Curiosities and Oddities Collection

I've been happily restocking my little ETSY shop with what I've decided is my contribution to the world of wearable oddities. I've used so many new types of materials. Well, not new actually, some are very old. New to me I suppose.

Objects made with real scrimshaw bone fragments, replica compasses, heavy weight Druzy Crystals, vintage rosary beads, keys that are nearly 100 years old, jade, onyx, quartz, Rhodochrosite, Vintage German Lucite, stone skulls, black sand and all things to make unique, conversation starter jewelry. (You'll also find some Blade Runner inspired and Sherlock Holmes) More details at: GirlyGeekChic.

Time Travel Thursday: Talamanca Reserve, Costa Rica

Going back through my travel posts as I've gotten completely off track with them: I realized that I never even posted my favorite place that I stayed in Costa Rica at the end of January this year. I had some genuine adventures in the jungles and on the wild beaches but when we headed into the mountains to Cerro Chirripó, I was so in love. This is Costa Rica's highest mountain range and it is covered in what is called cloud forest. Meaning the elevation is so high that the land is often veiled in clouds. It is so beautiful and so ethereal it is like being in another dimension. The place is teeming with birds and butterflies all in the brightest, most magical of colors. Flowers grow in abundance and the hiking gives you glimpses of breathtaking sights. And when you are all worn out at the end of the day you can stay at Talamanca Reserve. A gorgeous, comfortable haven nestled into the mountains with luxurious accommodations that included hot water showers(solar powered), gourmet food and a great bar. They accommodated my vegan diet with a variety of delicious and healthy dishes. The cabin was near a river that as you walked you passed dozens of plants and species of butterflies. In one short walk I must've caught a look at over 30 kinds of moths and butterflies. I cannot recommend this place enough. The staff was phenomenal to us and took care of everything as well as answering our millions of questions. I had a hard time picking through my pictures to share. So here is some and the next thing will be Cloudbridge Reserve which you can hike to from Talamanca.

Happy Adventures!

I HAVE THE POWER!!! Or a little about female action figures.

I collect female action figures. This all really started when I couldn’t find Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings movies. I was more than a little miffed that there was finally going to be a sword wielding ass kicker in one of the biggest movies ever made and I could not find her anywhere. 

Over 20 years ago now, I bought myself my first action figures. It was an X-Files set that I still own. I loved Agent Scully and her unending skepticism no matter what she witnessed. Growing up I had Barbies. Lots of them. My mother loved Barbies and my brother had G.I. Joe and plenty of other superhero type guys. My mom was all about gender oriented toys. I don’t believe this was intentional, I think she was simply a product of her generation of women. My sisters and I never even considered that we also couldn’t let our toys have superhero powers, constantly making up elaborate story lines and having absolutely no problem with being able to kick the crap out of any villain, male or female. Our giant Barbies would date tiny G.I. Joes whenever Ken wasn’t available. But as I got older and started to read more and more, I started to realize that Barbie was not going to cut it anymore. I didn’t relate to her corvette, dream house and endless desire to be a cheerleader. I had Jem for a while, but as someone who has never felt the need to be a rock-star, I lost interest in her pretty quickly. 

That’s when I met She-Ra. My mother started buying me She-Ra story books in grade school and when I made the honor roll, the action figures. I loved them and let me tell you, I wish I still had them. She-Ra had a sword, rode a flying unicorn, and could match her brother He-Man blow to blow with the bad guys. Around the same time my aunt started to send me Star Wars stuff and I dressed as Princess Leia for Halloween more than once. A friend’s mother would put my hair up for every holiday in her trademark braided buns. She was the ultimate Princess to me. She was the boss, resourceful, and got to wear a spectacular space dress when she felt like it. I will say I never really got her attraction to Han Solo as a kid. Then you grow up and realize that we can idiotically be attracted to “Bad Boys.” Whatever. Leia put Han in his place when he needed it, and I thought she was all the more awesome for it.

