Life & Waterproof Cameras

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”
– Charles Kingsley

I’ve been hiding out in Austin for the past couple of weeks, squeezing in the last of the local bucket list items, as well as returning to many of my favorite places.  May is probably the best month to be in this city, and I’ve been having the time of my life.  I’d need a waterproof camera to capture it all, including some of my favorites (SUP on Town Lake and toobing the Guadalupe River).  This falls well into my philosophy that some of the best things in life happen in a swimsuit…those same things require waterproof cameras!

I’ve got two more posts lined up to cover graduation and post-graduation life.  It’s been a whirlwind, and hopefully I can find the words to convey what I’m feeling as I say goodbye and close this chapter of my life.

Spring & a little bit of Easter

       

Just some pictures from a great Easter weekend with family.  I have to admit that amidst the excitement of planning all my summer trips, there lingers some sadness, because I know when I leave for these trips, I’m leaving my family as well.  Portland isn’t a straight shot down the tollway, or a drive down I35, it’s 2000 miles away.  It’s a different timezone, it’s a different life.  And as much of Texas as I will attempt to bring with me, I will still miss my home.

Hiking Austin

“Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path.” –- Steve Jobs

I’ve been in Austin for about a week, hiking many of the trails within city limits. The above photos are from McKinney Falls State Park and (my personal favorite place) The Barton Creek Greenbelt. It’s been a full week, with some of the highlights being Food Heads, yoga, catching up with friends over drinks, getting some sun, and road trip planning. It’ll be hard to return home tomorrow…

Skillshare Projects

“Intelligent self-directed learning is better than formal education. Never be afraid to take a road less traveled—an uncertain path that conflicts with the norm.” – Robert I. Brown

At the end of February, I discovered Skillshare and fell in love.  It was everything that a bored college student with design, photography, programming, and entrepreneurial ambitions could ask for.  So during March, on top of my 30 Days Projects, online college credits, and traveling, I split my time between five (yes 5!) Skillshare classes that I just couldn’t resist.  It was a lot to take on, and I saved a lot of the work for the last week of the month…but I got a lot done and I am so proud of the results that I wanted to share them here!  So here we go:

Intro to UI Design: Friendly Design for Startups & Small Business

The project was to design a lean one-page site for a startup of your choice.  I was going to stick with the Party-Starter company suggested by the teacher, but it was too hard not to mimic what she had already mocked up herself as an example.  It was inspiring to watch her create a beautiful website from scratch in less than 30 minutes, and I aspire to be able to do that some day.  Mine took me hours, but I’m excited about the result!  It revolves around my idea of making it easier to find trails and parks and all the relevant information you need to explore them.  Maybe I’ll be able to actually put it into use someday soon 😉

Map Design: Learn to Communicate Places Beautifully

The project was to create an amazing visual map or travel guide.  This class was such an inspiration to me, that I’ve taken on an entire project series of mapping the National Parks for a website idea I have.  But for the class itself, I wanted to look to where I’ll be living in just a few months (Portland), and create a guide for all the amazing places I want to hit while there.  The idea is to take this design and make it interactive, so that you can hover your mouse over one of the trees (which are all currently saved as layers named after the place they represent) and information on and pictures of that trail/park/landmark will pop up with a link to more.  It’s all about simplicity and ease of use.

Information Design: Turn Ideas into Infographics

The project was to design a simple map infographic. Simple, being the key word for me.  I was inspired by a post I found with details about the type of people who use each filter on Instagram.  It seemed so much more relevant and interesting to me, so I decided to forge my own path instead of using the hurricane information the teachers provided for my infographic.  I wanted to stick to the theme of my other projects and look at stats for trails, national parks and other adventures in the U.S.  And of course I ended up examining the national scenic trails.  The hardest part was finding the data and figuring out how to display it!  There’s still a lot more I want to do to this (add the trail lengths, find a better way of displaying the high and low points of the trails, etc.), but I am satisfied for now.

EasyDSLR: Master your Digital Camera in less than 30 days

I’m saving this one to do with the April classes I plan to sign up for.  I thought I could get it done with the rest of my March classes, but I realized I was putting unrealistic expectations on myself.  I want to be able to really focus on the lectures and the photography project, and I need to give myself the time to do that.  There is no rush.  Plus, I probably understated how much work I left for the end of March.  In April I will do a better job of spreading things out!

Digital Illustration: Communicate with Color, Pattern, and Texture

Oh boy, was I burnt out on this one.  The project was to illustrate my interpretation of the word “quiet” or “loud.”  I had all these visions of mountains and kayaking and hiking tails and yoga and tea when I pictured a final interpretation for “quiet,”…but learning to use Illustrator was tedious and I just wanted to be done with it, so this is my half-assed effort.  I’m still trying to master good color combinations.  Did I say “master”?  I meant  obtain just the smallest bit of skill in creating palettes for my projects.  Because it’s really tough!  The main takeaway with this project is that I am now familiar with the basics of Illustrator.  Which is great! (Although, I’ll probably go through and watch the lectures one or two more times…just to solidify everything.)

Next Steps

I am so proud of the work I’ve done for these classes, and I am excited by how much I’ve learned!  They completely exceeded my expectations.  I’ve enjoyed them so much, that I’m ready for more.  I’ve signed up for 3 more courses: Speak UP: Be a Thought Leader + Electrify Your Reach, How to Program iPhone Apps in Three Weeks, and Design Beautiful Apps: iOS App Design (UX) (and of course finishing up the DSLR camera class).  I am thrilled for a productive April!

