A Second Wind for California

I go through phases of interest while I'm in a place, whether visiting or living. Most people do, I would imagine. When I first arrive in a place I need to explore every inch of it. I want to see what is around me and know what's available before I make important decisions, like where my favorite hike is, or what my favorite pizza joint is. You know? When I first moved back to Northern California, more than six years ago, I was on fire for exploring this beautiful region. From Hearst Castle to Alcatraz. From the Martinez headlands to the Mt. Diablo foothills, and Mendocino to the Point Reyes seashore. Yosemite. Tahoe. The Lost Coast. I got around. I got out. I did stuff. (Not even mentioning the international and intercontinental travel I did in that time) Somewhere in the middle of those six years here, I grew complacent for touring my homeland.

Things become stagnant after a while, don't they? And, I've (re)discovered, it's not the place, it's ME wherein the problem lies. So last week I got in my car and drove down a street I hadn't explored, nor had I realized that I hadn't explored it. And what an afternoon! I drove from the tail end of Walnut Creek, down Danville BLVD, through Alamo, turning right and left into every little road that wasn't marked "private" and taking a gander at the beautiful homes, the gorgeous scenery and just enjoying the little life scenes that unfolded.

And then I happened upon the ultimate reward (for me): The loveliest hiking trail in all of the area. (Ringtail Cat trail off of Hemme) Seriously. It.Is.Perfect. A hiking photographer's dream. And it makes me sad that I've only discovered it now that I'm leaving in ten (TEN!!) weeks. Que Sera. Here's to exploration and continually finding the unexpected!

Photo from: http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/las-trampas-hike-beckons?slide=44266061#main

(I'll post my own photos soon)

What's the last thing you did to get out of your comfort zone and shake things up a bit?

The Great Photo Purge of 2013

Geezer moment:

I remember back when those digital cameras were nothing but a craze! A fad! Film was the only true medium and it was never going to go away. All those digital yahoos were in for a rude awakening soon enough...

End...

I resisted buying a digital camera long after they became mainstream. Prices were too high and quality too low. When I finally broke down and bought one back in 2002, it wasn't the greatest, but it was rugged and durable and even water/weatherproof, which was a must for my ocean-going, rough-and-tumble lifestyle. I wore that camera out, dropped it in bodies of water, rolled it around in sand, beat it against rock walls... and I reveled in not having to pay to develop film!

But the downside of being on the verge of a moment is that the systems you develop for storage and cataloging and general use become outdated very quickly. When iPhoto came along with my brand new mac laptop, I was exstatic to have an easy photo management solution. Being a creature of habit, I've stuck with iPhoto for far too long. And my photo library became a blob-like creature, growing exponentially, wild and untamable and perhaps detrimental to my (mental) health, recently reaching some 16,000+ images!

Streamlining my image library has long been on my to-do-someday list.  Given the fact that very soon I will be selling off my video-editing MacPro and with it will go all of my massive amounts of hard drive space, that someday became now four days ago. I broke down and purchased Adobe's Lightroom.

I debated long and hard between aperture and Lightroom and it was a difficult decision, both programs are solid and offer great features. But as much as I love Apple's hardware, being in the video editing industry, I've fallen prey to their flippant software product backing one too many times. (Final Cut Pro, when it switched from 7 to X, the complete discontinuance of Shake and Server...) Adobe, being solely a software company, seems to stand much more firmly behind their software, and that (along with the file hierarchy system of Lightroom vs Aperture) was the tipping point for me.

So for four days I've been purging my ridiculously over sized photo library. I'm only halfway through and I've deleted thousands of images. Thousands!

I'll be quite happy to load up my streamlined library on my travel laptop when this is all done, and especially happy to check off one more (unexpectedly large) to-do from my countdown to travel list.

My shrinking iPhoto library...

How do you manage your digital photos?

Anatomy of a Perfect 1st Birthday Party

For a *perfect* first birthday party:

First you take the sister's twins.
Add twelve months.
Add one adorable, pinwheel-themed birthday party.
Add chocolate cake.

Mix babies with cake until well combined.

Results may vary.

 Rhys: Hey, hey what's going on. What are those big things up there? I like 'em.

Avery: What's going on? Where are my clothes?

Avery: Okay, I kinda like this naked stuff. Ya KNOW?

Rhys: Heh.

 Both: Twin High Five! Cuz we're awesome!

 Rhys: This is delicious. If you don't want yours...

Avery: Someone feed me. I don't know what to do with this.

 Rhys: Sugar rush! Is the macarena back in? Cuz I'm totally doing the macarena!

Avery: Umm, this is yummy. I think I'll face-plant in it.

 Rhys: OHMYGOSHTHISISAMAZING. IMEANREALLY,WHYYYYYHAVENTWEHADTHISFORDINNERBEFORE,GUYS???

Avery: I've had... an apostrophe!

