tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71103679585854652542024-02-07T13:12:39.684-08:00Create More LightThe Creative Blog of Jenndalyn ArtJenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-53990196964267522672017-11-15T19:50:00.002-08:002017-11-15T19:50:55.794-08:00#30mandalas Continues... It's such a weird thing, to think about how other people see your artwork. Lauren (@llaurenb on Instagram), the amazing artist who inspired my #30mandalas project, once commented on IG about always being able to recognize my work by my style, saying, "No one else does this." She was talking about how I add illustrated elements and doodles to collage. It kind of floored me. Surely someone else has done this. Do I really have my own unique style? One that is <i>recognizable</i>?<br />
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Nowadays, it honestly seems like everything in the art world has been done. Artists are trying to do something <i>different, </i>but also we want to stay true to ourselves. What happens if the things we create resemble someone else's? We get accused of copying? We get accused of being unoriginal? What happens if and when our style looks like someone else's? Our work is less valuable, because we didn't get it out there first?<br />
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The online world of artists sharing and trying to be successful with our work can be a very confusing place.<br />
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While those can seem like negative thoughts, they don't feel like them to me, as they have been swirling around my brain as I continue to create these mandalas. The internet has changed the artistic world, and we are all just trying to grow and flourish along with the times. All we can do in the meantime is create, and be in love with the process of creation.<br />
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Here are the next few days of #30mandalas :<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/572543839/mandala-wall-art-water-wall-art-ocean?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzq77Xp20jCkOyGcR4msn7TVBD1vEuZgWu4LRAPr9RM9Mf4n8uHrkoLCtNeJXfzzgSRgiKdZjkoL1_ytQjEWP3t0OPz4o_wh4pSHRyA8oiQ4xJWbDUnaNo-8vIReFWMxqemVRzdvY5azs/s640/water+mandala+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/572543839/mandala-wall-art-water-wall-art-ocean?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">Water Mandala - Day 6</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/558743308/mandala-wall-art-mixed-media-collage-art?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYB7vi41ebf6CmmZVG2n8jKzB_lkagOVe2pe_lI_XVw2qZvWdGXp-oIheKKElJOlHWiXwSH39lFyyhOoMoWE1MCcMLopnqZaYoMChIiSQXSGchm4PFfdN0fH5E5LNaWwmVVK_5u03H56o/s640/mandala+headdress+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/558743308/mandala-wall-art-mixed-media-collage-art?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank">Mandala Headdress - Day 7</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/572544845/mandala-wall-art-hot-air-balloon-print?ref=listing-shop-header-0" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPRFnuJPn5rZ7BEj2Zvl5rapC291Bp8O8DuHM8iGJU-b4P2dekNbMO1j2_DmhienmWaQTDsToZ_PVsfBp9nD52jvKUZQeyOBqAF7Rf0hCykka46hDJz6dJjDRb69XhX_Ymg7QpW58U3E/s640/hot+air+balloon+mandala+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/572544845/mandala-wall-art-hot-air-balloon-print?ref=listing-shop-header-0" target="_blank">Hot Air Balloon Mandala - Day 8</a></div>
Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-76765543991314764742017-11-06T17:44:00.000-08:002017-11-06T17:44:00.149-08:00#30mandalas : A New Project. All artists have creative ruts. Some have specific reasons, some have possible reasons, and some unfortunately present themselves with no reason at all.<br />
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For the past year almost, I have been experiencing one of the largest creative ruts ever. I create things here and there, but am feeling utterly uninspired. This one has all the types of reasons mentioned above, which I will get into in a later post I am sure, once I sort out all of my thoughts.<br />
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But, I feel like I have just been letting it happen. I've been busy. I've been tired. I've been absolutely broke.<br />
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I've been making excuses.<br />
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Art is my passion, yet I cannot find 30 minutes to even doodle something on a piece of cardboard I have hanging around? I cannot make a collage using the hundreds of books and magazines sitting on the shelves right here in my studio? Oftentimes, artists emerge from creative ruts naturally. They let them run their course, then move on. Mine has been out of control, so I am taking action with a challenge.<br />
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My challenge is The 30 Mandalas Project, or #30mandalas for those following on social media. I got the idea from an amazing artist named Lauren Bergold, who I met through Instagram (@llaurenb - check her out!). She is a fellow mixed media artist who loves collage and doodles and mandalas and color. She also creates almost every single day. There were days that I would look at her work and wonder how she has time to create so many beautiful things. I slowly realized that it's more about <i>making time, </i>not having time.<br />
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One day, she posted a mixed media collage mandala that she created, inspired by my style. It looks like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcUs0IPHq-WdCOfs96ISwOd9HXctRnQm-0gzoKqM406ZQwPsH-BBSGoyBDz5kU1RsKvyLr_GlZEIch-on6t0UC9c0oVcOe7-YomHPAdTP_yppPNBx88AseK3AVRWMzHveN9PJ-jkjPjs/s1600/llaurenb+instagram+lauren+bergold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1005" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcUs0IPHq-WdCOfs96ISwOd9HXctRnQm-0gzoKqM406ZQwPsH-BBSGoyBDz5kU1RsKvyLr_GlZEIch-on6t0UC9c0oVcOe7-YomHPAdTP_yppPNBx88AseK3AVRWMzHveN9PJ-jkjPjs/s640/llaurenb+instagram+lauren+bergold.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was in LOVE. Inspired by <i>me?! </i>I hadn't created much at all and felt so un-inspirational. I couldn't get the image out of my head. I began to buzz with ideas, inspired by her (inspired by me.... isn't this called a Mobius Strip or something??) and all of a sudden realized, "Holy crap, I am <i>inspired.</i>"<br />
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I began jotting down the ideas of mixed media mandalas I wanted to create, itching to bring the first one to life. And that is how #30mandalas was born. I am working on creating 30 pieces, all mixed media, on 12" x 12" watercolor paper. I am inspired. I am creating. I am so overjoyed to have overcome this insane rut, and am so thankful to Lauren (she also has a blog - <a href="http://llaurenb.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">find her here!!</a>) to have sparked the fire that I have been missing so much.<br />
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Here are the first five creations from The 30 Mandalas Project:<br />
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/moon-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYapxt2UKPzG8M7b9azoL5nei8Ulk3uuaAVejTl4cJeHP6_1Bhy-NDrjBE61U4enjryFOFKwQwbnzbTte5ytuFWrTO5bpm4lHckSvzmFQis0-5Z5GkbyT_0E1cc50W6Cv5H8RXtr3IsQ/s640/moon+mandala+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/moon-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank">Day 1 - Moon Mandala</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/sun-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAQ8E6xkhCoivN56z8fUALs-RUOETIgMlZQ00ti7iQfNz1k_xalmOtDfjFXuWPrXk6wHOVz2qFPLlmAPIz3ziGU0Sx0wONBPveGA1ReBX-VZkmsYFSyqdEjctkciv1AizJnYE2LaD2gY/s640/sun+mandala+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/sun-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank">Day 2 - Sun Mandala</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/galaxy-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNACDyHAoGf42Su1k4ClKXqN5LlTrS8BfCgmRl-Uo1fJR4ba9_0FTY5xWbCJKwKPqgEZAr33FJMiWILqamSYZKOlavU5hsYfLyZKDSuhLdctU3xwjKLnr7lmEeMhFsCHq2Z1rWB5lVqCE/s640/galaxy+mandala+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/galaxy-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank">Day 3 - Galaxy Mandala</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/earth-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XR8dT742ryWVPbZKY9ZLPslltnf-5j267nk-BirVbhmLPXMaTh7ZgUmSgjfNTHkUr4zboqhbVbKnILA1lRm7Vr0iJOyFpkKf5XBR7rm5mxrjMLW2l0sA1vhe7XL8qDT_8cRLJATPmKI/s640/earth+mandala+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/earth-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank">Day 4 - Earth Mandala</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/flower-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EhGAewhUlAt8nNVv_G8jrtFMnu_-OYZoa0HcX9hobo4XV-OtT2bW4jCn6j8X8BaD956h0opCKbygtr33MKZqdCFX-1-arqC0K2WIrvkeje3Op_g-fLJ5b2TRVCG42MBdpRAUh5yxzu0/s640/flower+mandala+wall+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.jenndalyn.com/product/flower-mandala-fine-art-print" target="_blank">Day 5 - Flower Mandala</a></div>
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I am posting all of these, along with process shots and videos, on Instagram! I'm @jenndalyn :) </div>
Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-40898043942363380102017-09-02T07:48:00.003-07:002017-12-22T11:04:30.896-08:00It's Happening Again - I Am A Teacher for Wanderlust 2018!<br />
You guys - I have some really exciting news. I have been invited to teach for <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=300017&c=ib&aff=300504%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" target="_blank">Wanderlust 2018</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=300017&c=ib&aff=300504%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1600" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4SBEKKYd3ahhNI3ds2kFmY6gG9kiUYBNp2ggOQ-7DXNtDYmp5TnrEghJoiz-QIA2aECHnSPUcYsy9kq2werh4o_N_KPmGXJndkCIskUPHOavg3avTOrxLHNjGYzzcfJUEgU7KY0ZQgA/s640/Jennifer+Lee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What is Wanderlust 2018?<br />
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<a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=300017&c=ib&aff=300504%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1T6xci3CeT0-S_qHxhwYUIBCwbVL8OrmQJ1GLOupjmXKNS9zOquMC1UdSiAtzXQQ7K74GVdFv0o9-D2yqa1bmGTiQPct3xVZK0XzvEwu1Y1asgLMOIFnOXpBhk8LTNkzu0i35d-dORc/s320/W18+-+Teacher.png" width="160" /></a></div>
It is a year-long online course (I taught in Wanderlust 2016 and can attest to the fact that it is amazing) with classes every week through videos. Your teachers are an amazing team of artists, including Kasia and Jamie, the amazing husband and wife duo who founded Everything Art, the company behind this incredible experience.<br />
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Each week you will be transported from your workspace into a creative journey exploring various materials, techniques, exercises, tutorials, tips, tricks, and projects. In addition to the courses, you will have <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">access to a forum with an amazing and friendly community, </span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></wbr><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">inspirations, challenges, discussions, galleries, workshops, and giveaways. You can do all of this from your living room, from your phone, from a tablet in the middle of the forest, from your laptop on the beach. I know that in my own video, I will be encouraging you to take your art supplies and <i>go play outside. </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Each artist puts together their own unique video and we all have different styles and techniques, so each week will be completely different. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "nobile";">26 teachers means you will get a deep look into the styles of 26 individuals, find out what inspires us, secret tips and techniques, our favorite go-to materials. Those art journal pages you have saved on Pinterest? You will be able to create your own. We promise to light a fire within you when you take this journey with us.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Check out this group of powerhouse creatives that will be guiding these creative journeys:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcacW_LJkRFBGdn_lK_JXTn12fPXc9_IVYefOmoLkBsoGpxJi0dzPMNsOvCFeZVI0NMzmgUuFk1LpVDvmpouyzsntO-_bDES0q31njCWdFcosBbR3LsimyPQhVQ9a6buTsXqBNRmFe5ZY/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcacW_LJkRFBGdn_lK_JXTn12fPXc9_IVYefOmoLkBsoGpxJi0dzPMNsOvCFeZVI0NMzmgUuFk1LpVDvmpouyzsntO-_bDES0q31njCWdFcosBbR3LsimyPQhVQ9a6buTsXqBNRmFe5ZY/s640/a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Teachers pictured (in order from top left to right, then down): Michelle Turbide, ME, Susie LaFond, Carolyn Dube, Belinda Fireman, <span style="background-color: white;">Marlene Meijer-van Niekerk, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Cat Kerr, Galia Alena, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Cait Sherwood, Danny Phillips, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Tracy Verdugo, Chrissy Foreman Cranitch, Jodi Ohl, Stephanie Lee, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Tori Weyers, Consie Sindet, Jeanne Oliver, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Eliza Trojanowska, Kaz Hall, Wyanne, Ivy Newport, </span><span style="background-color: white;">April Miller McMurtry, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Nathalie Kalbach, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Mary Beth Shaw, Jamie Avery, and Kasia Avery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I know that on social media I get a lot of questions about my art journals: how I create the pages, what type of book I use, what type of paper, etc. In my class, I will be covering <i>all </i>of that, and showing you how you can intuitively create pages of your own. I'm just so excited about it, because you know, I could talk about art until the sun burns out. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So how do you register? Firstly, if you sign up before actual 2018 arrives, you get the early bird price of $102.00 (approximately - Kasia and Jamie live in Great Britain so the actual price is </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: content-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">£79)</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">, which makes each class only about $2. $2 a week to transport yourself on a completely different creative journey. Interested? Secure your spot <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=300017&c=ib&aff=300504%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" target="_blank">HERE</a>. After December 31, the price is approximately $128.00, and even if you sign up later, you will still have access to the earlier classes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=300017&c=ib&aff=300504%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" target="_blank">Everything Art</a> also has a really creative and inspirational <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EverythingArtLtd/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> if you would like to jump on there and see what people are saying about this class - there is quite a buzz about it!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And if you signed up, I look forward to seeing you - my class is in January :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-23010197739237755812017-08-27T13:08:00.000-07:002017-08-27T13:08:19.790-07:00An Eclipse AdventureMonday, August 21, 2017: One of my favorite days in recent history.<br />
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I remember the last time I witnessed a solar eclipse. It was 1994. I was in the 5th grade. It was an annular eclipse, where the moon turned the sun into a glowing ring. We were outside for it, and the thing I remember most was the odd quality of the light. Even then, while the thing that most of the other kids were excited about was more outside time and less class time, I was amazed by experience.<br />
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I spent all of last weekend preparing for my eclipse adventure, packing a backpack full of necessities: a sketchbook, my glue book, magazines for collage-ing, a towel to sit on, water, snacks, bug spray, mace. Mace just in case the eclipse made people act weird in the middle of the woods. You never know. I was buzzing with anticipation and energy. Come Monday morning, I was up early and out the door.<br />
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The place I chose to watch day turn into evening (I live in Ohio and we were not in the path of totality - the sun would be about 87% eclipsed) was Conkle's Hollow in the Hocking Hills region. There is a somewhat intense hike up the Rim Trail, and I thought picking a spot high above the valley on a cliff sounded just about perfect.<br />
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Across the bridge and over a cute little creek:<br />
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After going up a big set of wooden steps, you continue climbing up a fairly steep incline. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day, and the shade of the trees was welcome.<br />
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Little patches of sunlight peeked through the leaves and it was just absolutely beautiful. I wasn't sure where along the trail I was going to stop. Not knowing exactly how dark it was going to get, I was a tiny bit nervous being all alone in such a remote place. When I pulled into the parking lot, it was a relief to see a dozen or so cars. I figured once I saw the right spot, I would know. Shortly after reaching the top of the rim, I saw this, and knew:<br />
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The trail opened up immediately at the top, and just to the right around that corner is where I set up my little area.</div>
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Isn't it cute? Everything I need, right there! Here is a panoramic view of what I was looking out at:<br />
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It was just beautiful. I could hear a couple of girls a few hundred feet or so further into the trail who were set up to take photos, which made me feel safe. Alone but not in a scary way. It was awesome. The sun was positioned between a couple of trees like this:<br />
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And I was just in love with this little tree in front of me to my left:<br />
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Once I had taken in all of the sights and got situated, I started working in my sketchbook and gluebook. The night before, I had cut out several images of the sun to use, and also brought a couple of National Geographics that had articles about the sun in them. It was about an hour until the eclipse was starting, and I could not have been happier in that moment if I tried.<br />
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Describing what it felt like, sitting there, is hard. There was an energy in the air, the ground, the trees, everywhere. You could feel it in your fingertips. It's like nature knew that something amazing was about to happen. As I was sitting there working, I felt what I can only describe as a shift. So I put on my eclipse glasses (Thank you, Dad. You are awesome.), and there was a little black arc taking a bite out of the sun. It had started.<br />
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A minute or so later, I heard the girls down the trail (I could only hear them from time to time, when one of them got loud) yell, "Oh my God, it started!" It made me smile. They were geeking out at my level. I continued working, inspired by the energy in the air, my hands not moving as fast as my brain wanted them to. </div>
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I had brought lots of sparkly art things and plenty of glitter, inspired by one of my Instagram friends. Thank you, Lauren, if you happen to read this!<br />
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It took a while for the light to really start to change. The wind completely stopped. Slowly, everything became utterly still and quiet, and the only thing I could hear were the crickets. The trees took on this flat quality and the sky turned a beautiful shade of blue gray. Every time I put on my glasses, more and more of the sun had disappeared. A few people had joined me at my spot: a couple with two children, an older couple of men, a young couple. I was quiet for the most part, and the entire group went through long periods of silence broken up by times of exchanging our amazement. We talked about other eclipse experiences. The older couple remembered one from the 60s, the young couple wasn't alive for the 1994 eclipse. The youngest of the two children was struggling to understand what exactly was going on. The crickets sang and sang.<br />
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Now I do not have the right camera or lenses to photograph the sun at any time, let alone during an eclipse. I also didn't want to get caught up in taking photos instead of being in the moment, so I only took a few with my camera and a couple with my phone.<br />
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That was taken with my phone. It captured the color of the sky better than my actual camera, and I am still dying over the reflection of the little eclipsed sun.<br />
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This was at about the darkest point. The sun was perfectly positioned between the trees. My work area looked really cool in the light:<br />
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I had started recording everything I was noticing and feeling, and what time it was happening at. I never wanted to forget how it felt to be in that moment. It was magic.<br />
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As the sunlight started increasing, all of the people wandered away and I found myself alone again. The chirping of birds began. The air started to warm. All in all I spent three hours in that amazing little spot. The entire experience was more than I ever expected and I'm smiling right now thinking about how it felt.<br />
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Eventually, I packed up all of my things and had to decide where to go. The rim trail is about a two mile loop and it was in the high 80s with few clouds that day. There is also a gorge trail that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings with a waterfall at the end and is shaded and very cool, so I decided to say good bye to my three hour heaven, hike down, and head to the gorge.<br />
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I definitely plan on going back here and hiking the entire rim trail in the fall. Looking out onto the valley while the trees are changing seems like it would be pretty badass.<br />
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Here are some favorite shots from the gorge trail:<br />
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The last photo is when I turned around and started walking back. I didn't make it to the waterfall, because I could hear a group of guys screaming and yelling (because of the echo in the gorge I could hear their obnoxiousness from pretty far away) and fake opera singing about walking with God. I wasn't really looking to walk with God at that moment; I just wanted a quiet walk in nature, so that was my cue to head back.</div>
