Why Austin?

Whenever I mention to people that I have always wanted to live in Austin Texas - They usually screw up their face like they smell poop in the conversation, "Eww Reallllly? Texas? Why would anyone want to move to TEXAS?" ....... I have gotten used to how they spit the word out of their mouths. "Texas"- Wishing it was a physical form they could step on, kick and abuse.... It is ok. People either know about Austin TX or they do not... it is ok....

Austin is like the oasis of Texas - It's own Republic - A little blue city in the midst of a giant red state. Voted #1 place to live in Money Magazine 2006, and #3 in 2009. Also voted the Greenest City in America by MSN. This place has it's own culture, it's own style, it's own niche' - Everyone looks like someone you would like to know. Huge Burning Man community is located down here (Burning Flipside is next month) and they DO keep Austin Weird - today, all the people who did not get into Austin City Limits, can attend a Zombie Concert down the road for free.... zombies and beer! Bikes bikes and more bikes - Austin loves to bike, Austin City Limits only proves that..... In fact, Lance Armstrong, who owns a bike shop here in Austin, is out riding around town today with anyone who would like to join him.... Voted #1 college town by the Travel Channel, Austin's slogan is 'The Live Music Capital of the World' - Austin has more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city (for Pat and I, that is a huge seller - we are live music junkies - Beauty Bar seems to have a bunch of fun shows) Music festivals of the year involve: SouthXSouthWest and Austin City Limits. They have a Record Store down here called WaterLoo that still has in-store shows and they hand out beer! Tons of hiking, biking, yoga classes all over town - Average age is 28 years old. Average sunshine is 300 days a year....

Yea - this city pretty much rules all other cities. Lakes, rivers, hills, beautiful people, fun things to do every-single-day/night.... This city is happiness.

Photos: Austin Skyline, Hill Country just outside the city, SXSW on 6th Street downtown Austin, Barton Springs

New home - Austin!

Traveled down to San Antonio to stay with my buddy, Tim Summa. Tim has always been a good friend of mine. He first wrote me in 2005, when I was traveling with Matthew. Offered us a free place to crash, keys to his house, keys to his car, full use of his studio, all the equipment I could possibly ask for, a workshop where I would make money without leaving his house. At first, it put me on edge a bit, kept thinking to myself, "Sounds too good to be true.... this guy probably watches Silence of the Lambs on repeat. Probably raises Moths in his basement. When I get there he is going to steal my makeup, snatch my heels, dance around his bedroom naked...." Ha. But get this. Tim is really really really nice person.... among many things (...mostly, I find him fascinating) - he sincere, honest, incredibly welcoming to all his guests....

When I told Tim that I was moving down to TX, he immediately offered up his spare bedroom within seconds, "Be it three weeks or three months - you guys both have a free place to stay as long as you need it."

Ha - I will not take any credit for finding the apartment! Sounds silly and ridiculous - You will probably think that I am overreacting - but for me, the idea of finding a residence to live in is a completely terrifying concept (terrifying). Living in one place, seeing the same people, doing the same things over and over again - knots my stomach into dry heaves. When I explained this to Patrick, who had just traveled the US with me for two months, he understood where I was coming from. Pat took initiative and starting researching Austin himself, immersing himself in craigslist ads for hours, occasionally reading ads outloud to see if I would be interested....

Arrived in San Antonio Tuesday - by Friday Pat had set up four walk-throughs - by Sunday, we had an apartment!

Never apartment hunted before - very exciting! Knew that I would not be able to settle for

anything less than what I pictured - Nice, clean house (not apartment complex) with a lot of natural light, under $600 in rent. An apartment that would allow pets (but did not have pets) - - cool roommates that would not mind if people crashed in the livingroom now and then - It also had to be less than 5 miles from downtown.

Moved all our stuff in yesterday! Paid our first month's rent ($450 total) - Pat has been interviewing for 'real' jobs all week - manager positions, insurance desk jobs - I am looking for a part-time bartending position - that way I can still travel a couple days a week, but I will be forced to stay home in Austin and meet some local people.... I want Austin to be home. I really do.

Photo Credit: Emmett! Shot yesterday at a super seedy fun Motel in San Antonio!

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Arizona to Texas, I always considered the interstate to be the best bet - straight, fast, lots of lanes to pretend I am driving a roadster - Will say that I was incredibly elated, though, to find out that you can cut through Alamogordo NM, into the Guadalupe Mountains Range. Same mileage, the sluggish speed limit adds about an hour and a half to the trip - but worth it. Felt like I was back in Colorado! The higher altitude makes everything so green. Towering trees - deer - cute little cottages, in the middle of nowhere.... Screw Interstate 10 - from now on I planning on driving through the mountains range.....

Stopped at a little pet-friendly motel in Carlsbad for the night. Nine hours on the road, Perry was pretty excited to finally get out of her cage. She was jumping all over the windows, climbing in the tub, running over the table.... finally she climbed up in the cubbyhole next to our bed, stuck her paws over the side, and passed out.... ha... love that cat.

