Sweater Weather took me all of the way north to New York and Connecticut where I went Apple Picking for the first time.
I spend the afternoon at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in Westchester NY drinking cider and picking apples to later bake.
We were able to explore the entire orchard, and taste a variety of different apples.
After spending the summer in Houston, I was in need of getting away and enjoying some sweater weather. I took a trip to the north to visit some friends in New York City, and then took a train even further north until I could finally find some fall weather.
My favorite part of visiting NYC was waking up early on Saturday, walking to the High Line, and then following it all of the way down to Chelsea Market followed by yoga in Midtown.
I often explore the “Unique Homes” on Airbnb and ended up finding some pretty special places in Texas. Some of my favorite unique places to stay have been Tiny Homes in Dripping Springs and outside of Sealy.
The Tiny Homes are around 100 square feet. One of the homes offered a kitchen sink and shower, and the other just had a hose at the top of the hill for washing off.
Both experiences are “Glamping”, since I still got to sleep in a bed with air conditioning, which is much needed in Texas summers. I can’t wait for the weather to cool down so I can spend more time camping.
Travel only 60 minutes northwest of The Heights and enter Chappell Hill Texas. Chappell Hill is one of my favorite places in Texas because of it’s proximity to Houston and the ability to see so many stars in the sky.
The last few trips to Chappell Hill have resulted in shooting stars… I haven’t had much like trying to take photos of stars, but did find a magical white horse that was being friendly for photos.
Have you been to Chappell Hill? Where were some of your favorite places to visit?
One of my favorite places in the world during the summer (or any time of year) is Colorado. This past week, I spent time hiking, biking, and enjoying the weather outside in Beaver Creek Colorado.
Some of my favorite experiences included hiking and finding a Texas flag, high in the mountains, sighting people living in vans by the lake, and taking electric bikes for the first time.
The first day we rode bike (without electricity), we went 6 miles. The bike was great, but definitely left us exhausted because of all of the hills. The next time we biked, we went the same route but ended up going 35 miles. The electric-assist helped get us up hills with ease, and enabled us to go much further.
The best part of the vacation is always relaxing, which I found plenty of time to make art and practice drawing Mandalas.
I spent the past weekend taking my first trip to Northwest Arkansas. Some of my highlights included Crystal Bridges, Art from 21C, my first Razorback experience, and very kind people.
Crystal Bridges museum in Bentonville Arkansas
June 2018
I spent 7 days in the jungles and islands of Belize, visiting Sleeping Giant & Caye Caulker. Photos were taken throughout the journey.
Let me know if you need any Belize recommendations!
#TravelBelize
2018 was my 6th annual trip to Austin for #SxSW. There's quite a few things I've learned in past years that made this year a success. Here is a round up of advice I've heard in the past, and how it helped me this year.
1. Bring an Extra Pair of Shoes because you do a LOT of walking. Very true! The first year of SXSW involved so much walking that I actually wore through the soles of my sneakers. This year, I averaged 12,043 steps/day.
2. Bring / Rent a Bike. If you checked out the #SxSW map, you noticed that many of the events are downtown, but separated by a few blocks. Bringing a bike has been extremely valuable during my trips. Not only does it make commuting to/from home base a breeze, but also helps you with Tip #1 because you don't have to walk so dang much. If you can't bring a bike to Austin, rent a bCycle for the week!
3. Prepare for ALL Weather. During my short week at #SxSW, I experienced a freeze (literally wore gloves 1 day), followed by beaming heat the next day. I caught a pretty nice farmer's tan from waiting in line so long. Bring a spray bottle, umbrella, and sunscreen for when it's way too hot. Bring an extra sweater, gloves, and scarf for when it gets too cold. Be prepared for just about anything: rain, snow, sleet, sun, etc.
4. Go analog as much as possible. SXSW was filled with technology and made for tech nerds like you and me. However, spending all day and all week in a digital world is exhausting. Instead of spending your time waiting in line staring at your phone, start up a conversation. If you visit talks and get distracted on your laptop, put it away and take analog notes. SXSW is so much about networking and making connections. Don't miss the opportunity because you're staring at your phone!