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I felt this weird sadness that I was all over. If I could do that day over again, I would a hundred times. Inspiration has been fickle for me lately, but on that day, it was thunderous. There is another solar eclipse in 2024, and I am absolutely going to be someplace in the path of totality, lost in the woods, making art. </div>
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Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-1471943476885581122016-05-27T21:14:00.003-07:002016-05-27T21:20:35.302-07:00Summer Bucket ListWell, as of yesterday evening, with an incredible amount of help from my mom, my flowers are in the ground. Now it really feels like summer is almost here.<br />
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My flowers went from the Garden Center...<br />
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To the back of my mom's car...<br />
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To their forever (well... until it gets cold) home, outside of my little apartment :)<br />
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Time passes very weirdly in the summer. After Memorial Day weekend, even though it isn't technically summer, it absolutely feels like it. It's June. It's hot. Life seems to slow down, as the sun shines during the day and doesn't set until late into the evening. There's just something about those summer months that feel different and more carefree.<br />
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But, despite the seemingly slow and leisurely passing of the days, September always arrives in the blink of an eye. We wonder "Where did summer go??" and cannot believe it as the leaves start to change. I had this feeling last summer in particular, where it felt like the season completely slipped away. It rained almost every single day in June, which kind of set the stage for that feeling. While my flowers looked amazeballs, time spent outside was practically zero.<br />
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SO, in order to avoid that this summer, I am making a vow to live more slowly, enjoy the moments and the sunshine and the outside. And I am making a summer bucket list. Maybe you can make one too, or use this one!<br />
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Summer 2016 Bucket List:<br />
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1) Swim in a waterfall.<br />
2) Have a picnic lunch in the park.<br />
3) Hike someplace new.<br />
4) See fireworks.<br />
5) Relax at the pool at least once every week.<br />
6) Go to a new festival (most likely the Food Truck Fest because YES).<br />
7) Take a walk at night, find somewhere nice to sit, and look at the stars.<br />
8) Take a spontaneous overnight trip somewhere.<br />
9) Sit outside and paint rocks for my garden.<br />
10) Find a four leaf clover.<br />
11) Find a four leaf clover and give it to someone who could use some good luck.<br />
12) Make a new terrarium.<br />
13) Ride in some kind of boat somewhere, anywhere.<br />
14) Take a photo of a hummingbird.<br />
15) Touch a butterfly.<br />
16) Go to an outdoor concert.<br />
17) Watch the sun rise in a beautiful place.<br />
18) Play in the rain.<br />
19) Climb a tree or ten.<br />
20) Swing on a swingset.<br />
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I could go on and on and on... But just thinking of those things right now makes me smile. This is the best part of summer. The pre-summer. The time when it is all still stretched out in front of us, full of possibilities, full of days that we can fill with memories :)Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-18421360546609505712016-05-22T17:41:00.003-07:002016-05-22T17:58:32.781-07:00Art Journal Pages As of Lately Well since I haven't blogged in about 7000 years up until the past week or so, I realized that there are many pages in my art journal that haven't been shared on here. I get lots of questions about my process when it comes to creating these pages, and people seem surprised to hear that I rarely work with a plan. It's a very therapeutic thing, kind of like my mind spilling out on paper. I glue, I doodle, I add in words and quotes and phrases that are in my head at the time. While creating away, I often work through issues, come to realizations, obtain clarity on things, and just let out my emotions in general. Pretty much my art journal is the only shrink I will ever need.<br />
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Hope everyone has had a beautiful weekend and has done something that makes you feel wonderful :)Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-65743042873252634942016-05-16T19:14:00.001-07:002016-05-18T10:14:41.133-07:00Sailing the Ocean Blue Part IIDay 8 of being home. Still halfway in denial. Finally answered (I think... I hope) all emails and issues that arose when I was away. One of my misconceptions before I started going on cruises was that all ships must have free wifi. Good lord was I mistaken.<br />
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People do go on cruises to unplug and I get that, I just can't really do it. My Etsy shop always stays open, and despite the fact that I put up messages and notifications and things in big red letters everywhere saying that I will be out of the country and shipping and communications will be delayed, it never fails that I get a person or three that sends me a passive aggressive email that says something along the lines of, "Would you mind telling me why my order hasn't shipped yet?" Unfortunately sometimes these messages are not seen until days after they are sent, further aggravating the situation. This year we did Carnival's "Social Media" package, so I was able to have access to Facebook and Facebook messenger (Instagram too) and keep in touch with people back at home. I also could see when I received a notification from Etsy, whether it be an order or a message, I just couldn't open it. No access to email unless you score some free wifi in a port (you can purchase internet packages with email, but they are more expensive).<br />
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It's one of the things I've learned about running my own little internet-based business. You never really disconnect with it, even when you are sitting on a beach in Aruba. It's always on my mind. In the beginning, I was honestly <i>paranoid</i> about mistakes, making people angry, bad reviews, mean emails. While they still do get to me, it is much easier now to let them roll off my back. I am human and do my best.<br />
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It is good to be back in my studio, as I have a laundry list of things to do and ideas to create, of quotes to use and magical things to bring to life. But, my heart is still in the Caribbean. It's on a giant ship full of happy people. It's eating breakfast tacos in the sun while drinking my third cup of coffee. It's floating in warm, turquoise salt water.<br />
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Anyway, I digress. Next stop was Willemstad, Curaçao. I love approaching this island in the Netherlands Antilles, because the views are just amazing and you have plenty of time to take them in while you sail around the island to get to its capital city.<br />
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The trade winds blow strong in this part of the world and standing up on deck 10 of a ship and looking over the side makes for an exhilarating experience - I just stand there and giggle while my hair goes absolutely wild and I try not to drop my camera in the water.<br />
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Last year when we visited Willemstad, we took an excursion to the beach which lasted all day, ate on the ship, and by the time we went to explore the city, it was late and everything was closed. This year, we decided to go exploring on our own as soon as the ship was cleared.<br />
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The city is bright, colorful, and you can see the Dutch influence in much of the architecture. The port itself is also very active, which I loved, because I am fascinated by ships. We got to see a couple of huge container ships nudged out by tugs, and it was awesome.<br />
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It was a very hot day, but the breeze made it bearable. At one point I had the best watermelon milkshake of my life from a little food truck thing by the floating bridge. We took our time wandering the streets, shopped, found an open-air market, and just enjoyed the experience of being in a foreign country.<br />
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We ended up wandering around for a few hours, got lots of sun, my hair somehow got even bigger and more out of control, I bought some ceramic kitties from the Delft store (because when you are a cat lady you always have to buy ceramic kitties - especially Dutch ceramic kitties), chased the pigeons, utilized Willemstad's free wifi to access my email and appease angry customers... it was a great day.<br />
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Another reason I love this port is because we don't leave until 11pm, so this year we opted for drinks and a pizza dinner in the Rife Fort area. I love seeing the crew members out at this time having fun and being able to get off the ship for a while. While I regret nothing in life (aside from a shady phone company my college roommate and I decided to try when we were 19), I secretly wish I had taken a couple of years after graduating from OSU to work on a ship rather than bartend in Ohio.<br />
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Because the only place I would ever drink a Blue Curaçao martini is in Curaçao. Followed by wine. Then a couple more vodka martinis. I treasure the moment that my mom (who is not a big drinker at all) picked up my vodka martini to give it a taste. Not too sure what she expected, but her face clearly said "DEAR GOD."<br />
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The views of the ship and of the city at night are spectacular. Please excuse my sub-par nighttime photography. It's something I am still trying for the life of me to figure out.<br />
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So that was Curaçao. The view of the city at night as you are pulling away is beautiful and peaceful. After a day of walking and baking in the sun, then a night of imbibing in various adult beverages, I slept hardcore. Sleeping on a cruise ship, when it is rocking gently but noticeably, is one of the most amazing things. There is no sleep like the sleep you get on a cruise. Your inner infant probably dances for joy then promptly passes out as your body remembers the comfort of that rocking motion.<br />
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Our last port was Oranjestad, Aruba, which I fell in love with last year. In Aruba it rains rarely. The water is a color that even Crayola would have a hard time naming. All beaches are public, meaning you can even walk up to the Hyatt and access their beach for free. They are out of the hurricane belt. The people are joyful, friendly, and charismatic. Many speak a multitude of languages and transition between them with ease. It was a place that I just felt connected to the moment we set foot there. I joke about moving there often, but it's only halfway a joke. (Don't worry, mom. I am way too broke for that right now.)<br />
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Oranjestad is just as colorful as Willemstad, if not more.<br />
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We had an excursion booked for Aruba, to take a catamaran to a shallow reef to snorkel, then go to the 400 foot long wreck of the Antilla, a German ship that sank in 1940 when Germany invaded Holland (and the Netherlands Antilles) during WWII. Then we would get back on the catamaran, where an open bar would be ready to provide us with all of the rum punch we wanted. Then a BBQ lunch at Pelican Pier, a restaurant that sits over the water, then an hour of relaxing on the beach. If I could do this day over and over again, I would in a heartbeat.<br />
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First snorkeling stop was a reef filled with fish. I won't even attempt to recall their names, but my favorite ones had black and yellow stripes. I made friends with one of the guides who found a starfish and another little fish for me to touch and hold, and at one point I realized he and I were swimming through a school of hundreds of fish!!<br />
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My underwater camera (a GoPro knockoff) is not the best, but it was only $42.00 on Amazon. If you are looking for a cheap alternative, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/CCbetter-Sports-Action-CS710-Waterproof/dp/B013HL0LHA?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00" target="_blank">this is the one I got</a>.<br />
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This was my mom's first time snorkeling and she jumped right off the side of the boat and everything. After a few minutes of looking down into the water, floating effortlessly hearing nothing but your own breathing... it's like being transported into another world.<br />
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Next up was the Antilla ship wreck. There really aren't words to describe what it felt like to see this. The ship is massive. It's laying on its port side, and when you get up to the bow which sits higher up in the water, you can come within just a few feet of touching it. It's absolutely eerie and covered with coral.<br />
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After that mind-blowing experience, we all got back on the catamaran and the boys cranked up the music and started pouring drinks like there was no tomorrow. We laughed, partied, enjoyed the spectacular views, basked in the sunshine and the wind, and, well, drank. At one point, "Turn Down For What" came on and all I could do was smile and ask myself, "Is this real life?"</div>
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Lunch at the Pelican's Nest at Pelican Pier was served as soon as we set foot in the place: a giant plate of BBQ and summery things, along with more rum punch of course, delivered by the wonderful crew of the catamaran.<br />
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Yes yes, I was a big fan of the boys and their accents and their constant smiles and their multi-lingual abilities. The sun was hot, and we hit the water right after lunch.<br />
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Aruba's beaches are gorgeous mix of sugary sand and crystal-clear warm water. My mom and I met an older couple (mom - how long were they married?? 50+ years??) from Boston when we were in the water who we chatted and laughed with for quite a while. They were staying at a friend's timeshare right on the beach and offered to smuggle us in because we didn't want to leave.<br />
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Water sports are huge there and you are constantly seeing people windsurfing, kitesurfing, parasailing, tubing, boating, snorkeling, you name it. The entire atmosphere and vibe is just <i>different. </i>Yes, the beaches are always teeming with tourists who of course are content, but you mix that with the joyful vibe of the locals who call this paradise home and you really see why they call Aruba "One Happy Island."<br />
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The last port day is always kinda depressing, but we love this itinerary because there are two sea days at the end, so it's not so bad. After saying good bye to Aruba, we still had lots of time to relax, enjoy the ship, overeat, watch men in their 20's choreograph an amateur synchronized swimming routine in the Lido pool, try every drink on the menu, try not to faint when the captain made announcements in his dreamy Italian accent, and get MEGATAN. There's nothing like sea days.<br />
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Then came the dreaded debarkation day. Stepping out the door, hearing your ship card "ping" for the last time, then walking back through the gangway into the even-more-dreaded customs building is not a good feeling. Waiting for your shuttle and having to see shuttles of lucky, excited people who are just arriving for their cruise and about to have the magical just-walked-onto-the-ship feeling is just mean. Taking one last look at the ship as you ride to the airport... very sad times.<br />
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We had a super long time at the airport before our flight. Good thing, because getting through security at FLL was a nightmare due to a TSA agent literally taking ten minutes to thoroughly search a woman of about 70 who was in front of me in line, much to the astonishment of dozens of gaping-mouthed people. This included lifting up the woman's shirt multiple times and the agent putting her hands <i>inside </i>of the woman's waistband. She kept looking at me with this helpless look, and I who had also been asked to step aside and wait for my own search (imagine my delight) could only mutter how ridiculous it was getting. The same agent then loudly announced to me, "I need to pat down your breast area - would you like a private room?" Cool. Bring it, girlfriend. Airports nowadays are a joy.<br />
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An actual good thing about the super long wait - there was an airshow going on over Fort Lauderdale Beach that we could see. Although I am afraid of flying, I am fascinated by planes. Everything about them. The planes flying were the Thunderbirds. They were loud and fast and amazing. And they gave me one more reason to be jealous of the people on the ship, because they had an up-close view of everything while they waited to sail away.<br />
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And then that was that. We were on a plane headed back home. I'm always very grumpy in the couple of weeks following a cruise. At night I have dreams about being back on the ship then wake up with a "dammit." But the truth of it is this feeling makes me want to work harder, so maybe this time it won't be as long between the just-stepped-onto-the-ship moments.<br />
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People who do not have a desire to travel are a conundrum to me. I've always wanted to see places, but I remember it was one evening when I was studying abroad in China (my first time in a foreign country - go big or go home right?) that the intense feeling of <i>needing </i>to see the world overcame me. Our class was at the top of China's then-tallest building (I think - this was in 2005), watching the sun set over Shanghai.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkRGqW9lpTwMkyqKkde_GyopBT1vqYzZnOvU1yejpGx8GROyz6Di4QsUkJlVwikkJ-Ua0mOGf-Hp8-CYRJnims88NT-oIYr-ah1ii8eFaR6BdkaKEfnxaMr-CeVn91O7Rp07KQ_C7NKo/s1600/DSC01568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="jin mao tower" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkRGqW9lpTwMkyqKkde_GyopBT1vqYzZnOvU1yejpGx8GROyz6Di4QsUkJlVwikkJ-Ua0mOGf-Hp8-CYRJnims88NT-oIYr-ah1ii8eFaR6BdkaKEfnxaMr-CeVn91O7Rp07KQ_C7NKo/s640/DSC01568.JPG" title="shanghai china sunset" width="480" /></a></div>
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This feeling is tricky to put into words. But looking out over this city of <i>millions </i>of people, the world felt both huge and small at the same time. There are places and things that exist in the world, but sometimes it's like they only exist in story books. There are people living in different countries speaking different languages and carrying on such deeply different cultures. And today, we have the ability to see them, visit them, experience them. We have ships and planes that can safely take us to these places in a matter of hours. In that moment I felt oddly connected to every person in the world, and was set ablaze with a burning desire to see as many places as I can while I am on this earth.<br />
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Hence a large amount of my artwork is inspired by travel. There's a whole big world out there that is small enough for us to explore. So many people think it's impossible. It's too expensive. But <i>I promise you</i>, if I can make it work as a ramen-noodle-devouring broke artist, you can too. Save change in a jar. Do the thing where you put every $5 bill you get aside. Where there's a will, there's a way. Go on an adventure :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/289351065/travel-poster-wanderlust-print-mixed?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank"><img alt="mixed media collage art" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWZekWBPIJx1xsNI4OgMc5EYvUPRw_MCTGo_dkoHXaMwAunsgwq6SfN3GsXqcQ0gjKgk_KZ7a9G3N8Ttf87a6yd1wjR9m1Uo81NXDWhdm54QAF7EwTzPZzfyVC_6k6byqguIOesOSUoQ/s640/By+Land%252C+Sea%252C+and+Air+for+etsy.jpg" title="travel artwork wanderlust" width="512" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/289351065/travel-poster-wanderlust-print-mixed?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">"By Land, Sea, or Air"</a></td></tr>
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<br />Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-21711799265567431932016-05-16T13:13:00.000-07:002016-05-18T10:14:27.374-07:00Sailing the Ocean Blue Part IWell, it certainly has been a while. I feel like every time I sit down to write a blog post, I get sucked in by something else and "I'll do it tomorrow" turns into "I'll do it in three months." In any case, WOW. Lots has been going on. Winter is long-gone, summer is fast-approaching, and sunny days full of adventures are on the horizon. Never mind that it was below freezing this morning. Thanks, Ohio.<br />
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So these next few posts are going to be long and filled with an excessive amount of photos, so if you make it to the end, I applaud you.<br />
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I just got back from my second of two cruises this year, and have so much to share! Many of you who follow my Facebook page know that I'm a fairly recent cruise addict, going on my third and fourth cruises here in 2016. There is something just surreal about walking on board a massive floating city, being greeted with music and lights and smiles and trays of drinks with little umbrellas in them. I've cruised with Carnival on all four, and the party pretty much never stops.<br />
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Three out of the four cruises I've been on have been on this beauty, the Carnival Conquest. She was the first ship I ever sailed on and definitely has a very special place in my heart. I can still remember walking through the doorway of the lobby atrium for the first time and being in awe that this thing could float. Getting back on this ship kind of feels like going home. </div>
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My mom and I hopped aboard on April 30, for our third cruise together on the Conquest. We picked an 8-night Southern Caribbean itinerary that we did last year, because we liked the ports so much. First up after a day at sea was Grand Turk, then the Dominican Republic (La Romana), then <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Curaçao </span></span>(Willemstad), and lastly my favorite place: Aruba (Oranjestad). After that, two days at sea until we got back to Fort Lauderdale. </div>
