I'm not calling you a ghost

Being in Spokane, there are way too many emotions and memories being drudged up. My time here overall was good, but memories of James and the overwhelming loneliness that this city can remind me of are just very draining for me. I'm trying to recall the good times with all my friends, but there's still this dark presence hovering over this place. It makes me feel like I'm moving through tar when I walk around- if that makes any sense. It's like I'm wading through all of the baggage I left here when I moved away over a year ago. It seems like 5 years ago, I can't believe I lived here last June.

So here is an outfit from home, my last outfit shoot that I did in Anchorage, actually. I do miss home, probably more-so because being in Spokane reminds me of when I desperately wanted to move home and be with family, among people who loved me completely. As much as I am glad that I can take advantage of my alma mater and print in a state-of-the-art printmaking shop, I can't help but feel trapped here again. Perhaps it was too soon to return, but I suppose it's all part of a healing process. It will make the trip to Tacoma all that much more sweet, I suppose! My friend Brad is coming into Spokane this weekend though, so I kind of want to stay here to see him again before I'm off to places unknown. Well, I suppose whatever will be, will be.

forget me dot frock & diamanda tights/courtesy of modcloth :: cardigan/target

boots/lulu e. bebe :: scarf/from tieka :: glasses/wet seal

Today I spent the day printing. I was nervous, having not actually printed in over a year, but once I got into it, it all came back to me. Hopefully it'll come out well. I've got two layers down so far and I'm planning on doing two more tomorrow, then the final layer on Friday. I have 40 prints right now, but not all of them will turn out, so we'll see how big the final edition ends up being.

I have to say, printing is one thing that I just adore. I just feel so at home with a screen and ink, barefoot and hair piled atop my head. I love the ink caked on my fingers. I should buy a trailer to drag behind the Brave and convert the interior into a mobile printshop. Ugh, so awesome. Oh, by the way, I will be offering the edition of prints for sale once they are all done! It's the same print as on the totes, except this time it's hand printed by yours truly! And I'm contemplating printing the sun in metallic gold and/or making it gold leaf. Maybe just for a few of them. A special edition, perhaps? I'm so thrilled about it all.

Vintage Strings Giveaway

Hi guys! I'm happy to announce that I get to bring you another giveaway from one of my awesome sponsors, Vintage Strings! For one lucky reader, Vintage Strings is offering a $30 credit to the shop!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post letting me know what you'd get from the shop with your prize. The giveaway will be open for entries from now until Monday, October 4th at 9pm PST. Make sure to leave an email address or a way to get ahold of you if you win. Open to international entries, only one entry per person.

Also, if you aren't the lucky winner, you still can take advantage of the 15% off discount code "delightful"! The shop has a whole assortment of awesome vintage for you to take a gander at, including skirts, dresses, shoes, and tops.

A Seafaring Lass

I haven't done a travel post update of my ferry/Canadian journeys! You got some of it in my outfit posts the last couple days, but I'll try to fill in what was missed.

Before departing for Prince Rupert on the ferry Thursday afternoon, I took a little trip up to Chilkoot Lake state recreation area, which was beautiful. The weather was lovely and the scenery was just breathtaking. If you go to Haines, don't miss it. Also, it looked like there were still some people fishing, so if you're into fishing, it'd probably be a nice little spot to set up to try and get some fish!

I jumped the ferry stand-by to Juneau and then had a reservation from Juneau to Prince Rupert. The Haines-Juneau standby trip ended up working out perfectly! Since I was a standby, I had to drive off the ferry in Juneau and get back on with my Juneau-Prince Rupert reservation. That meant that I could go visit my grandparents who live in Juneau! Their house is right near the ferry terminal and they watched my ferry come in! The layover in Juneau was a perfect amount of time to go visit them. They made me the most delicious meal ever (I think grandparents really can cook love into their food. How do they do it?!), and we sat around, talked, and Skyped my Dad and brothers back home. I always forget that I have Skype, it'll be nice for connecting to the fam back home. I'm really thankful I got to see my grandparents too. They were in Anchorage this summer and I saw them then, but I haven't been to their house in Juneau since 2005, so it was amazing to be able to see them there again.

(If you're wondering, yes that is a giant tub of butter. Gotta slather up my corn and potato!)

I got back on the ferry at midnight and we weren't getting into the next port till morning, so I decided to "stow away" in my Winnebago for the night. You aren't allowed to be on the car deck while the boat is underway- you're supposed to be up in the passenger decks- but I felt bad leaving Little Bit in the RV for so many hours alone, especially overnight, so I just hopped into my bed and hid. Haha! It actually stressed me out and I kept having dreams that someone found me and I got in trouble! Silly. I wanted to take more pictures along the way but it was pouring rain almost the whole time. Especially in Petersburg, it was like a hurricane or something. I was being beaten with rain when I took LB out for a walk while we were in port!

