Austin is for friends.

Texas state capitol dome

We recently went to Austin, Texas to visit friends we hadn't seen in awhile. It was our first visit to Texas. We consciously decided to do no research and make no to-do lists....well other than eat BBQ. It was refreshing to have no other agenda but spending time with good people. And I think that's exactly what Austin is good for. It's got the quirkiness of Portland mixed with Southern hospitality, so everyone can feel at home...everyone is nice. There are a lot of outdoor spaces at restaurants, a river to play in and walk along right thru downtown. I get the feeling that early summer would be a great time to go...play outside, swim, see a million bats, eat outside, hear good music, and hang out with friends. 

Some highlights from our trip that you may enjoy: 

• Dahlias Cafe for crazy good breakfast (this is actually 35 miles away in Liberty Hill...I would say it was worth the drive. They also have a playground for the kiddos).
• Texas State Capitol for history and architecture and a reminder that Texas was a Confederate state
• South Congress neighborhood to wander around for quirkiness, shopping, and food
• BBQ, preferably at Matt's house (invitation only)

It does feel like you need a specific reason to go to Austin...a festival, friends, college, a job, or that sort of thing. Will we go again? Probably...we really like the people we know who live there (they all petitioned us to move there, but...no). Next time? There were vague mentions of caverns and "mountains" and lakes that would be fun to explore. I would love to see the bats fly out of the bridge. Maybe take a side trip to NASA in Houston.

opie's bbq, spicewood, tx

bricks & butterflies

In December we took a quick little trip to Santa Barbara. We lived there for a couple of years when Scott was in school at the Brooks Institute of Photography and it was fun to see how things have changed and visit some old favorite places. Our BFF Jenny Kim came up from L.A. too (yay!) and we stayed with another good friend who was working in town. One stop on our nostalgic tour was Samy's Camera, where I looked at everything 3 times and played on my phone while Scott and Jenny shopped and chatted with their old favorite Samy's guy (ask for John, he'll take good care of you!).  They were each gifted an Argus...the first camera that was mass produced in quantities over a million. We nicknamed it The Brick...can't wait to see the pictures come out! We also went out to Ellwood Mesa...a preserve of beautiful bluffs above the ocean where thousands of monarch butterflies overwinter each year. We were there just when the sun was hitting the orangish clumps of cold butterflies and it was cool to see them slowly start fluttering and flying.  If you're near Santa Barbara, you just might see a few still there (this is the time of year they mate and migrate). Besides that we rolled by our old apartment and the old and new school campuses, wandered and had dinner on State Street, and watched The Change-Up (way funnier than the previews suggest). It was a great weekend!   

katherine and simon

I know a lovely painter named Katherine Lewis.  I've known Katie for a few years now and am always delighted by her sweetness, her positivity, her adventurousness, and especially her artistry.  Whether she's painting, pursuing beekeeping, or studying abroad in France, she puts her whole heart into what's in front of her. I'm pleased to share the news that she has written and illustrated her very own children's book, Simon and The Orange Scarf

This book would make a lovely holiday gift for anyone, yes? You can see more of Katherine's artwork on her website. Bravo, Katie! I can't wait to read your book and get lost in the artwork. 

[FYI, I link to Green Apple Books in San Francisco and/or Powell's in Portland because they are my favorite bookstores...local, independent, and awesome. They have no idea who I am, nor do they give me anything for linking to them. Where you buy your books is your business.  I also advocate the public library [and the library didn't  waive any fines or give me anything to say that]

where wednesday [amberly]

[This week I'm pleased to have Amberly, with whom I have recently reconnected in the land of Facebook. I remember Amberly being thoughtful, kind, and cool in high school, and clearly she still is.  She now lives in Arizona with her beautiful family, running her household and an intriguing practice as an energy therapist...you can keep up with her and her hubby and her kiddos on her BLOG, and learn more about her work HERE.  I really like the subject of her post, and hope you do too!]