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The first sea day always has a special feel. The whole week is stretching out in front of you, filled with possibilities and memories to make. We have coffee and juice delivered by room service every morning, and that acts as our alarm clock. I always can't wait to get up to the Lido deck and score a chair by the edge of the ship, because looking out over the edge at an endless stretch of ocean is just magical. </div>
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My mom and I are both total sun worshippers (I know, I know. We wear lots of sunscreen. We just have dark skin. My mom to the point that <i>several </i>strangers felt the need to make comments, and both of us had our nationality questioned on more than one occasion) so we spend all day relaxing, enjoying fruity drinks, and people watching. We get to know the bar servers at the pool quite well. Shout out to Pebrianto - you are the MAN and never let my margarita glasses run dry. </div>
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Nights on the ship are always wonderful. Three course dinners every night, losing all of our money in the casino (it was definitely not kind to us this year!), listening to the band in the lobby, going to theater shows, going to comedy shows, going out onto the open decks to look at the stars. Oh and getting photos taken!</div>
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So first stop was Grand Turk. We love this port because you just walk off the ship and the beach is right there. And the beach has places that serve tasty adult beverages that are totally acceptable to drink at 10am.</div>
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The water in Grand Turk is gorgeous, and it's really cool to be able to swim so close to the ship. What I didn't know that I learned this year was that if you swim out deep enough, you can see all sorts of fish. Or an eel, as the adorable couple next to us said, much to the dismay of my mother. Apparently there are also barracudas, because some guy got a bite taken out of his toe. Some ladies told us that if you see a barracuda, it's important to move around a lot, because it will scare them away. If you stay still, they will have a snack on your toes. </div>
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Sailing away from Grand Turk is always beautiful and the gradation of the water is something you almost have to see to believe. </div>
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Next stop was La Romana, Dominican Republic. Both times we have visited this port we have taken a Carnival excursion to a private island called Isla Catalina. You take a 30 minute tender ride there and are pretty much dropped off in paradise. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt3JBncbWda7oTGPov4f5cGOl7388gjk0uC1TfZxr1v-lmbNr1KCJXWIRNgO_JJK6wC4PvjM6n69DDPNAxmuQi5pJssg2CnlDfVQ6gOUwCPePWgmQ2BQ7C6hXFr4hbathrn0-QCZ49VU/s1600/DSC_0107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="republica dominicana" border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt3JBncbWda7oTGPov4f5cGOl7388gjk0uC1TfZxr1v-lmbNr1KCJXWIRNgO_JJK6wC4PvjM6n69DDPNAxmuQi5pJssg2CnlDfVQ6gOUwCPePWgmQ2BQ7C6hXFr4hbathrn0-QCZ49VU/s640/DSC_0107.jpg" title="isla catalina" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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The local people greet you with rum punch, help you get chairs, my mom and I got brave and ate hot dogs and didn't die. The weather was funny that day - the forecast called for rain, and there were definitely dark clouds all around the island. However, the sun stayed out over the island pretty much the entire time, like it was shining just for us. </div>
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We love the water here, because not only is it warm, it always has the most perfect rolling waves that can totally take you out when you're entering the water if you are unsteady on your feet. We love to let them roll over us and were in the water more than we were out of it.</div>
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We had the best day here. Met a bunch of really cool ladies who gave us lots of laughs. It still amazes me the vibe that most people have while on a cruise together. Strangers become friends within minutes (trust me, from some of the things these ladies were sharing with us, you would think we had known each other for years). You are really get attached to some people on the ship, and it's the weirdest thing to know that in just a few days you will all go back to different homes all over the country and world, and will most likely never cross paths again. </div>
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We wandered around the shops once we got back to the port, but it was insanely hot so we went up and parked in our usual spots on Lido deck so we could enjoy the breeze and watch us sail away.</div>
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Well that is probably enough for now. I will continue about <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.12px;">Curaçao </span>and Aruba in a second post, because I have soooo many photos and also a couple videos that I need to see if I am able to post. We did a snorkeling excursion in Aruba where we swam with the fishes over a shipwreck, and I would love to be able to share a video or two!<br />
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Sitting here I kinda can't believe that it's all over and that I'm at home. I'm in a sweatshirt and sweatpants because it's so cold, but I <i>refuse </i>to turn my heat on in May. No. No no no. Vacations go by so fast. No more coffee delivery, no more breakfast tacos, no more islands and beaches and sun. Despite the obvious, uh, monetary setbacks that have come along with being a self-employed artist, one of the things I am most grateful for is the ability to travel more. I don't want things. I will live in this little apartment in Columbus and drive my 8-year-old Saturn into the ground. Shop at thrift stores, eat Ramen noodles. cut my own hair (okay I have only done that once), whatever it takes. Seeing the world is so much more important to me.<br />
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On that note, time to go fill some orders. If you made it this far, thank you for reading along! Part II to come soon! :)<br />
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READ PART II HERE: <a href="http://jenndalyn.blogspot.com/2016/05/sailing-ocean-blue-part-2.html">http://jenndalyn.blogspot.com/2016/05/sailing-ocean-blue-part-2.html</a>Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-82384692600056597392015-07-22T21:00:00.000-07:002015-07-22T21:04:16.936-07:00Tuesday Adventures: Escaping Drama and Haters. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We all need at least one thing to help us unwind, decompress, escape, de-stress... whatever you want to call it. Art, music, writing, singing, running, cleaning. It can be anything.<br />
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I have quite a few of these things. One is of course taking walks and exploring and wandering. <br />
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There's this quote that you probably have seen circulating the internet in different variations, but it says something like, "If you have haters, GOOD. It means you have stood up for someone at one point in your life." Remember that quote. And all of its variations. It's so important.<br />
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Why do people feel the need to be so mean sometimes? Why can't people just let things be? Why in the world would you go out of your way to say something hurtful to another human being, just for the sake of making yourself feel better? (I can only assume this is why someone would do something like this.) It doesn't matter if they are a friend or a complete stranger.<br />
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These past couple of weeks have been filled with more bullshit than I care for, for complete lack of a better term. I don't do bullshit. None of us should do bullshit, but it's sad that a lot of people seem to make it their life. People on the internet hate on people they've never met for no reason (which I knew I would encounter when I first started putting my art out there... but still). People hate on you for trying something different. People hate on you for <i>being </i>different.<br />
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This past Tuesday I was insanely busy, but I had to escape. I had to escape the bullshit and hate and life-in-general-crap. We all have moments like that, right? So it was a short Tuesday Adventures, but I organized my day around making sure it happened. Because you have to organize your days around things that help your being.<br />
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So I visited <a href="http://www.fpconservatory.org/" target="_blank">Franklin Park Conservatory</a> with the intention of just walking around and smelling the flowers and feeling the sun for a while. Because it was <i>sunny. </i>So. Weird.<br />
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Sometimes you just have to walk around and smell the flowers and feel the sun.<br />
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It was the most beautiful day. It really made me wonder how people can be so awful, when we all live in such an amazing place.<br />
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It was really one of the first <i>nice </i>days in a long time it seemed. The birds and bees and butterflies all seemed to be super active and ecstatic. I felt the same way :)<br />
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The ground was covered with little spots of sunshine, where the light was shining through the trees. It seemed oddly metaphorical, but I am far too tired to try to find words for that now.<br />
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When I got in my car, I felt like a different person. Find your happy places. Visit them often. Take a walk. Even if it's just around your block. Blast some music and sing along. Grab a notebook and write down the things you are thankful for. Or the things that make you happy. Visit an animal shelter or pet store where you can hold and interact with the animals. Lay in the grass and look up at the clouds. Don't hate. It doesn't cost anything to be kind. :)Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-8672759104302080242015-07-18T09:48:00.000-07:002015-07-18T09:48:07.095-07:00Art Journal Pages As of Lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I get a lot of questions about my art journal/sketchbook. Basically it comes down to this: I don't work with a plan, I map nothing out, I just cut and glue and paint and draw and make a mess. It's always interesting to me how pages turn out. Usually filled with flowers and stars, and often female faces. I guess I don't really know what it all means, but it comes from someplace deep within my mind.<br />
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One of the other questions I get it about what kind of sketchbook I use. I used to use a typical hardcover sketchbook, but since my pages are mixed media and consist of multiple layers, it got so thick that it burst from the spine. My current art journal is handmade by the amazing Helen from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/badbooks?ref=search_shop_redirect" target="_blank">BadBooks </a>on Etsy. I have one of her larger books; mine measures about 6" x 9." They aren't currently listed in her shop, but she does do custom orders. I also have one of her smaller journals. They are amazing, filled with different types of paper, different sizes, secret pockets, envelopes... I'll never get my sketchbooks anywhere else.<br />
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I want to do one of those sped up time lapse videos eventually, but don't quite know how all that works yet. Usually, the first layers consist of either maps or images of galaxies or graph paper. I love adding anything cut out from vintage books. Especially flowers and plants and planets. Faces from magazines. Words. Little doodles. </div>
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It's my favorite way to end the day. It's a very intuitive and therapeutic process, and often a couple of hours will go by before I even realize it. Everyone should have something like this to get lost in, whether it's art or music or writing or even taking a walk. Something to let your mind spill out and organize itself a bit. It's beyond necessary.Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-79961834827793572742015-07-16T17:52:00.001-07:002015-07-16T17:52:34.532-07:00Tuesday Adventures: Inniswood Metro Gardens. After A Monsoon. Sooo once again, broken record, this past Tuesday called for rain. I checked the weather a bit before I planned on leaving for <a href="http://www.inniswood.org/" target="_blank">Inniswood Metro Gardens </a> right outside of Columbus, and saw a giant line of thunderstorms headed for central Ohio. Naturally. At first I was annoyed. This thing was going to hit for sure. Then I got an idea.<br />
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After a 20 minute drive under ominous skies, I was there. Knowing my time was limited, I jumped out of the car and began snapping away, never venturing too far from the parking lot.<br />
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I watched in a little bit of awe, as the sky started to darken, as families arrived at the park and ventured in with their kids. Do these people not check the weather? Or look at the sky? Because it looked like this:<br />
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Aaaaaand anyone with a smart phone with a weather app would have seen a radar that looked similar to this:<br />
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Yet in they went, with their children in tow. And fairly quickly, out they came. Running, like they were in Pamplona. Children screaming. Because it had started to do this:</div>
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Come on, people. Check the weather before embarking on any outdoor adventure. As I sat cozily in my car blasting music while the wind shook us around a bit, my idea was happening. Everyone was leaving. The storm was moving through quick. It was torrential, but I knew it wouldn't last. There was a man in a red car in the spot two down from me, patiently waiting as well. He knew too. When it was over, the we would have the place to ourselves. It would be quiet and glistening with raindrops, with that after-a-huge-storm calm and magic in the air.<br />
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After 30 minutes or so, the rain started to let up.<br />
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We got out of our cars, looked around, and gave each other huge smiles, exchanged a few words, and went on our ways.<br />
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And it was worth the wait. It was like stepping into another world, where everything was energetic yet peaceful. And every surface glittered with leftover raindrops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5jbUrlh1ySIzYDS_4SPXBLn4rTo5YE6Do80StrI_6WNAX64mByEG6U2VIFQEp9nKqg7C8F4aXgdyb3YJJT-V1yVvxVkGSbCwSQrXCKfIaffdSa1LyBwvEy-aXQ1IeZ_YXwGu0s7llLM/s1600/07+raindrops+on+plants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5jbUrlh1ySIzYDS_4SPXBLn4rTo5YE6Do80StrI_6WNAX64mByEG6U2VIFQEp9nKqg7C8F4aXgdyb3YJJT-V1yVvxVkGSbCwSQrXCKfIaffdSa1LyBwvEy-aXQ1IeZ_YXwGu0s7llLM/s640/07+raindrops+on+plants.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Like little fairy worlds. It was so quiet.<br />
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My feet were soaked within minutes, so splashing through the puddles was the next natural decision. Totally never gets old. Have you tried it lately? If not, you're not living. Go do it. You have to.<br />
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This little hole in the bushes reminded me of Alice In Wonderland a bit. Everywhere you turned, it was just gorgeous. And quiet. Have I mentioned the quiet? I love that so many people bring their kids to these places, to show them an appreciation for the outside world. But sometimes it's hard to get all Zen when all you hear are little people shrieking and screaming. It was so refreshing to only hear the sounds of nature, soaking it all in.</div>
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Of course I had to walk through the woods. Thankfully the majority of the trail was on a boardwalk because there was like a biblical amount of water rushing around.<br />
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This beautiful guy flew RIGHT in front of me. I was so startled, because he (she??) was HUGE. I've never seen an owl in the wild. He just sat up there and watched me as I stood frozen in awe, watching him.<br />
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The creek may be a bit high for this time of the year....<br />
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A pretty rock garden full of succulents and water features. Very peaceful.<br />
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It was very hard to leave this Secret Garden. Feeling like I was the only one there, feeling the sun start to come out again as I wandered along, making the raindrops covering everything glitter even more. 'Twas a great Tuesday Adventure.Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-42151120704527216672015-07-07T13:46:00.001-07:002015-07-07T13:46:49.715-07:00Tuesday Adventures: Battelle Darby Creek Metro ParkI had to put off my original destination for today due to... this will be shocking... rain! That place involves water, and I was still really wanting to see water, so I picked someplace a little closer to home that still involved water.<br />
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Tip of the day! If you are going to be visiting someplace in the summer that involves water and woods, wear bug spray. One would think I'd know this by now. Seems very obvious. This mistake has been made before. Apparently I am out of practice, as I haven't gone on Tuesday Adventures in two years. Today was Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park in Galloway, a suburb that's west of Columbus.<br />
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So aside from now being a giant walking mosquito bite (one is on my ear. that is not okay.), and there being a few sprinkles and lots of clouds, today was awesome. Walking in the woods feels like home. This place had a lot more insects than I'm used to. I saw the largest dragonfly I've ever seen in my life. Had it not been absolutely terrifying, it was almost beautiful. Butterflies and beetles, also tons of birds and frogs that would jump away as you walked by. The wind was blowing since it was borderline stormy, so the trees were dancing. The sound of the wind in the leaves is one of my favorite sounds on earth. It was such a beautiful reminder of how <i>alive </i>everything is. It just feels easier to breathe. Your head is clear. You notice tiny little miraculous things. There's magic in the woods.<br />
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I'd like to share some of the magic I found with you. These photos are in order of the way that I took them. Sidenote: I've been asked in the past what I use to process my photos. All of these were processed using Adobe Lightroom. It's an amazing program. I like to process my photos because the images that I see on my camera almost never match the things that I see, the things that I remember, the things that I carry in my head. My photos reflect the way that I see, take in, and remember the world.<br />
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Let's go for a walk in the woods :)<br />
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Few things excite me more than the path ahead in a place I have never been.<br />
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First view of Battelle Darby Creek. It's very high for this time of year, so the water was active and rushing. Anyone wanting to visit here, I took the Cobshell Trail to reach the creek quickly.<br />
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The woods were pretty dark in some places. Random gray clouds were rolling through, so there was a mixture of occasional sun and totally spooky moments.<br />
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Leaves dancing in the wind. Can you hear them?<br />
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(this photo was taken amidst a colossal mosquito attack.)<br />
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These leaves had raindrops on their edges. Nowhere else but the edges. The photo really doesn't do it justice, but I tried ;)<br />
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Traveled through a field filled with little flowers and little insects. And some big insects. Could have done without the big insects.<br />
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Everything is so alive. There's moss and plants and things sprouting up everywhere.<br />
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An old railroad bridge! Of course two teenage girls who had climbed to the top of it to hang out scared the bejesus out of me by yelling, "Hey boo! Whatchu up to?" They were just sitting up there, way too close to the edge, dangling their feet off the sides. The older I get, it seems that everyone else is super annoyed by teenagers. While I can't argue that some can be annoying in certain situations, they are just trying to figure stuff out. I wonder what those girls were talking about up there.<br />
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This was when I started to book it back because thunder was rumbling, I had no clue where I was, and the only logical plan was to walk as fast as I could back the way I came. At least the mosquitoes had a tricky time keeping up.<br />
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I almost didn't stop here. This is called the Streamside Classroom. On my way in, it was filled with kids from a preschool or summer camp. It made me smile and remember my summers working with school-age kids at a day camp type thing. I could see the kids were in the creek, shrieking and laughing and talking excitedly. On the way back, it was empty. Although the clouds were looking mighty threatening, I stopped. There was a stairway into the creek. It was so nostalgic somehow. Like childhood summers spent swimming in lakes.<br />
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This was the other place you could enter the creek, off to the left of the stairway to heaven. I want to go back, with some type of industrial-grade bug spray. So I can sit, take it all in, and just be.<br />
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Why did I ever stop doing Tuesday Adventures? Today was a very good day.Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-85312209054499432522015-07-06T11:40:00.000-07:002015-07-06T11:40:44.057-07:00Breaks In the RainIt rained 21 out of the 30 days in June in Columbus. At this point in the summer, I am typically sporting a pretty bitchin' tan. This year, I have not been to the pool once. The few sunny days seemed to have coordinated themselves with my schedule, and I have been too busy to get outside and enjoy them.<br />