The only place that was slightly nice was Wrangell, so I took pictures when we stopped there. The ferry had a bar and it was kind of a nice quiet place to chill out. Stuff was really expensive on the ferry so I only had one beer, mostly so I would have a reason to sit at the bar and try to talk to people (which I'm terrible at). I ended up talking to this old dude for a bit, who was very nice and lived in Juneau, and then a younger guy- a little bit older than me, who was from Haines. It's funny how I kind of alter myself when I talk to people. Around people I know I don't think I do it, but I definitely pulled out the more hardcore, tomboy part of me when talking to those dudes. Haha!

Everything on the ferry was pretty expensive, including food, so I only ate in the Galley twice and ended up getting the same thing both times. Burger n fries! Haha. Mainly I got it just because it had protein and was one of the cheaper things. I was tempted to get some lemon meringue pie but then I told myself that there was no reason for me to spend my money on overpriced lemon meringue pie. Sigh. I LOVE lemon meringue pie.

We finally got off in Prince Rupert and drove drove drove all the way from Prince Rupert to Hixon, which took all day, though I stopped for a nap a couple hours out of Prince Rupert. Like I said in my last post, it rained the entire day, so I didn't take many pictures on the run across hwy 16. Here is little bit in one of her spots, though. She asserts that she belongs right next to me when we're driving. She is not a passenger seat kind of dog. When she gets tired of being next to me, she hops down and curls up under the dash to the left of the steering column. So cute! She is the perfect road trip dog...

Be sure to check out my guest post over at JenLovesKev today! She asked us to come up with an outfit based off of a piece of art and my inspiration was impressionism...

Marigold Highway

Clearly I was into wearing pants the first few days of my trip. It was chilly up on the more northern legs of my trip! Get this: it snowed in Anchorage today! Glad I got out of there when I did! It didn't stick or anything... but still. I'm going to be in Spokane this week and the weather is supposed to be in the 80's!! Woohoo! After quite a few days of cold weather, I'm excited to be headed down into more balmy weather.

I pulled over on Highway 16 in B.C. because the colors of the trees all along that highway this time of year are just beautiful. Such a vibrant marigold! I wanted to wear something colorful to compliment the gorgeous, vivid golds, so I put on my plaid Tulle coat. The lining of the jacket is the exact same color as the trees!

coat/tulle via lulu e bebe :: jeans/pacsun :: boots/target :: glasses/wet seal

I love having the Brave lurking in the background of my photos. I make no promises to not totally overload this blog with photos of the Brave, haha. For some reason, cars have always been very animated to me. I've had complete conversations with my El Camino before, and it seems like cars make friends with other cars they're parked next to... sometimes. The El Camino would give me stink eye when I made it sit out in the snow. Doesn't the Brave just look like it has a happy-go-lucky soul? I don't think they make cars these days with as much personality as they did back in the 50's - 70's.

The bartender on the ferry was telling me that hwy 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George is called the "trail of tears" because people get robbed, raped and murdered from hitchhiking and picking up hitchhikers. Apparently she'd heard a lot of horror stories or something and felt it was her duty to warn me. I was cautious but I didn't know if I quite believed the intensity of the rumors until I was driving along and saw a huge billboard that said something like, "Highway 16- HIGHWAY OF TEARS" "Killer on the loose!" and showed pictures of missing/killed women. Yikes! Since I'm not really in the habit of picking up hitchhikers I didn't really feel like I was in too much danger. Nevertheless, I was glad when I made it past Prince George and on down hwy 97.

I didn't take a lot of pictures that day. It rained constantly the whole day, so I wasn't really in the mood to go outside and get wet trying to take pictures of scenery. The above photo is an example of what I saw all day. Rain, wet pavement, clouds, and windshield wipers.

I have a ton of photos to share from the ferry trip and the past couple days, but here are some photos from my last night in Anchorage at home. My parents barbecued some delicious chicken and we had a family dinner in the back yard on a beautiful fall day- the atmosphere clinging to just enough leftover summer warmth to make it comfortable to sit out on the patio. Little Bit (unknowingly) spent her last night being pestered by Simon (though I'm certain Simon really misses LB's company).

My brother Ben makes adorable little clay figures (which he uses for stop-action short films), and I just loved the little bug he made, so I had to take a picture of it. Ah, the things about home I will miss dearly.