When we bought our first home six years ago, one of the first pieces of furniture purchased was a dining room table, complete with six chairs.  I was so excited for them to arrive.  It was as if a table made our home complete though in the decorator’s perspective it was far from it.  Our dining table has hosted many guests and been the setting of many meals.  It has served as the discussion ground for presidency and board meetings as well as small classes and book club conversation.  It moved to the kitchen for a time when we outgrew our kitchen table and has gone from long to short and back to long again often

Growing up I recall regular family dinners around the kitchen table.  Every night we made an effort to eat together as a family.  As I think about how busy we were, and now as a mother how busy my family is, I realize what an achievement that was- that we were able to eat together so often.  I loved gathering there.  It was a place to partake in delicious food and also to engage in stimulating conversation.  It was a place I remember having my thoughts challenged and being introduced to new ideas over dinner conversation.  It was a place we laughed, played games, did homework and worked on projects.  It was a productive, engaging, comforting place to be.

During my first married years we did not have a kitchen table, per se.  We had a folding card table that followed us from southern Utah to New York City and got pulled out when we had company or needed extra work space.  I didn’t realize how much I missed having a table to gather around although we laughed and bonded with friends over student-quality sofas and ikea rugs. 

The same table now sits in a new kitchen.  Well, a kitchen that is new to us but actually about 30 years old.  It is a dark wood table that clashes with the honey oak flooring but it is our space.  It is where my children gather for breakfast and where we do learning time.  It is where they color and draw and where homework gets taken care of.  It is where we spread out projects and sometimes race through dinner.  It is the place where we have gotten to know new friends as they share meals with us.  It has seen play-dough, water color paints, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, grilled shrimp and brownie trifle.  It has had silverware pounded on it and endless crumbs cleaned off of it.  I has had thoughtful elbows lean on it as chess moves are contemplated.  It has had tears shed on it as discussions turn emotional.

While I am not attached to this particular table anymore, I love what it is for our family.  I love the place it provides for learning, conversation and activity.  It is located next to a wall of windows that overlooks our backyard and I can see my children run and play while working on whatever the current project happens to be.  It’s our space.  And I love the memories and experiences it has the potential to provide for my children.

Where Wednesdays are         a  regular feature where I and a series of guest bloggers talk       about     places that are  important to us, be they work spaces,   outdoor      spaces,    sleeping spaces,  places we visit, places we   live,  places   we   drink    coffee, etc. etc.

[do you want to talk about a place or space that's important  to you? let me know and I'll set you up with a Wednesday!]

where wednesday [you?]

Wednesdays have turned into one of my favorite blog projects!

Where Wednesdays are        a  regular feature here on the Sagebrush Coast where people share the    places that are  important to them, be they work spaces,  outdoor      spaces,    sleeping spaces,  places we visit, places we  live,  places  we  drink    coffee, etc. etc.

I'm looking for guest bloggers for April (and beyond) to write a Where Wednesday post. Pass the word around and send me an email [sara(at)sagebrushcoast(dot)com] if you'd like to participate.  

If you are a past Where Wednesday guest, you are more than welcome to write again...we all have many favorite places! I hope you're in one of your favorite places today ♥ 

where wednesday [petra]

[Where Wednesday comes from across the world again...this week a post direct fromLondon: Petra of Indivisualism. I look forward to finding her 'daily inspiration' posts in my reader, and I find her blog to be unique and refreshing. I'm just getting to know Petra, and was delighted to find out the subject of her post today, imagining spending an afternoon with her there.  Enjoy!]

It took some soul searching to decide which place to share today - there are plenty of places, small ones and big ones, that I love - but in the end I decided to introduce you to the Tate. 'Introduce' may sound a bit grand. The Tate is after all quite a famous museum, and even people who have never been to London may have heard of it. So I rephrase: I will tell you a little bit about why I like the Tate and what it means to me.

The Tate Modern is part of a family of four art museums in England: Tate Britain and Tate Modern here in London, and Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. When I first moved to London about six years ago my boyfriend got me a Tate member card that, aside from letting me see the changing exhibitions for free as often as I wanted, gave me access to the member rooms. These are simply cafés, slightly tucked away, open for members only. At a time when I didn't know anyone in London I spent many days wandering the exhibitions and sitting in those cafés contemplating my new life abroad, with all the excitement and fear that comes with taking such a big step.

Over the years many things have changed, I have met plenty of people, gotten to know London well and at least for now I consider it my home. I renewed my member card many times and took many people to both Tates. But still, every time I go, be it alone or with someone, I am instantly transported back in time and reminded of the person I was when I first arrived. 

