Flowers of the Desert :: Chuparosa

Next up on our desert flower adventure - Chuparosa!

This red lovely could be found all along the roadside in the scruffy brush.

To be honest I don't know too much about it other than it's red and I was able to take a few pictures of it.  Of all the flowers I didn't really bond with this one.  Is that strange?  That I'm concerned about my lack of flower bonding?

Because it was so bountiful I was able to take a photos on a few separate occasions.

I'll admit that snapping some of these photos meant I looked like a total crazy lady on the side of the road.  You know the one who's perched precariously on a rock outcropping while huge semi's drive by gawking?  Yep, that one.

In a mostly brown sort of golden desert this red blossom was a welcome sight!

Flowers of the Desert :: Cholla Cactus

How does every good story start?  Well, if you ask me it starts with a trip into the wilderness to go to the bathroom.  Truly, it's how I've begun some grand adventures.

Road trips are rife with bathroom emergency situations (especially if your name is Megan the Nautie Mermate).

Driving along I had to poo.  Like baaaad.  All of a sudden we see signs for Joshua Tree National Park.  I basically did a hard left turn of I-10 because well:  A NATIONAL PARK MUST HAVE A RESTROOM, RIGHT?!

We find ourselves on a long windy road quite a ways from the visitor center.  I screetch over to the side of the road frantically take off my slippers and put on sneakers and trek into the sand to find a place to poo amongst the cacti.  I didn't think I could make it to the visitor center...

My Mom is all, 'don't worry, no one will see you...'.  I'm like...this is a road!  There are no trees!  Cacti!  I can't squat!  Aaaaaaah!!!!!!

So I ran back to the car jumped in the drivers seat and burned rubber for the visitor center (while my Mom chortled in the passenger seat).

Long story short.  I made it.  

Where the heck am I going with this?  Well....during my trek into the sand I saw some really pretty flowers.

On our way out of the park I stopped to photograph some Cacti.  That one stop led to many stops and now I've got a collection of some photos I love!

Poop Expedition turned Photo Safari.  Of course.

Let me introduce you to the Cholla Cactus.  The first of a few Desert Flowers I'll be sharing with you!

I think whats great about the Cholla Cactus is how phenomenally complex their skeletons are.  They're equally gorgeous once they've passed on.

To be fair these Cholla Cacti don't have flowers on them right this second...but you can see some examples here.

What I didn't realize is that there are quite a few different types of Cholla.  The ones I've photographed are Silver Cholla (I think).

Click through to see a few more images.

Who knew that one of my favorite parts of the trip would be spawned by a poo emergency?!

The only bummer here is that I've always wanted to go to Joshua Tree National Park however; we entered from the Southern entrance it was a long drive to get to the heart of the park where you can really see 'the good stuff'.  We didn't have enough gas to make it there.  So I basically paid 15 dollars to go poop and then missed the park.

The good news?  Flowers of the Desert.

Happy Girls Day!

March 3rd is Girls Day or Hinamatsuri in Japan.

In Hawaii (and duh, Japan) little girls are bringing pink mochi to share with their classroom.  They have their dolls out on display in their houses (I mean, I'm a white girl and I had some...which means Japanese girls have lots, maybe even their Granmas and Moms are on display), and there are bouquets of Cherry Blossoms (sakura) around on display.

Today my Hawaii Girlfriends all messaged me Happy Girls Day and it was such a sweet reminder of a favorite day during my childhood.

I couldn't end the day without wishing you cherry blossoms and pink mochi!

Happy Girls Day!

Job Hunt Must Haves // 30x30 Lives On

Way back when, I penned a list of 30 things to do by 30.  Welp.  I'm 30 now - and the list lives on - uncompleted.  I'm fine with it.  Some of the items on the list though, I didn't want to leave them uncompleted.  This is one of those things.  I really, really wanted to learn a bit about photoshop.  I wanted to be able to put my photos together sharply into grids, I wanted to be able to touch things up - or brighten up colors and, I really wanted to be able to create one of those cool boards you see on Pinterest.  I signed myself up for Online Blogshop because like I said earlier, I just couldn't get one of their in person classes to work.  

