where wednesday [caboose]

In early 2003 I was an intern in the education office at Joshua Tree National Park.  I was able to choose between either really nice barrack/dorm housing with the park fire crew, or a caboose. Easy choice! An awesome older couple built their dream house just outside the park entrance near the education office, and on the property they had a refurbished caboose (great for the grandkids!) they rented to me.  

my caboose, the owners' amazing house, and my oldsmobile ♥

I can't find any pics of the interior...but I'll describe it to you. When you walked in the front door (closest to house), there was a bunk bed on the right and a single bed on the left. There was a little table and a nice place to sit, a tv (I got DVD's of The Sopranos at Blockbuster), a space heater, a tiny closet, and a little hot plate.

I was in Joshua Tree February to May, and the caboose wasn't insulated, so at night it was COLD.  Scott came to visit (he was living in Santa Barbara) and we rigged up a blanket curtain to hold the heat in the sleeping area. By the end of April during the day it would be HOT (still cold at night). What do you expect from a big metal box? I could climb into either side of the cupola (the 'second floor') and sit and read and watch the desert for coyotes and tortoises...

In the back of the caboose was a full fridge and a shower stall.  I washed my dishes in the shower!  There was a door at each end so I could open them up and get a little desert breeze moving through.

I would wake up to the sounds of mourning doves and the sight of clear colorful sunrise skies. I would crunch down the driveway to walk up to the office, pausing to let big gopher snakes cross the path. I loved my time in Joshua Tree and I think about it all the time...not only because of the landscape and the cool job I had, but because I lived in an amazing little home. It was so cozy and perfect for me...I loved my little caboose! Thanks for letting me share my memories!

Where Wednesday is    a series       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!]

patched up

I made my everyday bag [not really much of a purse girl] a little more awesome using some souvenir patches and Unique Stitch ("sew with a tube") glue.  It was way faster than my hand-stitching and didn't punch a bunch of little holes in the thick waterproof fabric [no they did not pay me or give me free glue to say that]. I'm trying to get over my fears of permanence and imperfection, and while I'm at it showoff a little more of my style and personality...so far so good!

mama

happy mothers' day

♥

cavalo

Summer is coming, and I don't know about you, but I always get an extra strong wanderlust when the weather heats up. To kick off your daydreams this year, check out my friends' website Cavalo at Sea.  Matt and Lindsay are preparing to do what so many only imagine...sail around the world, in true explorer style. They have a lot of work to do before they set sail, but it's all slowly coming together.  

The beautiful boat is a 43 foot Westsail and she came to her new family last year. Last weekend we gathered on the boat to officially give her her new name...a BIG deal for a boat that must be done carefully, and only for good reason so you don't get on Poseidon's bad side...especially if you plan to go around the world. After some major work at the boatyard, it was time!

You can follow Cavalo's preparation and progress now (it's like a crazy home remodel project) and follow the journey when the time comes on the Cavalo blog or at the Cavalo at Sea on Facebook. Thanks to Matt & Lindsay for sharing their adventure and living their dream!

wordless where wednesday

Henderson's

Where Wednesday is  a series      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!]

20 in 20

Do you read Aesthetic Outburst? It's one of my top favorite blogs...Abbey writes about crafting, design, and motherhood with a sense of ease, reality, and humor.  I find her very inspiring. This year she created a blog theme called 20 in 20, where she makes and gives away 20 projects in 20 days.  She plays with all different types of supplies and uses shape and color wonderfully.

 I'm so excited to be a sponsor for Day 16 of the April 20 in 20 projects on Aesthetic Outburst. Check out the blog, and enter to win! You might also think about sponsoring a project in May...sign up now!

parking lot donuts

Although I've lived in a few places with the perfect conditions and locations to do them, I've never actually done a donut in a car...BUT they are a good metaphor for how I'm feeling right now: a little out of control, loss of forward momentum, and not sure which direction to turn.  I keep getting lots of ideas, but fear and lack of motivation are holding me back....which is just going to keep me spinning in place. I'm really not feeling discouraged or down (although a few bloggy things have bummed me out recently)...I'm excited and scared and don't want to feel too structured right now. So bear with me while I steer through and take off! Some regular blog features might become irregular, and vicey-versey. As always, your feedback is most welcome...leave a comment or shoot me an email [sara(at)sagebrushcoast(dot)com].

Here's a grainy black and white peek at some projects I've got on the brain...

Not too long ago some of the ladies whose crafty exploits I follow were doing things with sticks and yarn.  I thought it was a little funny, but I was so intrigued.  On a morning walk awhile ago I found a cute branch...

I love this shirt, but I never wear it...it's a great color (bright red w/ tiny white polka dots), it was maybe $5, it has a cute collar, BUT the bottom does a weird skirty stick-out thing. I could see this as being useful if you were more well hipped than I. It's the first thing that came to mind to fix when we got our new sewing machine...but I've been too intimidated to use the machine. Eep.