I love museums and museum cafés, for the variety of people you see, the snippets of conversations you catch, the multitude of languages you hear. I can spend hours flipping through a magazine, observing what goes on around me and letting my thoughts wander. But among all museums and museum cafés the Tate and its member rooms have a special meaning to me. They remind me of the start of an era, of dreams and fantasies, and of worries and fears. 

Where Wednesdays are        a  regular feature where I and a series of guest bloggers talk      about     places that are  important to us, be they work spaces,  outdoor      spaces,    sleeping spaces,  places we visit, places we  live,  places   we   drink    coffee, etc. etc.

[do you want to talk about a place or space that's important  to you? let me know and I'll set you up with a Wednesday!]

list of seven

Not long ago I added a new blog to my daily routine called Indivisualism, full of lovely & interesting words and pictures. The blog is curated by pretty Petra, who last week passed on her Stylish Blogger Award to me & a few others *blush*

I loved Petra's globe-trotting take on the requisite list of seven you must write as an award recipient...but I think I'll fall back on the simple seven random facts about me: 

• I'm half Canadian...which my Mom (the Canadian) insists isn't really a thing, since Canada is just as much an ethnic mish-mash as the States... Nevertheless, I'm proud of it, eh!
• I lived in a converted old train caboose in the desert for 3 months while working at Joshua Tree National Park. I'll find the pictures and scan them soon-ish.  I had to wash my dishes in the shower.
• Please don't make me eat bell peppers.
• I am a dog person who does not want a dog.  I will make friends with and borrow and love your dog, but I won't get my own. (maybe ever)
• I sneeze and sniffle a lot (mold, pollen, and dust are mainly to blame...and the occasional cat).  Sometimes people locate me based on my sniffling. I carry a lot of handkerchiefs.
• I procrastinate and I generally run 10-15 minutes late. These flaws have been growing in strength lately...I'll fix them later ;)
• I never changed my major in college (biology w/ marine emphasis). I thought a lot (even now) about switching to general biology, geology, english, art, or environmental studies...but I couldn't keep myself out of those tidepools ♥

where wednesday [natalia]

[We're got our first international Where Wednesday! Natalia from Army of Two is my guest this week. I've known Natalia for a few years now, and she is a remarkable woman...she's always got a story to tell and some kind of adventure in the works.  She's had quite the year...her blog's tagline says it all: From beaches to barracks,  flip-flops to fatigues,  this is my journey from  California to Washington DC, Army Wife to Army Soldier. Catch her on her fabulous blog and wish her luck before she leaves on her next adventure: basic training!]

The Appian Way, Italy

The Appian Way, or Via Appia, was Ancient Rome's earliest and most strategic road. It led from Brindisi, on the southeast coast, to Rome, as all roads did then of course! The road allowed for the efficient movement of trade goods, soldiers and travelers.

To walk the Appian Way is to walk in the foot steps of history, quite literally.  The smooth gray stones are worn down into long grooves where centuries of wooden wagon wheels have passed over them. 

On a summer's afternoon hot enough to melt the city's sidewalks, I walked down a preserved potion of the road just outside Rome.  The dusty road was lined by stately cypress trees, lichen-covered statues, bone-filled catacombs and blood red poppies shimmering in the yellow fields. The air was heavy and still, interrupted only by the buzzing of insect wings.  As I continued to walk down the Appian Way, ancient Rome unfolded before me. I could hear the marching steps of a thousand leather-sandaled feet, the creak of the wagon wheels pulled by braying donkeys and bellowing oxen, the crack of the whip, voices of laughter and frustration, and smell the dirt and sweat of man and animal.

For a student of Roman history and archaeology, walking the Appian Way is a thrilling, almost magical experience: for an afternoon I truly traveled back in time.

Where Wednesdays are      a  regular feature where I and a series of guest bloggers talk    about    places that are  important to us, be they work spaces, outdoor    spaces,    sleeping spaces,  places we visit, places we live, places  we  drink    coffee, etc. etc.

