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Okay, here's the deal. I don't think I can necessarily say I am "inventing" things, but it sure does motivate me. So here's today's "meghanninvention"-

A reversible-hoodie-scarf made out of a pillow-case, old corduroy pants and some really killer fabric I found at a thrift store in Seattle, just blocks from Sparky's house.

Here are a few pics I took of it tonight - - - so excited to create more!








Sorry I look all model-y. I don't know what face to make.

Telluride: Off-season

Many a post about this majestic moutain town, but none about living here.

I have been here for over a week, searching for a job, cleaning and organizing space, hiking, cooking and eating home-made dinners, and cruising around on my bike. It sounds appealing and relaxing, yet I am still anxious. I know something will work itself out in terms of keeping an income flow, yet the possibility of not having work or, worse yet, having a low paying job that I hate, distresses me. I now know how people feel when they are worried about giving up their salaried jobs with health insurance to pursue something more meaningful or fulfilling.

The major thing that has been missing in my life due to my extensive traveling is consistency: routine work-outs, familiar territory, friends, sleeping in the same bed every night, knowing where my next meal will be cooked. I've always known myself to be a bit sporadic and easily adaptable to new situations. Well, since I've mastered that which rats are known to excel at, I think it's about time I give stability a try - make it work for me. Take the mundane out of routine.

After a very erratic trip with Andy across the United States and back, I've come to settle into Telluride quite comfortably.

Autumn's lemon yellow leaves have since fallen to the ground, stomped on by hikers on the trails to a burgundy-dirt colored brown. And while I don't mind the loss of fall's palette, it sure does remind me how quickly time passes. Hit by an early storm, the canyon walls are partially blanketed in snow, showing the sun's favorite faces to rest on by the lack of skiable terrain. Bear Creek is on the south-side of town, so the first half of the hike is pressed snow, in a zig-zagging track of the first voyager's choice trail. This chute of pre-pressed path is only about a foot and a half wide, so it's difficult to hike side-by-side unless you don't mind romping around the saturated snow-cone slush and making your own path. I didn't mind: my terrain trail runners have been missing for about a month now with all the relocating going on and all I have to wear are my water-proof J-41's, which claim to provide "ample traction" yet I have a gash in my hand from sliding down the Jud Wiebe that would beg to differ.




The Jud Wiebe: a trail on the north-side of town that goes "upsie-kins" as Brian likes to put it as he hears me sucking wind behind him. It's a shorter hike, but sunnier for longer, so when we lose track of the day and suddenly it's 3:00 p.m., we can still extend our hike-every-day streak.


Brian chucking Aspen leaves at me


o 0 o O 0 o hello moon o 0 o O 0 o

The hikes have not only provided me with a sanctuary escape, but Brian as well. The last few days of October were anticipatory days before the Town Council election. Thankfully, all the worries were in vain, as Brian was elected to Town Council with three other great individuals: Chris Myers, "Glider Bob" Saunders and Anne Brady.


orange foliage kinda rhymes?


Pretty foliage


Toldja the skies were cartoon-blue here . . .


Perfect spot for the solar panels!

From the Gondola. . .

Descending Down . . .

... onto a pretty pretty mountain town


Bear Creek-ish


Gaspin' at the Aspens!

What a great town to be involved in. . . so much to come.

gateway, norwood, fruita, and on

Westy! We tried to rename the Westy Grendle, after the gigantic, sleek gray dog we met at Hardly Strictly, but Grendle sounds a bit too much like . . .


don't ignorwood.


elephant conductors are always made of metal scrap.


look at them legs . . .


there i am!


He rides his bike with no handlebars. Safety Third!


Eyes so on the road, they reflect it.


PIA suggested this pretty cerulean color for Brian in Winnemuck, Nevada Walmart Pedicurist Specialist Anonymous Hippopotamus.


So much yellow in the fruitbasket!

Fun with props at a warehouse in San Francisco.

I've been sitting in this coffee shop called Rachael's Cafe in Bloomington, Indiana for over 6 hours. "SIX HOURS!!!?" you say? Yep. Other than the obvious link-hopping that occurs when a twenty-something like me has been internet-starved for a few weeks, I also managed to set up a Fashion Show here in Bloomington, talk to Bad Evan for at least an hour about politics, religion, marketing and what it's like to grow up Irish Catholic, join in on a jam session with Travis, Whitney, Nathaniel and Andy, and finally make an addition to the yelp.com realm of rating favorite places in the towns I've visited.

Six hours and I can't get myself out of this place. Six hours and my blog hasn't yet been updated with photographs and tales of my travels in the past few weeks, months, year.

