ojai, day one

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i awoke like i often do: to birdies chirping, the sun shining, and with a britney spears song stuck in my head. my routine bedside instagram and twitter checking was just that--routine--until i noticed the mountains and palm trees, staring at me, all vulnerable in my genghis barbie t-shirt.

in a pre-coffee fashion, i fumbled around, cranking up the shutter speed faster and faster until i could snap that bottom photo, right from my bed! (jealous yet, woodpecker?)

when i loped downstairs at the wee hour of 8 for me, 6 for them, my host farmer took me on a stroll around his farm to meet his crops and sample the herbs. there were orange trees, green vegetables, and many kinds of basil. purslane and amaranth... more on this later.

the day continued on with extraordinary versions of everyday things:

my daily exercise, done not on a treadmill in front of orange is the new black, but up hills lined with yards where ostriches and lamas played.

a burrito, not at the town qdoba, but out of doors, with a beer, a joe, and three new friends.

and a chocolate o'clock photo session that came complete with two very special assistants, one being my host farmer, who dashed out to his farm mid-shoot for the healthiest mint leaves i ever did hold and the prettiest blue flowers called bachelor's buttons. they're edible, so naturally they found their way to my almond butter cups.

the too-hot-for-pants day turned into a chilly night during an outdoor opera rehearsal, and then over quesadillas and bacon we sleepily drank our beers before bidding the mountains goodnight.

oh hi, ojai.

-yeh!

 

THE CHOO CHOO

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another quick hello from new york! i'm at the back of the b.a.m. theater right now, eating almond cake and listening to new lieder. (i think this is gonna be a good show!) 

have i mentioned how exhausting this city is?

how do eight million people do it?

how did i do it for six years?

whatever, tomorrow i am going to eat a turkey donut and then on saturday i am going to play drums and on sunday we will go back to the midwest for farmland and latkes and driving everywhere in cars.

oh! i almost forgot. these photos are from when egg and i journeyed from north dakota to chicago before we left for new york. i think i love the train (and its cute breakfasts).

-yeh! 

SCENES FROM ILLINOIS

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for the past few days i've been at my other home, in illinois, spending time with family and friends, playing music, and enjoying some culinary delights that just don't exist in my little town. and i don't know what i was thinking planning so much time on farms and in little towns during my vacation from the farm, but i did just that and i enjoyed it so.

mum and i went apple picking. we snuck into the honey crisp row when we should have been picking liberties, we ate apple cider donuts, and we pet goats and cows and alpacas. it was the awkward apple picking temperature of 80 degrees out, but it was delightful. the next day, jaclyn, katie, and i went to the adorable downtown area of long grove for their apple fest. more apple cider donuts, chocolate covered grapes (weird but good!), a pond-side lunch, and a caramel apple macaron. yum.

my one bit of time in the city was spent at the super cute hideout, a quaint house hidden in an industrial area of lincoln park, playing with san fermin. it was so much funnnn!! their music is such a head-boppy, sing-along, get nostalgic type of good. i brought the band 'sun' sick cakes (named after the song "sonsick"): they were fiery like the sun-- chili chocolate cake with saffron chili cream cheese frosting.  

other highlights: eating good blue cheese (i had forgotten the pleasures of that), clearing out the trader joe's nut aisle, and picking up some cacao nibs, dukkah, and pumpkin spice coffee to bring back to north dakota.

also: mum flexed her mother skills and forced a bunch of really awesome winter clothing on me in preparation for the crazy weather that is to come. there is snow in the forecast for saturday!

-yeh!!!