[do you want to talk about a place or space that's important  to you? let me know and I'll set you up with a Wednesday!]

where wednesday [the dew drop inn]

[For Where Wednesday this week I bring you Diane from the dew drop inn.  Diane shares such interesting and thoughtful ideas and projects on her blog (remember her word project ?), do pay it a visit. I met Diane online through Indie Biz 2.0 and immediately connected over books, art, and life...the expression 'fast friends' comes to mind. Just a few days ago I finally had the pleasure of spending a splendid afternoon with this lovely lady, in person, in her little corner of the world...can't wait to do it again! Without further ado, welcome to the dew drop inn on the sagebrush coast...]

the space i am sharing with you today is my beloved sky chair...

it is my space for relaxing...

meditating...

reading...

hanging out with my pup...

and gazing out at the beautiful trees and hills of sonoma county...

i first sat in a sky chair at a renaissance fair over a decade ago.  i fell instantly in love with the feeling of being in an upright hammock.  it completely relaxed me and brought me such simple joy.  i made a wish then and there that i would someday own one.

in order to have a sky chair, one must have a tree, a strong ceiling beam, or a frame on which to hang it.  because my gypsy lifestyle and various domiciles did not provide any of those things for many years, it took over a decade for my wish to come true.

when my husband and i moved into our current home, we finally had a space where a sky chair could live.  i was surprised and deeply grateful when he gave me the sky chair as a gift.  his thoughtful offering has now become an amazing part of my everyday life.

although there are plenty of trees on the hill where i could have placed the sky chair, my wonderful friend miles built me a frame so that the chair could live on our deck and be used more easily every day.

in my chair, i love to:

* feel calm and at rest.

* meditate...sitting and swinging keeps me awake, alert, and relaxed.

* read while gently swaying in the breeze.

* take spontaneous naps.

* wrap myself in a warm blanket on a foggy morning with a cup of hot coffee.

* drape tapestries overhead in the summer to make shade, read, and sip iced tea.

* cuddle with my best friend's twin babies.

* gaze at my garden and at twinkly star-filled skies.

* engage in deep heartfelt conversations with my sweet love while my pup snoozes next to me.

the sky chair is my place of peace and one of my favorite spaces on earth.

xo

Where Wednesdays are    a  regular feature where I and a series of guest bloggers talk  about    places that are  important to us, be they work spaces, outdoor    spaces,    sleeping spaces,  places we visit, places we live, places  we  drink    coffee, etc. etc.

[do you want to talk about a place or space that's important  to you? let me know and I'll set you up with a Wednesday!]

where wednesday [craftyMSP]

Where Wednesdays are    a regular feature where I and a series of guest bloggers talk  about    places that are  important to us, be they work spaces, outdoor  spaces,  sleeping spaces,  places we visit, places we live, places we  drink  coffee, etc. etc.

[do you want to talk about a place or space that's important  to you? let me know and I'll set you up with a Wednesday!]

craftyMSP

[For today's Where Wednesday I'm excited to present Marie...aka CraftyMSP.  Marie was a fellow IndieBiz2.0 student last year and I immediately admired her quilts and crafts, built with great shape and color. Check out her crisp and refreshing guest post here, then head over to her BLOG to see what crafty-ness you can find. Do visit her ETSY shop...she's got some great embroidery art for Valentine's Day ♥]    

Even though I work during the day as a designer of buildings, my most  favorite places in the world aren’t usually the structures that I find  myself in. Instead, I’m drawn to the outdoors. To the magical places  that stop my breath, slow me down and remind me of the beauty of nature.  One of these natural locations is right in the backyard of my home town  - the greatest Great Lake of them all.

I grew up in a tiny town in Northeastern Minnesota and I always go back  to inhale the fresh air and get a glimpse of Lake Superior. And in my  opinion, the best view of this giant body of water in the winter is on  the ski hill – flying down the slopes in a winter wonderland.

So – fresh from the slopes (a most perfect day of skiing last weekend) –  here are some images from one of my favorite places.   

focus

Diane, the lovely keeper of The Dew Drop Inn, has a creative and thoughtful tradition that starts off her new year. She dispenses words to friends and strangers to do with what they will [click HERE to let her explain it].  This year she expanded her tradition to include the interwebs, and my word is:

It's a good word for a distract-able procrastinator who piles a lot of stuff on her plate, don't you think? I love it and I love the orangey squares in the background. 

This week I'm focusing on good memories of my grandma ♥

Check out all the beautifully presented words HERE at The Dew Drop Inn and check with Diane to see if she's got a word left for you!