 Rhys: OHHHHHHHITSSOOOOOOGOOD.

 Avery: *Plop*

 Quinn: I want some, too! Hey this is fun!

 Cupcakes all around!

 One proud twins'mama, and my gorgeous sister, kellywestover

Success!

3 Months Out: The Careful Deconstruction of a Life

With exactly three months to go until I weigh proverbial anchor and sail away to the South Pacific to begin the next stage in my crazy life, things have (finally! at last! already??!!) begun to seriously progress and let me tell you, it's getting fun!

It's funny and amazing to me how, when things are right, they just work. I had planned on leaving for this trip two months ago in April, and going straight to Europe to begin my grand adventure. For some reason, December came around, then January, February... and I knew I should be packing/planning/buying airline tickets/selling my belongings, and yet, I just couldn't bring myself to do any of it. None. So I pushed back to September and things began to click, whir into motion and become really, really easy.

This past weekend, out of the blue, I began the (what I expect will be) lengthy process of getting rid of my stuff. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Things that I thought I'd need right up until I left, I don't (like wifi routers and cable modems, because my roommate had her own...) and I've listed them for sale online. My roommate has a couch in storage, so I'll start selling my furniture as opportunities arise (thank goodness for craigslist, right?). My car *may* sell (a lot earlier than anticipated) and I *may* have the use of a friend's spare until I leave... crazy, right?

It's all working. And it's really exciting, liberating, terrifying and at times a bit cringe-worthy. You know? Like getting rid of my stuff: the things I selected carefully, researched and meticulously placed in the perfect spot in my home. All of this same stuff that I'd see every time I'd come home from a big trip, sigh to myself and think: OHMYGOSH, WHYDOIHAVESOMUCHSTUFF???? IT'SALLGOTTOGO! Is there a happy median somewhere? I sure haven't found it yet.

It took a long time, six years, to create the nest I live in, and in the next three months I'll be entirely deconstructing that home and having less than the amount of belongings I went away with to college at 18!

Meanwhile, this is exciting stuff:

 You know, it's just a picture of my kitchen without a kitchen table. Because I sold it. Really, who needs a kitchen table anyway? Desks and ottomans are perfectly good alternatives for vagabonds like me. ;)

PS: If you know of anyone in the California bay area looking for stuff: living room stuff, kitchen stuff, a bed, maybe a 2007 Jeep Wrangler, send 'em my way!

Please Declare Your Destination

The following is based on the actual phone call I had with my medical provider today.

The phone call went something like this:

Kaiser: Hello this is such-and-such from Kaiser Permanente's travel department, I understand you'll be traveling in September and will need vaccinations and medication?

Me: True.

Kaiser: Your first destination is the South Pacific?

Me: Yes.

Kaiser: Where specifically? We will need a list of countries and cities, in the order you'll be traveling.

Me: That list doesn't exist.

Kaiser: Pause... Okay, when you get a better idea of where you'll be going, you should call us back.

Me: No, you don't understand, that's not going to happen. I don't have a list, I have ideas of where I'll go, but I won't know where I'm going until I get there. I can give you a list of the places I'm thinking of going. Let me pull up a google Map...

Kaiser: Uh,

Me: Okay, The South Pacific: New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, the Marquesas...

Kaiser: Which cities?

Me: No clue. After the South Pacific, SE Asia. Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia.

Kaiser: Which cities? Will you be going to rural places?

Me: No clue, and maybe?

Kaiser: ...

Me: Then India, Parts of Africa, probably Kenya and South Africa.

Snippy Kaiser Lady: Well, we don't really work this way. I don't think we'll be able to help you, but I'll submit your request to our travel nurses and they'll contact you within four to five weeks of your departure.

Me: Great. Sounds perfect. Thanks for your help.

What I was thinking: This really is not all that difficult, lady. Put on your thinking cap and use your brain. I've done this before with Kaiser and it's never been this ridiculous. Oh great, I'm going to have to make a million phone calls until I finally get to talk to someone who is familiar with what I'll need in various regions of the world. Fabulous.

Okay, so most people actually know where they're going when they leave the house to travel. All I know is that in late September I'll leave the US. In late October I'll arrive in Sydney. Beyond that, I'll have six months to figure the rest out.

This trip is about spontaneity, about going wherever in the world the proverbial wind blows! Sure, it's probably important to have anti-malarial medication whilst traipsing around the jungles of Thailand, which is why I called Kaiser in the first place. And so far they're just not very cooperative with people, like me, who don't have a set plan. Maybe when I actually talk to a travel expert, it will be a bit easier.

In my experience, people who don't travel are always really, really resistant to even the idea of travel, so maybe that's what I encountered today.

So what would you do? Perhaps I'll make up a list of all the possible places you'd go? But I fear if I did that I'd end up with an entire suitcase just for medications. And that's ridiculous, just like the phone call was.

