Contemplating building the ark

I made it back to Washington late last night, welcomed by the extreme cold and rain. It's the end of August, I am wearing flannel and cuddled up on the couch. I don't think I will survive two years of this, to be honest. I started looking online at long underwear.

The last weekend in Arizona was the best. Saturday Leo and I rented a car and drove out to the Sonoran Desert Museum. It's a zoo, museum, and garden of Arizona native animals, minerals, history, and plants. It is truly amazing if you can make it out there.

After we drove almost an hour to get to the best ranked Thai restaurant in Tucson, and we weren't disappointed. We went out to the District Tavern after dinner, and Leo played pool while I watched. He's getting pretty good.

Sunday we drove up to Mt. Lemmon, which was probably my favorite place in Arizona. There are huge pine trees (Ponderosas?), water, and it's about twenty degrees cooler there than down in the valley. It was completely beautiful. We visited the town of Summerhaven, and sampled some pretty awesome fudge, then moved on to start a hike. We didn't get too far before the rains started, but we climbed up rock faces off the trail, which was more challenging and satisfying. I am incredibly out of shape though, haha.

Sunday night we watched a movie and cuddled, then Monday Leo's roommate drove me to the airport. I'm really sad to leave, but hopefully it won't be that long until I see him again. Right now the plan is to visit around Christmas time, but I'm hoping for something in about half as many months. We'll see.

My folks picked me up at the airport, and I've just been chilling at home. Today was my dad's birthday so I got to spend a lot of time with family and go out to some pretty yummy meals today. Other than that, I made some bara brith, Welsh fruit bread, because it was definitely a cold baking day. It uses strong black tea, spices, and lots of fruit for it's flavor. I liked it, but I'm going to perfect the recipe before I post it. I want to tweak some of the ingredient amounts in the recipe I used.

Tomorrow my dad and I are going out to look at a horse trailer. It's a very reasonable price, partially because it isn't painted. If I buy it I will need to paint it myself, so that is going to be my project before school starts. I don't mind the challenge, and it will give me something to do in the next couple weeks. Just hope it stops raining long enough to paint the thing.

Hopefully tomorrow will end with me having a trailer, and a new project to work on. This weekend I'm picking up my baby and bringing her to the new barn in Woodinville, and starting to move into the new place. Life is starting up, and I'm pretty excited. I'll keep everyone updated on what goes on in the next few days.

Flowers at the Desert Museum

Native birds

View as we start to climb Mt. Lemmon



Leo on our rock climbing hike

Shopping and sunburns

Today I actually got up when Leo did and walked him to the door. Which meant I was up and at 'em by 7am. Made some pretty awesome vanilla cinnamon pancakes, showered, and headed downtown for some gift shopping.

I fail at bus systems. I was sitting in the front (reserved for elderly and disabled), so I could see where I was going in town. As the bus filled up, I was the only person to move to the back so actual seniors could take the seats. Clearly this isn't common in Tucson. The move meant I couldn't see a dang thing, and completely missed my stop. On the upside, I managed to orient myself and walk a mile or so to where I actually wanted to be.
On the off chance my dad reads this blog, I won't say what I found for his birthday, but I think he'll like it. I found my grandma a birthday gift that hopefully she'll think is cute- they sell little desert kits, with pots and cactus boxed for travel. I love 4th Ave in downtown Tucson. I went into so many cute vintage stores, and I could seriously go back again tomorrow and not have seen everything.

Afterwards I had pizza and ended up meeting up with my boy, who was headed home from school. He took his bike, and I had another complete transportation failure with the bus, getting off miles before where I needed to go, but luckily it didn't take too long to get back on another bus. Long enough to burn me up to a crisp though, lol.
We bummed around at home, took a nap, then I started dinner. I made spicy orzo with chickpeas, corn, tomato, spinach, carrot, onion, and garlic. I thought it was pretty awesome, and I think Indian food is on the list for tomorrow, so I am just anticipating an array of culinary delights.

I started reading The Jane Austen Book Club which is better than the movie, and a fun read. The characters are defined by what makes them different, and they are both too extreme to be believable yet the reader can still relate. I am not certain how I feel about her characters. Each of them often expresses thoughts that I have felt, yet they are constantly having these "insights". Nothing ever seems to be ordinary. Of course, maybe this is how life is for the author.

Other than that, just chilling watching Anthony Bourdain on Netflix. He went to the PNW and I got very excited. I can't believe I am moving to Seattle in two weeks. I registered for another class today, bringing me up to a total of 13 graduate credits my first quarter. I will be taking Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Topics in Public Health Seminar, Ecology of microbial hazards, and a journal class based around the BP oil spill. Should be a hard semester, but I bet I will learn a lot.