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Fast forward a decade, Agent Scully comes into my life and then I start to realize there’s really something important here. A toy that represents something that wasn’t known to me as child. That I could be a smart, capable career woman of some kind. That’s why these toys matter. Because if you don’t know you could be a doctor or a hero of some sort you won’t ever consider it. For the longest time, and even now, it’s hard to find toys for females that cover the endless possibilities of growing up. No one ever doubts a male can be a hero but a female? Maybe not. Maybe she should only be in well-defined traditional roles? Well, if that’s what she wants then so be it. But all the options should be offered to everyone. And that includes in toys.

I don’t have a huge collection of female action figures. Maybe 30 or 35. But they all mean something to me. I noticed recently that I knew where they all came from, what stories they were from, or in some cases (like my Cleopatra figure) what time in history. What I didn’t know was anything about the history of the action figure toy itself. So I did a little research. And where it’s easy to find out what the first attempt at a female action figure was, it’s pretty hard to find much about it after that. I’m still looking into it. I have a lot of questions, including things like what was the first African-American Female Action Figure? 

Here’s a little information for you to start: 

-1959 Barbie is released by Mattel

-1964 Hasbro creates the phrase “Action Figure” and releases G.I. Joe

-1967 Hasbro releases what is thought to be the first action figure for females and is the first female G.I. Joe. Action Nurse. She is a complete failure. Girls don’t want to play with G.I. Joes and boys don’t want to play with dolls.

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-1975 Marvel creates Storm and she is the first African-American Female in a feature role in a comic.

-1978 First Princess Leia action figure released by Kenner

-1997 G. I. Joe releases a second female action figure, a helicopter pilot. 

-A friend of mine randomly found Eowyn for me in a Target she stopped at on a road trip some 10 years ago. 

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"Houston, we have a problem."

The news has been filled with amazing space things lately. From Scott Kelly returning from a year on the ISS to Space X landing a rocket successfully, it’s a renewed and exciting time to keep your eyes turned upwards. 

I love visiting NASA facilities, any space related exhibits, museums, etc..I love to learn about the great adventurers of our time. I have to say I do often feel a sense of sad wistfulness that I will never go to space. My most recent visit at the end of January was to Johnson Space Center in Houston. It was glorious. This was somewhere I had wanted to go as a kid and many of my friends went. We never had money for vacations and as such rarely went out of town. Traveling is a pretty big deal to me no matter where it may be. When it happens to be somewhere that is the site of monumental human achievement: all the better! 

To add to this I recently watched American Spacemen and followed it up with the movie The Right Stuff. I don’t often use fictional retellings as a point of reference but according to those involved in this movie the story is pretty close to reality. It shows the parallels of the American Space program and Chuck Yaegar breaking the sound barrier. 

American Spacemen also tells the story of a Minneapolis company that helped break altitude records and was pioneered strongly by a woman(I feel a vested interest in this, being a female and all). There is a great article about it here: High Altitude Balloon Innovation 

 

My visit to the Space Center was epic. It included a tour of not only mission control, you know: “Houston, we have a problem” but also the Vehicle Mock-up Building where all the astronauts come to learn how to use space equipment and the warehouse that stores the last Saturn V rocket that never got to launch because Nixon cut the budget. There is also a stray photo of the deer that live on the grounds. There were more animals as NASA does all that it can to preserve it’s surrounding environment. In fact, in Florida, all the grounds that belong to NASA are an animal sanctuary and protected space. 

As Neil Degrasse Tyson would say: Never stop looking up. (I also listened to his Great Course Lecture Series…wonderful. You can find it here: My Favorite Universe.)

The Girl With All The Gifts

href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19418277-the-girl-with-all-the-gifts">The Girl With All the Gifts: Extended Free Preview by M.R. Carey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, Zombies.

I've read World War Z (I did like this), Zombie Survival Guide, a crap ton of Walking Dead, Marvel Zombies, Pride Prejudice and Zombies, Graveminder-the point is-I've tried and I just don't get into zombie stuff.

