Suitcase Life: Conspiracy, Cronuts, & Corn Mazes

Denver International Airport is impressive.

While I was googling for some great exterior shots, I realized it had quite the controversial history…

It is considered (by some) to be the site of the Illuminati headquarters in the event of a nuclear war. The conspiracy is pretty intense. I’m not saying I believe it, but there are a few weird shenanigans going on.
But as LeVar used to say, Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself!

Had I known this while I was there hours early for my flight (I always do this, I’m uber-paranoid about missing flights or being late in general), I would’ve paid more attention to the creepy murals.

Instead, I nearly had a heart attack walking by the airport bookshop, seeing this on the shelf.

I love Stieg Larsson’s work. Lisbeth Salander is one of my all time favorite anti-heroines. Imagine my surprise to see a fourth installment in the Millennium series, which was cut short due to the untimely death of the author. I was very skeptical in the beginning. Before reading anything I looked up the new author and their  connection to Larsson.

It was a let down. On the one hand, I loved jumping back into the world of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, but I guess my expectations were too high. It was the dialogue. That will kill a book for me. If the conversations aren’t believable, the whole book is lost on me. I still read it, but I wasn’t happy about it.

So, back to D.C. one final time. I had already said my goodbyes once back in August since I didn’t think I’d make it back before I left the country. Lucky me, I had a weekend off and took the metro into the city just in time for the H Street Festival.

I love H Street NE. I was fortunate enough to have lived a block away from it. It has all you need: beer, coffee, tea, and Giant.

It took some serious self-control not to buy all the DC swag. I loved walking those 12 boozy blocks one last time with two of my favorite people. Megan and Kelley were my DC parents. Meaning, I went to their house almost every Sunday for dinner and a show, spent the night when I got drunk on my birthday, and binge-watched True Detective for an entire day on their couch. They may only be a few years older than me, but I adopted them.

Meet Rex. Megan and I met him on our way to Union Market for breakfast. Look at those wrinkles!!!

Should you find yourself in Northeast DC on a Saturday morning in need of a delicious brunch, go to Union Market and get a knish at Buffalo & Bergen with their bacon bloody Mary (ask for a pickle). It is so bad for you, but so good.

Megan bought Cronuts. I was a bundle of health that weekend, I know.

As a thank you for hosting me for the weekend, I made a house pumpkin for them as it was too early for a ‘halloween’ pumpkin.

With barely a week’s rest, staying in Leesburg, Virginia, we were off for one last trip before Korea, back up to Wisconsin.

The lifeblood of all writers. Yes, I am a caffeine addict. I used to be all snobby about coffee, coming from the great state of Oregon (the haven of the almighty bean). But, I’ll take just about anything as long as I’ve got milk n’ sugar. I did realize that I need a coffee press. I think it would help curb my cup limit, being such a hassle n’ all (cue eye rolling from non-lazy people).

As Milwaukee showed its true colors, rather its icy winds, I hunkered down inside and began another book; the long anticipated Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I read The Hobbit years ago, but hadn’t ever made the commitment to the massive sequel. I figured since I had a 15+ hour flight over the Pacific ahead of me, Tolkien wasn’t such a bad idea.

This is Deuce. He hates everyone.

We went to an apple orchard to soak up the fall colors. Corn mazes, haystack towers, and fresh cider really made me feel at home.

This sent me over the edge though. This thing was incredible. Disney had some good ones, but there’s nothing like a home grown apple with freshly made caramel.

The day was coming closer. We would be flying to Detroit soon, and then the long trek up and over Alaska and back down to Seoul, South Korea. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I wasn’t looking forward to flying over an ocean. (I was an avid LOST fan…) I resorted to Tolkien therapy for comfort.

I had my final trip to Target, the love of my life (you could not buy a better supporter,patron, and obsessive admirer, please, for the love of the dollar spot, sponsor me), where I bought these. The shoes I would stare at, wishing I could pull them off, but forlornly pass by.
I decided if I could wear them anywhere, it would be Korea.

So there you have it. Mid June to roughly the first week of October living out of a suitcase, fueled by the love of friends, family, and books.

Suitcase Life: Books & Travel

This Summer was a busy one. I started it out by driving from Washington, D.C. , down the bottom of the US and back up the California Coast ending in Central Oregon. That was just June & July.

Here we begin August 1st in Washington, D.C. (again). The place is ready for the new tenants and it’s off to Columbus, Ohio. So starts living out of a suitcase for three months.

We stopped in Ohio for a restful weekend.

This is a bedroom, not a hotel room guys.

Books are what really got me through this massive trip. So here is # 1.
The Davinci Code written by Dan Brown. If you haven’t read it or seen the film, it’s like National Treasure with a more academic approach to clues and mysteries, rather than ridiculous car chases and stealing historical documents.