Andy made a joke that he hasn't blogged and won't blog on this trip because I am the only one who reads it anyway. I thought he was probably pretty accurate about my own position for tale-telling and photograph sharing. But my father wrote me an email today about a blog post that I put up a few weeks ago and I was reaffirmed that the people I love are still actually paying attention, even if only in intervals.

* * *

The next few posts are dedicated to the last trip I took to San Francisco with Brian and this current road trip I am on with Andy to Houston, Arkansas, St Louis, Bloomington, Indiana and on . . .

Miss you all!!!

How a Hummer offsets its emissions...

I went to Yellowstone once.

Keeping up with uploading photos, adding them here and writing about them is not the most difficult task, but I sure do seem to make it appear that way with how not-often I update this here webpage.

I went on a northern tour in August, from Jackson Hole to Targhee back to Jackson Hole up to Yellowstone over to Cody up to Billings Montana, then west to Bozeman and Missoula and finally Seattle. That was my two weeks prior to Burning Man, just to place some dates around when all this occurred.

I had only one day to spend in Yellowstone, so I went hiking around Old Faithful, where I knew all the pretty hot pool and geysers hang out. It was as beautiful as I thought it would be. Though it seems silly to do Yellowstone in one day, it was worth driving through it and experiencing the little niche I did get to experience. Next time I try and tackle Yellowstone, I'll make sure to set aside at least a week to do a backpack/camping trip and some water adventures.

This trip was solo, except for my perma-road buddies dragosaur and lillee:




tiny pineapple cone


buoys wanting to be mountains


tetons from above jackson lake


wizard trunk


lil lee pads


google-earthy looking


solitude geyser


gooey death pond


cool hot pond.




the bubbles the bubbles the bubbles


blue cardinal


geyser shooting up!


i like cloud reflections

Next is Estes Park for the beginning of fall leaves shifting colors, yogis slack-lining and vegan food galore!

PULL uP iF i PuLL UP

One would think since I am in Seattle, there should be no excuse to not blog - internet cafes grow from the cracks in the streets around here. Well, I have happily coved myself up with Sea-town buddies Sparky & Nate in their South Seattle abode. No internet, no nearby cafes and certainly no cracks in the streets. Not.

The things they DO have make up for anything that might be missing in their neighborhood: an art studio in the basement, inspiration flowing from the pores of their skin and a collective conscious for cooking, merrymaking and creating.

Fellow couchsurfer Anne and I branched out this morning to Pioneer Square where we found a great coffee shop called Zeitgeist. They sell 8 oz. to-go mugs for people like Brian who hate when baristas overfill Americanos with hot water! They also have vaulted ceilings, plug-ins, gigantic windows for people watching and free free internet connection. Zeitgeist, you win.

I've been dying to tell my story of Burning Man since I left Missoula all the way until I flew back to Seattle. The following pictures are really only a glimpse into the experience, as I didn't carrying around my camera but twice the entire time. And even the two moments I did let my camera tag along, it mostly sat in Brian's giant orange pockets, longing to capture images for me.

I'm sure everybody has had this dilemma before - the tilting feeling of wanting to capture moments with their devices against the pure desire to simply experience what is going on around you. The latter won, for the most part, in my technological struggle.

Thankfully, though, I felt the compulsion to pull out the ole' Powershot during one of the most breathtaking sunrises I've ever been apart of and two of our friends romped around with their professional cameras every day and night (except when they were passed out on cots.)

Instead of writing a play-by-play of the three days I was blessed to spend at Burning Man this year, I will blot words and phrases underneath the photographs I took. I will also highly encourage any of my artistic friends to muster up an art project and go experience this beautiful week in the desert for yourself. You will not regret an ounce of it.


- - taken on the way out of BM . . . Tigger encouraged the idea - -


The. Hardware. Store!


we have feet and legs to get us there.


we erupted.


wakey wakerson!


a borrowed bicycle for morning expeditions


Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas!


In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni.


Climb up to the crows nest and wave in the wind over fire & lights for a fresh perspective every few nights . . .


Our home.


Scooch into the Cushman


Awaiting the arrival of rays and snowflakes.


six o'clock


5 Hours in a Blue Teardrop . . . the meeting spot for aunties and Jeeveses


sad palindrome.


The Man.


Always bring your fuzzy green blanket jacket.


Dumb mud. (Not.) I heart playadust.


energy transfer.


the Cushman!


So many dynamos!


Business sucks, but it's picking up!


Buddha dude on our job box.


Contemplating Rug Burn.


let's have bizarre celebrations, let's forget to forget to forget well.


homeward free.


blue balloons floating up with the sun


some more...


and some more...


ups!


Until we meet again.



Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?