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Taking walks in the summer is one of my favorite things to do. I am fortunate enough to have a very centrally-located (albeit overpriced) apartment, and am in walking distance to a couple parks and a trail that runs along the Olentangy River. The other day I was able to find a break in the rain to get outside and enjoy the world for a while.<br />
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At least everything is crazy green and growing abundantly :)Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-41862823246410975672015-06-29T11:24:00.001-07:002015-06-29T11:24:29.463-07:00Every Summer Has A Story.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow. I have once again really fallen off of the wagon when it comes to blog posts.<br />
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What is it about summer that makes us so nostalgic? Something about the months of June, July, and August stand out in my mind more so than any other block of time during the year. I can remember what was going on in my life in each summer past, unlike I can for any other stretch of months. I've been taking walks and thinking about that a lot lately, kind of letting my life story relive itself inside of my head using the summers.<br />
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Childhood summers seemed like pure magic. I remember how it felt the last week of school, and especially the last day of school. Knowing that the days ahead would be filled with sleeping in, playing in the woods, and swimming. So much swimming. Growing up in upstate New York, we had a pool in our back yard. Pools are a thing in New York; the majority of people on our street had them. We would swim all day, every day. Eat lunch outside on the deck. Scream and laugh and play games like Jump/Dive, Green River (or Green Lakes? I can't remember which we called it), of course Marco Polo... We would play in the woods behind our house, ride bikes, spend the majority of days outside. I am so happy to have been a child in the 80's and early 90's, before the internet and cell phones and DVR. Back then kids were kids and we invented our own fun.<br />
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I remember the last summer we spent in New York before having to move to Ohio. I remember feeling lost when I would think about how I was going to survive without my best friend Courtney. I remember when the movers came, and slowly our house became more and more empty. Thinking about another family moving in to that house felt so wrong. It was ours. It was our pool and our porch and our basement. I remember morning we left, with our station wagon packed full, ready to make the 12 hour drive to Dayton, Ohio. Our neighbors were standing on our driveway, all waving good bye. I remember seeing them out the back window, and for some weird reason, I remember looking at the phone that was in our kitchen, which was one of the things packed into the back. I focused on the phone, trying not to cry, remembering all the times I used it to call Courtney and ask her to come down to our house and play. I couldn't look at the neighbors.<br />
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The rest of that summer was very different. We had to live in an apartment while we waited for our house to finish being built. I had my own bedroom and my brothers shared one; my parents slept on the pull out couch. We moved to Ohio with three other families from Syracuse (our dads all worked for GM and the plant there shut down, which is why we had to leave) and all of the kids were around the same age, but I still spent a lot of time alone. The apartment complex we lived in was huge, and we were allowed to ride our bikes wherever we wanted by ourselves. I think that is the first time I realized I was a bit of an introvert and enjoyed alone time. I would ride around for hours, sometimes stopping to sit under a willow tree at one of the ponds. A few times I got caught in the rain, and that was always exciting to me. My love of the outside and the natural world really started to take shape. I'd marvel over the way the willow branches moved in the wind, or how the water rippled. I started to realize that no one else seemed to notice these things, let alone talk about them. It was like my own little secret, that magic was real, and I was the only one who could see it.<br />
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Summers in Ohio were very different from those in New York. I missed our pool. I missed Courtney. We would go back to New York every summer, first to Schenectady to see our large extended family that we left behind, then to Syracuse to see our friends. I remember the first summer we went back. It felt so weird to be visitors on our old street, and to see strange cars in <i>our </i>driveway. I remember looking at our own car in our neighbor's driveway, with our Ohio license plates. It still felt wrong. As we grew older, the trips to Syracuse stopped. It's been probably 17 or 18 years since I have seen that house, but I still dream about it all the time.<br />
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High school summers were magic in a different kind of way, especially after my friends and I got our drivers licenses. Our favorite things to do are now pretty hilarious to me: we liked to "cruise." AKA drive around and honk at cute guys. We would play hide and seek at Meijer, eat at Steak N Shake or Max and Erma's about 50 times per week, go dancing at under 18 clubs (do those even exist anymore??), have sleepovers, go bowling. Not like teenagers nowadays seem... we never drank or went to parties or anything. Summers were also filled with color guard practice and band camp. Oh yes, I've been to band camp. And oh yes, it is just as crazy and ridiculous as the movies make it seem. Plastic wrapping freshman to beds, sneaking out of our rooms, getting ridiculous sock tans. Sometimes when the air smells a certain way nowadays, it reminds me of band camp. I'll never forget that long walk down the hill to the field, or how it felt even longer walking up it, completely exhausted, at the end of the night. The hot drummers when they would take their shirts off. The importance of duct tape. The insane amount of inside jokes. The barrage of arm bruises after rifle tosses gone wrong. Toilet papering the field. The sunsets. Those were the days.<br />
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I remember my last summer before leaving for college at Ohio State. While I normally made money by babysitting, that summer I got my first job, working as the receptionist at a cancer research facility. I worked 8-5, Monday-Friday. It was the first time I learned about the beauty of The Weekend. Cell phones existed at that point, but they looked like this:<br />
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So when my friends wanted to call me at work, they had to call the main number and dial my extension. I thought it was like <i>so cool </i>that I had my own extension. I also secretly downloaded AIM (AOL instant messenger, which I recently learned still exists) onto the computer behind the desk, and would talk to friends that way too. I played a lot of Soletaire. I got my first look inside of the adult working world and realized it was all pretty mundane. Inside my head I would sing praises that I still had four years of college ahead of me before I'd have to live such a boring existence. At that point I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, as most 18-year-olds do not.<br />
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I remember the week I got ready to leave for college. It was in mid-September. On Tuesday of that week, I was supposed to hang out with my best guy friend for the last time. We were planning on watching American Beauty, and before telling him good bye I was going to tell him that I had been completely in love with him for the past two years. He was my first love, and I had told no one.<br />
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I remember getting out of bed that morning; it was around 10:30. I was home alone: my parents at work and my brothers at school. My bedroom was at the end of the hallway, above the garage. All of my "going to college" stuff lined the hallway. I remember walking past it like it was yesterday, thinking about how something felt off. At the moment I chalked it up to nerves about expressing my feelings to my friend. I remember walking down the stairs, going into the family room, going up to the TV, turning it on. The news was on, and they were reporting on a plane that had crashed in Pennsylvania. I thought "how awful," and sat cross-legged on the floor directly in front of the TV to watch. There was a smaller picture in the upper right corner of the TV, showing live footage of New York City. As I started to wake up a little more, I saw the smoke. And realized that the World Trade Center was gone. The rest of that day is very much a blur. I don't think I moved from the TV. I of course did not see my friend. We have family that lives in Manhattan, and I remember learning that they were all okay. It was also my friend Amber's 18th birthday. That night there was a sonic boom from a plane taking off at the Air Force base nearby. It shook the ground and the windows and the kids in the street screamed. We all thought it was a bomb, and people from every single house around stood on their porches looking at the sky. I never saw my friend that day, never got the chance to say good bye, or confess my undying love. That day evoked a lot of questions about what is really important in life.<br />
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My last summer living at home was the next one, after my freshman year of college. My friends and I worked at the local country club as cocktail servers at the pool. That was the summer we had an epic party at a friend's house when her parents were out of town. We learned about bad decisions, how mace stains walls, and to never drink strawberry daiquiris in bulk. I still do not drink strawberry daiquiris to this day.<br />
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College summers were everything I had imagined college summers to be. I learned that summer classes were a drag, but learned about the magic that is Photoshop during one, so that was a plus. We partied. We went out every night. We were poor poor poor, as we didn't have our student loans during that time of the year. We learned the hard way that you in fact cannot add any liquor into a Hairy Buffalo mixture and have it taste like Kool-Aid. I distinctly remember pouring Jack Daniels, gin, and vodka into a Rubbermaid tub, adding fruit, Kool-Aid mix, and Hawaiian punch, then barely being able to sleep as we let the mixture settle overnight. It tasted horrid. We drank it anyway. That day was the 4th of July. I still remember what I was wearing. Strange how certain memories stick out in your mind.<br />
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I remember summers after college. I worked in a restaurant as a bartender and at a preschool at a summer camp for school-age kids. People would laugh when I said I was a bartender and worked at a preschool, saying how different the two jobs were. In reality, drunk adults have many similar qualities as young children. I loved those summers and I loved the kids I had. We took field trips every week: bowling, the movies, to the local pool... it paid terribly, but never really seemed like a job. I started my first art journal one of those summers, the summer that the restaurant that I worked in, the restaurant that was my life, ended up closing down. It was at that restaurant that one of my coworkers started calling me "Jenndalyn." I had no clue that years later, it would become my business name.<br />
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The summer of 2010 changed everything. My college friends were moving to Colorado right before it started. One of those friends had a good job in the office of a medical device distributorship. A job that she offered to me, which I interviewed for and ultimately took. I took this job because the restaurant I had been working at and had started managing was on the brink of closing, and I knew I had to make a change. Everyone kept asking me when I was going to get a "real job" and stop working in restaurants. I felt like I was letting my parents down by not using my college degrees. It seemed like the next logical step was to get that 9-5, with the benefits and office and commute and everything.<br />
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I remember saying good-bye to my friends. I remember thinking things were never going to be the same, and the people that I had spent the past few years of summers with were going away forever. That weekend, I locked myself into "new work" to do this huge project that my new boss asked me to do. I worked 12 hour days, wanting so badly to impress him. I kept thinking about how my friends were gone, and I cried so hard that I got tear drops all over the papers that I was working on. It was like I knew that life had just changed in a huge way. It felt weird to not be working in a restaurant. It felt weird to be waking up at 7:30am every day. It felt weird to have weekends off, because that's not how your schedule works in a restaurant. I had this heavy feeling, that I had entered adult life. The fun was over. This was it.<br />
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I started hating that job pretty quick, and started panicking, thinking about what I was going to do. I hated that I had started to measure my life by how many days I had until the weekend. A year later, the next summer, I had figured it out, and began my "secret project" that is now Jenndalyn Art. It was my way out, the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Then the following summer I quit the office job. Why is it that every significant thing in my life seems to somehow be tied to the summer?<br />
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So now here it is, the summer of 2015. It's already the end of June, and so far it's been a total washout. It has seemed more like spring, and while the grass is crazy green and my flowers are already crazy huge, I need some sunshine up in here. It always seems like summer is fleeting, that it slips away from us somehow. We blink our eyes and the leaves are starting to change.<br />
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This summer, I am going to try hard to enjoy every moment. Tuesday Adventures will be returning! Remember those?! When I worked in the office job, my coworker and I always joked that Tuesdays were the worst days. Because Mondays were just bad by default, but Tuesday was even worse in a way. So two summers ago, I started taking little mini trips with my camera. I couldn't do that last summer because I had a babysitting job, but this summer is fair game. I want to visit a waterfall somewhere. And swim in a creek. And sketch in the woods. I'm going to get back into blogging. I'm going to stay up too late working in my art journal. I'm going to soak up every moment of sunshine, splash in the puddles, swim in the pool, take long walks, and just <i>live. </i><br />
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So that got pretty wordy. How about we end with some pretty pictures? Here's a little glimpse of what I have been up to lately:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35Tklnv606vviSF7hv9CYmTZgQ052AOm-QMFGe4wqp8E6i1l_7CppxGA5UBcbCXtJ41gnLMyuBiJp0lwc0nj_pwvlLOmzyVz6Lvezo-YeldLiLt-Lxc3eE5M9-jSCslJWQIEYYMzvXVE/s1600/art+journal+pages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35Tklnv606vviSF7hv9CYmTZgQ052AOm-QMFGe4wqp8E6i1l_7CppxGA5UBcbCXtJ41gnLMyuBiJp0lwc0nj_pwvlLOmzyVz6Lvezo-YeldLiLt-Lxc3eE5M9-jSCslJWQIEYYMzvXVE/s640/art+journal+pages.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-4BonuIIsWvlsGsB0p_z201Blp5QBim_soJLU_k8uF09qtOIt-YdklRwOpz3QlJ0Gu56a-N5zspLHkErvsVrgoTWLDSL2RjiE4V6mGCz4O0noyk6hXl2uG0hfr4P3cWw7oKecFDhKuU/s1600/mixed+media+art+journal+pages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-4BonuIIsWvlsGsB0p_z201Blp5QBim_soJLU_k8uF09qtOIt-YdklRwOpz3QlJ0Gu56a-N5zspLHkErvsVrgoTWLDSL2RjiE4V6mGCz4O0noyk6hXl2uG0hfr4P3cWw7oKecFDhKuU/s640/mixed+media+art+journal+pages.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've been working like crazy in my art journal. Themes of flowers and stars, other-worldly planetary scenes, and of course embellished faces.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrnUYdK7hCRf1wJ2em4bl7GRoxnxfwmoXsQ-goFB081OAduxt5Md2uqv4gDwlfJ6V_behqZt7Bzqb5GQgOTmA6IYiuABvkSpxoUAjF9vSchD54pZ5X1mR654fiirqPBWYz3P8119Jzk8/s1600/jenndalyn+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrnUYdK7hCRf1wJ2em4bl7GRoxnxfwmoXsQ-goFB081OAduxt5Md2uqv4gDwlfJ6V_behqZt7Bzqb5GQgOTmA6IYiuABvkSpxoUAjF9vSchD54pZ5X1mR654fiirqPBWYz3P8119Jzk8/s640/jenndalyn+flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tending to my little apartment garden every morning is the best way to start my day. All of the rain has everything looking very lush and I love it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvFuJfU1_kxkYgo_CXPjqspS4pxgxbB274Zji-LeAhTMr7PENg4BUzFr-Ksp_nKuTGw8gjstV1eHLzFswQoxDG6YtYMiNfKxRYNMgF01b5CrGsx12z9E6Fpd0PGzGbM8XIGpY36mnt60/s1600/jenndalyn+cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvFuJfU1_kxkYgo_CXPjqspS4pxgxbB274Zji-LeAhTMr7PENg4BUzFr-Ksp_nKuTGw8gjstV1eHLzFswQoxDG6YtYMiNfKxRYNMgF01b5CrGsx12z9E6Fpd0PGzGbM8XIGpY36mnt60/s640/jenndalyn+cats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Lucy and Pippa still keep me company into the wee hours of the night :)<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/236985113/butterfly-garden-fine-art-print-mixed?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2jQY5DkiiEmz7AUQh6kGlEZt0EpLrURVRhArMt-IQC1m2bhSaicTyNIPGt13SLhveFrcxFi9twruwNvm0K0tiiQMAwHMTZH0yVxhPbH366-f2rBI09OpGa36u6FgtMp4yObLgFq0ZyY/s640/butterfly+garden.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/235914317/hummingbird-garden-fine-art-print?ref=shop_home_active_6" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjtdSlcYYLGl2wfZLCtSscVNipL2E792L_WljG5btvgzKEB7uYV1kVMm5VHHolAghqPGJKC7IGgE37IexAtiva0dyCWMTT8dcaUQuO7dgnftLYoJ5lWA_C_eEVQG76MV5PL5Zqc4gO14/s640/Hummingbird+Garden+2.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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My work has been especially bright and flowery lately, just the way I like it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/238577520/love-always-wins-fine-art-print-love?ref=shop_home_active_8" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQl2-Na-Af4KVXmbOD6NQCIRx-BwQrAhhxOl5rT9NNfBrjFqgHC9kh3WZV9_duYEq9JN8uIqFa7VHTPnnHIjuk-PvtLKKM4kFYToKdS1RQzYDyq-aZOxp3H-OcBwJfembFZA2EXExfTI/s640/Love+Always+Wins.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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I created this piece over the weekend to celebrate the monumental Supreme Court decision regarding marriage equality. I am also having a giveaway contest this week over on my Facebook page to win the original! You can check it out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Jenndalyn/photos/a.228508230549924.50612.192942617439819/860007467399994/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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And now this week starts July. If anyone has any ideas of beautiful outdoor locations in Ohio to visit, I would love to hear them! I am looking forward to a summer filled with art and peace, and I hope it passes by delightfully slowly.Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-15913689442995364482015-03-19T09:10:00.002-07:002015-03-19T09:10:30.244-07:0040 Works In 40 Days - The Halfway PointHi. It's March 19. It's the last day of winter 2015. I actually just realized that, just now. Tomorrow is the first day of spring. Spring: a time of new beginnings and life and color and warmth. Why is spring always so symbolic to me? Is it to you? It's like a weight being lifted, like the winter is this long, dull, tough journey, and every year it's a drag, but every year we emerge on the other side.<br />
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I remember where I was at the beginning of last spring. Heartbroken after the end of a relationship, trying my damnedest to enjoy the things I look forward to every year in the spring: walking in the woods, visiting the magnolias, photographing the whole beautiful process of the world waking up again. I was biding my time until going on a week-long cruise with my mom, which was incredible, and I came back home anew... the pain of heartbreak dulled, and life carried on.<br />
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So what's going on this year? A lot of things are different. There is no heartbreak. My little business continues to grow, but there are still hardships. I don't know what I was expecting as far as how I would be able to manage selling art as a career financially. I knew it was going to be hard, but I think I only expected it to be hard the first year. This is year three (WOW), and it's still hard. Better than before, but still something that's on my mind all the time. Will that ever stop? I don't know. Will it change my faith in what I'm doing if it's a continuous financial struggle? Nope.<br />
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What's going on this year, on the last day of winter? I'm halfway through my 40 Works In 40 Days project. I've allowed myself to take my time, and not force the inspiration when it's not there. Inspiration can be a fickle creature, and I've learned that you have to be patient with it, cultivate it. Maybe I'll make the 40 In 40 project a yearly thing, something to help pass the dead of winter. Because it really flew by. It felt SO agonizingly long last year. The heartbreak situation may have had something to do with that. Who knows. But alas, spring always arrives. We always get through it.<br />
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Okay so enough rambling. That happens a lot in the spring when my head is in the clouds. Such an inspirational time... No really, must stay on track. 40 Works in 40 Days. I've learned a lot of new things, and here is a mini trip through the first half!<br />
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It started like this:<br />
