Hannagan Meadow, Arizona

For three days this July we escaped the heat and traveled with the family to a little place called Hannagan Meadow so far east it's almost in New Mexico.  The mountain air, while crisp and cool, is thin outside of Alpine, AZ because it's above 9,000 feet.  We enjoyed the best cabin living has to offer: birding, hiking, lounging, gazing, cooking, drinking, and visiting.  The cabin itself is a highlight for me because it's like living in a tiny house!  A view out the window, a dog on the porch, and drink in hand.  Who needs it any other way?

Fortunately I got lots of lazy birding in.  We visited a Fire Tower which was manned and open for visitors.  We stayed and chatted a while, taking in the incredible views of the mountains and the Broad-Tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds. By the end of the visit we concluded that summer atop a Fire Lookout is exactly the way to go.

A trip suitable for Sequoia Dog is rare and eventful, especially when your dog gets car sick and the destination is 6 hours away.  But we planned well for the drive and she had a blast.

We were lucky to have the company of a Cordilleran Flycatcher family living in the corner of the porch with brand-new little babies to feed.  Mom and Dad worked hard all day long delivering meals and snacks. They waited patiently every time before swooping to ensure that all was clear. We did our best to give them space and peace. This is where a long lens comes in handy.  We can keep our distance but still catch a peak!

We saw a lot of deer, lots of beautiful wildflowers, and at least 21 identified birds including Mountain Bluebirds, Norther Flickers, a Green-Tailed Towhee, many hawks, and an owl!  We think it was a Spotted Owl, but it was very far away so hard to tell and I was so enraptured I forgot to get a picture.

Summer Tanager

Prairie Falcon

On the way home, we took a detour to go through picturesque Salt River Canyon. What a view!

Just before leaving we managed to get everyone together for a family photo.  Until next time!

Iceland in a camper van. Heaven on Earth?

For our five year anniversary, Brian and I have wanted to do something a little bigger to celebrate and commemorate. We have talked about this over and over again, and we have been throwing around a number of options for over a year now.  This is basically our top five travel wish-list.

1. Danali National Park, Alaska.  Brian has been twice, but I have never been.  We researched taking a ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway from Bellingham, WA, and then taking a train into Denali National Park.  The ferry is not only expensive, (like, airfare expensive), but it eats away multiple days of travel getting there and back (like, 4-6). This would be difficult to justify since that would cut into the time actually at our destination.

2. Rafting the Grand Canyon. Brian has also done this twice and I have never been.  Hiking the Canyon is one of our favorite activities which we've both done multiple times, but travelling via the Colorado River from Jacob's Lake to Lake Mead would be incredible.  The issue here is that money is mostly due up front.  It would be very difficult to come up with that kind of money in advance.  Also, it's the canyon.  We can get there in three hours.  It's not going anywhere.

3. Europe.  We have discussed various places in Europe a few times.  I'd like to visit Amsterdam to see the Ann Frank house, and I think it's a city with a vibe we would both really enjoy.  We've also considered London because I think Brian would really enjoy the history.  After drinking some good wine, I always have a strong (inebriated) desire to travel back to Italy... but it always comes down to how expensive Europe is.  First you have to get there, then you have to pay for accommodations.. .then what about public transport and tours? It just starts to add up too quickly.  Hotels are just not our style, if we can help it.

4. Asia.  This is where Vietnam comes in.  Having lived in Asia, I know that the best part about Asia is that it's cheap.  It's not that cheap to get there, but once you're there it's cheap to eat, cheap to sleep, and cheap to get around.  It is a hugely popular and accessible destination for travelers of all kinds and nationalities.  A backpacker haven.  Then again, maybe too much of a backpacker haven.  It will be very crowded and crazy, so that's something Brian and I have had to think about and weigh.  It can be very touristy.  Also, he hates beaches.  (Weird, I know.)  