4th Ave (Epic, the coffee shop I like so much)

Monsoon!

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of my own, but I've finally experienced the real Tucson monsoon season. I was shopping this afternoon at a used bookstore called Bookmans, heard a crack of thunder, then the heavens opened up. The streets started flooding right away, and within the hour they were flooded over on top of the sidewalks. Now I understand this flash flood phenomenon a bit better.

Yesterday was an utterly dreary day. I ended up trapped inside all day long, with no one in the house. Animal lover that I am, even the cats aren't that great of company after that many hours.

Today was much better. I was getting ready to go out to a coffee shop and do knick-knack shopping when my BF's roomie asked if I wanted to go grocery shopping with her. I am so glad I went out with someone in a car rather than slogging my way through the buses soaking wet.

We went out to the Blue Willow for lunch. I had a pretty awesome grilled eggplant sandwich on pita with goat cheese, grilled tomatoes, cucumbers, and various other delicious flavors. My only complaint is the world eggplant. In Britain, they are "aubergines". This is a much more pleasing name for a delicious food. I think we should adopt it here.

On to Trader Joe's and Sunflower, so I can pick up stuff for dinners and what not. My guy has been so busy with school he doesn't have any time or energy to go food shopping. Maybe it's a good thing I am here.

I got an email from SAFE (Save a Forgotten Equine), an equine rescue I really want to volunteer with. They sent the orientation info (unfortunately the next one is when I am still in Arizona), as well as other links. I am so excited to start up there. It seems like they are fairly flexible when it comes to hours, and the standard volunteering commitment ranges from 1 to 4 days a month. We'll see how often I can get out with school, but I'm really looking forward to having this opportunity.

Well, that's all for right now. Just drinking tea and listening to the rain fall.

More little adventures

Yesterday morning, after waking up to the cat digging it's claws into the back of my heel, I got up and went to Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm. It did not disappoint. Besides the scary living dinosaurs, there were deer, goats, donkeys, and my favorite- lorikeets. We spent the morning playing with the animals, then went back home.

My boyfriend needed to spend another day working, so he left just as I got back to the house. I had about six hours to kill while I waited for him to come back, so I napped, called a friend, and worked on my other blog. Not much exciting stuff when you have to walk anywhere you want to go in the heat.When he got back home last night we went to Sushi Hama, a local sushi place that boasts all you can eat sushi for $19. It was quite the experience. My favorite part of the evening was when the lights all turned off, a disco light came down, and I heard the most hokey disco Japanese-style rendition of "Happy Birthday" ever. If I could, I'd be back for my own birthday.

Today it's still only 8am, so I haven't fleshed out what my day will be. Maybe I'll go downtown...oops, no money for the bus. Well, hopefully something will pop up. Anyways, here are some photos from yesterday's excursion.

Cute little Fallow deer.

Two goats trying to get to the best treat spot.

Aren't they just scary?

Sweet face.

My favorites, the lorikeets. I had about five on me while I took this photo, including the ones perched on each side of the camera while I took the photo.

Tucson Photos

The Acropolis at Sabino Canyon.

My personal swimming hole at Sabino Canyon.

Some picturesque cactus.

Sunset at the state park.

Pretty cactus blooms at Sabino Canyon.

Summer time, and the living is easy...

I did try to walk to the pool, but unfortunately it was closed. It was definitely a tease- beautiful facities, and a full pool behind big locked gates. Luckily, the friend I'll be moving in with for a short while in Seattle called, so at least I got to have a fun conversation on my way back.

Yesterday we went down town and hung out at the coffee shop "Epic". I really liked it best of all the shops we've been to in Tucson. I got a scrumptious sarsaparilla float, and read while my boyfriend worked on math homework for his PhD program. I grabbed a few used books, and I made it almost entirely through My Sister's Keeper yesterday. I finished it this morning.

Really good book. Completely different ending than the movie (how are they allowed to make a movie after a book and change the ending?). A quick read too. It's 400 or so pages, but it flows really well, and is easy to follow. Now I definitely want to see the full movie as well. As a scientist, I think the more we do as people to question bioethics, the better. Just because we can do something does not necessarily mean we should. I feel like this is going to be the big issue in about ten years, when I feel the technology for more "designer" babies will be available.

After the coffee shop we went to an Indian restaurant called "Ghandi," which I thought was a bad sign, but I really enjoyed my food, and I got a ton for $7.

After a very lazy morning we are now getting ready to go to Sabino Canyon. It's considered a must do for Tucson, and I am pretty excited to go. I will try to grab a bunch of photos and make my next blog a bunch of photos from around Tucson.

