artsy forager

Category: This Artsy Life

Glimpses into the life of Artsy & Mr. Forager

  • This Artsy Life: Settling In

    This Artsy Life: Settling In

    We’ve done it again.  Mr. Forager & I have moved just a bit south of Seattle to a small town just outside Olympia.  After a whirlwind week of showing Mr. F’s sister around our favorite city, we had just a few hours on Sunday to empty our Seattle apartment, pack up our car, clean said apartment, drive down & unpack here in Shelton. Whew!  Needless to say, this Artsy was pretty pooped yesterday evening, so not much unpacking was accomplished.  And so, dear Artsies, I’m taking the day today to try to get us settled into our new home.  But don’t feel too sorry for me– check out my view!

    Backyard

    This is our backyard for the next three months.  So inspiring!  Perfect for an artsy life. Can’t wait to share more photos of our new home.  It’s small, but artsiness abounds!

    Image by Artsy Forager on Instagram.

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 31[ Work + 5 Places I’d Rather Be ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 31[ Work + 5 Places I’d Rather Be ]

    Weekends, in and of themselves, are always a good thing. But weekends like this one just past, ones in which you feel like all you did were chores with maybe a pleasant little walk in between, are hardly my ideal. Although Mr. F and I struck a good bit off our To-Do list: Found a rental for our next location ( we’re headed just a short drive south to Olympia, WA! So happy to be staying in the Northwest! ), unloaded all of our belongings that were in storage in Florida, then immediately packed it all back into storage here in Seattle, along with a bunch more stuff we’ve been traveling with. Had to deal with paperwork, grocery shopping & other thrilling errands, along with continuing to pack up more things from our apartment for storage plus a nice, big Goodwill pile.

    So much to do, so little time.  And I’d much rather be spending this time the way I did last summer.. I thought you could maybe use a little daydream escape today too, so here are 5 places I visited last summer and would much rather be right about now..

    20130805-100429.jpg[ glacier national park ]

    20130805-100525.jpg[ hayden lake, idaho ]

    20130805-100730.jpg[ yellowstone national park ]

    20130805-100820.jpg[ trail of the coeur d’alenes, coeur d’Alene, idaho ]

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    [ polebridge, montana, just outside glacier national park ]

    Someone get me a time machine, stat!  Happy Monday, Artsies!  Check out more beautiful places from This Artsy Life in the Artsy Forager Instagram feed.

    All images by Artsy Forager.

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 30 [ Just Us Two ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 30 [ Just Us Two ]

    Here’s the thing.  Mr. F & I love people.  We really do.  But we’re both introverts, he being a bit more on the outgoing side than I.  So as much as we love to socialize, people can be exhausting for two introverted folk!  When it’s just us, we can just BE.  And usually, when we’re traveling, unless we happen to be in a place where there are friends to hang with ( Seattle ) or a place where his work crew is awesome and super social ( Idaho ), we are each other’s sole company.  And we’re totally OK with that.  More than that, it’s the way we like it.

    So as happy as we would have been to be joined by a gang of friends on our hike this weekend, as it was shaping up by the end of last week, we were secretly pleased when it turned out to be just us two.  We arose super early Saturday morning to make the 2 1/2 hour pilgrimage to Mt. Baker.

    20130729-103328.jpg[ skyline trail ]

    20130729-103513.jpg[ we were as giddy as this guy ]

    20130729-105145.jpg[ even on our hike, we each got a little alone time ]

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    [ snow in august! ]

    20130729-105414.jpg[ glorious day ]

    We felt guilty that our underestimating the drive time meant that we missed out on a friend’s birthday celebration.  But having more him & me time was like a surprise gift, and a much needed one as we’re in the midst of the stressful few weeks before packing up and traveling on.  Speaking of, on Sunday we concentrated on dwindling down our belongings even lighter– no more renting a trailer each time.  Everything must now fit in the back of the SUV.  My closet is now 1/3 its normal size.

    20130729-110059.jpg[ the clothes that made the cut ]

     I am determined to take a few essential art supplies with me, too.  Will be working on sorting that out next weekend.  What did you do over the weekend?  Anything fun?  Did you party like it’s 1999 or just enjoy some down time alone?