Walking Dead drove me nuts because I can only read/watch people making bad choices for so long. I know zombies are biologically impossible. Half my family is in the medical profession and they always treat the CDC in these stories as if they are the dumbest people in the world as opposed to what they actually are: the most intelligent. I get that it's a statement on the human condition but one only needs to read the news to also grow exhausted reading about it for amusement.

The dumb part is, I like vampire books. I've read so many vampire books, I made my friends intervene (no joke). Perhaps it's like classic rock: you can like the Rolling Stones or the Beatles but you can't truly love both.

My friend did not tell me what this book was about, giving it to me because I love Lucifer, which is also written by M.R. Carey. I have to be genuinely surprised by a book these days to be completely impressed by it. I know, I am a snot.

This book blew me away with its unique rendering of a brave new world after the zombie apocalypse. It didn't presume people were stupid, it didn't presume they were without heart or only possessed with dysfunctional decision making skills. It walks the thin line of horror based in reality successfully. Something that I find more unsettling than all out gore. Telling a story that blurs the lines as to who gets to be deemed living or not living. And what it really means to be a civilized human being. 

View all my reviews

How to Order Vegan Part 2

I am back with the second part of my How to Order Vegan posts. You can find the first post here: How to Order Vegan Part 1

In this installment of how to order vegan we are going to cover Mexican food, Mediterranean food, and Pizza.

Growing up on the Mexican border, I spent a fair amount of time eating in Mexico. I love Mexican food. That said, living this far North can make it a little tricky to find true Mexican food. Be that as it may, the variations including Tex-Mex share some similar features in recipes. These tips tend to be things that can carry over into all the types of Mexican and Tex-Mex you come across. There are always the obvious things: no cheese, no meat. Likely it will include no sour cream as well. This is especially important since most sour cream is not even vegetarian as it contains gelatin. 

Other things to note:

-Rice can be cooked in chicken stock

-Beans can be cooked in an animal stock

-Mole is rendered with lard

-Tamales and Enchiladas can often be made vegan if they are made fresh. If they are made in advance they will often have cheese or beef stock in them. 

-Tortillas can be fried in lard

-Double check that guacamole does not have cheese added to it

That said, there is almost always something that can be vegan at a Mexican/Mexican-like restaurant.

Enchiladas and…

Enchiladas and…

tostadas from Nico's Taco Bar.(Drinks, food and patio! Woohoo!)

tostadas from Nico's Taco Bar.(Drinks, food and patio! Woohoo!)

I don’t get to travel as much as I’d like. Probably a lot of people will say that. However, they likely won’t say that they try falafel everywhere they do get to go. I do. I love falafel and it’s many trappings- hummus, tahini, fresh chopped veggies.

*Art by Moonfruit Comics

*Art by Moonfruit Comics

Mediterranean Food is an excellent vegan food and it’s not too terrible for you either. I know it might seem that gyros(lamb), chicken, and beef dominate this type of cuisine but they most certainly do not have to. 

Grilled veggies abound and a lot of things are based in chickpeas and sesame seeds. Eggplant is also a prevalent ingredient. 

Things to check for include:

-Nearly all falafel is cooked in grapeseed oil or olive oil. It can also be baked(Egyptian style)-on occasion it is cooked with an animal stock in it.

-Greek salad is easily made vegan by leaving off feta cheese

-Avoiding things that have yogurt. Sometimes you can get tzatziki sauce without diary but not always. Definitely ask about this if this is what you want.

-I’ve on occasion run into hummus having gelatin in it. This is a rare occurrence but not impossible.

-Ask if rice is free of chicken stock

-Various types of samosas and dolmas are out there but you can run into ones having meat in them. It never hurts to double check. 

Mediterranean food is an excellent way to dine out vegan. All the places I’ve tried falafel have their own way of making it from varying spices, cooking methods and sauces. I’ve even had it wrapped up with a thin tortilla type wrap, filled with hot sauce and grilled(yum). 

I also find it to be great comfort food. If I am feeling especially bad, most places offer french fries as a side and dipping those in hummus that is usually fresh made can make anyone more cheerful.

Falafel from Holy Land in the Midtown Global Market.