Laaazy days

I was going to walk a mile to check out the local pool to see if it is open, but I have no keys to get back in the house, so I think I'll call it good for the day. Also, it's 101 F outside, and 68 F inside :D

Yesterday I checked out the art shops of Tucson. They have some pretty amazing things, especially Old Town Artisans. If I wasn't a poor grad student I'd stock up on some lovely pottery and paintings.

Did another tour de liquor in Tucson last night. I can't believe how cheap drinks are here. We went to Club Congress and The District. I've also been to the Shelter and Sky Bar out here. I liked Sky Bar- mainly because it seems like it is a super inexpensive coffee shop during the day, which is more my style. I think I'm going to get out of drinking sooner rather than later.

I am getting really excited for my move to Seattle. I am going to start out staying with a good friend from college, until I eventually find a place on my own, or good roommates from the school. We'll have a couple weeks before I start school where we will be able to start checking out Seattle hot spots.

Also, I think the time has come for me to start working out again (ie, my clothing doesn't fit). I am really excited for UW's fitness class offerings. Right now they just have the summer listings, but I assume they will have even more classes available come this fall. I am thinking aquatics or pilates. I know there is a completely free rec center to use, and I will make use of it, but paying to take classes always makes me more motivated to actually show up to the classes.

I sent a volunteer request to SAFE (Save A Forgotten Equine), and though I haven't heard back, I am hoping to become a volunteer for that organization once I move to Seattle. They are based out of Monroe, so as long as I schedule things well I can visit my own horse on the way back from the rescue.

My horse is still in Salem, but I can't wait to get her back and get started up in Seattle. I feel pretty lucky that my barn is only going to be 12 miles away from where I'm staying. I really want to start doing a little showing. I don't think showing is the most important part of horse ownership (actually, I have quite a lot of fun barely ever competing) but I want to see where I'm at in my riding skills, and I do think one of the better ways to get a comparison is to compete against other riders.

I am really enjoying Arizona, but it will be nice to get back to my regular lifestyle after this, be a little more active, not rely on public/bummed transportation to get around. Still, this is the type of relaxation I needed in order to want to move to Seattle and feel a little less burned out before school starts.

So, um, round two?

I guess I really fail at keeping a weekly blog. In my defense, it was weeks before we had internet in the house I shared this summer. I also was working 50 hours a week, riding my horse, and visiting my boyfriend. But I definitely failed at keeping up, so I'm going to give it a second try.

Right now I am in Arizona. BF is in class all day, so I pretty much have free time to do whatever I want (which is read up on horse stuff and catch up on my woefully neglected blog). I had a pretty fantastic living situation this summer. The girls I moved in with were nearly complete strangers, but probably ended up being the best roommates I've ever had.

In July I went to New Hampshire for two weeks, and had a lot of fun, despite the heat wave. We went down to Boston, up to the White Mountains were we stayed for super cheap thanks to travelocity. It was a really great trip, I just wish I could have visited at some point when they weren't enjoying a heat and humidity wave. I have to say, a great thing about AZ is how it lacks the humidity of the East Coast even though it is much hotter here.

I have two more weeks in Arizona, which suits me just fine. This feels like my first lazy break of the summer, and I am enjoying having no obligations on my time. Yesterday we went to the Tucson Zoo (Reid Park), and that was pretty fantastic. I love going to zoos and seeing the fantastic creatures evolved on this earth.When I finish here, I'll be flying to Seattle and setting up shop. I left my horse at the boarding stable in Salem before I went on my travels, because I trust my barn owner there to make certain she's safe.

Arizona in August is very different than the Pacific Northwest, but it isn't as bad as I expected. The heat is so much more dry than home. You really feel it when you walk on the cement though...you feel like you are being cooked from underneath. So far we've been bat watching, seen a few amazing sunsets, driven to the mountains, and checked at bars here. There is that same sort of organic, sustainable movement here as in the Northwest, so I am liking that experience very much. On Friday the University of Arizona hosts a farmers market that I want to check out. I want to take some fat heirloom tomatoes, basil, balsalmic, and mozzarella cheese for a delicious hot-weather meal.

As for today, I think I am going to be a bum. Yesterday we walked in the heat most of the day (though the zoo does a fantastic job keeping you shaded), and it wore me out. We ended up starting a Terry Pratchett movie "Hogfather" (AWESOME, any fans of his Discworld series should watch), and going to sleep listening to the thunder storm.

I don't have too much more to say in this, but I'll post some pictures from New Hampshire, and maybe next time I write I'll have some good ones from Arizona to share. Until next time...

Boston Harbor Drive to North Conway The White Mountains