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<tr><td><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/220797690/if-not-now-when-giclee-print-typographic?ref=shop_home_active_12" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHJ5n217R3DZFnnL1RvruihpRZJdL5WSFywYkIFrwPAK9FAlaB5wnWR0VzHLANLnXX45oiG22GU6v7dXtFLHiWHfoWIgcyK53d_ObJL4HkGEXg6RyTpdqxi-OIRya0DnwgECmKJ51UZE/s1600/if+not+now+when.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/220797690/if-not-now-when-giclee-print-typographic?ref=shop_home_active_12" target="_blank">Find prints HERE.</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Because really, what are we waiting for? Why do we tend to wait for this non-existent "perfect time" to start something? "I'll wait til Monday," or "I'll wait til the beginning of the month," or "I'll wait until it's exactly 30 days away." I do it all the time. Why not start now? I was overjoyed when someone purchased the original of this piece. She included a simple note with her order; it read "Thank you passing on your inspiration." It made my day, week, month, year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After a few days, I decided to create some bohemian ladies, one of my favorite things to create:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/221240606/mermaid-hair-fine-art-print-40-works-in?ref=shop_home_active_6" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQtxYhikGcIV345T5l8Psjy1HQysn6OIatj0pH5HsDw7QIULSDRPH7bL7G8SxfReY2MnQ9k3rUW-sp4PWBc8NG2-hcG_IM7oHAQaxSQvq1UVvM_1za624X06I9jbM0cQ9qSZXKRKT90Y/s1600/mermaid+hair.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"Mermaid Hair" prints are available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/221240606/mermaid-hair-fine-art-print-40-works-in?ref=shop_home_active_6" target="_blank">HERE</a> and the original is still available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/222159462/mermaid-hair-original-mixed-media?ref=shop_home_active_7" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRH3JtmQC6I5nNcgutNV02xYAg0E10PLVpEdopHBCAvu5fl68E1hMPOyzkRcLm48bAXG-ysrdnwPwHHSXJ8PYIb8Pw2WNfeAX6BAVuE5LEKpQJ8Qlx2gH2emSauxxRSrMcg5KiQw2fwI/s1600/Of+the+Forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRH3JtmQC6I5nNcgutNV02xYAg0E10PLVpEdopHBCAvu5fl68E1hMPOyzkRcLm48bAXG-ysrdnwPwHHSXJ8PYIb8Pw2WNfeAX6BAVuE5LEKpQJ8Qlx2gH2emSauxxRSrMcg5KiQw2fwI/s1600/Of+the+Forest.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"Of the Forest" prints are available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/221417880/of-the-forest-fine-art-print-40-works-in?ref=shop_home_active_10" target="_blank">HERE </a>and the original is still available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/222160078/of-the-forest-original-mixed-media?ref=shop_home_active_12" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After having fun with these, I got an idea. I wanted to use book pages and pretty paper, with themes (think: stars, flowers, etc.) to create their hair. After literally pacing around my apartment trying to figure out how to create the idea in my head on paper, when it seemed like I had done something similar before, it dawned on me. Make them like a stained glass pattern. My dad does amazing beautiful wonderful stained glass. Lamps and windows in my parents' house, handmade by him. He taught me stained glass when I was younger, and while I enjoyed it, my patience is MUCH thinner than his. But now, I have figured out a way to incorporate his inspiration with my own work in these lovely ladies:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/222169587/stella-fine-art-print-40-works-in-40?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-JHkZEccIdSlCGeikyTK-oflWXAWKg3LMwfw46hEepi9y0os96WBTaNfryXTd2JShE9mffDM8WMO3KvclOo4MqN-b7g9smuLbMScyVplzlQ2hUa_L63p5180-NR4zMT16w1p82surVc/s1600/stella.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Stella (above) came first. She was the idea that started it all: a bohemian girl with starry hair. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(You can find prints of Stella <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/222169587/stella-fine-art-print-40-works-in-40?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">HERE </a>and the original is available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/223515915/stella-original-mixed-media-illustration?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">HERE</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Since I created a Stella, I had to do an earthy Terra. Then came Flora (with flowery hair), then Aqua, made of water. Odessa came next, named after the word "odyssey" and her hair is made of maps. Flora is my favorite:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/222774537/flora-fine-art-print-40-works-in-40-days?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPVNNIyAqx2G42mt3WYDh29Oz0UOvX2LIGfzfTGp7fHjG-cbhQaW8yegOpW7AeRmT5EmonaC4uZZfFQW_nKKTnyNY_9Xc-oUotJHkLCPYUGT8RAEFiR6POJkdx5TGO240ZszxT_bxoGs/s1600/flora.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">She is busy and bright and colorful and everything my college professors would have rolled their eyes at and gagged on their Starbucks over. And I love her. (Find prints of Flora <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/222774537/flora-fine-art-print-40-works-in-40-days?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">HERE </a>and the original is still available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/223514375/flora-original-mixed-media-painting-40?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">HERE</a>.) I am going to create a friend for her, named Violet. Violet will be made of all purpley-bluey flowers. I actually have plans for about 10 more of these ladies, all with themes. Bringing them to life is so far my favorite thing I've discovered while doing this project.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After a few days, I wanted to take a break from the ladies. Making patterns for their hair, cutting the paper out, then putting them together like a puzzle is fun and even kinda zen, but I needed to switch to a looser process for a while. Of course, I gravitated towards the stars and creating fictional cosmic scenes:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/225100260/often-wander-always-wonder-fine-art?ref=shop_home_active_10" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhdRhJSxSMzf18cMl8vlH4mz8exwSd1Jkn7nMWAnfinjI3hOem9KPZIVWL13gy6RmgZSug1AbBdJTx3msRcPIdfCJmbd5GU1XOgtS2wAIppcLCgG-8JPRlwkqHaYzeDL_bt-Wibg3Rxk/s1600/often+wander+always+wonder.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"Often Wander Always Wonder" prints are available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/225100260/often-wander-always-wonder-fine-art?ref=shop_home_active_10" target="_blank">HERE </a>and the original is still available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/225123137/often-wander-always-wonder-original?ref=shop_home_active_5" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I also finally created a piece that I dreamed up two years ago, while I was bartending during a very slow night and doodling away on receipt paper:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/224182652/the-center-fine-art-print-mixed-media?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpWwbO-cUVLGOp_IR0iX7e88fmABhZmQdRQ2VG1U2pc6jj-NKuAiCp_TJqT_4TMACGU9m0dnGjbVRQePtGm_Ez00lkEz3lGafoTMtmWvw1iMbGC5ZIW9Zqn-ekExyHjRe1H7SV7bF_zg/s1600/The+Center.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"The Center" prints are available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/224182652/the-center-fine-art-print-mixed-media?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">HERE </a>and the original is still available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/224196602/the-center-original-mixed-media-painting?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There are of course many more pieces that I wish I could talk about. Perhaps I should be better about blogging (how many times am I going to say that??) and I can talk about each piece in more detail. My goal is to be finished with this project by the time my mom and I leave for this year's cruise: April 17. We will be visiting Aruba, Grand Turk, the Dominican Republic, and Curacao, and I know the inspiration from those places will be begging to be released. I keep looking over at my little pile of originals and smiling. It seems that for once, I am going to finish something I started :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Happy last day of winter everyone! We made it. Now onto spring. Life is good.</span></div>
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<br />Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-79019408609005884502015-01-26T12:28:00.001-08:002015-01-26T12:28:56.058-08:00Winter Blues and Other NewsIs it lame to rhyme blog post titles? Not that I would know much about blogs lately, since I haven't posted in about A HUNDRED YEARS.<br />
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I started thinking about how and why this may have happened. In the beginning, when my secret plan to quit my crappy desk job was just that, a secret, this was like my outlet. I <i>needed </i>to talk about the things I was feeling, so I poured my heart out... to a computer screen. But in that process, I met some amazing, encouraging people who helped me to get where I am today.<br />
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One of my goals for this year is to get back into sharing things on here. Adventures, photos, new work, new artists that I find. What once was a place where I shared my fears will now be a place where I share my inspiration. So there's that.<br />
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Backtracking a bit, a little over two years ago when I first quit my job, I was laying in bed, awake and mid-panic attack in the wee hours of the morning. Thoughts of money, instability, and an uncertain future were choking me. What had I done? Left a job that paid well to do something that most people don't even credit as a job? Eventually I calmed down and decided to turn my balled up, worried energy into something positive, and began a project that I called 40 Works In 40 Days (you can read it <a href="http://jenndalyn.blogspot.com/2012/10/40-works-in-40-days.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>). Which went great... for a while. Are you one of those people who has a real problem finishing what you start? Yeah... me too. My project went uncompleted, and I honestly still shame myself over it from time to time.<br />
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Soooo, now here we are in the dreaded dead of winter, the time of year that just makes everyone cringe. I have lots of wonderful travel plans lined up for the spring, which may make this time drag by even more painfully slowly. I decided I need a project. One that I swear on all that I know <i>I WILL FINISH. </i>To prove to myself that I can, to have something to focus on rather than the cold and snow and ice and slush, and to complete something I can be proud of. One of my favorite artists, <a href="http://www.maechevrette.com/" target="_blank">Mae Chevrette</a>, did a 30 Works In 30 Days project last year and it was such a joy to watch her challenge herself. So I'm trying again, from the beginning. More on all this later.<br />
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Back to winter. While the fresh blanket of snow that fell last night is definitely beautiful, I am already longing for color, leaves, green grass, and flowers. My Adobe Lightroom library has about 4700 photos in it, some organized, some not, and getting lost in them is a regular happening during these months. Revisiting old adventures and favorite places, remembering what I was thinking and feeling... it's a little journey I can take without leaving my desk. Here are some of my favorite memories and places:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiqjwaA_fTZOOV6hlP-INd16RDxOG-3xLbe4zimhl6mX3pce3FlrPQy4uXjdbH10v2nNGL3Zk-s9ofmTxs65tJ25iFWtD0uGqWuRlf7nKyTYMJNaTuL2VzIV3wImnPKf8tjWsWjm8LCw/s1600/dawes+arboretum+in+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiqjwaA_fTZOOV6hlP-INd16RDxOG-3xLbe4zimhl6mX3pce3FlrPQy4uXjdbH10v2nNGL3Zk-s9ofmTxs65tJ25iFWtD0uGqWuRlf7nKyTYMJNaTuL2VzIV3wImnPKf8tjWsWjm8LCw/s1600/dawes+arboretum+in+ohio.jpg" height="484" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrygTXykZcxyphg-aBJtBAm0AMMB7re-Ucr7MdViS9nJfb-chdID4mg0rMKXiybgUwKWbvF9MQDI59fiAfstQqmNWNpD3vPJoQDcf1xsxC-dRMXr8hgRvu56GbMJVRMV_LShYGM173kUw/s1600/dawes+arboretum+ohio+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrygTXykZcxyphg-aBJtBAm0AMMB7re-Ucr7MdViS9nJfb-chdID4mg0rMKXiybgUwKWbvF9MQDI59fiAfstQqmNWNpD3vPJoQDcf1xsxC-dRMXr8hgRvu56GbMJVRMV_LShYGM173kUw/s1600/dawes+arboretum+ohio+trees.jpg" height="506" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoY8VN3y_8AcBM5kpMi6bGhNdWc_6vKWwou33upgZ5YYF9wACByiA92DnfgxsiCE1AqMVdkSlVVo08Jcx63vB4Cx_0-RY5zgZNqNO8DSykYPUIlbwn5LJ6fQsVLLslj3ZROg6n-UrsQ08/s1600/dawes+arboretum+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoY8VN3y_8AcBM5kpMi6bGhNdWc_6vKWwou33upgZ5YYF9wACByiA92DnfgxsiCE1AqMVdkSlVVo08Jcx63vB4Cx_0-RY5zgZNqNO8DSykYPUIlbwn5LJ6fQsVLLslj3ZROg6n-UrsQ08/s1600/dawes+arboretum+flowers.jpg" height="514" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnia0jf793JFsNLkvIZEzC9klK4-mThvcqNTiOHG379LG0xfg2BEoyPvsSOklh3AajTnt2zkNT8Xqg_5AARI3WCJ6rU2hf26wiNwIHneiEDZBY54uTmJKV815Wu9Rs0_0a8zXrsSxhhk/s1600/dawes+arboretum+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnia0jf793JFsNLkvIZEzC9klK4-mThvcqNTiOHG379LG0xfg2BEoyPvsSOklh3AajTnt2zkNT8Xqg_5AARI3WCJ6rU2hf26wiNwIHneiEDZBY54uTmJKV815Wu9Rs0_0a8zXrsSxhhk/s1600/dawes+arboretum+ohio.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVefPdYbOo73w_t5YgvMVKBO7kPWm3WQc09MwaxgwIiBRIjqJOmXD8HQbwkqw7GHi6e3VW683cHYPfDtl37XeJ-HTyxib5clcXKVPdLVLk3QgHQniKy1MdFB_iSsTzFfZmprt7pQT83VQ/s1600/dawes+arboretum+well.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVefPdYbOo73w_t5YgvMVKBO7kPWm3WQc09MwaxgwIiBRIjqJOmXD8HQbwkqw7GHi6e3VW683cHYPfDtl37XeJ-HTyxib5clcXKVPdLVLk3QgHQniKy1MdFB_iSsTzFfZmprt7pQT83VQ/s1600/dawes+arboretum+well.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUTBii2TevOli7LA1YduxSgBiwSrYbgEXVxiRKq_RWNhhyphenhyphentMisCdKywe1jP8nXUS4_MKj3Ym3mJuRIRf4XBdmlBUwa2uEJqY108FlYo2PQthw7MtrMJ-7yDoa_3K4ux6maYIPSEsmuhQ/s1600/the+dawes+arboretum+in+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUTBii2TevOli7LA1YduxSgBiwSrYbgEXVxiRKq_RWNhhyphenhyphentMisCdKywe1jP8nXUS4_MKj3Ym3mJuRIRf4XBdmlBUwa2uEJqY108FlYo2PQthw7MtrMJ-7yDoa_3K4ux6maYIPSEsmuhQ/s1600/the+dawes+arboretum+in+ohio.jpg" height="482" width="640" /></a></div>
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Summer adventures at the <a href="https://dawesarb.org/" target="_blank">Dawes Arboretum</a>. Hours spent wandering the gardens, orchards, and woods. This place has everything: a swing by a lake, a cute old farmhouse with lace curtains, Japanese gardens, hiking trails, an overgrown old well, flowery meadows... Read that as Stefon from Saturday Night Live would say it ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uz-AU9E8OSw84jlo5g1PXpjarIO9pzJ7dK7-dOHYZDZN7yOukkVuSVZV1OOlaz2y2SnlpatQ8B0x8E-u8nC_NMZ9vVUz3l_MMX1-Sh0S-VsqMLwkiR5hwACN-gM8v6JtI_UPOFTzo2U/s1600/stefon+snl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uz-AU9E8OSw84jlo5g1PXpjarIO9pzJ7dK7-dOHYZDZN7yOukkVuSVZV1OOlaz2y2SnlpatQ8B0x8E-u8nC_NMZ9vVUz3l_MMX1-Sh0S-VsqMLwkiR5hwACN-gM8v6JtI_UPOFTzo2U/s1600/stefon+snl.png" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dawes in the spring is equally beautiful, and there was one day last year that I sat in the grass under the blooming apple trees just overcome with how amazing the world is.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r6RvipNEDDP6QjU5Edc__8lRTkuAgy-n5ZFlcCWF0KZ005KVRXtcU7PxHDQbGmxUgpqrTGkVNhw1IlxgXtpQ4mVNBYsvrX1o_sTpPSzyik4mWZ-QiR7RbtqrRMnjYJaTL712Dy2rqgo/s1600/apple+orchard+dawes+arboretum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r6RvipNEDDP6QjU5Edc__8lRTkuAgy-n5ZFlcCWF0KZ005KVRXtcU7PxHDQbGmxUgpqrTGkVNhw1IlxgXtpQ4mVNBYsvrX1o_sTpPSzyik4mWZ-QiR7RbtqrRMnjYJaTL712Dy2rqgo/s1600/apple+orchard+dawes+arboretum.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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Speaking of spring, It is also when I go on one of my favorite adventures. To my "secret place." Which really isn't secret at all, because it is off of a well-traveled bike trail. But I still think of it that way. A place in the woods where little yellow flowers carpet the ground, and each year it is just as magical as the last.</div>
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And also in the spring... the magnolias. The ever-impressive, beautiful magnolias.</div>
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There's another arboretum in northeast Ohio, in a tiny town called Kirtland. <a href="http://www.holdenarb.org/home/" target="_blank">Holden Arboretum</a> is quite a drive from Columbus, but I've made the journey a couple of times now:</div>
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And going the opposite direction, down into southeast Ohio, there is a dreamy place called <a href="http://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/clear-creek/" target="_blank">Clear Creek Metro Park.</a> I've only been once, on a gorgeous summer day where there wasn't another human for miles. Sunny meadows, rushing water, thick woods... I can't wait to go back this year:</div>
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Lastly, I always have to revisit my beloved Hobbit Trail experience. A surreal, mossy forest on the Oregon Coast that I WILL return to sooner than later: </div>
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Aaaaand then I look outside and see white, with some brown and gray mixed in for good measure. 54 Days until spring, 145 until summer, and plenty of time for me to finish one ambitious creative project :)</div>
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<br />Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-81638734599676807382014-03-26T08:29:00.001-07:002014-03-26T08:29:33.187-07:0031 Candles.Birthdays are so weird. Especially in today's age of constant connectedness with cell phones and social media. Your phone goes off like crazy all day... calls, texts, 1000 Facebook alerts from people that you rarely hear from. Unexpected sweet messages. Unexpected, sweet phone calls that make you feel like you are doing something right. It's weird, but it's nice to have an excuse to feel important for a day.<br />
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Again on my birthday this year, I found myself thinking back to when I turned 29. That was the year that winter never really showed up, and on March 22 spring was in full bloom. I was working my 9-5 job, and was about to enter into a summer that I knew would change my life. I worked on my birthday, then went to my favorite cemetery afterwards to take pictures. (I know... Who spends their birthday alone in a cemetery, right?) I wandered around thinking about what was about to come: putting in my notice at work, leaving my job, embarking on my biggest (and possibly craziest) adventure yet. So many doubts had started to kick in at that point. This is one of my favorite photos that came out of that day:<br />
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Year 30 was a pretty big one for me. It's mind-boggling to sit here and think about all of the things that have happened. This was my first entire year of being a self-employed artist. My little <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jenndalyn?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a> is creeping towards 900 sales. Then will come 1000. It's truly astonishing to me, to think that weird little things I make in my studio are admired enough by people that they purchase them, and hang them in their homes. They give them as gifts. Sometimes people ask me to include little notes to the recipient, and being able to do something so personal and special is overwhelming. And that's my <i>job? </i>Wow.<br />
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This year I crossed some things off of my bucket list, including taking a road trip up the west coast. I had never even seen the Pacific Ocean before! My friend Amber and I flew into LA and made our way up Highway 1 to Portland. We saw the Hollywood sign (and oh yes, totally sang the Miley Cyrus song quietly in the back of our taxi), visited wine country, saw Big Sur, hiked in an Oregon forest, saw the Mrs. Doubtfire house in San Francisco... Made memories that will last a lifetime.<br />
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This year I got to travel with my family to New York to visit all of our extended family. It was the first time in years that all five of us went together - family road trip! That car ride brought back so many memories; we used to drive every summer from Springboro, Ohio to Schenectady to visit our family after we moved away from Syracuse. Then being in my Grandmas' houses is like being in a memory tornado. We have a big awesome family full of gifted story-tellers, so there is always laughter. Especially when my mom's brothers get together. Watch out.<br />
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I also went to the Outer Banks for the second year in a row with my brothers and their friends. This trip is also special to me because the first time I went, it was right after I quit my job. I packed up my office, left the building, and went straight to my brother's place and we started to drive. I could go on and on about the symbolism... but I won't ;)<br />
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The summer of my 30th year was one of the best summers of my life. Not because it was a constant party full of drinking and minor criminal mischief like the summers of my earlier 20's, but because I spent it taking little weekly adventures to take photos. Metro parks, state parks, gardens, arboretums - you name it. I sketched by the pool, I walked by the river at night. I lived slowly, and purposefully. Not just letting the days go by, but being sure to live all of them. And never forgetting to be grateful that I am doing what I love.<br />
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This year I also opened my heart to someone, for the first time in ages. It was kind of a weird crazy whirlwind: two completely different people living two completely different lives. When it came down to it, we actually had next to nothing in common except for this electric attraction to each other. There's this old Indigo Girls song that says, "The dice were loaded from the start. And I bet... And you exploded into my heart." It's a pretty terrible song (although I do love the Indigo Girls), but those words sum up this situation so well. These situations tend to end badly, and this one definitely did. And I am <i>definitely </i>still reeling from it, trying to process everything that happened, and sort through everything that I am feeling. As much as it sucks right now, I don't regret a thing.<br />
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This year I traveled to Chicago a bunch of times to visit my friend Amber. The local photo lab that processed and printed all of my photos closed its doors. (Shoutout to <a href="http://www.cordcamera.com/" target="_blank">Cord Camera</a> on 5th Avenue in Grandview. You guys were awesome to me. Thank you.) I saw two wonderful friends get married (okay... I saw the reception because I missed my flight which caused me to miss the wedding). I got through my first big Etsy holiday rush. My microwave exploded when I was standing five feet away from it. Someone tried to break into my apartment for the first time ever - when I was home too! I designed a tattoo for a friend I met through Etsy. My work was published in a book for the first time. I experienced my first case of crappy internet backlash about my work - and I survived it, let it go, and moved on.<br />
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It's crazy to think about. One year.<br />
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And now I can't stop wondering what this year will bring. It is starting off pretty awesome, with a cruise for my mom and I in April! We both have never been on a cruise before and are super excited; we'll be visiting Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Honduras. All new places for me. Spring is taking its sweet time this year, but I think that yesterday was the last of the snow that we will see, and today looks like it may be the last bitterly cold day. I cannot wait to be able to work with the windows and my patio door open.<br />
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Speaking of work. I've been doing a lot of it lately, and will end with the last creations of my 30th year:<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/177230926/moon-garden-paper-print-mixed-media?ref=shop_home_active_7" target="_blank">"Moon Garden"</a></div>
