick we couldn’t see anything but a small patch of road in front of us so when we finally arrived to Fundy National Park the lush wilderness, rugged coastline and the 55 foot tide drop leaving inlets dry at low tide felt so dramatic. We could’ve stayed a week without running out of things to see. Each part of the park offers different landscapes and flora. One hike paralleled the Salmon River, it’s wide open pebble beaches felt like Montana or Idaho. Another hike follow the coastline with fern lined paths and amazing rocky lookouts felt like the Oregon Coast and at low tide exploring the ocean floor I found the most perfect flat and smooth red jasper! I was daydreaming about buying a small cottage near there and taking morning walks to gather stones and inspirations before an afternoon in a studio with an ocean view. Sigh.

The last night was spent at Cobscook Bay in Northern Maine. It was the most peaceful state park I’ve ever stayed at. The sites are isolated and peaceful, most you have to drive down a long driveway before it opens up to the site. We enjoy a totally secluded site sheltered in trees and surrounded by the bay on 3 sides. The low tide was dramatic, totally emptied out the cove at low tide leaving only the cracking sound of clams and a few birds pecking in the muddy ocean floor. 

I’ve mostly spent time in Southern Maine but really loved the wildness of Northern Maine, it felt like a new perspective on the state. 

I’m back in North Carolina already missing my dear ones and counting down for another camping adventure before summer is over.

Late May in New England

The Deepest Exhale

Waking up to see the sunrise has already begun

Layers of clothing no longer needed

Radiating heat reflecting off of delicate skin

Floating in bodies of water

How does it always feel like the first time

summer is coming

.t h i r t y f o u r.

I always love to write something as I begin another orbit around the sun. I turned 34 on Tuesday this, whoa! This year held so much movement for me I wanted to journey the year again to remember it all, here it is.

My 33rd year was a wild ride of adventure - travel - big questions - dead end roads - unplanned journeys and new layers of awareness!!

IDAHO

I started my year last April celebrating my birthday in the mountain town of Ketchum, Idaho nestled at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains. I lived in Ketchum for 9 months working at a Community Health Educator with Planned Parenthood. Most of my time was spent teaching puberty and sexuality education to middle and high school students at both the public and private schools. The experience was challenging and isolating but also allowed a flexibility to explore the amazing nature around me. The Wood River Valley is one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived. The foothills are blanketed with sagebrush and having grown up in the high desert of Central Washington I always feel at home where sagebrush grows. The position lost most of its funding and with fall approaching I decided to head back east for holiday art shows.

EAST TO WEST

It took 21 days for me to drive from Idaho to Massachusetts, camping 18 of those days and staying with friend on the other days. I remembered how the road is my happy place. Setting up my campsite and packing it up every morning was such a innate rhythm for me. I met a kindred spirit at Craters of the Moon, went fly fishing on the Teton River, slept in a yurt, slept in a tipi, fell in love with the mud pots at Yellowstone National Park, took slow walks along the madison river at dusk, moon bathed in a tipi next to the Devil’s tower, got lost in the cornfields of Nebraska, saw Georgia O’Keeffe art in Iowa, Slept next to the Mississippi, fell in love the with fingerlakes and Ithaca, Slept by a tiny lake in the Catskills and only had rain as I was driving into Boston. It was the most reinvigorating 21 days!

NEW ENGLAND

Coming back to New England was such a reflection to realize how much Idaho had changed me in just 9 months. I ached for the vast openlands and silence. I had a busy holiday season and reconnected with friends. I also continued to teach metalsmithing workshops. I love teaching these workshops and learned so much from teaching adult learners.

HOME

In January after 5 day delay due to a Nor’easter I arrived in Washington for a delayed holiday time with family. I spent my days hiking and soaking up the colors of Central Washington. I realize how the land feels like home to me. I created a personal residency during my time there, a quilt project. I took walks everyday, took a picture, translated it into a very simple design and sewed a patch. It was such a great project to get back in the rhythm of see - design - create.

MAINE

I came back to the East, to Maine this time to a small town 1 hr north of Boston. Due to my beloved turbo engine subaru exploding and being without a car for weeks I translated my quilt project into a brooch project. Now translating the designs from fabric to metal. I have 12 brooches made. I am so excited and proud of this project. There is no motive in this project except just to make - to tell a story of where I come from - to explore how to translate landscapes. I also was able to take a pie workshop from one of my favorite bakers and it inspired me explore baking more. So I’ve been baking a few pies every week learning and improving recipes.

NORTH CAROLINA

This all leads to the end of 33 and beginning of 34. I’ve moved to the south, Western North Carolina nestled next to the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s a special place for me with my Mom’s family being from the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains. I always feel connected to my Nana there, even after living most of her life in Washington Tennessee and those mountains were always home for her. I’m excited to explore the mountains more and to start a massage program in the fall. With over 10 years working in health I’m excited to connect bodywork to the experiences and knowledge I have gather my journey so far.