5. Iceland.  This is a recent development.  First, the bad news: Iceland is expensive.  It's expensive to fly there, it's expensive to eat there, it's expensive to stay there, and it's expensive to get around there. It's so expensive I often considered it well beyond the realm of possibility and so never even allowed myself to think about it. It was just out of the question.  What has changed?  Well... I have been following @thekitchenpaper via Instagram and saw that she was in Iceland.  Even her out-of-this-world pictures and oh-my-god-I-can't-believe-this-exists-on-Earth commentary were not enough to move me.  It wasn't until she posted a picture of her camper van that I went, wait.  What?  What's that?!  She's camping??!  You can tell I'm a camp kind of girl.  The waterfalls did nothing.  The camper van, though? Stopped me in my tracks.  This was the beginning of the rabbit hole.

Since then I have visited mrandmrsadventure.com multiple times and have been truly inspired and definitely hooked.  Move over Vietnam.  I think we're going to Iceland!

Makeup Minimalism

I have cut back significantly on my personal care products, and considering that 2015 is my year of exploring minimalism and the ways in which it expresses itself in my lifestyle, I thought I'd ruminate on the topic a bit.

The biggest change I have made is in the makeup department.

Yes, like any other woman, I spent mornings through my teen years standing in front of the mirror for hours.  Late to school, late to outings, late to start the day.  My parents still hold me to this reputation, although in the last few years, this routine has been slashed - mostly out of laziness.  But also partly out of awareness for the "things" I was constantly acquiring and tired of maintaining.

I am proud to say that my teeny tiny makeup bag holds everything I could ever need, which is a total of seven products.  This part of my morning takes roughly five minutes.

1. Foundation
2. Shadow
3. Brush
4. Mascara
5. Eyeliner (special occasions)
6. Eyelash curler (VERY special occasions)
7. Chapstick

When my Bobbi Brown blush fell to the floor and cracked into a million pieces last winter, I decided it was a sign that I was done with blush, anyway.  I'm also on a slow transition to replace all makeup with eco-friendly and natural options, so I considered it a win-win.

My Foundation was a huge switch for me.  I went from Bobbi Brown foundation to Mineral Fusion All-In-One Beauty Balm.  This is a tinted moisturizer, so it is thinner and lighter than traditional foundation, and also includes SPF 9.  Since I'm convinced that sun screen causes cancer, I use this only when I'm working.  Weekends and breaks are foundation-free.

My mascara is Lancome which I've been addicted to since a pre-teen because it is so amazing.  I receive this from my mom every Christmas, so I try to make it last a whole year.  I'm really looking to switch to naturally pigmented vegetable-based mascara, so when this runs out, I'm on the mission for that.

I once read how many tubes of lipstick a woman eats in her lifetime and it made me sick.  I wear only Burt's Bees chapstick and if I want to feel really fancy, I use the tinted kind.  That happens like, five times a year.

In terms of skin care, I use Mineral Fusion Facial Cleanser and Eye Makeup Remover.  They are both mild and eco-friendly.

For my hair I use only a Bed Head hair wax and occasionally a light spritzer of the lightest-weight hairspray possible.  Product makes my hair heavy, and also it's expensive to continue purchasing.  I blow dry it, curl it with a wand, throw a little balm on it, and that's it.  The whole curling process takes me ten minutes.  Now that my hair is getting longer, it takes longer to blow dry than I like, so I've considered takings showers at night so I can skip that step.

We've been using Jason Shampoo and Conditioner which are vegetable based and biodegradable.  Also I've been using Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild bar soup or all-purpose liquid soap as a body wash and shaving cream.  I love that it can be used for everything from washing dishes to teeth.

And that's it!  

I love the simplicity of knowing which brands and which products I like and knowing I don't need anything more than what's absolutely necessary.  Everything fits in one neat little basket under the sink and in a tiny bathroom, that's a necessity, too.

