Thousand Steps Cave

This is a place called Thousand Steps Beach. I had seen a few people visit this spot in Laguna Beach but I never knew how to get to it. I put my lil' research skills to work and found out that it was actually at a beach I had been to before, but I never wandered far enough to find this magical spot. So here's the deal with anyone in Southern California or those looking to venture a long way to come here: this can be a dangerous place. You can only cross through this cave at low-tide. Ian and I got here a little later than we had planned and it was starting to fill back up by the time we left. Most people come to this spot because if you go through the cave you can climb over some rocks to get to some gorgeous man-made pools that fill up with ocean water. We didn't want to risk going out to them only to be stuck on the other side as the tide came in so we didn't go to the pools this time. Next time, next time.

Ian has been so lovely to me lately and he takes just the pictures I want whenever we go somewhere. I wore a rather unexciting red slip dress and no makeup. I love these photos--my god, the light in caves!--but they also serve as a reminder to go back. I want to take photos here of whoever will let me. The walls are so dramatic and colorful. I can't wait. 

Dress - Express

Photos by Ian 

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Oregon Diary Part II

I left off on the Oregon adventure pt. 1 with some waterfalls which, to be fair, is also what most of this post will consist of. Here is the continuation of our lil road trip. I made a little video of our time in Oregon. It's pretty rough and I need to get better at remembering to turn my camera on when I see something actually worth filming, but it's a cute little thing that makes me very happy.

 After leaving the Columbia River Gorge, we drove to the Timberline Lodge to see where they filmed some of The Shining. Unfortunately it was incredibly foggy and we could barely see the building itself, but that made it even more spooky. We then continued to a little Airbnb in Sisters and spent the night there. The next morning we met my love Annie in Bend for some breakfast and a meeting with a very mean cat named Leonard. We all wanted to see Smith Rock, so we made our way out there. 

Smith Rock looks like it should be in Utah, honestly. It's a gorgeous collection of rocks that makes it look like a miniature Zion amongst the incredibly flat terrain of Central Oregon. Above is the rock known as Monkey Face, which you can kind of make out, right? We had a gorgeous day there; a river winds through the valley and I just like rocks so it was nice to be surrounded by them.

After Smith Rock we followed Annie down to her home in Crater Lake National Park. She works for the Wildlife department, searching for birds and stuff--basically doing cooler things than I will ever do. I love that woman, let me tell you. Crater Lake is a very surreal place. It's the deepest lake in the United States and was formed out of a collapsed volcano that has been filled with snowmelt over time. It's kind of really scary how still it is, and how you can see basically nothing beyond it. It was pretty rad to see though, despite making me afraid of what lives at the bottom of it.

It was too snowy in Crater Lake to do any real hiking, so Annie took us on yet another tour de waterfalls. We saw like ten huge waterfalls over the course of this trip, and that is enough to make me fall in love with anywhere. Our favorite by far was Watson Falls. We wandered into the forest and saw the stream that ran from it, kind of nodding our heads and not realizing where the actual falls were. Once we hiked further in we realized that Watson Falls was actually a massive waterfall shooting from the side of cliff. The rock faces on these cliffs are so gorgeous, as well as the bright moss that grows around them. Seeing a place so lush and alive is exactly what I needed after months in LA. We got sprayed by the waterfall endlessly and it was a gorgeous kind of baptismal time. 

After a few more waterfalls, we returned to Crater Lake to sit at the lodge with dranks and cheesecake. I just wanted to include some more photos of how eerily still this place is. The water is so blue because it the lake is so deep. The sky almost exactly matches the water so it's easy to feel a little topsy-turvy when you stare out. Seeing the mountains across the lake is almost like looking at a pulse in a hospital--it's so oddly symmetrical but kind of haunting.

Ian and I went to check out Oregon because we wanted to see if it was a place that we would potentially move to. I'm not sure it's the right place for us at the moment, but it was a stunning reminder of the beauty of earth and water. A reminder I certainly needed after shoving my face so far into books this year that I could barely see straight. I hope I can visit Oregon again soon, and I need to remember I really can't go very long without moss and waterfalls. 

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Oregon Diary Part I

Scrambling up rocks to get better views, getting eaten by mosquitos, drinkin' beer, and being in love. Our trip to Oregon was a success. Ian and I originally planned a southwest road trip for my graduation and then we forgot how hot it would be in all the places we wanted to go so we decided that mayhap the fall would be more suitable for such an adventure. And so we picked Oregon as our back up. I had never been to Oregon which is a little silly because I grew up in Northern California, so I felt I was about due to see it. We spent around 30 hours in the car spread out over a week. That really isn't too bad, and it didn't feel overwhelming either. We were always so excited to get to the next place so we just kept movin'. This is a post of photos and little thangs I picked up along the way. Part II is coming soon!

Our first stop was Ashland. It seemed like a natural stopping point because it just barely got us into Oregon and we didn't have to continue all the way to our planned destination of Portland. I wanted to check out the Shakespeare Festival as well. There weren't any plays showing the night we were there (although the plays next year look bomb and we might come back for those) but there was an orchestra concert which was actually very pleasant. We were the youngest people by like 50 years but I didn't mind. The theater was gorgeous and watching the sky get darker while listening to a string quartet wasn't bad. We finished off the night with some beers and avocado toast because we are so fucking LA lololol. 

