Every Day I'm Shufflin'

For those of you who hate vacation slide shows, look away.  Seeing as I have not written in months, I feel I should update you on where I've been before jumping back into the nitty gritty of the LA life and music scene.  You might be shocked to discover that during my absence, I went on a cross country road trip.  Again.  Ok, you are probably not that shocked. 

September to October. From the west coast to the east coast and back again.

Our first stop was Fallen Leaf Lake (Tahoe) to visit Matt, who is still wearing his flip-flops.

The first night we were there I got drunk and jumped in the lake around midnight. Have you ever been so cold you can barely breathe?  I have.

From Tahoe we booked it across country as fast as we could to make it to our friend Stephanie's wedding on Cape Cod.

It was a lovely affair and the only wedding I have ever attended where there was time for a walk on the beach.



While in New England we visited friends and family.



{This is Meg. You can blame her encouragement for me jumping back into the blogging saddle.  Thanks, Meg!} 



And, seeing as it is fall and I am getting super old, we did some foliage-ogling and leaf-peeping.

{I'm doing all black and white photos in this post, so you'll just have to imagine the beautiful, vibrant, inspiring, and all round life-changing colors.}

After rushing across the country from west to east, it was nice to take our time from east to west.  In addition to our planned stops, we were able to make stops on a whim.  Among those spontaneous stops were the Montpelier Mansion in Maryland...

George Washington's childhood home in Virginia... 

George Washington's sister's home....

And while we were at it, George Washington's mother's home...

Savannah, Georgia. (Savannah was sort of planned in that we were intending to stop there for breakfast, but we ended up staying most of the day ... on a whim.  Therefore, it fits into the spontaneous category.)

The Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana.

Among our more planned stops were Washington DC...

{Air and Space Museum}

{The hat Abraham Lincoln was wearing when he was shot at the American History Museum. Whaaaa?}



St. Augustine, Florida - the oldest city in America...

{This fort is made entirely of seashells.}

{Seriously.}

I had not been to Florida for about 10 years.  It was so nice to go swimming in warm water for a change. 

That is until my foot was bitten by a small sand shark.  It was just a scratch, but it was enough to keep me out of the water and ready to head west.

After the shark attack (and I am in no way at all using the term in an undeserved sensationalist fashion), we made our way to New Orleans to eat some beignets and tour the Degas House.



After that we had planned on stopping in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, but there were some complications, so we headed straight to Phoenix to visit Dan's brother.  Stopping only at roadside rest areas.

{I am conditioned to obey. And it was the only thing I had with me.}

And now... now we're home. 

I need a nap.

Summer Lovin'

September 1st.  I can't believe it.  My first instinct is to feel like the summer has flown by way too fast, but when I actually think about all the things I did this summer I am assured that I made it stretch and I made it count.

I live in southern California and don't go to school, so my summer never really ends.  However I am still abstractly attached to the summer idea and the inevitability of September bringing the end of it.
I went through my pictures this morning and thought I would share some of my favorite Summer 2011 moments.  Since I did a lot of travelling, I will go state by state.

MASSACHUSETTS

Eating a lobster roll at East Bay Grille in Plymouth.

Visiting the beach in Marshfield...

... where I married that man on that porch.

Taking a boat ride to Boston.

Eating a cannoli from the famous Mike's Pastry in Boston's North End.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Enjoying clean air and homeless-person-piss-free grass at the Robert Frost house in Derry.

Swimming in the cold, crystal clear water of Lake Winipesaukee.

MAINE

Revisiting all the places that shaped me.

CALIFORNIA

Visiting friends in Lake Tahoe.

Drinking wine with friends in Big Sur at the greatest camp site ever.

Spending lots and lots of time at the Huntington Library.

Watching Shakespeare in Griffith Park.

Watching a meteor shower with friends in Joshua Tree National Park.

Being all alone with Danny at this spectacular beach in the Redwood National Parks.

Visiting the Redwoods for the first time.

Speaking of first times, visiting Seattle, WA and Portland, OR for the first time would have to be up there with this summer's favorites.  However, seeing as I already have a gazillion pictures in this post, I will stop with the Rewoods.  Trust me, I did some serious editing.  Seeing as this is a summer post, I excluded everything that happened indoors. 

So, there you have it.  My summer.  I'd love to hear about some of your favorite summer moments!

Come Drive the Friendly States

I have taken many road trips over the years.  You could call me a road trip junkie.  Usually I’m focused on seeing as many things and visiting as many places as possible along our particular route.  In June Dan and I took a cross-country trip that was all about seeing people.  

When I moved to LA I left many friends behind in New England and after 6 years here, many friends have left me behind in LA.  I’m sure you’ve heard it said that no one in LA is from is LA.  This rings especially true when I think about all the people I have met here over the years that have moved “back home.”  Although this makes for many sad goodbyes, it means that I have ended up with friends living all over the country.  And on this trip we made it a point to see as many of them as we could!

(Note: we actually saw quite a few more people on our trip than are pictured below; however, if you have read this blog in the past you will know that I often have trouble remembering to snap shots in late night situations.  I think my camera is just too damn bulky; I don’t want to mess with it when I’m having a good time.  It has been added to the list of things I need to work on!  Actually, it may have been the very first thing on the list.  Seeing as a focus of this blog will be music in LA, I'd better fix it fast!)

In no particular order …

Hmmmm.  I seem to know multiples of Matts, Adams, Jens, and Danielles.  The hula hoop Matt and the penguin Matt happen to be the same person, however.

Oh, and one more ... how could I forget??



Incidentally, I have now been to all of the lower 48 states!  Oregon was the last one on the list.  I'm saving my pennies for Alaska and Hawaii ...