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Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-16303723171732763212014-02-22T18:33:00.000-08:002014-02-22T18:34:06.675-08:00Finding Beauty In A World of GrayWhoa. It's been a while since I've written a blog post. This time of year is so bleak; I get swept up in it and spend too much time dreaming of warmer days rather than living in the moment. January and February are admittedly my least favorite months. It seems like the world has no color, the sun seldom shines, and days spent outside are some kind of faraway dream.<br />
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This part of winter just sucks.<br />
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But... there's also something about it that makes us think of bigger things. Fantasize about warmer days. There is this hope that comes in the spring, when the world starts to thaw and bloom and breathe.<br />
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I've been completely lost in my own thoughts lately, to the point that when I'm driving I've completely passed my destination, I've spent almost an hour wandering the grocery store only to leave with one thing (wine, usually), and today I accidentally maced myself. Yeah. That actually happened.<br />
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Life is so funny, how it unfolds itself to us. I remember being in 12th grade English class, with everyone talking excitedly about graduation and college. One week early in the year, the guidance counselor set up a desk outside the door and called us out one by one, to talk about college plans, what we wanted to major in, what we wanted to do with our future.<br />
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I had no clue. I knew I wanted to go to Ohio State. Major? Yeah right. Absolutely no idea. It seemed like everyone else knew... they wanted to be a teacher, or a physical therapist, or an attorney. I felt like some kind of freak, like I was the only one who didn't know.<br />
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But life unfolded for me the way it was supposed to, and after a wild few years of bartending after college, then a miserable few years of a desk job following that, I am where I'm supposed to be. I found my way. And we all do somehow. We just have to trust our instincts, keep moving forward, keep doing what feels right in the moment. In the end it will lead us where we are supposed to be.<br />
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Finding love seems to be unfolding the same way for me... an unknown journey that differs from everyone else's.<br />
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I thought a lot about that while wandering through Three Creeks Metropark today. After <i>weeks </i>of being buried in snow, temperatures warmed up this week, everything started to melt, and once again we could see the grass. Today the weather called for 55 and sunny. My cabin fever was seriously at fever-pitch. Time for one of the mini adventures that I live for in the warmer months.<br />
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There's still snow and ice. There's mud everywhere. The landscape is a muted mix of brown and gray. But today the air smelled sweet and the sun felt magical. I started walking with no map, purposely getting lost, and felt like I could breathe again.<br />
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I've never dangled my feet off of a dock over a frozen lake. Lately I have these dreams about sitting on the end of a dock with someone, a man. We are dipping our feet in icy water, and the sky above us is just exploding with stars. I have no idea who he is, but in the dream, I am head over heels in love with him.<br />
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No one else was braving the muddy and often flooded unpaved trails but me (story of my life haha), and the complete solitude of being the only human being in the woods was energizing. Good thing I wore boots, because the mud was not messing around.<br />
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At one point I crossed a bridge, and there was a couple standing on it together. Hugging so tight that you couldn't fit a piece of paper between them. Just looking out at the water, the muddy, gross brown water, and smiling. They matched my thoughts. I wanted that. I wanted to be doing the same thing with someone. I almost asked to take their picture, but felt shy about it and didn't want to seem like a creeper.<br />
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I probably stared at this frozen puddle for ten minutes. Good thing no one else was around to call the men in white coats. It just looked like a weird martian world or something. It was beautiful.<br />
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Little moments, frozen in time. Kind of like memories.<br />
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Finding love has never been my forte. Pretty much any situation that even somewhat resembles a relationship that I get into results in disaster. After this happened a few too many times for my liking, I just gave up on it. I wanted to find myself, my purpose in this random world that we are all living in. No time for anyone else.<br />
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I always think back to high school. I swear half of my graduating class married each other. All the people who told the guidance counselor with such affirmation what they wanted to do with their lives, at age 18. They had jobs two months after graduating college, were married a year after that, and had kids a year later. At age 25, so many people were settled into a one-way track that was never going to deviate.<br />
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I never wanted that.<br />
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But it's funny... Now that I have figured out what I want to be doing, and <i>know </i>beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's the right thing, I want someone to share it with.<br />
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I was seeing this guy for a while. I guess that's what it's called. Seeing. (Remember I'm not good at this.) From the very beginning, I felt hesitant to go all-in. Spending time with him was great and he was warming me up to all of these ideas that I had previously locked up and threw away the key. But there was <i>something</i> holding me back.<br />
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Turns out there was a very solid reason, a very solid <i>something, </i>causing those feelings... which I found out about months after we had been seeing each other. It was something that made me realize what I was, what I wasn't, and what I probably never would be to him. But after finding that out, and after three days of misery, a steady diet of nothing but wine, and blasting November Rain (it happened in November) on repeat, I sent a text. And we kept on seeing each other.<br />
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Sometimes you just have to do what feels good. Even if it doesn't make sense. If it feels good, just go with it. Just be sure to keep an open mind and pay attention.<br />
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And again, life has unfolded in the weird, mysterious way it always seems to for me. Because now I have realized that I want <i>more. </i>All of the things I have sworn off in the past: putting all of your faith into one person, opening up to someone unabashedly, letting someone <i>pay for my dinner.</i> I want that. I want a partner in crime. Someone to go on random adventures with, whether that be hikes in the mud or a random trip to Belize. I want someone who I will fight <i>fiercely </i>for, and he will do the same for me. Someone to talk about everything and nothing with. Someone to walk to the edge of the world for. Someone to travel with world with.<br />
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Am I jumping on match.com in order to expedite this process immediately? No way. But the fact that my mind is now open to letting someone inside has already made the world even more exciting. Maybe I'll go to the store and find love in the frozen food section. Who knows. I think my mom is even more excited about this idea than I am. We are going on a cruise together in April and she said, "Maybe you will find him on the ship!" That would be awesome. Because I want a story. It's amazing to me that someone could be out there right now, and we are living not knowing that each other exists.<br />
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I keep seeing the ice and snow melting as this big metaphoric thing.<br />
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Also... the recent passing of Valentine's Day and seeing a romantic love story with my friend Lizzie (we have a Valentine's Day tradition - we spend it together) has only fueled the fire to these feelings. And now spring is coming?? I am completely swept up in the thoughts of a reckless summer love. Even if it ends in disaster. I just want to <i>try. </i><br />
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There's this song called San Francisco by a band called The Mowgli's, and it starts out like this:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">I've been in love with love</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">And the idea of something</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">Binding us together</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">You know that love is strong enough</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">And I've seen time tell tales </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">about that systematic drug</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">Yeah, that heart that beats as one</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">It's collectively, unconsciously composed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">That's exactly how I am feeling right now. 25 days until spring, and I could not be more excited about what lies ahead.</span></span><br />
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: proxnov-reg, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-86259577596338085872013-11-27T09:33:00.002-08:002013-11-27T09:33:44.800-08:00Holiday Sale AND Giveaway!I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this beautiful snow! And hopefully it doesn't tangle up travel plans too terribly bad. Just wanted to share that I am having both a sale in my <a href="http://www.jenndalyn.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a> AND a giveaway on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jenndalyn" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. The sale is for 20% off of your entire order, and the giveaway is for a beautiful 16 x 20 stretched canvas print of Wanderbloom. So if you want to try to score a free Christmas gift, head on over and tag yourself in the image.<br />
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I hope everyone has a happy and blessed Thanksgiving :)<br />
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<br />Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-59600567191237532762013-11-04T12:19:00.002-08:002013-11-04T12:19:44.958-08:00Oregon's Hobbit Trail: A Real Enchanted Forest.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been daydreaming about my experience here since the moment I left. The Hobbit Trail, a hidden gem of a hiking trail on the Oregon coast between Florence and Yachats, is a truly magical place: covered by a canopy of trees, blanketed in moss, and completely filled with wonder. As soon as you enter the forest, you feel incredibly small in the presence of something so wondrous. The winding, mossy trail leads you through about a million breathtaking places before spilling out onto an even more breathtaking private beach.<br />
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I have a hard time picking a favorite place/activity/experience on the road trip my friend Amber and I took from LA to Portland up the Pacific Coast, but this very well may be it.<br />
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Curious about what it feels like to walk through a place that looks like something out of a dream? Come relive the magical journey with me:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78FUvNURz14TTwVPhyDKSLXmpWlI49_ZrQPACmdQGFz8fr1nxzechMEI5cynj4hDjbeDcGSFFS7ZHTKlVdHXqLPsu0BznkzxB0IEm_67ti9OOsrUrMeknPiaIMcwUwwuCVvSLzqeeRNc/s640/enchanted+forest+magical+woods+hobbit+path+lord+of+the+rings.jpg" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view to the left shortly after entering the forest. This second trail goes to the Heceta Head Lighthouse. I was immediately overwhelmed with the lush surroundings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_y-2ofWWqv6XopajasDoozGJ3b2vF4mbZR5CKEkBLAHhKa9jI8HQ5UD4ZtbHwlz4sO__7FWiMzlFvYNcBfQy3mWOBRLvr5xrfY2X1ZP7sMHvR8U3E6sxd8_tF2a5Ghg78ArXNj7_MTo/s1600/enchanted+forest+the+hobbit+trail+magical+forest+hike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_y-2ofWWqv6XopajasDoozGJ3b2vF4mbZR5CKEkBLAHhKa9jI8HQ5UD4ZtbHwlz4sO__7FWiMzlFvYNcBfQy3mWOBRLvr5xrfY2X1ZP7sMHvR8U3E6sxd8_tF2a5Ghg78ArXNj7_MTo/s640/enchanted+forest+the+hobbit+trail+magical+forest+hike.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path is soft with things that look like pine needles, and you can barely hear your own footsteps. You immediately feel a sense of being so small in such a magnificent place.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMULapX5fZMuWfMXwX8J6kwAhrgx0ovpachh1LqiDYW1ycCXWTaqYgp9AvYP9Q9T7-eLiR0EOhqsc5GdGqwuODgQ4bSYVoF-h0T16B-ZyCvPdOUke3guB5wGw2y5yXqvqknstjrRL2zY/s1600/enchanted+forest+magical+forest+hobbit+trail+oregon+woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMULapX5fZMuWfMXwX8J6kwAhrgx0ovpachh1LqiDYW1ycCXWTaqYgp9AvYP9Q9T7-eLiR0EOhqsc5GdGqwuODgQ4bSYVoF-h0T16B-ZyCvPdOUke3guB5wGw2y5yXqvqknstjrRL2zY/s640/enchanted+forest+magical+forest+hobbit+trail+oregon+woods.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail starts to take on the feeling of being inside of a tunnel, where the sides and top are made from plants, trees, and moss.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoH_QkxsLls9a2W7fJNziG1umNwge338lcPYr569MwJjRwe4_4iWhffyhmj_lKO6yhysEsJCVvjxt4R2qlFEFc-k89wrW06dZLHrMBvF-BFQ4Rbq76KKV7oouB9t-p5g1zVBabFTb2f0/s1600/enchanted+forest+path+magical+woods+fairy+tale+hobbit+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoH_QkxsLls9a2W7fJNziG1umNwge338lcPYr569MwJjRwe4_4iWhffyhmj_lKO6yhysEsJCVvjxt4R2qlFEFc-k89wrW06dZLHrMBvF-BFQ4Rbq76KKV7oouB9t-p5g1zVBabFTb2f0/s640/enchanted+forest+path+magical+woods+fairy+tale+hobbit+trail.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entire time you are following the path, you can hear the crashing waves from the ocean.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnu4C9D76kT2jeLnkFH1S5lazc43vX2IxqTD5MWvws4MSV3LatJ-6J_oADYA9bCOEJbsVMeQxpDbz3Mktrc2l1P6s42vimgxEelKmOUaWEUdPyoHcNjTmmsUzGW1qwktPNR97kdTexoY/s1600/enchanted+forest+the+hobbit+trail+florence+yachats+oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnu4C9D76kT2jeLnkFH1S5lazc43vX2IxqTD5MWvws4MSV3LatJ-6J_oADYA9bCOEJbsVMeQxpDbz3Mktrc2l1P6s42vimgxEelKmOUaWEUdPyoHcNjTmmsUzGW1qwktPNR97kdTexoY/s640/enchanted+forest+the+hobbit+trail+florence+yachats+oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZHezrfz_qfHCvtePEDu7Ur61U4dzifg-Nw1YcvXwLi-gt6nYFxrNpqpVGTQVOT2woIxo_uUTEhf1GgHbUrXJsM53uQf64viWkXkZUNIJ6QTdLr0lWJ8AudT2prQzLRDPw32tOBBGPPE/s1600/hobbit+trail+hobbit+beach+florence+oregon+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZHezrfz_qfHCvtePEDu7Ur61U4dzifg-Nw1YcvXwLi-gt6nYFxrNpqpVGTQVOT2woIxo_uUTEhf1GgHbUrXJsM53uQf64viWkXkZUNIJ6QTdLr0lWJ8AudT2prQzLRDPw32tOBBGPPE/s640/hobbit+trail+hobbit+beach+florence+oregon+forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moss covers everything. I have never seen so much green in my life.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrPwXFB5TGuwS2eHc2aomPABELUKgMn0me4UJK7vHotpcWH_XesWG2dHm1XC65DFeExNIOM4ct54sCeBXjeZ3MH5zWG1rGlPn749QpVJOsQshLGbp8Ogin75IQWhgkPfIVyXBvGGZwLw/s1600/mossy+trees+hobbit+trail+florence+oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrPwXFB5TGuwS2eHc2aomPABELUKgMn0me4UJK7vHotpcWH_XesWG2dHm1XC65DFeExNIOM4ct54sCeBXjeZ3MH5zWG1rGlPn749QpVJOsQshLGbp8Ogin75IQWhgkPfIVyXBvGGZwLw/s640/mossy+trees+hobbit+trail+florence+oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees take on a whole new life with their mossy coverings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw6rfhkCyiHcdl-JUWy3GwhNNL8VgHd83EI6IoQ4G-koZrOAKELh1wAgvvOVuOh3If2gymnfrYK7yqYxnRTO0X0ydpLyyvIeF66ClMXPFxza5yuVX88GneniZRYyb47KZ-Xzk3Re7fTw/s1600/green+plants+the+hobbit+trail+magical+forest+photography.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw6rfhkCyiHcdl-JUWy3GwhNNL8VgHd83EI6IoQ4G-koZrOAKELh1wAgvvOVuOh3If2gymnfrYK7yqYxnRTO0X0ydpLyyvIeF66ClMXPFxza5yuVX88GneniZRYyb47KZ-Xzk3Re7fTw/s640/green+plants+the+hobbit+trail+magical+forest+photography.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plants growing recklessly. So beautiful.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jenndalyn?section_id=14249496" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaNj1aus2ifa3oeWr33vWzL36yEnIWimw6PuCopdWWZFJT5ds15KM51FmwyboBj5ip2NS7W43uAOB9MTfLX3gRTErOnxDrs2v1sUvrWqMXkYRG4KQG1C2hvgO5i-bomwW-ec0jIcTNyI/s640/hobbit+path+the+hobbit+trail+hobbit+staircase+florence+oregon+forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a very gently ascent at the beginning of the trail, you start to descend once you get closer to Hobbit Beach. I was pretty much waiting for a hobbit to come down this staircase after me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMSf89hTur8EcMkjVWkoRnxyWMgkDCtmVdqXQsB7MtRXXc2uO18PQx_djWS2pkPQXk7A_EjdsoSMc8ZsFFZeWeHmeXUZPSc8Q_r6asyD2O_5xHqfussQLvBAXhLx1W5FaJtGPHsxZqQU/s1600/the+hobbit+trail+between+florence+and+yachats+oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMSf89hTur8EcMkjVWkoRnxyWMgkDCtmVdqXQsB7MtRXXc2uO18PQx_djWS2pkPQXk7A_EjdsoSMc8ZsFFZeWeHmeXUZPSc8Q_r6asyD2O_5xHqfussQLvBAXhLx1W5FaJtGPHsxZqQU/s640/the+hobbit+trail+between+florence+and+yachats+oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunlight peeking through the towering trees.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1yJySKhjK7oVjnyF7zrdkmnSYagqgHMwwDOaJXa3m-SPmlwWkao5fLduUK8GCQlQwVghn6dGdR2cY9RaZJtiCOG0QRw4Kgz749s7BhAyTEAPbvHd6zyixRzecXWfaNam4QsKtc1gMvw/s1600/enchanted+forest+pacific+northwest+oregon+hobbit+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1yJySKhjK7oVjnyF7zrdkmnSYagqgHMwwDOaJXa3m-SPmlwWkao5fLduUK8GCQlQwVghn6dGdR2cY9RaZJtiCOG0QRw4Kgz749s7BhAyTEAPbvHd6zyixRzecXWfaNam4QsKtc1gMvw/s640/enchanted+forest+pacific+northwest+oregon+hobbit+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path starts to open up, revealing spectacular mossy landscapes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqvElplB0Ju6gQ3PZJCH-kuuG19mis_XGTAtu2yWESdr5db5MpWnCjxpG6jta2ZfYMSKa0RYRaQLElh2sdZja3IyoYpmod_g_MEb8w3rXS_dd82qcU7JaQW9WijtnADRCYdRuTdqsGP0/s1600/the+hobbit+trail+florence+oregon+hiking+trail+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqvElplB0Ju6gQ3PZJCH-kuuG19mis_XGTAtu2yWESdr5db5MpWnCjxpG6jta2ZfYMSKa0RYRaQLElh2sdZja3IyoYpmod_g_MEb8w3rXS_dd82qcU7JaQW9WijtnADRCYdRuTdqsGP0/s640/the+hobbit+trail+florence+oregon+hiking+trail+forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More light starts to shine onto the trail as you near where the edge of the forest hits the beach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiisT8iLEbuRsz9fqEGaCWLgnxqUJZNTDYV-Pvhfc_pBZGE92-nszrl5Syjluxmue0ocimfjdJFB_h5aTRBY90QL587PRrvV-tMVS_f8LKfvuU9VCC4_yfduSETLxa4-oJNQuHb0yLNCM/s1600/the+hobbit+trail+forest+hiking+trail+oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiisT8iLEbuRsz9fqEGaCWLgnxqUJZNTDYV-Pvhfc_pBZGE92-nszrl5Syjluxmue0ocimfjdJFB_h5aTRBY90QL587PRrvV-tMVS_f8LKfvuU9VCC4_yfduSETLxa4-oJNQuHb0yLNCM/s640/the+hobbit+trail+forest+hiking+trail+oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crazy, gnarly tree that sits right in the middle of the path.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-A0sjeQD2JS-A88gXnrwdxzriujXb1SW_Ya1n3XghWSjYnMyQ29mG_4xSadk7E5w2sxDqO1gQBJqEtveeGN1LRk9W9fIhKOuST8vMkwLrvMeSO-fMT1UwLVLCyUo1dsXoyQ3zA3Z7wU/s1600/enchanted+forest+magical+woodland+path+fairy+tale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-A0sjeQD2JS-A88gXnrwdxzriujXb1SW_Ya1n3XghWSjYnMyQ29mG_4xSadk7E5w2sxDqO1gQBJqEtveeGN1LRk9W9fIhKOuST8vMkwLrvMeSO-fMT1UwLVLCyUo1dsXoyQ3zA3Z7wU/s640/enchanted+forest+magical+woodland+path+fairy+tale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very close to the beach, more and more light starts to leak in.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKp4-_b15EY9M3vZTOUK2JKCOf4ZEqTx0iJPbjXToYFNoSRcdxFQm1BLInQej9zZihAiPGt2mdPZiqG8JPD4I35PTSAqPN-eB9AHcVcur-e1fvEpLPJvfg8eZUTDeeZzNmATHklO1H_bI/s1600/enchanted+forest+the+hobbit+trail+yachats+florence+oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKp4-_b15EY9M3vZTOUK2JKCOf4ZEqTx0iJPbjXToYFNoSRcdxFQm1BLInQej9zZihAiPGt2mdPZiqG8JPD4I35PTSAqPN-eB9AHcVcur-e1fvEpLPJvfg8eZUTDeeZzNmATHklO1H_bI/s640/enchanted+forest+the+hobbit+trail+yachats+florence+oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2msYpcEijSDmqXAwtHqXYCMp6aydLxVqw3jHiqqbUdJRk-MfkSL5KcI282U_w2stTgj9oVsWZA-WxXfvYiWeX-t7_DAyz8TP5DKusTLofd7WT4lxtqLmZ4bNwyNnZDv_UOEdxyK3Rt94/s1600/hobbit+trail+oregon+hiking+trail+oregon+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2msYpcEijSDmqXAwtHqXYCMp6aydLxVqw3jHiqqbUdJRk-MfkSL5KcI282U_w2stTgj9oVsWZA-WxXfvYiWeX-t7_DAyz8TP5DKusTLofd7WT4lxtqLmZ4bNwyNnZDv_UOEdxyK3Rt94/s640/hobbit+trail+oregon+hiking+trail+oregon+forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvJ7J-6EDeWRDd2HY5EW-64zz2vBE7UZ48iC7v3JQMbCSJmPDNChnmQyF5sDJ_Xx16ZsP1pTzLxlwO1HUYuM9vY4c6SvGycQ_eUKVaL6V_tEH9EJHp7ifnqqiqzU6SgGs4ZJqYPH0eBQ/s1600/hobbit+beach+hobbit+trail+hiking+trail+oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvJ7J-6EDeWRDd2HY5EW-64zz2vBE7UZ48iC7v3JQMbCSJmPDNChnmQyF5sDJ_Xx16ZsP1pTzLxlwO1HUYuM9vY4c6SvGycQ_eUKVaL6V_tEH9EJHp7ifnqqiqzU6SgGs4ZJqYPH0eBQ/s640/hobbit+beach+hobbit+trail+hiking+trail+oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once the path opens up, you can really explore the forest. We found this spot, where someone had camped the night before. Not a bad view.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkZPGFFtoKnctlVoxhUO8GdqXopY4lmh3kvoOaAbnN0EScouImkbmIqvoWLfP9xle5_KwIlygmy1Rc5QiNzkmI7p8Z4XQ09sgQrCZBLnt8VXIIZJNUECCrJ2BMScV2Tgrx9fddwZgs4c/s1600/hobbit+trail+florence+oregon+forest+magical+path+magical+place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkZPGFFtoKnctlVoxhUO8GdqXopY4lmh3kvoOaAbnN0EScouImkbmIqvoWLfP9xle5_KwIlygmy1Rc5QiNzkmI7p8Z4XQ09sgQrCZBLnt8VXIIZJNUECCrJ2BMScV2Tgrx9fddwZgs4c/s640/hobbit+trail+florence+oregon+forest+magical+path+magical+place.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are a couple of ways to get to the beach that we saw... both of which involve jumping into little ditches lined by tree roots and covered with bramble, like a little tunnel. Seriously, where are the hobbits?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag9qhAiP2jLrekYmzc-0lhhen7nK8bfXwQt7v_DXA7H_JQ2D-XNyOW74EXRM8kyuWt4abJtOji5OLTd_yGpQmvmm0IUibsrlXO_1-Wfunk05KNFKUpotT0tqvSa4OQU7rmeCezevEoVo/s1600/hobbit+hole+hobbit+trail+florence+oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag9qhAiP2jLrekYmzc-0lhhen7nK8bfXwQt7v_DXA7H_JQ2D-XNyOW74EXRM8kyuWt4abJtOji5OLTd_yGpQmvmm0IUibsrlXO_1-Wfunk05KNFKUpotT0tqvSa4OQU7rmeCezevEoVo/s640/hobbit+hole+hobbit+trail+florence+oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You turn around to see the little hole you just exited from real quick, and it looks like this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKbBPwl6bOFae59PTu8WjsRvo2GE4_6MIFjXivMweUjLbEDvSWCJFRALy8Rtc72Ia_V09vpkZWvAw14pEzAClM5EOW4Sj_HKv285vVGhdH6rpW5kKlMiqeB0Lg6x6_dLHOrTHkkcxhpU/s1600/hobbit+beach+the+hobbit+trail+oregon+forest+hiking+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKbBPwl6bOFae59PTu8WjsRvo2GE4_6MIFjXivMweUjLbEDvSWCJFRALy8Rtc72Ia_V09vpkZWvAw14pEzAClM5EOW4Sj_HKv285vVGhdH6rpW5kKlMiqeB0Lg6x6_dLHOrTHkkcxhpU/s640/hobbit+beach+the+hobbit+trail+oregon+forest+hiking+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then you turn to the beach and see this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHX-UJ_6QGwJNAsGupOKYdI-XtkRwW_M4OFEvuc0jS56eXxqgs1zJF6wK1A8VpMSS4rpRziExg-KeV0slypfgBIBmpx4_W0kysgiNNkAz4APVESNdgEKPxi5c6biSfzIgoqoy7LPQBW-Y/s1600/hobbit+beach+oregon+pacfic+northwest+forest+hikinh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHX-UJ_6QGwJNAsGupOKYdI-XtkRwW_M4OFEvuc0jS56eXxqgs1zJF6wK1A8VpMSS4rpRziExg-KeV0slypfgBIBmpx4_W0kysgiNNkAz4APVESNdgEKPxi5c6biSfzIgoqoy7LPQBW-Y/s640/hobbit+beach+oregon+pacfic+northwest+forest+hikinh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6PuyOy7x7pXLt9z9ywgBztom1xXXr-iCe4rlyq6JN6pzVSZvPDwliEVEgGrSHau2w7E1uWK_3OyvP7s7cblsRsXajp65jTEt8qwn6N_I6Zpkd26U-6KfRdp8j5rhf0c0v0LnxEgWcjc/s1600/hobbit+beach+florence+oregon+the+hobbit+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6PuyOy7x7pXLt9z9ywgBztom1xXXr-iCe4rlyq6JN6pzVSZvPDwliEVEgGrSHau2w7E1uWK_3OyvP7s7cblsRsXajp65jTEt8qwn6N_I6Zpkd26U-6KfRdp8j5rhf0c0v0LnxEgWcjc/s640/hobbit+beach+florence+oregon+the+hobbit+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then you turn to your right and see this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Tj7_aTmlNpFoQxTThcWgGUf5Gb9saUu4VMVL1R2dB1BmFBhJP0CxjF7JQhyphenhyphenT-_DCMZLFcq1Bj1ghn_LmB-hXu0fTf8OlzntA3_VKiLrX-H_jK2uUD3toI3vHMghYGwksdBxb3-SyoQM/s1600/oregon+hiking+trails+yachats+hobbit+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Tj7_aTmlNpFoQxTThcWgGUf5Gb9saUu4VMVL1R2dB1BmFBhJP0CxjF7JQhyphenhyphenT-_DCMZLFcq1Bj1ghn_LmB-hXu0fTf8OlzntA3_VKiLrX-H_jK2uUD3toI3vHMghYGwksdBxb3-SyoQM/s640/oregon+hiking+trails+yachats+hobbit+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you get up close to explore the cliffs, they are completely covered with living little words. There are waterfalls everywhere. The sound is unimaginably beautiful.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcoMzhp0njDZ8BcnEo8ajQ0V4UVONM_gy-oaXjhvdDy9pFe5EsYmOiAb4lKITT2TpH7QgbQAlKbKs6oeskX5_rtGQlf7Rz9K7cNcRdo43bVlOdLqA8_j6PWC_BpBlStes7tzsEGOuWbU/s1600/hobbit+trail+oregon+fairy+tale+enchanted+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcoMzhp0njDZ8BcnEo8ajQ0V4UVONM_gy-oaXjhvdDy9pFe5EsYmOiAb4lKITT2TpH7QgbQAlKbKs6oeskX5_rtGQlf7Rz9K7cNcRdo43bVlOdLqA8_j6PWC_BpBlStes7tzsEGOuWbU/s640/hobbit+trail+oregon+fairy+tale+enchanted+forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was so sad to leave the beach, but wandering back into this magical forest and walking the trail all over again fixed that pretty quick :)</td></tr>