Falafel from Holy Land in the Midtown Global Market.

The final part of this second installment we’ll go over everyone’s favorite: PIZZA! 

It’s a great time to be vegan as more places than ever offer at least SOMETHING for an option. This has not always been the case, sadly. 

If you go to a place like Pizza Nea or Pizza Luce around the Twin Cities you can even get alternative meat options including, at Pizza Nea, choices from the first vegan butcher shop, Herbivorous Butcher. 

But, the reality is more often that there is not alternative meat or faux cheese options. That does not mean that you cannot have a delicious meal. One of my favorites in town is from Punch Pizza called the Gigi. It’s simply thin crust, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and basil. I often add mushrooms and artichoke hearts to it as well. It’s divine. 

Things to look for:

-Ask if the crust is vegan because it can contain lard making it not even vegetarian. This tends to be true more for the cracker-style crust pizzas rather than Neapolitan-style or deep dish. 

-Cheese can have rennet in it which is an enzyme that comes from animals, again making it not even vegetarian.

-Make sure sauce is meat and cheese free. Chunky tomato sauce tends to be a good bet if you’re unsure. 

-Bianca sauce can be difficult to find vegan. Luckily for Minneapolis, you can go to Galactic Pizza and have their aromatic, melty perfection. 

*An extra thing to note: If you have the option of a seasonal veggie pizza, I would go for it. This usually means the freshest possible ingredients. Minnesota has amazing mushroom pizzas for this very reason. If you haven’t had morels on a pizza you are missing out.

Gigi pizza from Punch Pizza.

Gigi pizza from Punch Pizza.

I’m working on Part 3 which will include Indian food and it’s vast varieties! Happy EATING!

Midnight Special

A fair number of the last few superhero movies have a left a bad mark on my love for the genre. The rampant sexism is not helping. Even with Wonder Woman finally appearing in DC's latest disaster they couldn't help the "I thought she came with you" comment. 
And as much as I enjoy the Avengers movies I am close to finding them tiresome. Too much CGI, too many big stars who are themselves and not the characters-yawn, yawn, yawn.
So, I went to see Midnight Special last night. It is wonderful. It is quiet, thoughtful sci-fi and strangely possessed of moments that feel as though they are happening in real life. It's a small budget movie and as it often seems for that reason more gets poured into it from the people working on it. It's nice to see something that is not a franchise nor just a remake of something that didn't need resurrection in the first place.

Snaps From a Vegan/Vegetarian Pizza Party

Pie day is a big deal these days. I have a friend who has been celebrating it for some time.

He is amazing and makes tons of handmade tossed crust veg pizzas for all his guests.

This weekend was the party and it was aces.

Geek Craft Expo ..SUCCESS!

When I said I wanted to do my first craft show I really did not know what to expect. I tried not to hope for too much with the exception of myself getting a lot done. This got a bit sidelined with a serious elbow injury but somehow and with some great help I managed to pull it off. GeekCraft Expo turned out to be a great experience. It helps that it was in Madison, Wisconsin which is a great place all on it's own. I met nice people, I sold lots of jewelry and books(I even signed a few) and I saw old friends. I'll do a separate post on Madison later because the food is always amazing. Some snapshots from the weekend.

I hope to do more shows in the future and I am currently basking in the happy afterglow. 

Happy Geekery!

GeekCraft Expo

For the first time this weekend I am hauling a bunch of things I've made and written to sell at the GeekCraft Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. 

I have never done a show other than an Open House in my own home. This will be a whole new experience. I have a booth and business cards and the whole deal, like a grown up crafter. 

If you find yourself in Madison this weekend head over to the Masonic Center from 11am-7pm on Saturday and Sunday to check it out.

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How to Order Vegan: Part 1

I get asked a lot about how to eat vegan when I go to a restaurant. More often than not I suspect that being intimidated and simply not knowing what to ask keeps people from trying to make their diet more vegan-friendly for themselves. There is a fair amount of helpful advice out there so I am going to break this up into a few posts.