Carlsbad Caverns is fantastic. One of my favorite National Parks... created by an inland sea that dried up - The caverns were carved by sulfuric acid which was created by the combination of oxygen in water with hydrogen sulfide gas from the oil deposits far below the surface. As the mountains rose, the water table dropped, dissolving the limestone and leaving behind immense underground chambers. The 'Big Room' at Carlsbad is large enough to hold six football fields. Pat and I hiked in 750 feet below the earth's surface - still amazes me when I think about it.

Later that evening, Pat and I returned to the cave to watch the Mexican freetails bat fly - something that I have never had the chance to experience.... The audience is so silent during the bat-flight - was really beautiful.

Harbin/LA

After exchanging emails with our neighbors at Burning Man - Patrick, Matthew, and I packed into the car to enjoy our three hour line out of the festival. Matt, who was sleeping before he climbed into the backseat, quickly disappeared behind the bike tires, the sleeping bags, the camping equipment....

Passing through Sacramento - I saw my first brush fire in California. Sky darkened by smoke, helicopters circling overhead, dumping water. As we made our way to Harbin Hot Springs, I was sure that we were going to drive head-first into the blaze - Every switchback in the road had me digging my nails into the passenger seat....

I have written about Harbin - I will do so again. This place is a total gem. Set back from the town, built on the side of a mountain - a spiritual retreat for the naturalist soul. Many full-time residents live at Harbin - Many full-time residents teach different classes on New Age Thought through dance, movement, and community. Matt and I attended a fantastic Brazilian dance one night with artists visiting from South America... Barefoot feet leaping, pounding across the floor, bodies undulating in a smokey darkness, collapsing in exhaustion. Community. Harbin has always been a love of mine since I stumbled across it last year... Matthew was so blown away. I see Harbin as being a staple in our lives for a very long time...

Once I hit LA, it was back to work - Left Matthew and Patrick with my good buddy Denny, who is a photographer, in Pasadena. Ha. Seriously - Denny is such an awesome dude.... As soon as we walked into his home, he handed us each a homebrew beer and challenged everyone to a blowdart competition. Spent a lot of time working while I was in Los Angeles but I cannot explain to you, how nice it was to come home to a house full of people that I love. Last day in LA, Denny photographed Patrick, Matthew, and I together with his large-format camera.... He printed it on cyanotype. Great photo - Matt is skinny, Patrick is comfortable hanging out in boxers, and I am wearing someone else's underwear.... ha... If I was not a topless shot, it would make the perfect roadtrip card to send home to the family....

Photos: San Fran with John Grey and Kimmery

Gallery Show - LA - Steve Anderson Photography!

G-chatting up my dear penpal, Jacob Cruz, the other day (whom I have known for 15 years now) - He bumbled, "Did you know who I just saw in a super fancy gallery opening this afternoon?" - Thinking that it must have been some B-list celebrity like Courtney Love or Ron Jeremy or something - I went with that... "Nope," exclaimed Jacob!, "It was YOU!" - And true, it was! Fancy gallery show for Steve Anderson in LA this week!

You can thank Tracy for the photos... : )

Writing this blog...

.... sprawled out across a leather couch somewhere in San Francisco. Patrick, Matthew and I are staying with John, our new Burning Friend, for a few days...

As always, Burning Man was fantastic, exciting adventure... Matthew, once again, caravaned across the country with a trailer full of kids he did not know. Pat and I drove in together, I got to watch him roll around in Playa dust....

Had the best neighbors this year! Pimped out bus full of kids from Eugene Oregon let us set-up our tents in their bus-shade... Our other nextdoor neighbor, Squirrel, rollerbladed all the way from Arcadia California just to attend Burning Man. I really do believe that Squirrel is a brilliant homeless skitzo who snuck into Burning Man somehow... he would play his guitar in the morning and we would give him food to eat. Also camped next to a guy worth twenty-million dollars who stocked up on an entire freezer full of vegan icecream (which Matt absolutely loved)....

So much happened - I cannot really attempt to recreate a week like that! John the Zebra -Bohemian Rhapsody with Europeans in Steam Bath - Mushrooms and the Moon - Meat and Bewbs - Bloody Mary's at the Vomiting Sparrow - Pink Mammoth - Pimp-my-porta-potty! - Dust Storms at Tracy's tent - Pat's double Tequila shots at the Misfits bar - The Man Burn (Why is he made out of wood? Why do they burn a man?!) Artiste!? Monkey Chant! Hugging my boyfriend - Cubatron with 3D glasses - Balinese Band.... Sitting alone in the dark, drinking red wine, handing out necklaces, watching glowing taillights wash over the winding road out of Black Rock....

First year felt like: Growth, adventure, new-ness
Second year: Sandstorms and Relationships
Third Year: Home and belonging somewhere