Curious Bird

a sweet trip to the woods

We're back from a weekend of camping and exploring in the Poconos. It was so much fun getting away to hike, cook meals on the fire, play poker (by candle light), and lounge in nature.
Now I'm ready to start my week, bug bites and all...

 

More soon, friends
Leya

Hi there,

I'm back from a lovely weekend in Chicago. What a wonderful city. And it's true what they say, people in Chicago are some of the most welcoming and helpful around. All we had to do was look a little confused and someone would kindly take a moment to help us out. {Thank you, nice Chicago strangers. If you're ever in Philadelphia, I will gladly repay the favor.}

Off to start my week now. Lots to do.

More soon, friends
l. 

Off to Chicago for a few days. So looking forward to landing there and exploring for the first time.

Have a great weekend,
Leya

make yourself comfortable....

because I have quite a story for you.

we spent the weekend  in an area we love so much, the Hudson River Valley in New York. after two weeks of construction noise here in Philadelphia, we were so ready to get to the country for a little peace and quiet and of course good times with close friends. we had plans to hike and canoe and spend time reading in the hammock, BUT (here's where the plans took a turn) I had a little interaction with a sick bat in the middle of the afternoon in the very spot the photo above was taken. yep, you read that correctly, I had a bat fall out of the sky and land on me --due to a bat's teeth being really small, it's still unclear if it scratched or bit me, although it sorta felt like it did-- this all took place in the middle of the afternoon (bats don't typically come out in daylight). this bat was definitely sick.  after a trip to the emergency room for seven shots (SEVEN!) I was released back into the world. the weekend pretty much went back to normal except for my feeling a little sick and slightly traumatized. I feel fine now, although quite sore due to all the shots. how's that for a little unexpected adventure...
oh, and now I have to get weekly shots for the next four weeks. I'm not even sure if the bat had rabies, but rabies is no joke, so I'm not chancing it.

have fun out there..and watch out for falling bats,
leya

I'm back from a weekend away. It was nice, although not the best weather for my plan to run around and snap lots of photos. Rain and my D50 aren't friends and never will be. But it was lovely spending time with my best girl in a great city.  A delicious brunch in Brooklyn, perusing Cog and Pearl, and our trip to Spout Home for a few new plants were definitely highlights.  Now it's time to get back to work. I'm still getting used to the time change...it always takes me a few days.

Not sure how this week is going to look with regard to posting.
In the meantime, have a good day.

-Leya

Here are some of my recent flickr favorites. As Spring approaches, I'm definitely finding myself drawn to more and more color (and apparently candy sprinkles). 

I'm off to New York for the weekend. No agenda, except for a long-awaited trip to Muji and some exploring with my camera. Or should I say cameras...I've dusted off my Holga and am taking it along too.  Speaking of, I recently found a very helpful site for anyone wanting to learn more about Holga photography. They are really fun little cameras -- cheap and easy to customize.

More Soon,
L.

:you tell me:

Another shot from our recent trip to Mexico.

Enjoy your weekend, friends. 2008 is almost here.

-leya

home sweet home

We're back from an amazing holiday trip to Mexico. It was a great time filled with lots of warmth, excellent meals and daily adventures. We hope to go back down there sometime soon because there is tons more exploring we want to do.  As you can imagine, since we've returned, I've been feeling kind of nutty and having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. Going away for Christmas to someplace warm and then returning to cold, wintry Philly (on a red-eye flight. ouch) has been a bit of an adjustment. We can feel everything slowly ebbing it's way back to normal around here. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it, though.

Some highlights of our trip include:

Long, tasty meals. I never quite realized how good a spritz of lime can make everything.
Beach Hair
People-watching
Sunsets
Snorkeling trips (it's a beautiful world under there)
Playing about 100 hands of gin rummy
Meeting fellow travelers. For some reason, we always meet people from Oregon and since we used to live in Portland, we usually have lots in common.
Renting a scooter to explore an island a little more
Margaritas with lots of salt around the rim
Dustin speaking Spanish for both of us
Drawing on the beach
Evening naps before dinner
Seeing Bjork while in a little fishing village. She was buying trinkets in a shop I wandered into.











{more photos here.}

Taking it easy this week.
Be back soon.

l.

our holiday adventure begins...unless this wicked storm causes our flight to be canceled

This year for the holidays Dustin and I are doing things a little different.  We're going on an adventure to Mexico, just the two of us. Our plan is completely open except for a couple of musts, which include:  taking a trip to a bird sanctuary {really want to see a toucan and a scarlet macaw}, eating lots of tasty food, and reading at least one novel each.
Photos and stories when we return.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Adios,
Leya

p.s. I made these for us because we're traveling on red-eye flights. I fully admit that I'm a craft geek.

my cabin fever has broken

Hello out there,

Sorry for checking out for a bit there, but completely out of nowhere, I just spent the last three days sick in bed with one of the nastiest colds/flu viruses in recent memory. It was the pits, complete with body aches, fever-induced chattering teeth and dramatic writhing and one of the worst sore throats ever.  Dustin was super sweet taking something like fifty trips to the store for Kombucha, soups of the noodle variety and random potions and elixirs. I owe him big time for taking such great care of me. It was hard work.  I also owe a couple of friends who checked in on me via email several times a day. Thanks, ladies.

After days stuck inside, I needed to get out of the house and out of the city. Dustin very much agreed, so today we took a trip to the ocean, also known as the "Shore". It was perfect medicine, just like I hoped it would be.









I'm back to my old self now and so thankful to be here. If you emailed me recently and haven't heard back, now you know why. It'll take me a little longer, but I'll be in touch soon.

-Leya