So much to unfold and learn this 34th year. I hope you are healthy and learning!

.maine in march.

When you get a nice day in winter in Maine you take advantage of it. The winter has been late to arrive here in the Northeast but it’s here, with two Nor’easter storms in the past week and another one might be coming next week everyone is desperate for spring. Two days after the first Nor’easter the sun came out, blue skies with a high of 43 degrees! We took advantage of it. We went to a favorite trail that curves thru the forest and opens up to the ocean and continues along the coastline looking to where Maine waters meet New Hampshire. As the trail opened up to the ocean we saw a small girl building a sand castle and her mom was stretched out wide sunbathing in her boots and winter jacket. I smiled understanding the feeling of enjoying the sun with air that didn’t hurt. We walked out to explore the tide pools and on the beach a couple were sitting on the rocky beach soaking up the sun and as we were heading back up to the trail another woman just laid down right on the trail with her dog. I love these moments that are unique to a place. It seems that once it gets above 40 degrees in March Mainers seems to just collapse with joy! They were acting like it was a summer day and 30 degrees warmer than it was but I get it. We are ready - we are so ready for spring and sunshine and warmth and longer days!! 

Another storm came a few days ago bringing almost 24 inches of snow, 35 mph winds and white out conditions for most of the day. The next day the sun was out so I went on a hike trying to be grateful for the beauty of the snow. Trying to remember the way the snow holds a silence, the fresh smell of winter air and how it illuminates everything even on an overcast day. I try to be present because it will be gone - nothing stays and winter, as trying as it is, allows me to turn inwards and reflect. This winter has been challenging but just as the days are getting longer and warmer days *should* be coming I’m grateful for the new awareness and truths that have found me this winter. 

New adventures are here and coming soon! I’m ready. I’m so ready. 

.Christmas in Maine.

I spent Christmas in Southern Coastal Maine this year. We had a small snow storm on Friday and bigger one on Christmas morning making for a very white and wintry holiday. This holiday was a nice mix of old and new traditions. I made a sausage egg bake for Christmas morning which is a traditional breakfast in my family after I joined in on the 6th annual sunrise hike, a new tradition for me. It was white out conditions with crazy winds and a thick layer of ice under the new snow but the group still managed to have the yankee swap at the top of the mountain.

I thought of all the places I've celebrated Christmas - in Coastal Ecuador and Central Malawi as a Peace Corps volunteer, Western Texas with my sister after leaving Midwifery school and before road tripping north, in the city rush of Boston with friends and this year in a small town in Southern Maine. December looks and feels so different in each of these landscapes. This year in Maine I noticed how the winter light feels more golden yellow and softer in a way. It still feels strange to walk along the snowy frozen beach and salt marshes, having grown up in the arid high desert the beach will forever hold the energy of summer. I went for several walks the past few days taking in the fresh snow, the new textures of the winter ocean and fell in love with the mystery of the frozen salt marshes. I'm so grateful to know all these places and to bring old traditions + new experiences into them.

Where did you celebrate the holidays? Do you have holiday traditions? I hope you had a beautiful holiday!

.happy solstice.

Happy Solstice! A moment to celebrate the returning light and the beginning of the winter season. A moment to remember to slow down and embrace the season to turn inwards. I'm a summer person - I love the heat and the energy but this year I feel like I'm opening more and more to the gifts and beauty of winter. I have a favorite woodland near my house that I walk a few times a week and have found some beautiful young pine trees on these walks. Today I collected some to make pine needle vinegar. It's super simple, similar to balsamic vinegar and super high in vitamin C.

||Pine Needle Vinegar ||

Just collect white pine needles - enough to fill jar size of your choice. Then wash the needles and remove brown parts. Pour organic vinegar (I use ACV) over the needle to fill up the jar and cover with a plastic lid or I covered with wax paper and metal lid. Let set for 6 weeks and then enjoy! You can find more pine needle ideas here.

Winter's Cloak 

By Joyce Rupp

This year I do not want
the dark to leave me.
I need its wrap
of silent stillness,
its cloak
of long lasting embrace.
Too much light
has pulled me away
from the chamber
of gestation.
come late,
let the sunsets
arrive early,
let the evenings
extend themselves
while I lean into
the abyss of my being.
of my soul,
for too much light
blinds me,
steals the source
of revelation.
Let me seek solace
in the empty places
of winter's passage,
those vast dark nights
that never fail to shelter me.
Let the dawns
Let me lie in the cave

.the beaches of massachusetts.

Growing up in the arid sagebrush foothills it feel pretty magical to be able to drive 10 mins to the ocean. I love sandy beaches of Massachusetts. Cape Cod has yellow corse sand and here on Cape Ann it's such a fine white almost powder sand.