Some places now will clearly mark on menus what is vegan and what is not. However, that is not as commonplace as this girl right here would dream. Be that as it may, you can generally find at least one or two things on nearly every menu that can be made vegan. Not all places necessarily have something, but a lot of them do.

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*photo credit unknown but obviously someone awesome

Truth be told, the best way to eat vegan (besides going somewhere you already know is vegan-accessible) is simply to go to small, local businesses. This tends to up your chances significantly for not only vegan food but also fresh food. An added advantage to altering things on the menu is that you will often get something made-to-order, not something that has been cooked since the early hours of the day. You may have to pay a little more for it (not always) but I generally think that is worth it.

Keep in my mind this by no means covers all the things that can make your choice veg-friendly, but my goal here is to help you get a little closer to vegan. And likely healthy too (except the donuts) (well, they are cholesterol free… so, that’s something)

The very first thing I am going to say (because I know this is something people ask A LOT and why people are often nervous about speaking up) is about the server and not wanting to be a pain in the ass. Fair enough.

Here’s the deal: I have never had a server be rude to me about my dietary requests. In fact, it is my estimation that if a server has been rude to me about anything (I can’t really think of too many examples here) I have not been rude back. That’s because I worked in customer service for a very long time and have strict rules about always being the best customer I can be, regardless. If someone is being rude it’s likely they had someone be awful to them, and being a dick is just going to compound the problem. A simple smile and thank you can change the entire dynamic of a situation… including your dietary requests. Now, servers don’t always know and most will go and check with the chef for you, often coming back with definitive answers. If they can’t give you one, it’s your decision whether or not to go forward. The only time I would suggest not taking chances is if you have an undoubtable allergy. Servers, like anyone, generally want to do the best job they can. And simple rules apply here: Don’t. Be. A. Creep.

Now to the food!

 

We can start with something that seems like it’s an obvious vegan choice but actually often is not: SALADS!

Don’t be fooled by the idea of nothing but colorful veggies. Unless labeled, most salads in restaurants are not vegan. A lot of them are not even vegetarian. The first reason why is obvious: Many salads are topped with meat or cheese. Some are topped with eggs.

Other reasons include: Dressing having dairy in it, and croutons being made with butter and/or cheese.

It’s generally easy to ask for these things to be left off or substituted. A vinegar and oil dressing is almost always available and the croutons might have been made with oil. If they are made with margarine, that one is up to you. A lot of butter substitutes contain whey, which is a dairy derivative. You can’t always know if whey is in something and neither can a sever. The choice is your discretion.

-Salad from the magnificent salad bar at Q Cumbers-

-Salad from the magnificent salad bar at Q Cumbers-

Next up: ASIAN FOOD such as Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean

Eating in Asian places, it is my experience that you can usually easily find something to eat but here are things to be aware of:

There is a cultural difference that seafood and seafood derived ingredients are vegetarian. Being vegan means that this is not the same belief.

Sometimes vegetarian stir-fries are cooked with fish sauce or oyster sauce. They can usually be substituted with something animal-free. If that is not the case, as sometimes things are made in advance, I have had a dish made especially for me. A meat-free diet is not so uncommon in Asia that this is an unusual request.

Fried rice almost always has egg in it unless otherwise specified, and Korean street food style dishes tend to be topped wth fried eggs as well.

If you’re not familiar with a place, or it’s not marked, simply asking if the vegetarian dishes are cooked with fish sauce or oyster sauce will generally solve most of the problems. Stir-fries that are served with chicken or beef can be made veg by asking for tofu or mock duck instead.

Awesome places like Evergreen Chinese have a lot of fun meat subs that I love (Lemongrass mock beef, Pepper fried mock pork - YUM). They also serve Buddhist vegetarian dishes, and those are completely free of animal products.

-Buddhist Veggies and Three-Cup Tofu from Evergreen Chinese-

-Buddhist Veggies and Three-Cup Tofu from Evergreen Chinese-

Thai curries can contain shrimp paste - another thing that is usually easily subbed with coconut milk.