WARNING: These books will make you very suspicious in general, but especially about anything government/science/religious related.
So there’s that.

I took a break from reading and watched Sex and the City reruns while practicing my very rusty pool skills.

Ohio wasn’t terrible. I explored a small town called Westerville. It was adorable. I went to Java Central Coffee House a few times. It has great coffee, very friendly baristas and tons of nooks and crannies to eat, drink, and read in! There’s comfy couches, game tables, basically the perfect coffee shop. Worth a visit.

---

Next we drove up through Chicago to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I was pleasantly surprised by Wisconsin. I thought it was a perpetual snowy tundra, but we had many lovely sunny days!

This trip was more of a marathon than a sprint. I mean by this point, I was virtually homeless for two months until I left for South Korea.  So I stayed in Wisconsin for two long, relaxing weeks.

When staying in a place you have never been before, don’t fret. You’re not going to know the area instantly, there’s no need to panic.

Instead, grab a book. Does the photo above make you cringe? I’m sorry to disturb the spine lovers out there, but I don’t mind doing this to a paperback. My philosophy is this: Do I like the book? Am I keeping the book? Fold it back. Do I hate the book? Am I going to give it away? Fold it back.

And hey, why not lounge on a window seat and read for hours? I can’t really call this Book #2 because I started but never finished it. (Yes, I’ve read Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone before.)

I didn’t always stay in though. I went to see the Wisconsin State Fair in Brookfield. Fairs are never the same once you’re an adult. Instead of being dazzled by the blinking lights and the sweet smells of cotton candy, you notice the creaking hinges on the ferris wheel that was put up in a day and the grimy hands of the hot dog vendor giving you your change.

Regardless, I rode the spinny rides and ate the corn dogs.

Aaaand onto Book #2 Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer

I remember watching this movie and being extremely angry. I couldn’t forgive his stupidity and ignorance and irresponsibility with his own life. But reading the book was different. I’m not saying what he did was the best decision, but I understand him better. We’re all so quick to judge people, especially the dead. Krakauer gave Chris a voice. He cared enough to ask why. This book made me want to hike a trail, go camping, and breathe in the air of the mountains. It didn’t turn me off from seeking nature, it drew me to it. I think Chris would have loved that.

Drove into downtown Milwaukee to see Lake Michigan. Thing is humungous.

It was too cold though. So I retreated to my cozy couch with cocoa. My reading material wasn’t quite so comfortable.

Book # 3 Gone Girl written by Gillian Flynn

Again, I saw the film first. So naturally I knew the twist, but I care more about Crazy Amazing Amy. I love a good villain. I like a smart villain. I like a practical, careful, meticulous, realistic villain. There’s no point if the baddie leaves fingerprints in the blood or dumps the gun in the alley or buys a bus ticket with the victims’ credit card. I want them to be as smart as possible. They don’t always need to be caught either. I like the reality of letting them slip through your fingers. Amy was insane, but she was organized. You could say part of her warped view stemmed from her upbringing, but that gives her idiotic parents a little too much credit. She feeds off being needed and wanted. She loves winning your affection, but once it’s won, it no longer interests her. I needed to read it to get inside her head. And yikes.

After Wisconsin, I went back down to Columbus for a bit, but it just wasn’t doing it for me like last time. Luckily, my friend Kelly had just had a baby! She lived a not-so-short bus ride (try 9 hours) up to Michigan, so I thought, heck why not.

---

Book #4 Angels & Demons written by Dan Brown

I started this book hoping to hear the rest of Robert Langdon’s romantic adventures with Sophie. I was bitterly disappointed. Contrary to what Hollywood would have me think, this is not a sequel to The Davinci Code, it is a prequel. Awesome.

The book was good, but I couldn’t commit to the story line, because I was invested in the future one.

I thought I would hate riding the bus with complete strangers for 9 hours, but it wasn’t that bad. I talked to a nice lady going home to see her kids who had the boldest mustache I’ve ever seen.

Finally in Michigan (near the thumb crease), I got to meet this handsome little munchkin!!

He was two weeks early, which clearly means he couldn’t wait any longer to meet me. (ok, and his parents)

He graciously lent me his nursery too. What a gentleman.

It was great to meet Kelly’s man and her little man! We bonded over bloody marys and s’mores. (both of which ended up all over me)

After five freezing days in Michigan, I took the bus back down to Ohio to stay in a hotel for a night. They had a continental dinner people. This needs to catch on EVERYWHERE!!!

I finished my book and I believe in passing on good literature (and keeping my air cargo light), so I left it for the housekeeper to enjoy.