[Note: Because I’ve been focusing on these Skillshare projects, my work on the national parks maps has been put on the back-burner.  I was able to get started on one for Glacier National Park, but I found myself unhappy with the results and unable to create what I had pictured.  And it was stressing me out (I’ll admit I probably bit a little more than I could chew…).  For the rest of these 30 days, I’m solely going to focus on my yoga practice.  Which has been going great!  It’s such a refreshing and energizing way to wake up in the morning.  I feel more productive and creative after a good yoga session.]

New Mexico (Part 4 of 4)

On our last day, after a morning of shopping in town (where I scored a gorgeous rug and some fun dreamcatchers for my friends), I decided to explore the valley.  I found a trail about a mile from our pueblo, and followed it down, down, down to some hot springs along the Rio Grande.  I got my boots nice and dusty, dipped my hand in the Manby Springs, and even made a friend at the bottom of the gorge.  After leaving him with his people and hiking back up, I took the jeep round some rough, winding, dirt roads over to the Jon Dunn Bridge.  The weather was great, and the locals were taking advantage of the river for some fishing.  It was a great sight to end the trip on.  I’ve fallen in love with New Mexico, and now am even more looking forward to moving west.

I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to join my dad and brothers for this trip.  I was initially sad about missing iSXSW and the crazy, drunken Panama City Beach vacation my friends took, but I know now that I made the right choice for me.  It was so fulfilling to be in the mountains, and my adventures even sparked some big ideas for me to pursue.  I did hours of research to find the two trails I ended up exploring, and I don’t think that should be the case.  I either want to take advantage of Google Map Maker (and potentially pursue a job with them), better documenting local and national trails, or create my own online resource that eases the experience of finding trails and all the information you need for a successful hike.  It’s just a thought for now, but I hope to turn it in to something more over the coming months as I research for my road trip.  I’m excited to find a potential project that brings out my passions, and I’m incredibly motivated to pursue it.

New Mexico (Part 3 of 4)

We hiked to Williams Lake, and boy was it an adventure.  We hiked 2.5 miles up from Taos Ski Valley (which we could have just driven up…whoops) and searched for the trailhead.  After a few wrong turns, we found it and were on our way on one of the most challenging but beautiful trails of my life.  We risked going sans snowshoes, trusting our luck with our hiking boots.  Luckily, even after the record snowfall, the trail had been packed down enough by past hikers to make our hike possible (I only ended up knee to waist deep in snow a couple of times!).  A nearly 2000-feet rise in elevation later, and we found ourselves treated to the most amazing views.  The lake was frozen over and submerged beneath feet of snow, but it was breathtaking nonetheless.  As you can tell, I went a little picture crazy.  I just couldn’t help myself!  On the way back down to the Ski Valley, we stopped for some German pretzels, burgers and beer at an Inn near the trail.  We followed the road as it wound lower and lower, meeting with the rest of the crew at the bottom.  Worn out, but completely content.

New Mexico (Part 2 of 4)

     

I hadn’t been snowboarding in years.  Years!  It was very questionable to me if I still even knew what to do once I was strapped into a board.  I’m happy to say that it all came back to me as soon as we got up the slope (right after I wiped out trying to get of the lift…which will forever be my weakness).  It was fun flying down the hills, and by flying I mean slowly, carefully making my way down as I practiced my turns.  And enjoying the view on the way.  At the end our runs we enjoyed a couple of beers at a German bar at the foot of the slopes, capping of a great day the right way if you ask me.

New Mexico (Part 1 of 4)

                   

Some shots of my future home.

Seriously though, this is the place we rented for our Spring Break in New Mexico, and it was a dream.  Every time we pulled up the drive, every time I walked through the front door, I just had to say “wow.”  I instantly gravitated to a book from its library by the founder of Patagonia (Let My People Go Surfing), and I spent most of my free time devouring it in that little green chair looking out on the mountains and valley.   It snowed throughout our first evening there, which was almost as beautiful as when the clouds finally cleared, giving way to even more spectacular views.  At night, after we had worn ourselves out snowboarding and hiking and shopping, we’d settle down with a glass of wine, or a beer in the jacuzzi, and toasts s’mores in one of the many fire places.  We’d turn out the porch lights and find our favorite constellations in the stars.  And then we’d sleep, soundly, until the sun rose and filled the house with light.  And so would begin another perfect day.

Fredericksburg (Part 2)

                                               

And then there was Sunday.  I don’t know if it gets much better than hiking and Texas BBQ. Oh Lordy.  I learned my lesson about always having an extra memory card today, ended up taking half my photos with my iPhone due to running out of space on my camera.  I may just have to go back again once everything is in bloom.  3rd times the charm, right?

Fredericksburg (Part 1)

What a weekend!  I don’t think I could have asks for a better couple of days.  On Saturday, I went to Fredericksburg  with my cousin Mandy and Aunt Pam, and we picnicked, did wine tastings, and explored the little German town.  It was good to be with family, and to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery of Hill Country.  I could happily live on a little ranch out there, it’s so peaceful and wonderful.  Texas may not quite have the trees and mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest, but it makes up for it with the people.

I still need to go through the excessive amount of pictures I have from Sunday at Enchanted Rock, so I’ll post those soon!  I’ll also try to post Days 10-12 of the 30 Day Challenge later today 🙂