{ some } loves

as seen on my iphone { instagram to be specific }

instagram: @alostfeather

this seemed like a fitting post since tomorrow is Valentine's day and all..

i love matthew, snowy beaches, montauk, making things, my guitar, shoes, boo radley, birds, sunsets, harry potter and harry potter paraphernalia, sleeping in, dogs, my family, and my friends.

p.s. fact. an old boyfriend once took me to taco bell for dinner on valentine's day. i'm even embarrassed to admit that happened. woof.

birthday boy

Happy Birthday, Matthew! I can't wait for another birthday year filled with hiking and climbing, travels and giant homemade dinners with appetizers from Arthur Ave., Christmas tree hunting, sunsets at the beach, snowshoeing? please! I really want to go snowshoeing!, and everything in between.

To everyone else, Happy 2012! Here's to a bright and happy year ahead!

((learn how to make your own moving photo here))

this photo is a lie

I did not play my guitar today. I thought about it. I even held it for a while, but I did not play.

It was just one of those days. I held some art supplies as well.. thought about using them, but just couldn't quite focus.

I've been an artist long enough to know that sometimes it just can't be forced and these days happen. Unfortunately, knowing that doesn't make me feel any less aggravated.

In the midst of my bad mood, Matt called just to chat and make plans for tomorrow night and now I feel entirely better. I think I might even add something new to my sketchbook before I go to sleep. I love him.

(p.s. winner of the frocks and feathers crop top is here!)

Driving & Exploring

Yosemite National Park / June 22, 2011 & San Francisco / June 22-23, 2011

Our last morning in Yosemite National Park..

.. then it was off to the city for 24 hours. After a long drive that brought us to an "in 'n out burger" we crossed one of the bridges into foggy downtown San Francisco. We could see the fog hanging low over the city from miles away as we drove through the sunshine- the very hot 100 degree+ sunshine. 

Once we got settled into our hotel we explored the area- hopped on the trolly, walked around the fisherman's wharf, and had a beer in a cute little bar. The next morning we woke up bright and early and went to see the Golden Gate Bridge and climbed some of the steep hills that meandered through town.

After enjoying the day outside it was time for our redeye back to New York. 

I miss that trip.

100 Things: no. 63

Yosemite National Park / Mariposa Grove / June 21, 2011

 #63. Hug A Giant Sequoia Tree: While we were in Yosemite back in June, Matt and I spent a day hiking among the Giant Sequoias in Mariposa Grove. The trees in Mariposa are the easiest Sequoias to get to in the park, so as you can imagine the trees closest to the parking lot were very popular. There were fences around those trees protecting them from their thousands of yearly visitors.

As with any trail, the further we got, the fewer people we saw. We didn't have to hike more than a couple of miles before we were completely alone with the trees. These trees were just as tremendous, but far less visited so there were no fences surrounding their roots (which can stretch as far as 100 feet from the trunk.)

We had lunch with one one of the largest trees in the park (who I also hugged) and then posed with this smaller, but still giant beauty.

I miss these trees like I'd miss a friend. They were that amazing.

2 Years

Early morning 2 hour drive out east. Sag Harbor. Breakfast in a tiny café. Ferry boat ride to Shelter Island. Iced tea in the gazebo. Hiking in the preserve. Osprey. Lobster rolls and crab cakes for dinner. Picnic bench overlooking the harbor. Westhampton. Driving down Dune Rd. Walking on the beach. Playing in the surf. Sunset over the inlet. Driving home in the dark.

Perfect way to celebrate 2 years together. <3
(minus the moment that I tried to swat away a giant bug and ended up smacking Matt in the arm with my camera. sorrrryyyy.)

To the Falls

 Yosemite National Park / Yosemite Falls / June 19, 2011

Our "to-do list" in Yosemite was: get outside, find a challenge and see it through... also, don't come back until the evening. It was refreshing to wake up every morning, have a hearty breakfast and head out for a day of being outside and challenging ourselves physically and mentally. That's all we had to worry about.. that and whether we packed enough food and water to last us all day.

I can pretty much sleep as late as I want with no problem (so long as I'm in a bed.) Waking up early is most certainly not my forte and neither is going to sleep early. Well, this holds true in New York anyway. California is another story. I think my body is permanently on west coast time even though I'm in NY 95% of the time and grew up here. At 7am on Sunday morning I practically leapt out of bed ready for the day. (We also passed out well before 11pm.)

5 hours later I was singing a slightly different tune as Matt and I had just finished 3.5 miles of the most strenuous hike I'd ever done, Yosemite Falls. I was still enamored with my surroundings, just slightly more calm about it (due to exhaustion.) We still had 3.5 miles to climb back down from our magical vista, but we spent a good hour marveling over the valley below and the rushing water of Yosemite Falls- the highest waterfall in America (above which we enjoyed our lunch of granola bars and jerky.) Matt and I each drank 70 ounces of water on that hike and would have drank more if there was more.

It wasn't the length of the hike that got me- 7 miles is a pretty average length for us- it was the elevation and the elevation gain. The gain was constant.. there were only about 5 minutes of walking on even ground. Other than that it was uphill on rocky terrain and even sand. I felt like I definitely earned the burger and fries I housed faster than Matt the day before on our way to the park.

Despite the extreme difficulty, or actually- partly because of the extreme difficulty- Yosemite Falls was an amazing hike. The park got a higher-than-average amount of snow this year, so the melting snow created an even stronger-than-average waterfall. We could hear the rushing water crashing below for most of the 5.5 hours that we were on the trail and we saw hawks flying overhead (and below for that matter) and sheer cliffs of granite on all sides.

I think it's quite possible that heaven looks like Yosemite.

The Red Convertible

Driving to Yosemite National Park / June 18, 2011

“There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.”

–Charles Dudley Warner

Matt and I arrived in Yosemite National Park at around 8pm Pacific time on June 18th. We traveled by car then plane, airtrain then convertible by way of "In 'n Out Burger" to get there and it somehow took 17 hours.

The convertible ride was a welcomed surprise. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning when I heard "We're out of sedans. We could put you in a small SUV. Or.. we have a convertible." Sold. Matt said the expression on my face was priceless as I not-so-calmly informed the man that "we'll take it." Matt had some concerns about our luggage fitting, but I assured him we'd manage. I didn't care if I had to share my seat with our bags. Turns out it was a 2 seater (even better.) We made it work.

We were giddy the entire way to Yosemite. My favorite phrases were "I can't believe we're here" and "I can't believe we're in a convertible!" As soon as we got that top down nothing from the previous 8 hours mattered- not the flight delay, turbulence, or the waking up at 5:15am after 1 hour of sleep.

When we finally arrived in the park and checked into our cabin we ventured over to a little grocery/ gift shop to buy some "dinner." We settled on beer and beef jerky. We only got so far as to drink the beer since we were still (somehow) full from lunch. Dinner of champions?

We sat outside our cozy cabin on our own little wooden bench with our feet up on an old tree stump and chatted about our upcoming adventures and our incredible happiness.

Sitting there under the quiet watch of half dome and the granite cliffs and faces was just a small memory compared to all that we encountered that week, but I love it.. very much.