The Yearly Monterey Getaway

I started writing this post back in Febrauay. FEBRU-freaking-RARY.

For some reason it just got away from me? Back then, I felt like I was fighting for my life, practically. I caught a cold back in November and by February it still hadn't gone away. Waking up in the middle of the night on this particular trip to Monterey, drenched in sweat from breaking yet another fever from the sickness that wouldn't go away is what inspired me to finally go to an acupuncturist, and get well. And it worked.
I know, random. But it's important you should know this about me: I am random. Maybe. (?)


Original, unpublished post, written in February:
It's becoming a yearly thing, going to Monterey. And if you've been to Monterey, you'll know that is a really good thing.

I had one goal during this trip: I wanted my sister to have a restful, relaxing weekend. She's had a rough year, with a tough pregnancy which ended with an emergency c-section and was followed with thirteen weeks in a NICU (thankfully) tending to her twins. The twins are now a healthy 17 and nearly 20lbs and thriving. (June update: weights pushing 22 and 30lbs now!) And the emergency time is officially over. It was time for a little bit of relaxing and pampering. Sister's rock-star of a husband and amazing mother-in-law graciously agreed to watch the chilluns, allowing us to take off for a couple of nights.

Monterey is a little slice of heaven. Tons of people go there for the aquarium, which is very cool, but I haven't been in my past two trips; there is so much else to do in Monterey! Or not do, if you're in the mood to not do much.

I booked this year's hotels with mileage. I had to use two separate hotels as I had to split the mileage balances between two accounts, so we had a nicely varied weekend.

We started off near downtown, at Casa Munras hotel, a visually lovely property with a great, relaxing spa. Spa treatments, an easy walk downtown, amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from our other favorite Monterey hotel, The Portola, (we stayed there during last year's trip) a long walk along the beach, and did I mention the spa treatments? Heavenly!

Overall, if you are looking for a centrally located, affordable hotel, Casa Munras is quite nice. But our beds were as hard as rocks and the walls were VERY thin, and neighbors NOT QUIET. Not a recipe for a good night's sleep. I'd pick The Portola over Casa Munras any day.

 Relaxation alcove at the Casa Munras Spa

 Outdoor bar and grill

--
 As nice as day one was, the absolute highlight of the weekend was our night at the Monterey Hyatt Regency. I've stayed at this property before, and had an absolutely lovely time and was really excited to go back and take my little sis. If you're ever in for a relaxing weekend in Monterey, stay here.

The Hyatt Regency is located about five miles away from the historic center/downtown area, which means you'll need to drive and park when you venture to the pier or cannery row, but this hotel is more of a destination in and of itself than simply a place to lay your head at night.

What can I say about this place? The pictures on Hyatt's website don't do it justice. And since I didn't take any photos the entire weekend (feeling sick as a dog hinders my artistic inclination, go figure), I can't either. (All photos in this post by Kelly Westover.)

 Wonderful, comfortable bed. I wanted to live in it. Forever.

 When I grow up I want a bathroom like this. It's just so... perfect in every way.

Think: sunrise over a perfectly manicured golf course. Fog rolls through the trees and across the green and the rays of sunlight filter through the clouds, creating an ethereal glow. Sparkling pools and hot tubs and fire pits beckon you to make use of the beautifully landscaped property. When you're tired, comfortable beds with crisp, white down comforters will lull you to sleep... I could go on and on and on. I could easily spend a week vegging at this resort and just enjoying the ambiance.

But I guess I'll have to wait until next time. To quote my sister as we drove away, "Hasta La Vista, Heaven!"



I'd count my mission a success.

Perfectly Portable // Packing Cubes

Product Review: Eagle Creek Packing Cubes

A couple of years ago, when I first began traveling with a backpack instead of a hard-sided suitcase, I had the brilliant thought that I should organize the sometimes difficult-to-maneuver interior compartment with camping stuff-sacks. I was fairly happy with the organized outcome, but felt that the shape of the stuff-sacks really wasted a lot of space.

When I switched to my current suitcase (a rolling frame-pack called the Osprey Sojourn) I switched up my organization methods as well.

While I was using stuff sacks, I thought that the perfect solution would be a soft, mesh rectangle. The shape and material would have enough structure to hold things efficiently and be soft enough to fold down if not fully packed. I really thought I was on to something! It could be a great idea! I could market it and take that flash of inspiration to the bank!

Apparently a bunch of other companies also thought it was a good idea long before me because they came up with Packing Cubes. I researched a few brands and decided to go with Eagle Creek's cubes as they seem to hold up a lot longer and be better made than some of the other (cheaper) brands.

I've been immensely happy with my packing cubes.


Cost: $9 - $30/cube, depending on size/features. Available on Amazon or at stores like The Container Store.

Products: Top, Osprey Sojourn 28"/80L Rolling Backpack. Osprey Pack cover (for flights, keeps the bag nice) and Eagle Creek Packing Cubes.