Bubble tea can also be vegan but make sure to ask for a milk-free one.

Japanese food is a bit tougher at times. You would want things that don’t contain fish flakes (it is referred to as Bonito flakes), and you will want to ask if the miso soup is veggie, as the Dashi used to make it might not be animal-free. Tempura can be a good bet, but again just ask if the batter is vegan.

 I LOVE potstickers, dumplings, spring rolls, pretty much anything I can eat with my hands like a little kid and dip in something. I would suggest that, unless it is clearly marked, asking if the item in question is veggie-only and if the dipping sauce is vegan. On occasion, peanut sauces and the like have had animal-derived sauce mixed into them. When this has happened it has been quite simple to get something else to replace it. It’s one of the great things about Asian food: all the fabulous sauces.

The potstickers, dumplings, etc… may have a mixture that contains pork or something such as that. It never hurts to check.

-Tofu Spring Rolls and Peanut Sauce from Jasmine Deli-

-Tofu Spring Rolls and Peanut Sauce from Jasmine Deli-

OK! This is a good amount of ground covered in this first post. I’ll be back soon going over ideas for ordering Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Italian and who knows what else because I love to eat out.

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Corcovado National Park, OSA Peninsula, Costa Rica

There was nothing that could prepare me for the wild beauty of Corcovado National Park. Only accessible by boat from Drake Bay by way of the Pacific Ocean. Certainly it falls under The Adventure of a Lifetime category. Spotting creatures here and there and everywhere. Mushrooms growing in the hazy humidity on the jungle floor. Dozens of Blue Morpho Butterflies flitting about my head as I watched lizards run across water. The entire place makes you feel as if you are in a Jules Verne novel.

Have a look for yourself:

In Summation: Easter Baskets and Why I Miss Getting One.

These days I rarely know when Easter is occurring. Spring things start to show up in stores and then I realize Easter must be on it's way. I don't have any children nor do Christian Easter beliefs line up with my own belief system. But without fail every year I feel a sense of wistfulness at knowing I won't be getting an Easter basket. This year I spent some time trying to figure out what it was that makes me feel this way. I talked to another friend of mine also near my age without children, and a similar feeling about religion and she to felt a sense of sad nostalgia of not getting an Easter basket. She spoke of a loss of a sense of community because church was always fun that day. I agreed with the fun part. We would have picnics and egg hunts and more candy than we knew what to do with. She mentioned always getting a new outfit. This was also something I could relate to as it was one of the only times in a year that I got new clothes at all. This thought also helped me pinpoint what it was about Easter I missed. 

My mother would go all out of most holidays but I always liked this one a little bit more for a reason that most girls would probably shun these days. But for me it was the one time of year I got to be girly and have girly things. 

Growing up my whole life was taking care of a mentally ill mother, cleaning a messy house & yard, taking care of pets (read: cleaning waste in the yard), babysitting, dealing with an abusive, alcoholic father and pretty much only wearing hand-me-down clothes. 

Each year for as long as I could remember my mother made Easter a day that was filled with frills and pastels, bunnies and sparkly bits. Including when I became a young teenager, she started to add pretty smelling body products amongst lovely chocolates. 

I was not only allowed to dress up, I was encouraged to do my hair(start to wear eyeshadow when I was in 6th grade), get my pictures taken, wear a hat, be careful and delicate in my manners. Even my father, who was still awful at the end of the day, would give me something of a break when I was dressed up and part of the festivities. Basically, I got to be a traditional type of fluffy girl. It was not the norm for me and I loved it. 

It was always a nice non-reality for at least part of a day. I can't pretend that once church and egg hunts were over that things were awesome because that wasn't my life. But the mornings and afternoons each year were something of a magical day for me. 

When I started dating my current partner, I tried to start a little bit of a holiday with him but it didn't go over too well. He's not one for holidays much in general and sentiment doesn't come easy for him. I just sort of gave up. I've pretty much worked every Easter since I've been out on my own anyway especially since people around me take it very seriously and their beliefs mean a great deal to them, as they should. And really, obligations to people you generally don't see(for good reasons) and many you don't like, who are not even kind to you around the holidays can make you grow a distaste for them.