Here's to learning new things!  Here's to Online Blogshop!  Here's to 'this is getting pinned on pinterest'!  Here's to not judging my first try!  Here's to more practice!  Vive la Blog!

With all that out of the way, let's carry on.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

— -Albert Einstein

People who have had to look for work know one thing:  You Have To Keep Your Spirits Up.

Apparently, my ego was quite attached to my last job and, not knowing what's next threatens to crush my self esteem daily...if I let it...

Feeling positive is important.  I don't ever want an email I send or a voicemail I leave to sound anything less than Positive.  

Here's how I've been keeping myself feeling positive.

1. When the day is done and I pretend that I just accomplished something huge.  Then I treat myself to a glass of wine.  These days it's Rosé.
2. I invested in some business cards that I was proud to hand out.  I use moo.com for a lot of my printing needs because I like their style.
3. I am maintaining a daily practice of gratitude.  I write down what I'm feeling grateful for and what I need to get done tomorrow.  It reminds me of how much I am blessed.
4. I like school supplies.  Like, a lot.  I have a mini office area set up in what I call my 'find a job corner' of my apartment.  I'm diligently tracking who I send resumes to and when.  I track who I've applied with, who I've emailed, when they've emailed me back, etc.  Sharpies brighten this up and makes it a little bit more enjoyable.  What can I say.
5. I be sure to keep fresh, colorful flowers throughout my pad.  It's winter - and sometimes it's grey outside - that does not scream feeling positive.  Flowers are Happy.  Boom.
6. Green Candles.  This one might sound a little witchy but, green candles promote prosperity.  I have three green candles - I say a little prayer - I light them up - and then I send emails, resumes, apply to positions and wait for someone to snatch me up.

How do you stay positive?

now I know

Sometimes you think you know something and you don't.  Sometimes things you knew for certain become wishy washy.  Sometimes things need to get a bit wishy washy for you to realize that you thought you knew but you didn't.

The beauty of wishy washy is now you know.

Here's what I know in the midst of this wishy-washy-ness called a job hunt:

I am extraordinarily blessed to have such amazing people in my life.

I am extraordinarily blessed to have so many people rooting for me.

I thought I had the best friends a girl could ask for - now I know I have the best friends a girl could ask for.

I thought I had an amazing online community here at Nautie Mermate - now I know that you are all the cat's meow.

I thought my family had my back - now I know that my family has my back.

Tonight I got an email from a man I've never met - saying, 'you go girl'.  

“This is a note to encourage you to find a berth on the greatest freighter afloat, in short, don’t quit.”

— LWP

I have tears in my eyes just retyping that.  If that doesn't say cat's meow I don't know what does.  The notes, the calls, the career advice, the select name to drop.  Thankful doesn't cut it.  Blessed.  I'm Blessed.

I want to say Thank You and I don't have a whole lot to give you that you'd want.  I'm going to give you my best pictures.  I was going to keep these for myself and never share them on the blog...I do that sometimes.  But you all deserve to know how much my heart is bursting with love for you (oh the cliche...it just couldn't be avoided because it's so unbelievably true.) and if these photos don't scream 'heart bursting with love' I just don't know.

Last week my family took one last trip over to Kona to hit the beach.  On our way home we drove through Waimea and the Cherry Blossom trees were in bloom.  This only happens once a year.  The first trees were planted on Waimea's Church Row in 1953 in honor of Fred Makino who founded a Japanese Language newspaper called Hawaii Hochi in 1912.  More trees were planted by the Lions Club through the '70s and in 2012 a dozen more were planted by the Consulate of Japan and other dignitaries to mark the 100 year anniversary of cherry blossom trees from Japan.  Every year Waimea has a Cherry Blossom Festival - also called Hanami (I've always dreamed of seeing the cherry blossoms in Japan).  This past Saturday 4 more trees were planted to add to the collection.  (source)

I saw the pink blossoms in bloom and screeched, 'we're pulling over!!!!'.  

Waimea is often overcast and drizzly.  Not on the 26th of January it wasn't.  Crisp blue skies.  The perfect back drop to hot pink blossoms.

I laid in the grass looking up thinking, 'I'm not sure I've ever seen anything more stunning'.