I'm not sure what's going on here...something scarfy or cowl-like...really I'mjust experimenting with some scrap yarn and trying to look busy while I'm watching Project Runway Season 7.

Have a great Wednesday everybody...♥

how-tuesday

Hey...my rad cousin-in-law Eleanor wrote today's How-Tuesday article on Etsy! Try out her cool, quick project & have a look at her Etsy shop, Remnant by Eleanor

book report [a lady's life in the rocky mountains]

On our way home from Bellingham last summer we stopped in Ashland, Oregon to poke around. The shopping overall in Ashland was a little disappointing, but we found a cool shop called Shakespeare Books & Antiques. We spent a long time in this bookshop because it had a very well curated collection of books and some interesting antiques...I imagined little treasures being carefully brought west in covered wagons...over-romantic, I know...but a few things there were just that old. I almost bought an old hardcover of this book from there, but I had already had a new stack of books from Powell's under my seat in the car, so I left it there. I had to read it though, so I found a copy later online. 

A Lady's Life was written in 1873..it's actually a series of letters written by the authoress Isabella L. Bird to her sister.  Isabella (Ms. Bird, I should say) was taking the scenic route on her way back home to England after traveling in Hawaii (The Sandwich Islands). She is clearly an adventurer, as she traveled widely in her life, and she was unconventional for her time...a woman traveling alone, riding in rugged country (only 'sidesaddle' if she thought she'd get hassled in a town for not riding like a man). She rejected a homebound domestic life.

Beyond earning my admiration for being a tough, fearless, independent woman, Ms. Bird really wasn't very likeable.  She's a bit cold and says rude things about many people she encounters, and she doesn't seem to like people or towns all that much.  Part of this I'm sure is because of the familiar tone she takes writing to her sister, and part of it is the time period...and maybe she was just a hardened, grumpy 40-something woman riding a horse in freezing weather and having to sleep on the floor and do the washing up in the cabins of strangers.  She is much more pleasant and enjoyable though when outdoors...describing the grandeur of the mountains of Colorado, expressing her joy at waking up in a little cabin to see the sunrise on the peaks or the shock at waking up under a blanket of snow. She might have had a little crush on the feared 'desperado' Mountain Jim.

I thought it was so interesting to read a woman's perspective on this time & place...and an English-woman at that. It was a fascinating snapshot of The Old West...the settlers, the trains, the plains, the rugged life...the DIFFERENT life in which people welcomed travelers into their homes and lived simply. Some of her anecdotes about basic necessities (clothing, shelter, food) are shocking. People have gotten soft in this modern age! This book isn't for everyone, especially since it does read like letters or a journal, not a novel. But if you're into late 1800's history, or if you liked the show Deadwood, you might enjoy at least skimming through it. Let me know if you want me to send you my copy (first come first serve). 

Alternatively, if you'd like a mountain movie experience you could watch Jeremiah Johnson, which I did last week. Nothing wrong with a little vintage Robert Redford.

imdb

re-science

Geekiness and reusing (e.g. thrift store shopping, upcycling, etc.) are two things that seem to be popular with the kids these days.  I feel super popular right now because some old scientific glassware made its way into my hands, so I refreshed my thrifted candlestick collection (okay, one of those is from IKEA, but since it only cost 49 cents I let it come home with me).

Three candlesticks from Goodwill, a candleholder from IKEA, a flask, an ink bottle (?), and a sort-of graduated cylinder.  I had to add some polished gravel to the flask and ink bottle because they nearly wobbled over the edge, and that would have been sad.

I got a couple of other pretty bottles whose openings were too small for candles, but will work just fine for desk decor.  The larger one is my favorite because it has an iridescent sheen that old glass sometimes gets. I'm a sucker for iridescence. 

Hope you like my glassware.  You should definitely keep your eye out at thrift or reuse stores for old scientific stuff (beakers, flasks, etc.), but you can also find great items at places like American Science & Surplus, or look for science inspired stuff, like at West Elm

[p.s. if you're going to put food in sciencey containers, buy it NEW]

chabot

We rarely venture across the Bay, but we felt like an outing on Saturday so we headed for the hills above Oakland to explore a hidden gem for the curious...the Chabot Space & Science Center. 

Space is fascinating, don't you think? Chabot has two planetariums, three telescopes, and lots of space & science exhibits. We were worried it was going to be geared too much toward kids, but we really enojoyed our afternoon there. We were able to look at Venus through 'Leah,' Chabot's oldest and first telescope:

We also saw the sun through a special telescope whose filters allowed you to see the 'processes'...the shooting jets of plasma visible at the edge of the sun.  AWESOME! Plus Scott, who is enamored of the early space programs got to play in a replica of a Mercury capsule...

...and dress up as an Apollo astronaut...