Next came Portland. I fell asleep on the drive up (sorry Ian). Once we got into town we checked into our Airbnb which was a very strange basement but was up in the hills so it was in quite a pretty neighborhood. We headed out to Grassa for dinner which had the BOMBEST garlic bread. Ian said it was just because they put lemon on it but wow it was so good. We walked around for a bit and then headed back for the night. The next day we had breakfast at Tin Shed which I would revisit for the dogs alone. (The food was good too.) We then headed out to Rose Test Garden and surrounding park because as I have said before, we just like going to new cities to look at their parks. After that we headed to Salt & Straw, which we certainly get enough of at home but I mean Portland is their birthplace so we had to. It was back to the Airbnb for a bit and then back out for Deschutes Brewery and amazing mac n' cheese. We finished off the night with Voodoo Donuts. 

I was struck by how little I wanted to shop on this trip. Whenever I used to go to cities I wanted to find the shopping and now I am just so content to go eat and walk around. It's probably also because I'm broke, but it was just an interesting thing because one of the reasons I wanted to come to Portland was so check out the cool designers and artists there and I just had really no desire to do so when I got there. I think I was just very ready for being outside and seeing green after a year in LA. Overall, I liked Portland but it didn't have the magic I wanted it to have. Now that I've graduated, Ian and I are thinking about if we would like to move from LA or stay for a bit. I suggested Portland even though I had never been because I knew of some cool people doing cool things there. I don't know, I liked it...but it just felt like another place where people live. It didn't feel too much different from LA, honestly. Just a little greener, smaller, less diverse, and less overwhelming for sure. Not sure it's for me, but I definitely enjoyed it.

The really good stuff, though, was the Columbia River Gorge. Ohhh man I had been excited about that. Honestly some of these waterfalls looked like they should have been in Iceland. The green, the green! The water! Oh, it was just stunning. We stopped by the Oneonta Gorge, as well. I had really wanted to do the hike through that but I knew that I wouldn't be prepared this time. You have to swim through shoulder height water and with a brand new camera and no water shoes I didn't think now was the time. Although I certainly made attempts. Next time, next time! After the Gorge we drove up to see the Timberline Lodge, which they used in The Shining. It was SO FOGGY we could barely see it, so that was kind of a bust. But the clouds kept lighting up in gorgeous ways for the rest of the day and it made for some lovely pictures. 

 Overall, Oregon = A+. It was just the kind of adventure I needed. I'm so glad I had my new camera and a very patient boyfriend to wait for me when I stop in the middle of the road to take pictures. Look out for Part II of our adventures, which will include a video! And please enjoy this postcard I got on our stop in Eugene with which I proudly identified.

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Harry Potter World

I would say with some confidence that my aesthetic is Hogsmeade branding. Or Weasley home clutter. And definitely starry rooms with  magical instruments. I'm not much of a Los Angeles minimalist. I much prefer things to be haphazard and weird. That's why I'm so happy this SHINING BEACON of amazing wizardry aesthetic is just over the hill from me at Universal Studios. So story time, friends: when my best friend and I were 17, our parents allowed us to fly across the country to Florida to go to Harry Potter World when it opened. And now, just 6 (HOW HAS IT BEEN 6 YEARS?!) years later we made our pilgrimage back, this time in LA.

So here are some photos of a really really good day in my life. Don't worry, I made sure to look as dumb as possible. I called my look "Harry Potter Girl Scout." I also bought a ton of candy at Honeydukes that I really didn't need, as well as a cool cauldron mug. So, I guess I can solidly say I'm a sucker for magical packaging. ENJOY.

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J Tree Chillin

Just more magic from the desert. This was right before sunset when the sky exploded into color; but I am leaving those photos and those thoughts for another story. These photos were calm and perhaps more intimate than the ones Ian took of me in lingerie. That sleepy time as the sun goes down and you realize the strange landscape you've been in all day. 

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St. Valentina

Well, well, well. My Valentine's Day was all that I could wish for and more. Ian and I got up at 4:30, didn't escape LA until 5:30 because of the fucking Los Angeles Marathon, and got to Joshua Tree by 8. We had breakfast at Crossroads Cafe, which is delicious so if you are ever heading J Tree way, I would highly recommend it. (We had Natural Sisters Cafe for lunch and it was equally amazing.) My favorite thing about Joshua Tree is that while there are very cool trails to hike on, you can park your car anywhere in the whole park and set off walking in any direction. Ian and I shot a few sets of photos yesterday: some for a magazine, some for another blog post, and these. These felt really good. I feel like Ian and I are at this magnificent place where I trust him enough to help me make the things I want to make. It takes me a long time to warm up to people taking my picture and I am so happy that I feel secure enough to let him and that he enjoys it and I'm not constantly barking orders at him hehe. I really love him and he makes me feel so calm.

So yeah, I thought about not taking this bodysuit to Joshua Tree. Number one, I had to change into it while we were there--but that is usually totally fine because, like I said, you can wander in this park for miles and see like two people. But number two, I was like "what will I actually do with these pictures?" This is a fairly sheer piece and I never really post things like this. So many of the women I admire are so down to post photos of their body and I have always been a little apprehensive to. But then I was like who caaaaaaaares. Whatever misgivings I had about the way I look or about privacy or whatever are gone. This is how yesterday felt: free and beautiful and natural and I think these photos show that. So I'm really excited to post these. 

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