Disneyland: Summer 2015

This summer my parents treated all the girls and their husbands (and kids, if applicable!) to three days and three nights at Disneyland together.  Although we have all never been more exhausted in our lives, it is the best kind of exhausted you can be.  Up way too late, up way too early, and lots.of.walking.  Plenty of adult beverages involved, and lots of fun memories of childhood to relive, reawaken, and remake.  It was Disney.  So naturally, it was awesome.

 First Timer Button!

We drank the kool aide.  He loved it.

 The "brothers from another mother."

 Junior Ranger?  Hey!  That's me!

Very fitting in my Big Bend shirt from our road trip earlier this month.

 Dresden's first time on Dumbo!

 Ceiba's first "Big Boy" ride.

"That was not very fun, Mommy!"

 OMG.  Couple Twins.  Need I say more.

 Cousin Twins!

We stayed at The Grand Californian Hotel which might have been the most brilliant idea ever since we could come and go from the park any time we wanted, didn't have to shuttle back and forth, or wait in yet more lines.  And believe me, we did a lot of back and forth.  Best of all, we got into the park an hour early before it got really crowded.  In the afternoons when we were all hot, stinky, and tired, we cooled off in the pool.  At night while the kids and grandparents were asleep, we hit the roller coasters and screamed our heads off until after midnight.  In short, we could be kids again. And we took full advantage.  I even got to visit Dallas Clayton's mural at Downtown Disney created in celebration of Pixar's "Inside Out," and in collaboration with Amy Poehler's Smart Girls!

#mcgowandisneyvacation2015

Happily Ever After!

2015 Summer Road Trip Part III: Bits & Pieces

2015 Summer Trip Part II: Big Bend Birds (& Bugs!)

Believe it or not, Big Bend has one of the largest concentrations of bird species in all of the National Parks.  We endured temperatures over 105 in scorching sun, and bodies dripping in sweat to make our way through deep snake-paradise grasses, muddy river banks, and bug-infested tree canopies to catch glimpses of birds we'd never seen before.  And when I say bugs, I don't mean little ants or the occasional bee.  I mean the professionals.  Like these tarantula hawk wasps, for example.

Armed with Sybley, water bottles, binoculars, and wildlife lens in hand, (I forgot the bug spray!), we trudged and chased and stalked.  But it was worth it.  We saw close to 50 bird species when it was all said and done.

Turkey Vultures are everywhere!

Greater Roadrunner.  State bird of New Mexico.  Also everywhere!

Summer Tanager (F)

Yellow Billed Cuckoo

Vermillion Flycatcher (M)

Common Black Hawk

Northern Mockingbird.  State Bird of Texas.

Painted Bunting (F)

Varied Bunting (M)

Cactus Wren

Black-Headed Grosbeak

2015 Summer Trip part I: Texas

Texas is an unlikely place for Brian and me to end up on our annual summer trip.  Generally speaking, we crave forests and bears so seek out colder or wetter climates during our coveted time off, but the reality is that we're starting to run out of unexplored places in the West - at least in terms of National Park sites.  For the first time, we were pushed East.

Many times in preparation for this trip we considered dropping it all and just driving to Montana.  It always, inevitably, comes back around to Montana.  It was difficult to stick with the plan, and in the end the only reason we may have stuck to it was due to circumstances outside of our control involving transportation.  We ended up having to take my mom's little VW sedan and it just won't cut it in the rough back country roads of Glacier, so we were stuck.  With Texas.

For what it's worth, Texas did surprise us.  Actually, it was the mountains and Chihuahuan Desert landscape of Texas which changed our minds.  The rest of Texas can go ahead and keep its distance, but the Chisos and the Guadalupes were beautiful.  They ended up being totally worth it.

Our trip to Big Bend was hatched sometime this winter when we watched the movie "Boyhood."  You have to watch the entire movie to get to Big Bend's cameo, which is the very last scene of the movie.  But when it was over we both looked at each other and knew.  We need to go there.  It started literally at that moment.

We endured some pretty insane weather, but stayed dry and standing while others around us flooded or flattened out.  This was our reward.