After visiting the Chabot center we munched on astronaut ice cream and took a stroll in the redwoods surrounding the building. We had an awesome Saturday...if you want something fun and different to do in the Bay Area I highly recommend it! We want to go back sometime to see the telescopes in action at night.  Wouldn't that be a fun date?

desert roll

The subject of the [terrible] photo above is the newest menu found at our local sushi spot...the one 2 blocks up, 4 blocks over. See that roll...the Desert Roll? Yeah, we named that.  That's OUR roll.  We went up there dinner one night and were the only ones eating.  The waitress and sushi chef brought us 2 pieces of their experimental roll and asked us to help brainstorm names for it.  And we did...and they liked it! It was tasty too...it's a baked roll with crab, salmon, and a delicious creamy sauce.  Yum.

Lo and behold a few weeks later...there's a new roll on the menu. There's no footnote at the bottom with our names or anything...but we have the satisfaction of knowing we are creative sushi naming geniuses.

where wednesday [fritzi marie]

[Today's Where Wednesday is written by my newish bloggy friend Kat from Fritzi Marie.  I like her blog because it's full of heart, poetry, and adventure. She's a sweet, loving soul and I'm glad to know her...AND she's got a purty vintage shop HERE. Have a good Wednesday!]  

I've been thinking about where my favorite place is for the past week or so and I have come to a realization about myself and my life while doing so. You see I first thought about how my hometown; Monrovia, California is my favorite place. Then I thought about my Grandparents farmhouse in Missouri and how much I loved swinging on their porch swing when I would visit my Grandparents in the summertime. 

Then I thought about my life now.

I've been married to my husband Daniel for 5 years now, and we have lived together in California, Mississippi, Washington, and Alabama. During the past five years, the one thing that I have learned is that my favorite place is right where I am (wherever that may be) with my husband/best friend and our ten year old puppy Bono Baby.  Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and this print by Spread The Love have expressed my favorite place in every way.

My favorite place is with my boys.

Since I grew up in Southern California, my favorite place in the whole wide world is Snow White's wishing well at Disneyland. When Dan and I would go together I would always take him to this special place and secretly I would wish that someday we would get married. After a year or so, Daniel surprised me by proposing at my favorite wishing well.  Proving that wishes do come true!

hugs,

Fritzi Marie

p.s. Make a Wish!

Where Wednesday is  a series      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.

[i'm  looking for guest bloggers for April and May! 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!]

one ring

Whenever we're at my In-Law's house Scott finds his way into the workshop.  Over the holidays I followed him in there, and I'm finally showing off my project to you. I knew what I wanted to make...something I'd tried and failed at once before. I applied a little bit of Moorea

+ a little bit of Something's Hiding in Here

to a slice of dowel and a chunk of rock,

added a little bit of sticky stuff...

and fashioned myself a lovely piece of jewelry.

I had tried this task once before, but got over-zealous with a vice and cracked my ring right in half.  This time I had more of a plan and I refined my process to be more fun and efficient (tiny wood chisels...yay!) and was delighted with my success. 

Oh, but I also cracked this ring, just not until I was out of the house wearing it for the first time.

Several things led to this tragedy 1) my fingers change sizes all day [temperature+hydration?] and they're kind of strong from rock climbing every week 2) I don't work with wood often, and I'm sure I worked with the grain going the wrong way or something 3) I stupidly wore the ring to work...might have squished it on a door handle or knocked it on something.  

Oh well...I'm quite proud. The ring is still awesome, and still totally wearable...but I'm saving it for special dress-up occasions.

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!]

notes to self

1. You like running in the rain...stop using it as an excuse.

    Addendum to item 1: In the event of no rain, remember that you do really like running in general.  Getting out of the house is the hardest part.

2. Muscle weighs more than fat.  Stop freaking out at what the scale says, especially since your pants still [mostly] fit

3. You can do more than you think you can...stop being afraid.

     Addendum to item 3: No one is going to hand you anything...figure out what you want and go for it...again, stop being afraid.

4. The pollen forecast this week is crazy...Claritin and the air filter are your best friends again.

5. You've decided you don't mind peas. You will never like bell peppers.

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 ♥ 

72 hours

I'm awaiting a couple of these...

...and this...

 ...and this...

 Getting an emergency kit has been on my mind long before now, and it helps mentally if nothing else to feel prepared, especially while living in San Francisco. I've found The Red Cross and 72hours.org are good resources. While you're at the Red Cross website, you can make a donation and direct it toward Japan, the Middle East, or wherever $^!+ is hitting the fan resources are most needed... 

Remember to keep your hearts full.

book report [the wine dark sea]

I just finished #16 in this series (there are 20...well, 21 sort of), the story in this one taking place mainly in South America. If you watch Parks and Recreation you may have noticed Ron Swanson lounging at the Harvest Festival reading Patrick O'Brian ("...this book about old ships.").  I'm a few books ahead of Ron :)

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!]