Vintage Vibes

When Tieka and I were walking around NYC on one of our last days in the city, we happened across a couple vintage shops. It was so amazing to actually be in a place that had legit vintage stores, unlike Anchorage, where it's mostly just thrift stores which mean only a few awesome vintage finds now and then). My love for vintage clothing was again solidified and I really wish I lived in a place where there was a better vintage selection. Maybe at the end of the Brave trip I'll find myself living in a place where vintage thrives! But for now, my vintage thirst can only be satisfied online (even though I can't afford to buy any clothes until the Brave trip is over. Gas tank takes precedence over clothes...). I love that the internet has provided such great places to buy vintage, like Market Publique, Etsy, Ebay, etc.

Since I can't actually buy anything for a while, here are some of my favorite dresses from LA Vintage for you guys to ogle and perhaps buy so I can live vicariously through you....

Gradient Horizon Dress // Oaxaca Embroidered Minidress

Pastel Dream Prairie Dress // Magdalena's Blues Dress

Laying in Sunshine Dress // Cheap Thrills Dress

While my favorite are dresses (why do I always gravitate towards dresses? I don't know... I just do!), they also have everything from skirts to shoes as well as a whole assortment of accessories. Check it out!

Valley of the Eagles

Wow, it feels like forever since I last blogged! I wish they had internet on the ferry, it was a lot of sitting around time that made me want to be productive! Instead, I read and played a lot of solitaire.

I obviously have a lot of photos from the trip down the coast (though not as many as I'd hoped. It was pouring rain the whole ride down, so going out on deck to snap pictures was not very appealing...). First, though, I have photos from my brief stay in Haines! I stayed in a nice campground right on the edge of the bay, next to the harbor. It was a really pretty day so Little Bit and I went over to the harbor and walked around on the docks. The owner of the campground said that there was a storm blowing in, so it was the last nice day for a while. Boy was she right, the storm must've hit the entire northwest coast because I haven't seen anything but clouds and rain since then!

jacket/empyre via zumiez :: top/billabong via pacsun :: jeans/pacsun :: moccasins/minnetonka :: scarf/from Tieka

We got into Haines on Wednesday afternoon and immediately went to the ferry terminal to figure out passage down the coast. Ferries to Bellingham were booked and it looked like a hassle to try and go standby. Plus, the only boat to Bellingham left on Monday, which meant that I would be hanging out in Haines for a bit, so I went back into town to find a Campground. My trusty Woodalls led me to Oceanside RV Park, which was indeed oceanside! I got 5 nights there and got set to make a my little home in Haines for a bit. I realized that evening that I could possibly hitch the ferry to Prince Rupert instead of Bellingham and just drive the rest of the way to Washington, so the next morning I refunded the rest of my stay at Oceanside and ran back to the ferry terminal to see if I could get on the Prince Rupert boat. I ended up getting a reservation from Juneau to Prince Rupert, which meant I had to make it on Standby from Haines to Juneau. Nerve-wracking waiting to find out if I made it on the Haines-Juneau boat! I did end up making it, though, which worked out absolutely perfectly!

In between my morning visit to the ferry terminal and my subsequent ferry ride, I drove up the road a bit to Chilkoot Lake state recreation area to see what that was all about. It was gorgeous. It was a little late in the season, but there were a few people fishing the river, and the lake was so placid and beautiful, nestled among the huge, southeast evergreens. They had a state campground there too, and I was kind of bummed that I didn't get to stay another night because the campground was on the shores on the lake and looked incredibly fun and relaxing. I loved being in town at Oceanside (mainly because I got to have internet for a night and update everything), but if I could go back I think I probably would've stayed up at Chilkoot Lake.

While Bits and I were walking the docks we found this boat, which I had to take a picture of, for (hopefully) obvious reasons. I always knew my name was a good boat name. All good boat names have either Anne or Marie somewhere in there. When I commercial fished in Bristol Bay it was almost comical how many boat names included those two. There was one called the Ann Marie, actually! Haha.

I'm accepting sponsors for October and beyond (I can't believe it's already almost October... I don't even know what I'm gonna be for Halloween)! I've changed up my sponsor ad sizes for Oct & beyond, so you can visit my sponsor page for more information on the (minimal) changes. If you'd like to become a sponsor or have any questions, email me at delightfully-tacky@hotmail.com!

Into the wild blue yonder...

Here we go! I'm currently blogging from inside my toasty warm little metal box of an oasis stationed, for the time being, in Haines, Alaska. It was quite the experience not having web or phone for a few days. Refreshing actually. I didn't have radio either (I thought I fixed the radio, but the speakers, or some sort of wiring is not working well making the stereo awful and scratchy to listen to), so the past three days of driving have been just me and my thoughts with a background of engine and road noise. I didn't mind it, though. I think we sometimes get caught up in thinking that we have to have music running in the background all the time when we drive, but I imagined all the people who traveled across the country and to Alaska before the radio/CDs/mp3 players existed. They just traveled along with their thoughts. It really wasn't bad at all and now that I'm used to it, I kind of like it. Plus, I like being able to hear the noises that the Brave is making. Make sure it's running well.