After driving to Ohio, to Wisconsin, back to Ohio, up to Michigan, back down to Ohio….I finally got to get on a plane.

I was on my way to Oregon!

1989 Mother Tour – DC to TN

This summer was non-stop traveling for me, but my favorite bit was the 15 days I spent on the road with my Mom.

I was planning a move of my car (and most of my possessions) from D.C. to Oregon in preparation for my move to South Korea and I was in desperate need of a co-pilot.

Nothing could have surprised me more than my mother offering to drive with me. She is not a road tripper, a camper, a spelunker,nor a night-life-er….but in spite of it all, she was stoked to come along! Honestly, there’s no one that deserved to be my co-pilot more. She has spent over half her life raising three kids, which means she basically hasn’t had a real vacation in about thirty years. So my brilliant plan was to reignite her artistic passion, as well as open her eyes to the beauty and wonder of road trips as she enters the wonderful era of retirement.

My mother is an incredible painter, but due to life, kids, marriage, etc., she stopped. I’ve written her notes (many many notes) with tiny assignments for each day we travel, and a travel paint set. Each day we will paint whatever inspires us on the road. – I posted our art on my tumblr, where you can see the color versions.

Given the fact that this trip covers a two week period, I’ll be splitting it up by State. Otherwise, this post would take two weeks to read. Why 1989? Well, Miss Swift’s 1989 album was pretty much our jam the whole trip….

---

DAY ONE

As you know, road trips are never short of snags along the way, luckily mine tend to happen in the beginning. My mom’s flight got delayed, rerouted, and delayed again. Finally, after nearly a full 24 hours of flying, she arrived at Ronald Reagan-Washington National Airport and straight into my very eager arms for a long overdue hug.

I would’ve loved to show her around the city I had grown to like-a-lot-but-I-wouldn’t-say-love, but I wanted to spend our wiggle room in California with my sister and nephew, which meant, staying on schedule until then. (i hate schedules)

My poor mother didn’t know what she signed up for when I said I’d show her my favorite spots. You see, you walk everywhere in D.C. It wasn’t until she was roasting hot and nearly panting that I realized that I’d made her walk over 20 blocks before lunch. She wasn’t complaining though, she loves architecture and bookshops as much as I do. I might have suggested tennis shoes though…

---

Day Two – We left bright and early, drove through Virginia, and ended up in Friendsville, Tennessee (just outside of Knoxville).

If you’ve read past posts, you may remember me mentioning this Tennessee location.
I stopped here on my way up from Florida, Fall 2013.If there is a more relaxing and tranquil place in North America, I doubt it compares to this. We considered scrapping the whole trip and moving in. You know you’ve found a great friend when you can nap on the couch, even though you haven’t seen each other in two years.

Three days in, I already had my first injury. Turns out being pushed into the lake isn’t all fun and games, but meh, it wasn’t my driving foot!

---

Day Three–Reluctantly, we set off  from our  haven of bliss with our gracious hosts.
We stopped in Nashville for lunch and a little sight-seeing. I bet you didn’t know Nashville has the only full-scale replica of The Parthenon in Athens…It functions as an art museum now, but it began as an exhibit as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition. It was a nice break from the hot day in the car.

We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (we were getting my dad shirts from every one we passed on the trip) and walked around downtown listening to live musicians while wishing we could afford the amazing boots.

We ended the day in Memphis, staying in our very first AirBnb.
-side note- The whole business of renting your room/house/condo out to a complete stranger sounds insane to me. Thankfully, they weren’t ax murderers and we weren’t planning to rob them blind. They were incredibly nice! They even typed out a full list of restaurants, music clubs, etc. in their area for us. However, there is a huge amount of mutual trust involved when using AirBnb, especially since no information is required besides a Facebook account. So, while I do highly recommend the adventure and convenience of AirBnb, be smart and make sure the people you are going to stay with are real people. 

We had grand plans to go out that night and listen to live music on the Mississippi, but…I was lame. I had been driving all day and could barely keep my eyes open. My wonderful mother understood and said we could stay in and watch Netflix. It would’ve been the perfect stay had I not made the mistake of getting late night sushi.
Never again.

Me – 14 hours logged
Mom- 0

Read the next post for New Orleans!!

A District Denouement

My life in D.C. has finally come to a close. It wasn’t a terrible place to live; I just know it’s not a long term place for me. There were beautiful places and moments in these two years that I’m grateful to have experienced.

In our nation’s capital, you would think my favorite place would be in a museum or national monument.  No, my favorite place was a train station.  Union Station.  There was just something about it that was so beautiful and grand. It filled me with awe every time I stepped inside.  (which was a lot since it was the closest station to my house)
Another quietly beautiful place is this corridor as you exit the federal triangle metro, I love it.