5. Stock up on FREE things! It's easy to find free things at SXSW including Tshirts, Koozies, Hankerchiefs, Protein Bars, Energy Drinks, and much more. Whenever you find something free that you might like, grab it. Vendors give away so much free stuff and want people to actually use it. Think about your friends, coworkers, family back home that don't get to go to SXSW. Bring them back a little something, especially if there's no cost to you.
6. Be prepared to abort. Is the line way too long and you don't think you can get in? Abort. Is the speaker or talk less exciting than you thought it would be? Abort. Are you hungry and can't pay attention to the talk? Abort. Are you just following friends and not making your own plan? Abort. There's too much going on at SXSW to just sit around and wait. Create your own destiny, and don't be afraid to get up during a talk.
7. Find a place to relax. Mental breaks are a great way to charge during the day. Find some place where you can take some time to review your notes, drop your new friends a message, or do some yoga. SXSW moves pretty fast, but it's great to find time to take care of yourself amongst the mayhem.
8. Monitor your drinking. Every event at SXSW seems to give away free booze. There were talks in the morning that included beer with breakfast. This always seems great at the time, but remember a lot of the great connections happen early in the morning. Having a wild night on Saturday usually leads to a very slow Sunday. It's ok to have fun, but don't have so much fun that you ruin the rest of your trip!
9. Bring a Portable Phone Charger. Even though I mentioned going analog as much as possible, there will be opportunities where you'd like to use your phone. Some days at SXSW are very long and you don't have enough time to run home for a quick nap. For those days, make sure you have a spare phone charger. Even if you don't use it, a friend of yours might seriously thank you for thinking ahead!
10. Bring business cards and make connections. Austin is full of out of towners during SXSW, looking to make genuine connections. Be better prepared by having a 10 second elevator pitch and updated business cards ready for whenever you meet someone who's first question is always, "so, what do you do?". Make it interesting so they remember you!
I’m spending the weekend in Ohio, visiting my grandma, family, and the snow. It’s currently -2°, which is a bit warmer than yesterday’s -4°.....if those 2° really make a difference. Either way, it’s dang cold.
Since we don’t get much snow in Houston (except the other week), I’ve been taking advantage of having a white winter. The locals think I’m crazy for wanting to go on walks around the neighborhood and do handstands in the snow, but when in Ohio... am I right?
Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip.
The view from Cleveland’s Contemporary Art Museum.
Light house in the distance.
The back side of the Rock Hall.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, designed by I. M. Pei.
Frozen Lake Eerie.
Walking around my Grandma's neighborhood.
My Grandma lives in a beautiful small town an hour west of Austin in the Texas Hill Country called Kerrville. I've been to Kerrville dozens of times, and if there's one thing I've learned: Go to Mamacitas.
This time was also spent visiting Stonehedge II, a replica of the original Stonehedge. This version is in a small town next to Kerville called Ingram.
We also got plenty of family time in during the holidays in Kerrville.
Visiting Denver's RiNo district.
@WileyArt
Seattle has been on my bucket list since I was a little kid and discovered Nirvana and the grunge culture. Being a big art and music fan, Seattle has plenty to offer. The Museum of Pop Culture was one of the coolest museums I’ve been to, housing many pieces from Seattle based musicians and companies like Jimi Hendrix and Nintendo.
I also highly recommend Maneki, the oldest Japanese restaurant in the USA and the best sushi I’ve ever had (yes, better than Uchi). Seattle is known for their fresh fish, so I pretty much stuck with fish all trip and was happy everywhere I went to eat.
We went on a hike on of the days up Rattlesnake Ridge and some of those photos are below.
My good friend invited me to Beaver Creek, Colorado for a week of skiing and relaxation. Spending a full week off work is great for resetting and it was my first time skiing! I can't wait to go back.