Trying to boil down the last few days is going to be difficult... also, lots of pictures. Sorry for the massive dump of pictures. There are hundreds, and this is just a few! Of course many of them are just me taking pictures of beautiful landscapes out the front window, so I'll spare you those ones... for the most part.

I left on Monday morning after some quick troubleshooting on the fridge (thank goodness it was only a blown fuse. It is working perfectly now!). I headed out of town and cruised along without any trouble, stopping in Palmer for gas. Little Bit is a perfect companion. She lays right next to me with her head on my knee, or beneath the driver's side dash by the steering column.

About 26 miles from Glennallen, the most godawful noise abruptly erupted from my engine compartment, accompanied by my power steering going out. So I immediately pulled over, opened up my engine hatch and looked in. There it was- my power steering pump had just snapped off. Go figure. So I called my Dad: "Hey Dad, guess where I am." "Where?" "Laying underneath my Winnebago... the power steering broke." I decided to lash the broken part out of the way of the rest of the engine's moving parts (thank God for zip-ties!), and continue on to Glennallen where I guessed there were probably some mechanics and other fixing-broken-engine-parts type places. I got on the road and called my Dad to let him know that it drove fine sans-power-steering, and near the end of our conversation he says, "You should turn at your next available left" ... which confused me- how did he know what was at my next left? Did he mean in Glennallen? Huh? And then I saw it- there was my Dad, phone to ear, standing on the side of the road. To my immediate left: the Tazlina airstrip and his red Cessna 180 parked right there. I couldn't believe it! I was totally baffled at first. How-what-when?! I thought I'd gone through some sort of time warp. How did I just tell him that I was broken down, and then three miles down the road there he is? Turns out he was flying around following me. Taking pictures of me (see picture #3 on this post- he took it), landing here and there, conniving a way to intercept me. He had landed in Tazlina and was waiting for me to pass by when I called him about the power steering. Crazy. I broke down three or so miles away from where he landed, and he had no idea I had pulled over with engine trouble!

So we called a welder in Glennallen who said he could probably fix it. The bracket which held on the power steering pump had just broken in half. 3/4 inch solid metal! Just broke. Whatever. Dad got in the plane and headed to Glennallen, about 26 miles away, and I drove off in the same direction. He got there well before me and called a nurse from his unit who lived in Glennallen and had a hands-on type of husband. She told us to come on down, and that her neighbor was actually a welder. The same welder we had called from Tazlina! Unbelievable. I picked Dad up from the Glennallen airstrip and we drove to her house where they helped us get the bracket off the engine, fed us a delicious dinner and took us to the neighbor to have him weld together the silly bracket. The bracket had to cool after being welded, so it couldn't be installed until the next morning. I took my Dad back to the airstrip for the final-final goodbye and he sailed off into the setting sun.

I spent the night in their driveway hooked up to their power via extension cord. The next morning she fed me coffee and a cinnamon roll (!) and I got to installing the fixed bracket and reconnecting the belt to the power steering pump. It went in like a dream and I said goodbye to them, eternally grateful for their incredible help and hospitality.

I drove up through Tok and on to the border, stopping for a lunch of canned pears at a rest stop overlooking a gorgeous vista. Gas again at Border City (haha, "city), before the long haul down to Kluane Lake in Yukon Territory, where I planned on spending the night.

Here's the little brave, 421 miles from home at the Alaska/Canada border. This is one of my favorite places on the AlCan for some reason. I mean, it's not very triumphant for me since I'm only leaving Alaska, I haven't driven a thousand miles to get there, but still, I love taking a picture by the sign. The Brave wanted to be in the picture too. I obliged.

LB and I on opposite sides of the border. We're so international.

I didn't take many more pictures that day. The roads in the Yukon are pretty awful, so I had to spend my time dodging potholes and what I like to refer to as "road mountains" (seriously, that's what the signs look like when they warn you of them- I should've gotten a picture of the "road mountains ahead" sign). Frost heaves are not my friend. Whenever a stretch of brand new highway found its way beneath my tires I sighed a huge sigh of relief. New asphalt is Winnebago porn. I would trade my first born for brand new pavement for the rest of the trip. I'm only kidding, but seriously... that's how much I love the buttery smooth feeling of my tires skimming along new asphalt. It feels like flying. You can't hear the road, just the engine. It's amazing. I could go on and on, but I'll save you all my gushing about something as inane as pavement.