Below is the housing and urban development building.
It was both ugly and interesting to me.
This view can be found at Arlington cemetery.
I wasn’t prepared for the unending hills of graves.  It is very humbling.

 

 

Another peek inside Union Station, because it’s wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is inside Capitol Hill Books in eastern market.  I loved coming here to read the snarky descriptions of certain books by the owner.  I never left here with less than five books.

My favorite shot of Union Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is inside DCA,  the main airport.  I spent a lot of time here too.  I may have technically lived in DC for two years, but I didn’t stay put very long.

• Definitely explore H street NE.
• Go to the Queen Vic and get a Scottish Bellhaven ale.  It’s the most delicious beer you’ll taste tonight.
• You could also get a Chai at Sidamo.
• Better yet, get a ramen bowl at Toki Underground.
• If you head downtown however,  Chinatown has Daikaya.  Incredible ramen bowls downstairs,  great beer & food upstairs.
• Kayak on the Potomac and listen to jazz at the Navy Yard on the water.
• Buy an 8 dollar ticket and ride your bike to a Washington Nationals game. (free bike parking!)
• And last but not least, go to my second favorite place in the city,  Landmark E Street theater. Pick an Independent film, talk to the great people who work there , order a cold beer and some twizzlers and treat yourself to a movie date with you.

Riding North

The time had finally come. Miss B and I were leaving Florida, for good this time.

She had lived there five years, I, only three. We only lasted as long as we did because of the incredible people.

So we said our goodbyes, cried all our tears, and began our journey up and out. First stop: Tallahassee.

 

It didn’t feel like Florida. The humidity was gone. The trees were huge. And the bugs looked normal. (not the crazy concoctions Orlando had)

Miss B had cousins in the area, so we slept in a a old fashioned homey home, deep in the middle of the woods. Yes, we did have thoughts about whether we were being led into a creepy cabin, to never see light again.

It felt very Cabin in the Woods-y…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Next stop: Marietta, Georgia

We stayed here with my cousins for the weekend. Watched U of O be awesome. And I met my cousin’s son Gavyn for the first time. Total bug. I am such an advocate for family. I grew up knowing my cousins very little since we’re spread out all over the US. I feel so privileged to be a part of their lives now. We didn’t want to leave, and my aunt decided Miss B was part of the family now.

---

Next Stop: Tennessee to a little place called Friendsville

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This state surprised me. I had no idea how beautiful it was. The image of Tennessee in my head was a flat, yellow, dusty plain. After visiting, I feel like I could live here for a year and love it completely. It has a peaceful calm about it. It welcomes you with its trees, and rollings hills, and quiet rivers.

We stayed with the gracious Marcum family. We tried our first moonshine cherries. We watched The Walking Dead outside on the patio. We drank our coffee on the grass and watched the dogs run by the water. I cannot wait to revisit this heaven.

---

From here we had a choice. We could stop in Roanoke, VA (and disappear forever, c’mon history nerds) or drive the 9+ hours and reach Maryland late that evening. This would be our longest stretch of driving yet. We tried to keep our destinations close to each other to avoid that. We ended up deciding to just drive, and see what the day had planned for us.

Not even two hours passed and we were bored. So we pulled off the highway and followed signs to a pumpkin patch. Sure, it could’ve been a psycho killer’s ranch of death, but we were ready for anything more exciting than the unending road ahead.

Also– I forgot to adjust the driver’s seat to Miss B’s height. Hence, the lucky duck got to be the permanent co-pilot.

---

A few hours after that, we stopped in another remote town (which eerily reminding me of Oregon) following signs to a national park in hopes for something pretty to look at, or at least a short trail to get our blood flowing in our legs again. Unfortunately it was basically a campground with massively long trails. Regardless, it was a beautiful detour.

I didn’t think I could make it the whole day. My eyes were droopy and my brain was mush. We had been listening to a grisly British man read Game of Thrones to us all day and I just couldn’t keep it together. So we stopped at a McDonald’s and wolfed down some fries and the nastiest cup of coffee I’ve ever had. That did it. We got to my sister’s in Maryland a little before eleven.

---

We had one day to enjoy Washington D.C. together before Miss B continued north to her final destination in Michigan. It was a beautiful day, not only because of the sun, but because it was the very day the Government shut down ended and all the Smithsonian museums reopened.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We say the classic D.C. sites as well. The National Monument looks a little weird because they were still repairing it from earthquake damage.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It was a wonderful trip. I couldn’t have chosen a more laid back person to come with me. Thanks Miss B for always being there for me and accepting my crazy on a daily basis.

Until the next time….