    If you’d like to see more of This Artsy Life, you can follow me over on Instagram!

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 29 [ One Last Island Before We Go ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 29 [ One Last Island Before We Go ]

    If you’ve been following the This Artsy Life posts, you know Mr. Forager & I have been doing a bit of island hopping recently. Once we decided for certain we were leaving Seattle, we knew we wanted to make sure we hit one last island. One thing about living a traveler’s lifestyle– you make sure you get out and see as much as you can, as you never know when you may pass by that way again. As many times as Mr. F & I had been to Seattle in the past, we’d yet to make it over to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. And since it’s possible that we could soon be on the other side of the country, we decided to make a weekend of exploring the island.

    San Juan Island ferry[ friday harbor ferry dock ]

    20130722-125353.jpg[ gothic view ]

    20130722-125603.jpg[ orca! ]

    20130722-130804.jpg[ lavender ]

    20130722-132121.jpg[ romantic boat ride ]

    20130722-133439.jpg[ sunday morning fog ]

    The island did not disappoint!  We explored from one end to the other, the range of activities as diverse as the weather.  Next weekend: we finally hike in the North Cascades!  Want to see more from This Artsy Life?  Follow me over on Instagram.

    All images by Artsy Forager.

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 28 [ Forging Ahead ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 28 [ Forging Ahead ]

    Our weekend started off gangbusters with a fun surprise for me from Mr. Forager.  Obviously I love painting and all things artsy and a few times post-gallery hopping, Mr. F has  mentioned that he would like to give his creative wheels a spin.  So Friday night, Mr. F signed us up for a little painting & adult beverages at Mind Unwind in West Seattle.  Now normally, the art snob in me might think these kinds of places are super cheesy, but I loved seeing folks like Mr. F, who don’t consider themselves creative or “artists” tap into a completely different part of their brains.  A little wine and beer doesn’t hurt the loosening up the art making joints, either!

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    [ blank canvas, beer ]

    Following our foray into couple’s painting, we arose super early on Saturday to go hiking in the Wenatchee National Forest.  It was a moderately cool, cloudless day, perfect for hiking. Wildflowers and waterfalls greeted us were plentiful, as well as mosquitoes once we reached our destination.

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    [ weird balloon sighting on the trail.. can you spot Mr. F? ]

    About a mile and a half of the trail was a pretty grueling uphill climb, followed by a slow, try not to break any bones trek back down.  Although this was by no means the longest hike we’ve done, it was more strenuous than anything we’ve done since leaving Idaho last year.  These kinds of hikes always teach me a big lesson in perseverance.  I take each small victory, each rise conquered as testimony that big things can be done when taken in small steps.  The rest of the weekend was decidedly lazy, though we’re making headway on some big decisions and transitions.  More on that later.

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    [ chinese takeout picnic ]

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    [ nothing but blue skies ]

    Did you enjoy gorgeous summer weather in your neck of the woods?  Want to see more from This Artsy Life?  Follow me on Instagram!

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 27 [ Sunny Seattle Days ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 27 [ Sunny Seattle Days ]

    The weather in Seattle was absolutely perfect this weekend! Bright and sunny skies punctuated by cool breezes meant there were no excuses for staying home. So Mr. Forager and I grabbed our coffee and continued our island tour around Seattle, taking a ferry across the Puget Sound to spend the day exploring beautiful Bainbridge Island. Still think I could totally love island living!

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    And then we came back to the beauty of the Seattle skyline.. *sigh* Is this a spectacular city or what?! Want to get more glimpses into This Artsy Life? Follow me on Instagram!

    All images by Artsy Forager.

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 26 [ Exploring is Our Normal ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 26 [ Exploring is Our Normal ]

    In all the stress of leaving California, moving to Seattle, finding an apartment, furnishing said apartment, working, etc., Mr. Forager & I seemed to lose sight of what always made our weekends like mini-vacations for us– exploring!  Sure, we were seeing other areas of Seattle, but we weren’t in our get-up-early-and-get-outta-town mode.  Until this weekend!  It probably helped that it was A) amazingly beautiful this weekend and B) this little heat wave made sleeping in quite unappealing in an apartment with no a/c.