Here's what else I know.  I know that the universe is magical.  I know that things will work out.  I know that I'm right where I should be.

“every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.”

— Buddha

Thank You Nautie Friends, Thank You Faithful Text Messagers, Thank You Family.  

You are such a blessing.

(here are tons more photos to click through....because I love you....and pink and blue...)

Nautie Adventures :: Napa Day Two

Yes, I'm still talking about Napa! After waking up on day two slightly "under the weather" (day one was a doozy ya'll) we were moving rather slowly.

Seeing as we were in wine country we figured we'd continue visiting wineries...good plan, right?  We didn't have a tour scheduled which meant we were able to move at our own pace and pick out some wineries that particularly interested us.

First stop of the day:  Gloria Ferrer

This was a great spot.  The views were stunning.  They have caves which is cool (no pun intended) but, we didn't stick around for a cave tour.  Since this was our first tasting on our own it was a bit of a reality check.  This place was high traffic.  You basically sit down and select a flight and then a waiter brings it over.  You're not really learning about what you're drinking other than the literature provided.  It was borderline anti-climatic.  I guess I left feeling like if I went back I'd want to go on a tour where we had a private tasting and a cave tour otherwise I wouldn't really care to go back.

Second Stop:  Mumm Napa

This was my favorite stop of they day.  I loved it.  It was similar to Gloria Ferrer in that you're seated and then order a flight.  The difference?  Our waiter was engaged and interested in our tastes.  He asked us questions and then brought us tastes that may or may not have been on our original order.  The bubbly I ended up purchasing wasn't on my ordered flight.  Mumm Napa produces a Sparkling Pinot Noir and yes, it's as fabulous as it sounds.  I now know that if I want to look hoity-toity and show up at a gathering with some bubbly, I can't go wrong with Mumm Napa.  It's delish.

Third Stop of the day:  St. Supery

After our stop at Mumm Napa I didn't know where to go next so I made an emergency call to Ariel she said:  You'll Love St. Supery.  She wasn't wrong.  When you walk up to this winery all you can think is, 'wow.  this is amazing.'.  The gardens, and outdoor seating really set St. Supery apart.  Its warm and inviting, quaint yet chic, stunning while casual.  As I walked up the first thing I noticed was that a boules game was readily available.  I can't explain why but, it instantly warmed my heart.   Once inside it was like being in an art gallery.  There were so many visual appealing accents.  Simply said:  St. Supery is Gorgeous inside and out.  Plus, they make a pretty tasty Moscato!

Last Stop of the day:  Napa Cellars

My Dear Friend Jenny said, 'I'm going to be so mad at you if you don't stop at Napa Cellars!'...so we did.  Napa Cellars holds a few added bonuses:  varietals from Folie a Deux and Menage a Trois.  What I loved?  I knew their name and had maybe had some before!  Tip from Megan:  If you're going to a friends a bottle of Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon will be a hit.  The winery itself was cute and they had a beautiful picnic area behind the tasting room.

Here's what I learned about tooling about on our own:

• If you are the driver:  Be careful!  Bubbly will sneak up on you!  Be responsible!
• Your car should have copious amounts of water available.  Between stops you will need refreshing.
• Pack snacks.  You will be able to purchase snacks at some wineries.  Crackers, spreads, nuts, dried fruit.  Your car or purse could easily have some heartier snacks to keep you going.
• Many wineries had amazing picnic spots.  Dining al fresco in Napa?  Ooh la la.  Pack a gourmet picnic!
• Take your time.  Feel like hanging out under a shady tree between stops?  Do it!
• Share tastings!  If you're traveling with a friend buy one tasting.  It's more than enough and will help you save a substantial amount of change.  (It will also help 'keep you in check' i.e. no one likes a sloppy wine taster!)
• This is a no brainer:  Have a budget.  How much wine do you want to take home?  Since coming home I'm sometimes hesitant to drink the wine I bought....because I don't want to 'waste' my expensive bottle.  That's not good.  How much money are you comfortable sipping away?  Stay true to your tastes and style!  (Also, use caution when you're in your cups.  Affordable becomes 'relative' as the day progresses!)

Clearly there are more photos!

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