Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Oregon Coast Adventures, Archaeology, and Housing!

This has got to be the slowest-passing week in the history of working at jobs. Knowing this is my last week and it also being a reaaaally uneventful and slow period of time at work in general has made me anxious for it to be over. Pull the band-aid off and let's do this! I am super excited for this weekend because Jonathan and I are going to go to the Oregon Coast and stay in a hotel that I have been wanting to stay in for a couple of years now, the Sylvia Beach Hotel! We are staying in the Herman Melville room, which faces the beach and a lighthouse. Could it get better than that?

Herman Melville

I am a book nerd and I have been wanting to stay here for so long. THEY HAVE HOTEL CATS!! I fully intend on snuggling kitties, spending lots of time relaxing, and walking on the beach with Jonathan. We are staying for two nights and when we get back, I gave myself a week off before I leave on the ferry to Alaska. I have never had a full week where I had NO plans. I'm so excited!! Normally if I have that much time off there is a long vacation planned where I get out of town, but not this time! So, needless to say, I should be fully rested up before I get to Ketchikan and start working 50+ hour long weeks!

I have been in contact the past week or so with the lead archaeologist on my site monitoring trip this year. I think it's going to be a good one! There are two "death marches" planned that should take most of the day, although we will be moving slowly, Martin said. I am already planning what breakfast I am going to cook for our group of ten. Oatmeal! Heeeyyyy! Who doesn't love oatmeal? ;o) I am very much looking forward to camping for four nights, sleeping in my beloved Kelty tent with my beloved Kelty sleeping bag and my little REI pillow, and doing some adventuring! Yeah!! My adventure level has been low as of late, and I'm looking forward to recharging it. Should be some good pictures coming, as well! (I know you all love to see Alaskan wilderness. ;o)

 So quiet in my little flat area.

 When you are in a tent in the wilderness, life is good.

 I love my tent & sleeping bag!

 Second tent area on different island

I did find out some good news yesterday from my coffee shop boss (Steve, from here on out), which is that our friend said I could indefinitely stay at his house while I'm gone! Steve was too busy at the shop to give me any details but this knowledge really excites me because our friend lives maybe a mile from the shop and the bike path in Ketchikan was extended pretty far out north and so now I can easily ride my bike to work! Combined with the fact that this place has an ocean view and a deck and I'm preeeeetty excited. ;o) I'll still house-sit for my friends I told I would, but it's nice to know I have a "home base" while I'm in Ketchikan because I would think that not having a set place for that long would make me feel uneasy. I know it's not like I'm going to decorate or anything, but just knowing I don't have to move a car's worth of stuff on a weekly basis totally rocks..

 The view from the house I'll be staying at! Not too shabby, eh?

So! This is a little bit of my upcoming plans in the near future. I feel like I've been really scatterbrained lately, but who can blame me? I'm going back to Alaska for five months to work my tail off and come back and have fun, have adventures, and do a lot of STUFF and I'm trying to tie things up before I leave. Whew!! All I can say is that I am super excited and I am lucky to have a very understanding partner who knows this is important to me and is 110% supportive! I couldn't be more happy right now. Life rocks.

P.S. Today is Jonathan and I's 42nd monthiversary!! 42 is a good number. Always in life, just remember...

Good advice, yes?
 
P.P.S. I'm dropping off my first roll of film used in my Diana Mini today at lunchtime and will pick up the photos after work. I'm really hoping something neat turned out!

3 comments:

  1. Your sleeping bag looks like a dreamy little cloud! Love it!
    That hotel looks like such a sweet getaway! Yay! Have a GREAT time!!
    And yay for a home base in Ketchikan, sounds awesome and sooo pretty!
    Look forward to seeing your photos! Did you get the white mini?
    xo.

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  2. I am happy to see I'm not the only person who takes pictures of myself, alone, inside my tent! Or of my sleeping bag, inside of my tent. Or of my tent, sitting by itself. :-)

    Have I mentioned how jealous I am of your upcoming field trip!?!

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  3. Stina, yes, my sleeping bag is soooooo nice. I love it!! I bought Jonathan the men's version, but I didn't know at the time that he doesn't like mummy bags. Oops! But I love mine. ;o) The hotel is going to be so neat! I also got a Groupon for the Newport Aquarium for half off and it's one of our favorite places in Oregon, so I think this will be a really nice trip.

    And, yes, I did end up getting the white Mini. I hope the pictures turned out. I will find out in about two and a half hours!

    Kim, I will have to find pictures of my patrol slug from two years ago! I had a green banana slug that I only ever found on one side of my tent or the other. It was really kinda funny. I felt kinda protective of him after awhile. That was the year that I laid in my tent on my phone with Jonathan (I had cell service!) and heard wolves and then he started mocking me because I was all on edge then. I knooowwww the wolves aren't going to do anything to me but that little caveman part of my brain was all, "WOLVES. BAD. DANGER."

    I have soooo many pictures of my tent because I am so proud of it and I love it. I love it so much (it's the Kelty Gunnison 2) that the only thing I wanted for Christmas the year before last was the Gunnison 4 (because the 2 is NOT big enough for Jonathan and I). My dad got it for us, so we have the exact same tent, but mine is mini size. :o) What tent and sleeping bag do you have? (I am an adventure gear nerd.)

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