new perspective

Friends, lovers, those both far and near. Summer is ACTUALLY here.

I know this blog claims excitement of sunshine and things in bloom often, but it's only because life is most fun to report on when the clouds subside from this valley and people actually leave their house (I am one of the worst culprits with my proclivity to hide from the world with endless cups of tea & room-dwelling). Alas.

With only 5 days of July under our feet, I can claim to have:

turned 26 (yay!) - discovered and befriended the owner of a new restaurant - camped on a mountainside - packed up half my sh*t for the upcoming move - eaten one half of a dungeoness crab - pumped up my bicycle tires - eaten dinner outdoors every night - smelled like campfire for 24 hours - napped in the sunshine - danced to chromeo - become the proud owner of my very own blow torch - listened to countless new tunes...

and... taken pictures of new items for the shop! All available here.

 

and of course, my partner in crime

slowly but surely

Just got done with a photoshop class with Bri Emery of Design Love Fest. Check out a slice of what's to come!

bound for glory

If you asked me the direct path between March and May, April would not be my first guess. As far as I know, it went by in a flash. I've been sticking to my task at hand, taking plenty of time to relax on the weekends, sleeping 8 hours a night, and there remains a huge smile slapped on this face. But still. Time is going by so quickly and it feels impossible to not let it whiz you by.

Alas, the sunshine is in full bloom and I made a grilled salsa this weekend that should make up for any and all. Pictures forthcoming.

I wanted to re-post this video I found by the Mumford & Sons on their Railroad Revival Tour with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes. They are coming through the southwest by rail and if you live in those parts, you should check out the remaining shows.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

The more that work has occupied my daytime brain, the more my dreams have felt like this scene.

delicious weekend

The fake snow attack of last week is now history, and the rain has returned. For me the rain serves as a reminder to cook and read to my hearts content.

wrinkle in time

Last piece of holiday magic. A postcard from my dear friend Thibaut in Le Vanneau, France. 2011 is off to a solid, grounding start. Look forward to reliving the last month of my life via pictures and stories as I slowly get back to the internet routine. xox, melissa lynn.

Important

Check out an op-ed written by Oregon State University's Dr Mark Hixon and University of Washington's Dr Brian Tissot. It's a good take on the work Oregon is doing to revitalize their once booming and still beautiful coastline.

Alright, now it's time for Christmas Break.

chasing fall

My sister and I were laughing yesterday while pulling into Hilton Head, as it seems like I've chased fall clear across the country. The brilliant Pacific NW leaves were just starting to be demolished by winter's teeth as I flew out to Georgia where trees were in full bloom. As we drove further southeast and coastward, the leaves continued to be in full perfect glowing bloom.

I've recommitted to conquering my camera as of late. It's got so many settings and workings to consider. Thought I'd share a smattering of those less successful, though indicative of how crazy busy hazy poignant amazing this fall proved itself to be.

thankful & sated

And what a good meal it was. Turkey (cooked, in fine Georgia tradition, in a bucket in the driveway), squash casserole, green beans, stuffing with roasted chestnuts, and an abundance of pecan pie. My Dad's side of the family all flocked to Hilton Head Island for the holiday, and luckily, have until the weekend to consume as many leftovers as possible.

On day 7 out of 10 of the trip, I am finally getting to my computer and wanted to share a few photos. Better and actual ones exist, but until I reunite with my camera cord, phone photos will have to suffice. Trips like this amaze me with how much we can squeeze into a day. I mean really. And in this vacation world where relaxing is considered productive, naps totally count.

Crazy successful 'home for the holidays' Jewelry Party at my parents house. More on that later!

Nap with the parents' kitties. Not sure when we became cat people, but since embarking on west coast life, it's happened. In a big way.

Out and about with James & the lil' sis, Leigha. The Masquerade, November 19, 2010.

Fresh side of the road shrimp. Hilton Head Island, November 26 2010.

Post Thanksgiving Cribbage, 19 Cedar Wax Wing House. November 25, 2010.

raise your glass!

The beautiful Sarah Kate and Adam got engaged this weekend. The engagement story unfolds the way you imagine it would in a storybook (with an unexpected Hanson twist and more originality than any story book marriage I've read). But it was perfect. Everything aligned. And every detail thought through. The way that she looks at him is what gets me.

"Life is self-transformation, and human relationships, which are an extract of life, are the most changeable of all, they rise and fall from minute to minute, and lovers are those for whom no moment is like any another. People between whom nothing habitual ever takes place, nothing that has already existed, but just what is new, unexpected, unprecedented. There are such connections, which must be a very great, an almost unbearable happiness, but they can occur only between very rich beings, between those who have become, each for his own sake, rich, calm, and concentrated; only if two worlds are wide and deep and individual can they be combined...."

-Rainer Maria Rilke

Thanksgiving, 2008

train to seattle

Ride taken Wednesday, 6/23

epic argentina

Oh! The glory!

It's here!

Google, you so silly. Can't believe how easily I was convinced to be at a breakfast joint at 7am this Friday for the first game. The west coast time difference is going to seem more extreme for the next three weeks.

People Per Square Mile

Wikipedia, FTW.

I like these broad pieces of knowledge that fundamentally shift the way you see and understand and can talk about things. No wonder my pictures from the past few years are of people, yes, but tiny people in front of empty and unbelievably large backdrops.

And it's no wonder that the political process is more accessible here.

Ladies and Gentleman, Oregon... with a whopping 39 people per square mile, in contrast with the US average which is 86.2, in further contrast with DC which has 9,581.3!

Click to enlarge photo: Trevor and Justin sprinting down Mt St Helens, August 2009

Savin' the pennies, killin' the turtles

Just read a disturbing article about 'what could have been' regarding the BP Oil Spill off the Gulf Coast. Barf.

Another worker familiar with the rig told the lawyers that the company had chosen not to install a deep-water valve that would have been placed about 200 feet under the sea floor. Much like blowout preventers, devices that are meant to seal leaks, this valve could have served as a cutoff of last resort in explosions, the lawyers said

If you read further in this NYTimes article, it states also that the rig was/(is?) drilling 2-4,000 feet deeper than they had/(have?) a permit for.

I have officially reinstated the search for environmental graduate programs.

Blog

You are a weird thing to conceive, to bring into this world, to dedicate time to, to assume people will care what you have to say, to carve your place in this intangible world that apparently will preserve you, more than picture books and scraped together journals. And you also assume some kind of safety, like if I put something here, it's more likely to be already filtered for family, future whatevers.

AND, I love love reading my friends' blogs. Check 'em out below. And I just filled up my external hard drive and got to peruse all of the beauty my lens has beheld in my short time here. Much to share.

Alas, I will give it one more attempt. Greetings!