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If you are going to be on the Oregon Coast any time soon, <i>please</i>, do yourself a favor, and stop by this magical place. The hike is super easy and would be great for kids or dogs, and is fairly short... which gives you lots of time to explore. It's kind of tricky to find, so here are some tips:</div>
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-The Hobbit Trail is located off of Highway 101 about six miles north of Florence, Oregon.</div>
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- The trail head is on the west side of Highway 101. There is a parking pull-out on the east side of the highway, so just park there, cross the road, and you will find it.</div>
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-The Carl C. Washburne State Park sign is a great landmark to use. The Hobbit Trail is just south of the sign; you can see the sign from the parking pull out. If you pass the sign in your car heading north, you have gone too far. If you are heading south, you will see the parking pull out on your left shortly after the sign.</div>
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-After you take a few steps into the forest, you will see signs for Hobbit Beach and the Heceta Head lighthouse. This means you are in the right place.</div>
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My last tip is to bring a camera or at least bring your cell phone so you can take pictures. You will not be disappointed: this place is like a little slice of heaven :)</div>
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Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-68061758266481508912013-11-04T11:10:00.001-08:002013-11-04T11:10:33.602-08:00It's November!Wow. It really is... and the amount my heat is running all of a sudden proves it. The trees are starting to look bare, there is frost on the grass in the morning, the Hershey's Kiss holiday commercial (where the kisses ring like bells... you know that one) has reared its festive head.<br />
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I feel like the days since we got back from our road trip have <i>flown </i>by. I haven't been taking any pictures unfortunately, because either 1) the TSA deemed my camera battery charger to be unsafe in my checked luggage and removed it, or 2) someone working for the TSA or Southwest Airlines helped themselves to a camera battery charger. Lame. I've been too annoyed about it to look into how much a replacement costs. Pretty sure someone stole it. Sometimes I wonder how dishonest people sleep at night.<br />
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I've had a massive list of ideas sitting on my studio table since the middle of summer, and this week I pretty much started attacking it. Maybe it's the upcoming holiday season that has me super motivated. Or the fact that this is going to be my first real taste of a holiday rush in my shop; last Christmas it was still a baby with a pretty small inventory... this week I went over 400 items. I'm hoping for absolute madness and nights that I'm up until 4am, printing and packing orders, like one of Santa's elves or something. We will see what happens.<br />
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Aside from 9000 photos from the trip, these new prints have been added to my inventory:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167801178/beware-of-artists-paper-print-beware-of?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkRPxt7u7zGYcC-Vyi2dmzEKla_iQTNn7jy9Lb21nwXPy7HxwIJyf7bznaxvKKkMb0kldaFOF6jdQsenw2cFw8oCAmB54eLbAYnV9fpwPuRD5zNxO7d8HNo5Ts3oR-SA1Ov82qQgvrKk/s640/beware+of+artists+poster+artist+gift+artist+quote+art+studio.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Beware of Artists," featuring a quote that was the subject of an internet hoax, and one I am a huge fan of. Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167801178/beware-of-artists-paper-print-beware-of?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167547411/the-fix-paper-print-champagne-art?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CS3JgePg_uge2RvI9z37vRKxYxR2LL3-NnUqAzwcbhC8uIy6GwnZa53dkJ_diPrTbY1m2cSHHdQs2E2rL1h4SpvivuN6vNOAQkSZp4TvPzCWEN5tt8jbB9MiQExxh2aPUJ0I4KWx4hs/s640/champagne+poster+champagne+bottle+art+print+art+nouveau.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Fix." Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167547411/the-fix-paper-print-champagne-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167681554/choose-joy-paper-print-mixed-media?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjyg7KWMCR-UAMHyZN4JOgrNziENm8RkJtdunVhJh5XYnJ8eAeZYk0QmMGGhdT8Iy6NQkNwKKGpfCGQpct9JKRuQy0wzlyAOFsYI-dZG5Yjn9AyHsCmL1Ys4ImvwFDfrzijgZ-pl1RcI/s640/choose+joy+poster+choose+joy+art+print+mixed+media+collage+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Choose Joy." Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167681554/choose-joy-paper-print-mixed-media?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165994554/elven-girl-print-fashion-illustration?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpl3u9qOsfmKlZo32jsAPWv6y3FbLVnGdS4xcahOGzRIcCrktSS7ul8BdPQVPG-D-KAg8jDS93diVpaL_BB9ALu0loay2G67O_wTGYC4bMnaMy-7Ohe330vXzEd4euAk3DGVSeAYXk-c/s640/fantasy+art+Elven+Girl+elf+portrait+flower+crown.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Elven Girl." Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165994554/elven-girl-print-fashion-illustration?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167926738/i-like-cats-paper-print-cat-lover-gift?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVIiaDxkpSeWfkyrq29gR7nf5Dl3WR_XrHALKg313g25JI628fIVt9ZuzrGCh6DBC9TfcxPuM95BJOL4NLvgsZ19vBghsboEQx5KfbgzU919p-2sIts9LieO5y-Vij4qa5su6dXxxkTc/s640/le+chat+noir+cat+lover+gift+cat+poster+cat+painting+i+like+cats+quote.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I Like Cats," an idea that's been in my head forever and modeled after the Le Chat Noir poster :) Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167926738/i-like-cats-paper-print-cat-lover-gift?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167357840/under-the-stars-paper-print-travel-art?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZcufUCN1r7vpHyDg8TnA6gg6UWhVlpPMB4pf5fRLGMIs_-Woee2yWnYkfDFxGEbHCAZOn9tpT41LQUhhvquQMcaxUcKeAPy5EpYMs82bHqLz-YeAe6EqNYjV6UoJk9OTHOTuj63FGHM/s640/map+art+map+print+wanderlust+art+jack+kerouac+poster.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Under the Stars," further feeding my map obsession. Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167357840/under-the-stars-paper-print-travel-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167485420/love-them-anyway-paper-print-mother?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidI7fuVgbUTFVhX98XnnDfpigJQLlmV9_nDDcQ8EZJx1Jw5bVoPQ-5_a-nTkahG8rpGXIokBgwKiCsCUCZ84MC7AQWhdmis2ZBevAKHfJ16-brAuCoPUJxYlrg0SzPmPU88OPjKIFTlA/s640/mother+teresa+quote+love+them+anyway+poster+print+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Love Them Anyway," a beautiful quote by the amazing Mother Teresa. Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167485420/love-them-anyway-paper-print-mother?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/166128923/run-wild-my-child-paper-print-wanderlust?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4po1Q27n2BHlz_3kPfnyIJcXzDfaEnw2__dAxQu0OVNugdTZRuSdSVs3U_BQS8GsgA2P-rtqQ2yBi3tef2UGBCMLOgUdlfAZVKaw6c_kkpp6_l0gAaJIToi2GP42A3XV2JRq6vWTJ28/s640/run+wild+my+child+art+print+boho+bohemian+decor+bohemian+art.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Run Wild, My Child," created soon after returning from our road trip. The world is meant to be seen :) Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/166128923/run-wild-my-child-paper-print-wanderlust?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167872779/you-are-a-soul-paper-print-inspirational?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoORoOX3xcFGNCCrVj0-ljxO8TKcGce223v0Xj2PVDNK3pUJ8wecv6hoxQe8cyBHhf8u5LqEIVnu5hmPeYuITUOaK9NmQ03LHDzd1aL4Hx9eXQNTMM2QN0XHHeI1ufaArZIQ0tusuj8zM/s640/you+are+a+soul+quote+poster+inspirational+quote+home+decor.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You Are A Soul," a quote often misattributed to C.S. Lewis. I love it. Prints available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167872779/you-are-a-soul-paper-print-inspirational?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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Seriously I don't know what is up with the surge of creative energy but I cannot seem to stop making things and I do not want it to stop! <div>
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Sidenote: is it too soon to start decorating for Christmas? After receiving a genius tip from my friend Amber, I went to Kohl's on Saturday and their Christmas things were 50% off, and of course I had a coupon soooooo things got a little crazy. Seriously. Can I start?</div>
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Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the fall :)<br /><br />
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Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-55996217344079737402013-10-14T19:44:00.003-07:002013-10-14T19:44:43.272-07:00Post Pacific Coast Road Trip Work ExplosionIf I were to sum up the road trip my friend Amber and I took up the Pacific Coast Highway, it would probably crash blogger. I have over 1200 pictures and probably over 12,000 memories and picking favorites? Next to impossible.<br />
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To reiterate some things I said in a blog post before we left, which are now even more powerful and true to me: if you have a bucket list, or even one thing you have always wanted to do, <i>do it. </i>Just do it. Don't worry about all the money you could be saving, don't worry about things back home, don't worry about any worries you may be harboring. Tell yourself that you will deal with them when you get home. And when you are doing that one thing you always wanted to do, when you are actually in that one city you always wanted to visit or taking that one trip you always wanted to take, you will realize how small your worries are in the grand scheme of things. Life is about doing, not worrying.<br />
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That being said, I would like to share some photos of my favorite places. Well... a few of them anyway. There are maybe a hundred favorite places bookmarked in my head. Among them, Big Sur stands out:<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRW3PitYiXoto19hlNGFMuaU6LzBTyGob4fZH3sLK4gd-Z0iE8QJfbJEdZ7xSG-X6raSVR6e2AhL2yiscbK0U2IZGVcPpF7f7e1C0HneAKRzVGdEAzFjdWPOFDLIctfe811Wi9KAwn0CA/s640/big+sur+california+coast+pacific+ocean+beach+landscape.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYM7JGW-2jXyJb7qKInLIIbpwEFRFS59zyInOu3i1-nVNvXzdcFo7Bva7n50gikdDP-tLlOc2_o8MByRFUixqC37iSo9_L-4tdxxQTr0GkVHK0MchmK0jLlNQyihU9tbzJLksZ-d8ONA/s640/big+sur+california+landscape+photo+scenery+california+coast+pacific+ocean.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdlbRIzcydLo1tZYxhqSU41QQ8SiMDcz6Hjs6bpbWMmF7kTAdu1PCFxnmtuNv84VGOp26ATo2XheJ0sLBvIXb-4lnrDygBhGcv9ZHXOL6FbuxKiKyudKfFVAg09IgpkthH5zBPGiADps/s640/big+sur+flower+photography+california+photography+beautiful+photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3Xc-uMQY3IgEZHSRnbgNrp0v4RuODk0TWV9ztUfBhK2DCOYv2NyIO1s_OzObc2_nJR1UZG_Dq8dmhUDtUO8hG10YCirkbv3ij1yR_POS5lh8IjRtQddWOsGtzDEBWApZ71vGx7ZUWj0/s640/pacific+coast+highway+big+sur+california+coast+photography.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMNRPgtf6xz2h07cq7WhzfGQ4e-4XJUEr98uhzW8YJm88w-uFhfXG6XL-pMMNwDOZF0W60ByKjNuUgkJS6aZmRVYcec7O37_0XrhO4WHimzrB5Q9aL6NzFB0gWZ1FXwRIwulFedH2VBw/s640/pacific+coast+highway+big+sur+california+highway+1+road+trip+wanderlust.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtloxAvl0dg3kegOzxRiRTX4iz0PrdQ1MbnUPhJWgOAQdgqe-Ptlts81REaJZ2Jz8TpZj9IUSxeBnU4snt-q-cZqF1UvUR5Tlkhe821tEjlrAZQJrAVVZptzGe-ZDR_Wd3Khit0x2qsc/s640/pacific+ocean+water+turquoise+blue+waves+ocean+landscape+beautiful.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYFQDQXzKMf8NIpSTpC9LPEsJEN6gCJsH4TjuUsmFKErgaR3NnzTNL-EC2aDv1vVIaVAaDgme_1XtfH77oKr3w4y4nKr-vgURXMCBTmXm5cVVQ4ZHngNvnbfg-n7oFKCwe6j-uy_Yu3o/s640/pacific+ocean+waves+big+sur+california+pacific+coast+highway.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXOyyAsEFAVxbCWT-rqlK8gSDTHqwFeUoY6C_DJdIzcJ9jmhEuO_XZWJ9_MiO6lhbrUbnFKawz-NqJHsPwPB_c0PRuV9XOdaB4MS1yC0Ze2VyS1G8vmNbGPZmqIEY0yk1emHwOTlndfk/s640/turquoise+blue+ocean+beach+water+beautiful+place+big+sur+california.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165578536/big-sur-set-of-9-photos-california-art?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpePNZ84HvtoK5eqC5uJ3IiV07Mrf-Pj4TqZUx0ngD8-3L2Uw_iXyMPHuhI9wFYOGpjU2k7_N8nNZNuGFHDkTqVpuQ9q9NLGQxO6N4ailzx5TwDRmsE-Rw81ZoJ8oOp8kEiTUyOnsQFs/s640/turquoise+blue+ocean+water+california+photography+beautiful.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The views were breathtaking. I've never seen the Pacific before and could not believe the beautiful blue green/turquoise water. Also the sound of crashing waves, the breeze, the open views... it was unreal and 1000x more gorgeous than I could have ever expected.</div>
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Being a professional wino, I also enjoyed our day visiting wineries in Sonoma. We were also lucky enough to be there during the Sonoma County Harvest fair, which (if you buy tasting tickets) has a huge airplane hangar type thing where pretty much <i>every winery in Somona County </i>has a booth set up and tastings are FREE. AND there were a billion restaurants that had booths set up with free food. It was most likely a 10,000 calorie night. Oh well. Needless to say, wine country was a big hit.</div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165420017/harvest-season-four-photo-set-fall-decor?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf2InIoJ2tKzp9MGm2tlIGkVHcOCJJRJpfxQ75cugRXGYEUbKtLj9YSsdSx6WXq944fGy4u0aKEgIrpm3V5WIARQoSwZEVaD_BRL1NWmKYd3hgqFqRTGJiFiP-A9SnKN0Yccky23mAPg/s640/sonoma+california+landscape+photo+wine+country+vineyard+photography.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165420017/harvest-season-four-photo-set-fall-decor?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbChyE8cfIlkpfEKsKH5k9JEwnFsczTFJOTNS8DIL6OqjpnU_b2gX1wq2zBv26twJQunr75K2vpkc7YpaHCfJ2OMSvqoaa1bQGFaFqjXszBKbzbfET2LxB3-BgWLWWp7xTUXVcQr6kMQw/s640/sonoma+county+landscape+california+wine+country+decor+art+gift.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165420017/harvest-season-four-photo-set-fall-decor?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0_pnZi-ibcnNTlJfTyvMe9Fxk45NU76oc7Cb2jIymxrnIoo9-yaerGLjWQjcywlzerNqfC7kvtEaDOXPJf4ySB4rNVp9D5QIiNztFj3nXh7yhr2Mcpf0gtZxzfXmHukbABFeHalIR_k/s640/vineyard+vine+wine+growing+grapes+wine+country+vineyard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165420017/harvest-season-four-photo-set-fall-decor?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXi9zy96Bz1Pc9-RVUvUpjNaUJXTCP7G373p1xwsbbVzZAHFpJIbToHsrNKFrXfEhwJS6M6bF3NXLiBCOOY7bSbt9lMBA4ri5E5MD7nzRN0IpuZN2k_heO6P32VaABvkNouBF_cIUBh7w/s640/wine+country+napa+valley+california+vineyard+vine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The last place I will share in this post was probably my favorite. Back in August when we were planning out this whole crazy adventure, my friend Amber was checking out things to do in Oregon and said, "They have a hiking trail called the Hobbit Trail!" I was instantly drawn to it and knew we would have to at least <i>try </i>to find it (a lot of the reviews said it was hard to find). Well... we found it. And it looked like a place straight out of Lord of the Rings. And it is going to get its own blog post this week, because anyone driving near it on 101 <i>has </i>to go. Here are a few preliminary photos:</div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165828509/the-hobbit-trail-four-photo-set-oregon?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3otsHxZZbRHjxV9PAbblHjSr_s7ejNEPMvcK0tBxywsT08ETnB3Xi5bsaM7lviKTcEC4ucJ8TsR_g33M66JEYIoLYhVPSBkvhQNbUmu1lJOm6yJY8UJVIL-t6xtAEDckLC5SOOwTWVvs/s640/hobbit+beach+hobbit+trail+florence+oregon+coast+pacific+coast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165828509/the-hobbit-trail-four-photo-set-oregon?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyjrMtLQtZEa9oDzVBqOAe9KpQCF0k0JVrW9D2J4tqBFIbDZAPg_ruscM9Y0EsbgHpmIHJ8iK6pSYez0B71RfW_o5NUIfQrpI1Qko89nxUDgk9wcDzym9erId2InO6as_CZh9tgRSdoY/s640/hobbit+trail+enchanted+forest+florence+oregon+hiking+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165828509/the-hobbit-trail-four-photo-set-oregon?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidd0LF_UJ8ev2Gt6zi4zi3FGbH1to3Sbx6RU1uqyA1pSeeR8p3ugcp2WMDaOKg4DxDLhvUCNW6E9oZrOhJpWhe2lWsXh_EO8qFBH0ROj05TVWjYstfPHcKONHGAr36aMGkED49obEKF14/s640/hobbit+trail+florence+oregon+hobbit+beach+enchanted+forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165828509/the-hobbit-trail-four-photo-set-oregon?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6T0SF23PDIe1G0CHjVqio5eDhjRLprL6pfKFXaAhypFVELBtHjDYgAyHbGlQqbdl_gSWYARUk9YEb9rMWSStrhMgIJmcU6_bGaeHVe4kQ4BKEXV1NcBa1G2jtZ7LIC_3-k_XYB_xMpA/s640/hobbit+trail+hobbit+beach+florence+oregon+coast+magical+place.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I am putting together a post of the route we took, the places we stopped, maybe give motel recommendations... because this trip is totally doable, for anyone. It will seem overwhelming at first, but don't try to plan it all out. Just get in the car and go. Until then, peace and love and hope all is well :)</div>
<br />Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-1167859247177935322013-09-30T08:59:00.003-07:002013-09-30T08:59:35.955-07:00Pacific Coast Road Trip 2013Wow, what a whirlwind the month of September has been. I spent the first couple of weeks finishing a few freelance projects, creating some new work for my shop, and began a huge shop facelift as well. Then I spent a week in the Outer Banks with friends, then missed a flight to a beautiful wedding I was invited to (but made it to the reception), then spent this past week playing catch-up on all the orders I got while on vacation. I also learned the hard way, after a couple of shipping issues, that I'm not going to try to keep my shop open while I am out of town for extended periods of time. It was waaaay too tricky.<br />
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So now here it is September 30 (and my twin brothers' 28th birthday!!), and in a few hours I am going to hop on a flight to Chicago, spend the night with my friend Amber, then bright and early tomorrow we are going to catch a flight to LA. Driving up Highway 1 along the Pacific Coast has been on my bucket list for a very long time. I feel like a lot of people have a bucket list, but they just kind of keep it and never really do anything that's on it. They wait for the perfect time, or for when they have the perfect amount of money, or they say they will do it next year. Is it financially responsible for me to take two vacations within two weeks of one another? Not exactly. Would it be a more responsible idea for me to stay home and work on my shop and prepare for the (hopefully crazy) holiday rush? Absolutely. But thoughts like this are what keep peoples' bucket lists untouched and just wishful ideas. There are a million quotes floating around out there about how we only have this moment and the time is now and so on... but they are so true. Go do something crazy. Now. Today. Do something that some people are absolutely going to judge you for. And do not let it bother you one bit.<br />
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I cannot wait for these next few days... collecting inspiration, taking pictures, having great conversation, seeing parts of the country I've never seen before... I cannot believe we are doing this!!! If you follow me on Instagram (@Jenndalyn, or<a href="http://www.instagram.com/jenndalyn" target="_blank"> instagram.com/jenndalyn</a>), I am going to be taking a million photos of this journey. Here is our route, although we have no solid plan. Which is awesome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94cLHkJvkOMUQU-9dPrkQJ2LxQ9wUp-uYmbxOTow1jSSr2SbAm3wbzjCmrLGtfx1UghQJwNqJKk57K2-cUZss3A6cG6HcS1JN1vJP59D3nS_ylVmhUp0_R2g9BDBla3VxcUMj-TiSmd8/s1600/pacific+coast+highway+1+california+road+trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94cLHkJvkOMUQU-9dPrkQJ2LxQ9wUp-uYmbxOTow1jSSr2SbAm3wbzjCmrLGtfx1UghQJwNqJKk57K2-cUZss3A6cG6HcS1JN1vJP59D3nS_ylVmhUp0_R2g9BDBla3VxcUMj-TiSmd8/s640/pacific+coast+highway+1+california+road+trip.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We must be crazy. It's a lot of driving. And I cannot wait to get started.Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-72852785479995395632013-09-13T18:35:00.003-07:002013-09-13T18:35:46.581-07:00Heading to the Beach!This week has been a total whirlwind. After deciding to stay in Chicago an extra night last weekend and not getting home until Monday night, I had to make a separate to do list for each day of this week, because there was <i>so much to do. </i>I feel like the crunch time before vacation (when you are freaking out and pulling your hair out and KNOWING you will never get it all done in time) make the vacation part all the more sweet.<br />