It's basically become just another day which makes me a little sad since that seems to be what is expected about most holidays when you become an adult. 

I did get some enjoyment some years ago spending time learning about the history of Easter which is not based at all in Christian religion. The history is long, extensive and filled with mythology from all over the world. Much of it based in Egypt. I encourage you to look into it whatever your beliefs may be today. 

I wish you a happy day however you decide to celebrate. 

 

I will leave you with a link to quite an epic Easter Basket. This woman also creates cakes and Valentine's Day gifts I covet every year. The Vegan Treats Ultimate Lucky Bunny Basket.

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Back to Costa Rica! Poorman's Paradise

Picking up where we left off takes us to the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. We went to stay at Poorman's Paradise Resort. This is a place only accessible by boat. We took a bus out to a tiny town that led us to Sierpe River where we climbed aboard a boat to the mouth of the Pacific Ocean. This was quite the adventure basically crash landing on the beach to get to the resort. I seriously felt like I was in a movie climbing into the water off the boat and taking my first look at the terrain. You could have thought you arrived in Jurassic Park. I might add this was a great time (the boat ride on the ocean) that Matt, our guide demonstrated his skill in keeping people from stressing. In particular, me. I am not a swimmer by any means. I'm not afraid of water and have been in the ocean plenty of times. However, I had never quite experienced something like this ride. We were on wild, open ocean (I have been whale watching but that was much calmer) and it could've been nerve wrecking but Matt kept me talking, splashing in the water and beholden by the beautiful scenery. I really appreciated it. 

The people who work at Poorman's Paradise are clearly very invested in their place. The cabins were adorable with lovely homemade touches, they made an effort with the meals despite the fact that they didn't really know much about a vegan diet upon my arrival(they had great coffee) and the drinks at the bar were amazing. The cabin I stayed in near the water was equipped with a simple shower and nice bed. The screens were always open (common practice in this warm country) so waking to the surf everyday was to be expected. We were here near full moon so at night the sound of the ocean was quite unbelievable. Also, there were monkeys all around and beautiful dogs. Someone took care of them as none of them looked unhealthy in anyway. This is also how we had a base for getting into what is called "One of the last wild places left on Earth," more of that next time! 

(Oh, and we went zip lining and I have a fear of heights but managed 13 zip lines over the jungle canopy-GO ME!) The canopy tour company is on TripAdvisor with a perfect rating. Corcovado Canopy Tour is who you want to go see about some amaze balls scenery.

More adventures soon!

~Monkeys are Made of Chocolate. Hacienda Baru~

The first part of the tour started at a restored part of Costa Rica. 815 acres that used to be cattle grazing land as the government tried to figure out how to feed it's population. Eventually they realized that what they had was beyond important and let the jungle start to come back to life. (Turns out cows don't do so great in the jungle anyway) There was hiking and breathtaking views and critters everywhere. Most of the time you're not fast enough to capture photos of the animals but we got a few. There was a night spent sleeping in the jungle and I woke up to something sniffing my head. And bats. SO MANY HUGE BATS. The name of the reserve I stayed at is Hacienda Baru and the people that worked there were very passionate about the land. They took great care leading us through the jungle and were so knowledgeable about the area. I was blown away by the love put into the land. The first pictures are of a few stops on the way out to Hacienda Baru.

A note about the tour I took: We used Wilderness Inquiry. A not-for-profit organization that leads eco-tours. I will go into this more in later posts but they are absolutely worth looking up. They have big, medium and little adventures and provide accessibility for everyone. Amazing. 

Our guide, Matt was great: organized, knowledgeable and well-prepared with skills necessary for first aid emergencies(there were a few in the group) (not me, thankfully). He also is possessed of a few rare leadership skills in keeping people calm and giving information in a timely, matter-of-fact manner. I really adored him. I would tell anyone to go on a trip with him. 

See you soon!

...We interrupt your regularly scheduled post.....