    We spent Friday evening hanging with some inspiring folks from Tulsa ( seriously, most everyone from Mr. F’s circle there has moved up here, can’t say as I blame them ).  But then the rest of the weekend was just us two.  The way we like it.  We took a lovely hike to Greenwater Lake ( about 2 hours outside Seattle ) complete with ferns and moss and waterfalls, things we missed so much during our time in the desert.  Then on Sunday, we took a long drive north up through Bellingham, over Deception Pass and through Whidbey Island, where we seriously contemplated whether we could be island people.

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    Did you give yourself a mini-vacay this weekend?  Explore any new places?  An artsy is always looking for new sources of inspiration!  Want to see more from This Artsy Life?  Follow me on Instagram!
    All images by Artsy Forager.
  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 21 [ Roamin’ in the Rain ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 21 [ Roamin’ in the Rain ]

    As we thought it would, the rainy days came back full force here in Seattle, just in time for the long holiday weekend! That didn’t stop Mr. Forager & I from getting out and exploring some new ‘hoods. We checked out up & coming neighborhood Columbia City ( rumored to be the most diverse neighborhood in the US! ), discovered lots of Asian goodies & yummies at Uwajimaya Market in the International District, roamed around the uber trendy and totally fun nightlife on Capitol Hill and picnicked in the rain at Chateau Ste. Michelle, along with thousands of other Seattleites. One of my favorite things about Seattle? No one lets a few raindrops spoil their fun. Gotta love the determination!

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    [ columbia city ]

    20130528-111223.jpg
    [ those streaks are rain drops.. 😉 ]

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    [ periodicals at uwajimaya ]

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    [ i promise, mr. f, i was trying to get a pic of the wine bottle in hand ]

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    [ international district ]

    Hope you enjoyed lots of fun in the sun in your neck of the woods!  See more from This Artsy Life on Instagram here.

    All images by Artsy Forager.

     

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 20 [ Discovering and Settling In ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 20 [ Discovering and Settling In ]

    This was the first weekend that felt like we actually lived here.  We weren’t running around and unpacking all weekend ( although there was a little of that ).  We had the luxury of sleeping in, exploring and discovering.  A bike trail just around the corner from our apartment happily leads almost directly to Pike Place Market where we explored the seafood and produce stands and Mr. Forager bought me a bouquet of poppies.  Which we quickly realized don’t last very long… We explored our neighborhood and searched out what are already becoming a few favorite spots.

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    [ calder sculpture and space needle ]

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    [ pike place poppies ]

    20130520-143428.jpg
    [ publicly artsy ]

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    [ my favorite steps in magnolia ]

    How about you, Artsies?  Did you get out and explore this weekend?  Any exciting discoveries?  Want to see more from This Artsy Life?  Follow me on Instagram!

    All images by Artsy Forager.

     

  • This Artsy Life: We’re Home

    This Artsy Life: We’re Home

    So I’ve hardly made a secret out of how very excited we were for Mr. F to take a work assignment here in Seattle. We seriously have to pinch ourselves even after being here for almost two weeks!

    20130516-171937.jpg

    Finally getting to be in this place that we love so much, where we fell in love, got us thinking. Why not stop here? We adore this city, the food, the mountains, the water, the music, the ART(!) so very much.

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    It’s something we’ve been talking about off and on for a few months. Circumstances seemed to be leading us in this direction. We’ve loved traveling and have enjoyed ( almost ) every minute of the last two years of adventure together. But we couldn’t ignore the timing and the way in which it seemed a hand was guiding us here.

    20130516-172733.jpg

    So we signed a twelve month lease on our apartment and have begun furnishing it. After being married for over two years, we’re finally truly making a home together. And it feels good.

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    As we’ll be staying put here in Seattle for a good long while, perhaps forever we hope, it’s time for me to re-enter the work force. I’ve done a few freelance projects since we started traveling but we’ve always agreed that once we stopped traveling I would go back to work full time. And you know something? I’m kind of excited about it.

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    So any Seattle area artsies– if you know of any job openings in the arts ( galleries, art consultants, museums, etc ), let me know! I have several prospects in the works already. We’re feeling really positive about the choice we’ve made. This is our city. This is our home.