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I am heading back to the Outer Banks with my brothers and some friends (leaving at midnight tonight) and I cannot wait to go back. My time there last year was especially significant, because that Friday I had locked up my office for the last time, and that vacation was like the horizon for lord-knows-what that lay ahead. I was as scared as I was excited, and that has been a feeling that has stuck with me all year. That thrill of not knowing what lies ahead, the fear of not having a steady income, the exhilaration of knowing I'm doing something that "people don't do." Life is such an adventure.<br />
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Speaking of adventures, I didn't get to go anywhere cool this week to take pictures, due to aforementioned excessive to-do lists, so instead I made a photo set of my favorite forest photos:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/162404523/into-the-woods-woodland-nursery-woodland?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnB3yAWABMRnOlffhoLLY8_CBlmZZctMegUR0HflF6zADz82A4tsf8pSoEwRftPv2KRbfk3snrkSGeu2d_zzQZ5TYd7mBEFOXnsa2kbZKpcbqdF4BydU0MV0fFqVnVZkBgVThHQpCMV8Q/s640/into+the+woods.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Into the Woods," available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/162404523/into-the-woods-woodland-nursery-woodland?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">in my Etsy shop</a>.</td></tr>
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Playing with those photos made me incredibly excited for the Pacific Coast Highway road trip my friend Amber and I are taking in October, because we are visiting a place in Oregon that has a hiking trail called The Hobbit Trail. I'm a huge nerd and love anything having to do with Lord of the Rings and the Shire and magical forests and yeah. Cannot wait.<br />
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I also finished a (much belated) birthday gift for a friend of mine who lived in Hawaii for a few years:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/162641901/alohabloom-hawaii-art-tropical-decor?ref=shop_home_active" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLTmo-94a8JB-6qkXp5zLi_Vrg9XU7K35hV2UBqy4gZr1sLqygP8Za2E4LDyRfbYhOvYZd1Bn8LV0W8t9A8xCn_ACZouNOq_RpgrUUTMVh6_qCggdGrhipALkpFIRgdLfuEZbbvbgvs4/s640/alohabloom.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Alohabloom," which I also added<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/162641901/alohabloom-hawaii-art-tropical-decor?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"> to my shop</a>.</td></tr>
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I also finished working on a design for a clothing company whose style I really adore, kind of like Free People. They ask artists to create a design that is used on their shopping bags. Here is what I came up with:<br />
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So all of that is finished, I got all of my orders shipped, errands finished, visited my very pregnant friend one more time since next time I see her, she will have an "outside baby," as she calls it. Now all I have to do is pack and drive and then relax, tan, and perhaps enjoy some adult beverages. Responsibly. Walk the beach, take some pictures, smell the salt air and feel the warm sand. AND no hurricanes in sight. Party time :)</div>
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I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and week and HAPPY FALL!!! </div>
<br />Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110367958585465254.post-42560256553269717642013-09-03T19:36:00.000-07:002013-09-03T19:39:06.040-07:00Clear Creek Metro Park in Hocking County (Tuesday Adventures Continue)As a general rule, the state of Ohio is pretty flat. There are lots of farms and fields and a lot of places that just look <i>country. </i>From an airplane, Ohio looks like a quilt: a bunch of fields, one after another after another... until you get to eastern Ohio. Especially the southeast.<br />
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There's a region down there called Hocking Hills that nature nerds like myself enjoy visiting. Today I traveled to the westernmost border of it and visited Clear Creek Metro Park. Now in Columbus, metro parks are great but you can still hear the roar of the highway, constant air traffic, and there are usually quite a few people there doing the same thing as you: escaping the city for 45 minutes or so.<br />
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I didn't really know what to expect with Clear Creek, since it is due east and way out in Hocking County. As soon as I turned onto Clear Creek Road (and promptly lost my cell phone signal), I knew it was going to be amazing. And secluded. And quiet. I turned my phone off, had no idea what time it was, grabbed a paper map, and started to walk. Not once did I see another human being. It was the perfect day: sunny and almost 70. Walking around the meadows and woods, following the creek, hiking along a steep ridge, I had this overwhelming feeling that I was <i>a guest. </i>Nature is so amazing and vast and huge and magical... but sometimes we forget that. When we live in a world of high speed internet, on-demand cable TV, cars, wars, and airplanes, it's easy for some to forget what really governs the earth. Just take a walk alone in the middle of a secluded forest. I guarantee you will find your grounding fairly quickly.<br />
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Come revisit my journey with me:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaQhhS8HpDd5dHH1BoUXmvQYYYyeBwQKw0i6D3iaThELiM2sitSpWwy2UgqZvmfFzoXnibVTH_KPiGC1h90pjWwS5Bz4denwc9vzEDgBhaHjdX6WRIkhspHtu6HNqjLzbYpKpkNVxvvo/s1600/1+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county+ohio+forest+woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaQhhS8HpDd5dHH1BoUXmvQYYYyeBwQKw0i6D3iaThELiM2sitSpWwy2UgqZvmfFzoXnibVTH_KPiGC1h90pjWwS5Bz4denwc9vzEDgBhaHjdX6WRIkhspHtu6HNqjLzbYpKpkNVxvvo/s640/1+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county+ohio+forest+woods.jpg" width="504" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first trail I walked was called the Creekside Meadows Trail... it followed the creek and was a gorgeous mix of forest and, you guessed it, meadows. There were butterflies <i>everywhere.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCZNHQ2kxhwXwYs9sQaBtw1BJZSBPY2sLky1LaiJahwhp3Y57ihpr6BIa0k-ye_ULygWEbGISnvuUJHanHnTxtd9gfZe4DygHMU-fN_E17229DAY8TALkhTJw36BXApz6T87DupHzI7k/s1600/2+hocking+hills+mossy+forest+woodland+woods+forest+floor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCZNHQ2kxhwXwYs9sQaBtw1BJZSBPY2sLky1LaiJahwhp3Y57ihpr6BIa0k-ye_ULygWEbGISnvuUJHanHnTxtd9gfZe4DygHMU-fN_E17229DAY8TALkhTJw36BXApz6T87DupHzI7k/s640/2+hocking+hills+mossy+forest+woodland+woods+forest+floor.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny universes.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcfxI1XHcJPxGKC2rHDBZQCeP68yeeKWOZFvQ8bodLZ1w7do-a64hZFnZMSY74nAKS-X0EGlcPpsZ7kfmB4-jeQGU2X0YSXeZLbwbrhp8R0-d_Nf77HdZfLgA3nJ7Q8MEGCEzVSMT7gs/s1600/3+mossy+forest+hocking+hills+ohio+woods+woodland+hikinh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcfxI1XHcJPxGKC2rHDBZQCeP68yeeKWOZFvQ8bodLZ1w7do-a64hZFnZMSY74nAKS-X0EGlcPpsZ7kfmB4-jeQGU2X0YSXeZLbwbrhp8R0-d_Nf77HdZfLgA3nJ7Q8MEGCEzVSMT7gs/s640/3+mossy+forest+hocking+hills+ohio+woods+woodland+hikinh.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZLfKmCKZhs9KZUTi65UjJA-aa2hVgcgYpYp609s3X2nMEsSbHDPoCsMH0G_-is9JB7eWeu1OBWgzWGmvy59rKQWaqYgUygygHTaEYiNffz9DU5msmIunmGdq911c5VQ_8-ZzB_z5fV8/s1600/4+hocking+county+ohio+clear+creek+metro+park+woods+forest+hikinh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZLfKmCKZhs9KZUTi65UjJA-aa2hVgcgYpYp609s3X2nMEsSbHDPoCsMH0G_-is9JB7eWeu1OBWgzWGmvy59rKQWaqYgUygygHTaEYiNffz9DU5msmIunmGdq911c5VQ_8-ZzB_z5fV8/s640/4+hocking+county+ohio+clear+creek+metro+park+woods+forest+hikinh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun-dappled spots, the sound of the wind rustling the leaves, chirping birds... heaven.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLCBt9FSPKoymd_xDoT9U7V9n2Ce9MpJJia2FECBK_mWDCC9nUgnJ5j3_HmkrEa-eDu7Db6Cg48jxlxECF49nCzMnf0GroFzCPpTFJFFvhTkQpE0aLyw_HyCIAetO9ipi4uw2BdgvAtE/s1600/5+hiking+trail+hocking+hills+clear+creek+metro+park+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLCBt9FSPKoymd_xDoT9U7V9n2Ce9MpJJia2FECBK_mWDCC9nUgnJ5j3_HmkrEa-eDu7Db6Cg48jxlxECF49nCzMnf0GroFzCPpTFJFFvhTkQpE0aLyw_HyCIAetO9ipi4uw2BdgvAtE/s640/5+hiking+trail+hocking+hills+clear+creek+metro+park+ohio.jpg" width="522" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At one point I literally started dancing down this trail. I mean who cares. There wasn't another person for like... miles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GbhL1vmd8-A3VpC5yXBcedCSD_JDRhhCZP_36vyho1z-8FxL6as77PigH-zxZwQMHNXrQ7hFTNt30w2WIauBIWnv8HLUWHWxPX3LdGGXRag1w6p5lAPK_lU6iGfpRTKv7LqlSW5y5Ec/s1600/6+hiking+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+ohio+hikes+hocking+county.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GbhL1vmd8-A3VpC5yXBcedCSD_JDRhhCZP_36vyho1z-8FxL6as77PigH-zxZwQMHNXrQ7hFTNt30w2WIauBIWnv8HLUWHWxPX3LdGGXRag1w6p5lAPK_lU6iGfpRTKv7LqlSW5y5Ec/s640/6+hiking+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+ohio+hikes+hocking+county.jpg" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I continued dancing when the trail started to look like this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4skDbTb32SN_EenhgO49pHPYizOo38R7pmSQx-EsPGpudW8WHXk08DUERHXBVlATYfFCy9yKQDyDsKWWyqfapGbLg3O9Y8S8LqPynDwWp6UGq0DEdXemomxGKTkGRULPKHaPSJNLZXw/s1600/7+woodland+forest+magical+place+enchanted+forest+hobbit+the+shire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4skDbTb32SN_EenhgO49pHPYizOo38R7pmSQx-EsPGpudW8WHXk08DUERHXBVlATYfFCy9yKQDyDsKWWyqfapGbLg3O9Y8S8LqPynDwWp6UGq0DEdXemomxGKTkGRULPKHaPSJNLZXw/s640/7+woodland+forest+magical+place+enchanted+forest+hobbit+the+shire.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sunlight was perfect. The thought of not knowing what is coming next on the trail is insanely exciting to me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHnPu4vb0lWRMc8nz4AW0ExJSfWDsCIINTrX0Ey6jdngs8QyXn-iOH2tcD9k3qTLP1WTq6rDJIU4a6oJ_DGU2fcDSDjuBLdBGaXpUoyRuyPqYRK13W2ZIHUErb4UgCN35g_S0ww5avH4/s1600/8+haunted+cabin+hocking+hills+history+clear+creek+metro+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHnPu4vb0lWRMc8nz4AW0ExJSfWDsCIINTrX0Ey6jdngs8QyXn-iOH2tcD9k3qTLP1WTq6rDJIU4a6oJ_DGU2fcDSDjuBLdBGaXpUoyRuyPqYRK13W2ZIHUErb4UgCN35g_S0ww5avH4/s640/8+haunted+cabin+hocking+hills+history+clear+creek+metro+park.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stumbled across this spooky old cabin (that white thing in the window is a bath tub) and got close to take some pictures, despite the "No Trespassing" sign. Then a squirrel ran out of the basement window and I let out a blood-curdling scream and that was the end of spooky old cabin pictures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7U7hrA1Nb3MZNOgfGNd4QwqU22L_L5AZRUailLz3clnh_F3xGtHm9G9d40VIpAlsDDq-yz4niPovwyhDo1tWAzyzNVbAosucnsKUOJ2a_AF-QhsHYJ2REaTkVW5D1lWZhTtJgh9jRcI/s1600/9+scary+tree+forest+woods+hiking+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7U7hrA1Nb3MZNOgfGNd4QwqU22L_L5AZRUailLz3clnh_F3xGtHm9G9d40VIpAlsDDq-yz4niPovwyhDo1tWAzyzNVbAosucnsKUOJ2a_AF-QhsHYJ2REaTkVW5D1lWZhTtJgh9jRcI/s640/9+scary+tree+forest+woods+hiking+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiky trees....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTIvRA91g4gUOH4wpaG1W67t5yeucrnlLcPvPxwM-fhAS9b-peyexhMdNPOZk9RPIF1T1WUyWFvivtI1sqZoHZxfbp6-2pT1H_QwowU5AS65fYwV4I45pAFNYR913xjmsD6PIV2M0nWc/s1600/901+hiking+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTIvRA91g4gUOH4wpaG1W67t5yeucrnlLcPvPxwM-fhAS9b-peyexhMdNPOZk9RPIF1T1WUyWFvivtI1sqZoHZxfbp6-2pT1H_QwowU5AS65fYwV4I45pAFNYR913xjmsD6PIV2M0nWc/s640/901+hiking+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county+ohio.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Continuing the meadow trail.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DsIv2fAaU8krc7h96qdoMFrvwpR1gSQ9_TrMsI37m-fn75APe2_V0Z16X6V34QuFU9bdeg9_UKmKkYW5gyW0HTZNLBxmbBmwAceHq5JBCiEJFZcPcB_JrnLZMRZf1j7a-mGJv9g1m7c/s1600/902+cemetery+ridge+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DsIv2fAaU8krc7h96qdoMFrvwpR1gSQ9_TrMsI37m-fn75APe2_V0Z16X6V34QuFU9bdeg9_UKmKkYW5gyW0HTZNLBxmbBmwAceHq5JBCiEJFZcPcB_JrnLZMRZf1j7a-mGJv9g1m7c/s640/902+cemetery+ridge+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county+ohio.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next I climbed beginning of the Cemetery Ridge trail... holy incline. This was at the beginning of the top.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOT7d2GscBlBNcQ-u-60Bkfk7f9fXuxZbtqkaQBUBK_6BRY-ITrGBq0n2NKwGXBFnCXcTRFdd1L8cXE5b4y49lH9-Q8M-PgwZGq2kffGtHBGwNfB95rynwxBET3OlPkD7IbPAd-e7hEg/s1600/903+woodland+forest+plants+leaves+green+woods+photography.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOT7d2GscBlBNcQ-u-60Bkfk7f9fXuxZbtqkaQBUBK_6BRY-ITrGBq0n2NKwGXBFnCXcTRFdd1L8cXE5b4y49lH9-Q8M-PgwZGq2kffGtHBGwNfB95rynwxBET3OlPkD7IbPAd-e7hEg/s640/903+woodland+forest+plants+leaves+green+woods+photography.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAoTiZ0k5A-aOz0bQQvxH-th7n4Op308E9N1rWbGbBU3lZK_GCTl2EK7lLec23u97R-3TSebxnRzhfUJ8i4zoFaaL_elDNoGJzztbFWikYLq5CQIfuhwtLHkrTkGFB44RFSiQh-0_ng8/s1600/904+forest+plants+forest+life+forest+growth+tiny+leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAoTiZ0k5A-aOz0bQQvxH-th7n4Op308E9N1rWbGbBU3lZK_GCTl2EK7lLec23u97R-3TSebxnRzhfUJ8i4zoFaaL_elDNoGJzztbFWikYLq5CQIfuhwtLHkrTkGFB44RFSiQh-0_ng8/s640/904+forest+plants+forest+life+forest+growth+tiny+leaves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GxT7unzIFcIHyv6PkYeq6Q6T5zqqfw1LMPiDw8YjA43sXdtB0S1uOLKPRNOnzG6svElgXskoSpcqtAhRQ1ztBgJo6qeR4qzA0l1Wq6o5AQbADeYtUT5rQPFFzSPv5m7hyphenhyphen1dotZFfTAs/s1600/905+old+barn+abandoned+barn+farm+house+hocking+hills+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GxT7unzIFcIHyv6PkYeq6Q6T5zqqfw1LMPiDw8YjA43sXdtB0S1uOLKPRNOnzG6svElgXskoSpcqtAhRQ1ztBgJo6qeR4qzA0l1Wq6o5AQbADeYtUT5rQPFFzSPv5m7hyphenhyphen1dotZFfTAs/s640/905+old+barn+abandoned+barn+farm+house+hocking+hills+ohio.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After my spooky old cabin scare, I stumbled upon spooky old barn. IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I got this close then heard tapping sounds that sounded like footsteps.... and being that I was in the middle of a forest with no other sign of human life for miles I got the heck out of there. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WisdZbd1tAr64Aw5w2YKvHUgoy_c8xd-B_aI25DGWY06LFxJqTQQ4OPrNLiOAHQGft7dGlIukhfypsvrlYX_2K_jmQxGRgHIokWL57EhnQT7Jw6WuNNM_shCUgdCS2qFnUc-f2AM36Q/s1600/906+woods+plants+green+leaves+nature+hiking+forest+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WisdZbd1tAr64Aw5w2YKvHUgoy_c8xd-B_aI25DGWY06LFxJqTQQ4OPrNLiOAHQGft7dGlIukhfypsvrlYX_2K_jmQxGRgHIokWL57EhnQT7Jw6WuNNM_shCUgdCS2qFnUc-f2AM36Q/s640/906+woods+plants+green+leaves+nature+hiking+forest+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkevfl6_o_usgxjiVxyrer2lA9m1sJs7EcELpgP0vJQ-ZKRPKXJE5g-n7R_BkIeaBlJRZ5aVDcJoDv1bY41YAQ6LXb2T-8HTZnwyKTv0jt3saKQ_OcO9G9ew9OwXNiEE_CHfA4GwQZCg/s1600/907+cemetery+ridge+hiking+trail+forest+woods+woodland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkevfl6_o_usgxjiVxyrer2lA9m1sJs7EcELpgP0vJQ-ZKRPKXJE5g-n7R_BkIeaBlJRZ5aVDcJoDv1bY41YAQ6LXb2T-8HTZnwyKTv0jt3saKQ_OcO9G9ew9OwXNiEE_CHfA4GwQZCg/s640/907+cemetery+ridge+hiking+trail+forest+woods+woodland.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only sounds I heard here were crickets, insects, birds, and trees blowing in the wind. The sun was warm, the breeze was cool. It was honestly perfect.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKmaL6gTISdhsAh5cOkZErISnWTDPVw8Kluzddga3yGFWxmY0mOreOH-6vKLmne29lasNG8fZbx9MINlQnTD7PSmkrymG0E66KJ5ehq2Y7umOjCckdWohF_y2ZhzFOujddK9m_S3Aa5U/s1600/908+magical+woods+evergreen+tree+hocking+hills+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKmaL6gTISdhsAh5cOkZErISnWTDPVw8Kluzddga3yGFWxmY0mOreOH-6vKLmne29lasNG8fZbx9MINlQnTD7PSmkrymG0E66KJ5ehq2Y7umOjCckdWohF_y2ZhzFOujddK9m_S3Aa5U/s640/908+magical+woods+evergreen+tree+hocking+hills+ohio.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvRsfFTv2zqDhfb8AGx2VnGiKOuoOO6zjeB6jpRnvZ2oMzqBwzvGk4qwKfvwosPpxRHuHKMPgTjI7CVWTFGcNW_vZOOZ-DQC-kFmNwI5Mmd2vaKcU3uIjJeNzKtR35bsdzWfvXBm6vCk/s1600/909+dandelion+photograph+close+up+summer+photography+flower+floral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvRsfFTv2zqDhfb8AGx2VnGiKOuoOO6zjeB6jpRnvZ2oMzqBwzvGk4qwKfvwosPpxRHuHKMPgTjI7CVWTFGcNW_vZOOZ-DQC-kFmNwI5Mmd2vaKcU3uIjJeNzKtR35bsdzWfvXBm6vCk/s640/909+dandelion+photograph+close+up+summer+photography+flower+floral.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8Uw5ZOt0Em2NBKNT5FZlOT6O39d77rKkrICdS0gbJ1l6LyMA3PXy5_YqsaxbedQNbzBpvT2OzKILfotb9Ht0XJ-7tY7rwPS20jPorVV2o8JApPXQuHgaltCuUiOriK8kBqYvx1x_8dI/s1600/910+clear+creek+metro+park+ohio+cemetery+ridge+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8Uw5ZOt0Em2NBKNT5FZlOT6O39d77rKkrICdS0gbJ1l6LyMA3PXy5_YqsaxbedQNbzBpvT2OzKILfotb9Ht0XJ-7tY7rwPS20jPorVV2o8JApPXQuHgaltCuUiOriK8kBqYvx1x_8dI/s640/910+clear+creek+metro+park+ohio+cemetery+ridge+trail.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A meadow at the top of the ridge, while hiking towards the trail that declined down into the valley. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8EMYZGrExB1iE9PF21gBx0qKmOYMcX3N3Za1I0W_u3dUCMIf40Qq6-xByOAvmd4RZJKrk3oGSUcLrj4EO2mo-3TUdCRcvEzf2peXkpkpTwk4voMNHg5Ak5cpoooTGASKK0Eq6J-SVHc/s1600/911+butterfly+close+up+pretty+butterfly+photo+hocking+hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8EMYZGrExB1iE9PF21gBx0qKmOYMcX3N3Za1I0W_u3dUCMIf40Qq6-xByOAvmd4RZJKrk3oGSUcLrj4EO2mo-3TUdCRcvEzf2peXkpkpTwk4voMNHg5Ak5cpoooTGASKK0Eq6J-SVHc/s640/911+butterfly+close+up+pretty+butterfly+photo+hocking+hills.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were butterflies EVERYWHERE. But they are quick and difficult to photograph :)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl-h7Gtfngf4qQgmV1vMm2Bs2CqmA3Z4ghhxIkC95ZFJJdzae_7cbDNobIYJchxy92QtF-IBxSrAtEf8ftZUnxXtdhzL4BFuupM9kac88ObyZc8jPEMrsGGOV3AunHWt1wW_ofMFHepE/s1600/912+butterfly+flower+photograph+monarch+butterfly+summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl-h7Gtfngf4qQgmV1vMm2Bs2CqmA3Z4ghhxIkC95ZFJJdzae_7cbDNobIYJchxy92QtF-IBxSrAtEf8ftZUnxXtdhzL4BFuupM9kac88ObyZc8jPEMrsGGOV3AunHWt1wW_ofMFHepE/s640/912+butterfly+flower+photograph+monarch+butterfly+summer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiH2appcTasA-np-wKZ-IejqeUqAf-T3vEOvllufWEt-nz7NlnooFDVJb9gmbBq_LjpBxsEasb40hlAEXzxx5tS863xwCUcLrlKuLRNODqbeNonlwXcrE5DpMnWzUpnImlo1OZ-AmrnY/s1600/913+leaf+shaped+like+a+heart+red+leaf+autumn+forest+magical+beautiful+enchanted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiH2appcTasA-np-wKZ-IejqeUqAf-T3vEOvllufWEt-nz7NlnooFDVJb9gmbBq_LjpBxsEasb40hlAEXzxx5tS863xwCUcLrlKuLRNODqbeNonlwXcrE5DpMnWzUpnImlo1OZ-AmrnY/s640/913+leaf+shaped+like+a+heart+red+leaf+autumn+forest+magical+beautiful+enchanted.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found this when I merged onto the Fern Trail. I do heart the woods <3</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mTe8JxfLgMEbWLXhRq8X2golpJ1rh0I8-DnA46iIRABqN7l9Tt3CQMvJ3U7GbPbrsnr9eRZgi_e6S0dTCuCVvyVPEM0sV4tZdfcCYZ-lmfoOrMeEUaLtpokytFLFO9qNQIN7kfRaJj4/s1600/914+hocking+hills+hiking+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mTe8JxfLgMEbWLXhRq8X2golpJ1rh0I8-DnA46iIRABqN7l9Tt3CQMvJ3U7GbPbrsnr9eRZgi_e6S0dTCuCVvyVPEM0sV4tZdfcCYZ-lmfoOrMeEUaLtpokytFLFO9qNQIN7kfRaJj4/s640/914+hocking+hills+hiking+trail+clear+creek+metro+park+hocking+county.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVsfMIynTqoPAmNV_Rqr2qpYFwJN5vXgsrPUa_St7JTgBtoDqoJ91JAbXrqmuLJFlfiQrnrSKzm3-4nSABYIDVnoLleKvE1MDtV9qRHr3zNOltOPGqk-HUVFGOiFJiygFkqozRu42Jj4/s1600/915+mossy+forest+floor+green+moss+woods+ground+nature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVsfMIynTqoPAmNV_Rqr2qpYFwJN5vXgsrPUa_St7JTgBtoDqoJ91JAbXrqmuLJFlfiQrnrSKzm3-4nSABYIDVnoLleKvE1MDtV9qRHr3zNOltOPGqk-HUVFGOiFJiygFkqozRu42Jj4/s640/915+mossy+forest+floor+green+moss+woods+ground+nature.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again, tiny mossy worlds. They are beautiful and amazing. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLJmZ09eU_YESJIeymVomtwjxH1QDSWXyxhvWEUiasd1qE0sQ1zIILp2XLdUOWPkPiFQZ30c_v3CyYMqXcY4jq701e3C5jSmELZYJiuDvSEi-9Mia5EJE9xCWIBGLWmVpczWEUUOOBgE/s1600/916+forest+fern+green+leaves+nature+botanical+plants+photography.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLJmZ09eU_YESJIeymVomtwjxH1QDSWXyxhvWEUiasd1qE0sQ1zIILp2XLdUOWPkPiFQZ30c_v3CyYMqXcY4jq701e3C5jSmELZYJiuDvSEi-9Mia5EJE9xCWIBGLWmVpczWEUUOOBgE/s640/916+forest+fern+green+leaves+nature+botanical+plants+photography.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYwyItkbVRvTQQJhvz5CPmKZUAR4ZFfoq3HXJbssQ7odw351NEMctnqo0o9IXi_bqvmxEYUIZ3yQIuzuI8RykaZZnajIGdRsgviV0nHFlrIy9GMtCWyHO-V3bB0_uLquNBVYVs-UwMDM/s1600/917+red+mushroom+magic+mushroom+wild+forest+woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYwyItkbVRvTQQJhvz5CPmKZUAR4ZFfoq3HXJbssQ7odw351NEMctnqo0o9IXi_bqvmxEYUIZ3yQIuzuI8RykaZZnajIGdRsgviV0nHFlrIy9GMtCWyHO-V3bB0_uLquNBVYVs-UwMDM/s640/917+red+mushroom+magic+mushroom+wild+forest+woods.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushrooms are weird. And cool.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2X4n41Zk2wv6N805T7OMiUNW8FoCkZHEk-4FP0tfh9dWD1xuqOcdAzE7-RSUl_IKzCd7G7wL42LcKh1AzrnYRth38CHlZWj0u0fkEPTaXN0p4tcFbwMIxMGmVhHi113Cnbkx07uhglk/s1600/918+mossy+hillside+magical+place+hocking+hills+ohio+beautiful+green+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2X4n41Zk2wv6N805T7OMiUNW8FoCkZHEk-4FP0tfh9dWD1xuqOcdAzE7-RSUl_IKzCd7G7wL42LcKh1AzrnYRth38CHlZWj0u0fkEPTaXN0p4tcFbwMIxMGmVhHi113Cnbkx07uhglk/s640/918+mossy+hillside+magical+place+hocking+hills+ohio+beautiful+green+forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaPsdcukUtufKq99Xr0XtvBZp3z6wzRS3VL29pTZYKOoiGqr_esRjBvTvXTlCti6_atmEQNdQmtp6N-Ry6vF_KaHe0yVzLRXufpA38TUbSA5uT9zYIcr0yLipquX7cnaCCQTnLXgepzq4/s1600/919+magical+place+enchanted+forest+shire+hobbit+hocking+hills+ohio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaPsdcukUtufKq99Xr0XtvBZp3z6wzRS3VL29pTZYKOoiGqr_esRjBvTvXTlCti6_atmEQNdQmtp6N-Ry6vF_KaHe0yVzLRXufpA38TUbSA5uT9zYIcr0yLipquX7cnaCCQTnLXgepzq4/s640/919+magical+place+enchanted+forest+shire+hobbit+hocking+hills+ohio.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I reached the end of the Fern Trail, I looked back and saw this lovely view.</td></tr>
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I cannot believe it is September, and that soon these green landscapes are going to be on fire with red and orange and gold. Definitely going to upgrade my lens before then :)Jenndalynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459489216547123728noreply@blogger.com1