All the while I've been writing about my travels, which there's more to come because well, traveling is awesome. There have been plenty of things afoot here in good ole' Minneapolis. Starting with the opening of The Herbivorous Butcher. I've mentioned them before as America's first vegan butcher shop. They are getting lots of attention I am happy to say. I first had the food from their stalls at the Farmer's Market and then various pop-up shops they had around town. They now have their very own, nice shop in NE Minneapolis. I stopped in the other day to stock up. I think some of their items are quite delicious such as the Maple Sage Breakfast Sausage. You should give it a try. They ship now as well!

The Search for El Dorado

People often have asked me the last few years especially, where I get my creative inspiration from. They frequently assume it's from television and movies. To be fair, I am sure I am influenced by both of those mediums but there really is nothing that sparks my imagination like a trip to a museum with a bit of history and a bit of science not to mention endless amounts of art. I recently spent 11 days in Costa Rica and will write about my experiences all through this week. It was an adventure to say the least. I should began with saying I did not spend the 11 days on the beaches like most people do. I was actually told multiple times that I visited places in Costa Rica most people, not even people who live there go to visit. Fair enough. Some of them were not particularly easy to get to and I may have even at times been in a little over my head. But I made it back with world-view widening experiences which is pretty much what I want most of all these days- and stories to tell with pictures, preferably. I did get to spend a little time on beaches as well as in the city of San Jose which is where this week's posts will start. 

The first place I visited was part of the inspiration for my second novel Armand El Dorado. If you can guess from the title the myth of the city of El Dorado plays a part in the story. Now this myth did not originate in Costa Rica but it's influence reaches across the lands of Central America. The Pre-Columbian tribes traded in this region to gain the gold that they had. One of the more ironic things I think I learned was that the legend of the Golden City was not even based on gold from the region. In fact, at the time many of the things were made, there was almost no mining happening in Costa Rica or Colombia. All the gold came from other parts of the world. And not in particularly large quantities. El Dorado was a constructed fantasy created to mislead those explorers looking to take advantage of the people. The golden king was a tribes leader who would lead a ceremony that included tossing small golden artifacts into a lake in Colombia. Lake Guatavita to be precise. 

The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum is a well-laid out time line of the history of the region. Using not only golden artifacts to walk you through Costa Rica's rich history but also quite a bit of musical instruments. I actually rather regret not buying a replica of an ocarina which plays such a role in the world of the indigenous people. It is the most comprehensive collection of gold artifacts outside of Colombia. 

Here are some pictures from my trip to the museum. I would suggest having at least 2-3 hours for a visit. Plus, the area outside the museum is lovely to walk around.

Thank you for visiting. I look forward to sharing more of my experiences.

Gunflint Lodge

I've been gone for a couple of weeks and I have so much to share. I'm gonna travel again this weekend as well and will hopefully have more! So this little post is about a great mini-adventure I took back in the middle of October last year up to the Gunflint Lodge. The furtherest north I've been in the states. I had been wanting to visit here for a while especially after reading Wonderstruck which is partially set on the Gunflint Trail. Even though I just missed the fall foliage there was still plenty of stark fall beauty to behold and enjoy. Staying at the lodge was a pleasant experience that included wine being left in the cabin with snacks. There was no cell service so there was a couple days break from that as well. There was plenty of hiking, climbing and picture taking followed by drinks in the main building and staring at ducks. Going into nature to do nothing is a big thing here in Minnesota and even though it's taking a while for me to get used to it, I am starting to find it very valuable to my creative process. Letting my mind wonder is making me have more ideas than anything ever. No wonder there are so many writers in Minnesota. And of course, there was a stop in Duluth, Minnesota(another great city) for a visit to Pizza Luce, the original one. I had the seasonal flat bread with mock duck, mushrooms and general yumminess. We brought along our own food makings for dinners and breakfasts in our cabin which had a full kitchen. It was cozy, warm and I drink wine in front of a fire till I fell asleep in my flannel pajamas.

See my review(s) on Trip Advisor. Happy Travels!