The Pacific Northwest

I have myriad emotions when it comes to the Pacific Northwest. Like a teenager who loves and hates her parents in one breath. I truly grew up here. I became who I am here. I always come back. And I always want to leave. Because there is so much more out there. But also everything I need is all around me. It gives and takes. It rains, it drenches, it suffocates, and then it washes away into a beauty so spectacular I wonder if there is anywhere else so incredibly perfect. And there is loveliness in the grey. The colors seep through the melancholy. And I am reminded that without the darkness, there is no light.

Last month marked one year of life on the road. We embarked on June 28th, 2025. There are no words to describe the feeling of wealth that comes with giving away almost everything you own to live a life of freedom. I've never felt more like myself and more at home, and it's a feeling I wish for everyone. Life can still be difficult. The challenges unfold just like anything else. But the voyage of it all is unmatched. 

Everything is beautiful when you are exactly where you're supposed to be.

Pastels

These were taken back in May when we were staying at Walker Lake in Nevada. I was pleasantly surprised at just how beautiful and delicate the sunsets were in this area. Every evening, it was as though a fairy would spread its sweet pastel fairy blanket across the sky, casting a spellbinding glow that created some of my favorite sunsets.

Magic

 

  Lovell Canyon, Nevada, April 30th, the evening before the full moon, the Flower Moon.

This moment, this scene, held me exquisitely captive for a while. 

I did not want to leave. 

But all beautiful things end, departing as swiftly as they arrived. And then I am reminded that there are still beautiful things to come. 

Something so sacred is never truly gone. 

Nevada

There's a scene in Lady and The Tramp where Tramp is explaining to Lady about all of the adventure and beauty in the world that they can explore and share together. They're on a grassy knoll looking out at the expanse below them, and Lady thinks he's talking about the city in the distance, and Tramp tells her that the wonder is far beyond that, to look further out into the great unknown, because that's where the magic is. That is how I feel about Nevada. 

This region is so much more than the lights of Las Vegas.

The Grand Canyon

Fully living up to her name.

I took some time off work to visit this special place for my birthday, marking our last weekend in Arizona officially. What a majestic send off.