en pointe photography . the blog . [ vignettes of life. ] - san diego wedding & lifestyle photographer » Roadtrip 09

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . the journey home . the final chapter.

Susan — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:19:58 +0000

a bird over the water . san onofre, ca . polaroid sx-70

A year ago today, I began my trip home.

a dust devil . near fresno, ca . canon 5D mk2

pyramid lake . on the grapevine, ca . canon 5D mk2

the skyline . los angeles, ca . canon 5D mk2

when the I-5 sign changes to say san diego . santa ana, ca . canon 5D mk2

birds & men . san onofre, ca . canon 5D mk2

flying in the breeze . san onofre, ca . canon 5D mk2

the sun . san onofre, ca . polaroid 420 land camera

welcome home . san diego, ca . canon 5D mk2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A year ago this morning in Sacramento, I got into my car, turned on the GPS and it asked me: “Where to?” I pressed one button.

“Home.”

I was on the last stretch of what was a wonderful trip, and I was happy to be getting home, but sad the whole experience was over. I began driving and noticed that the GPS was taking me to CA-99 instead of I-5 which is what I usually take when I drove home. Well the heck with it, I thought, why not take 99 then? This was a trip for firsts and this was definitely be a first for something I was so familiar with doing.

And let me tell you, it was just as boring at I-5!

LOL, okay maybe not AS boring, there were certainly more cities that I passed through, and I saw lots of ‘dust devils’ that were basically little tiny tornadoes, but it was pretty uneventful aside from that.

The only stop I made besides getting gas, was at San Onofre, to say a little farewell to driving on the coast – at least on this trip. The birds there were pretty fun, I would watch them just hang in one spot because it was so windy. They would just stay there, with their wings outstretched, enjoying the feeling of not going anywhere at all for the moment.

As I drove through San Diego, I had made it in time for sunset – yet again. :) And then I was home.

. . . . . . . . . .

People had asked me, why did you take this trip? What were you going for? The title says it all, I was going for clarity.

Clarity within myself, clarity as an artist. I think for myself, it was so easy to fall into the same routine, the same things, the same mindset. Especially if I never got out of my comfort zone/California box. Our experiences are what enrich us as people, and I wasn’t really experiencing anything new. I wasn’t sure if the things that I was doing were things that were easy to do, or things that I really wanted to do. Forcing myself out of my comfort zone, out of my regular box, allowed me to really evaluate situations that I came across and form my own opinions. And my own viewpoints, I think. I became surer of myself as a person, and I think that in large part, it was not only the experiences I gained and the places I saw, but the people that I came in contact with too. I adapted habits from people I stayed with, and created routines that I found fit *me.* I had wonderful conversations and felt like I was able to think differently. And not only that, but it allowed me to be more open to many things.

I was able to approach life and situations with openness, and because of that, people seemed to react to me more openly too. It allowed for genuine interactions and for that I was truly grateful. I find it hard to keep that openness alive at home – you’re so occupied with daily life and work and tasks that you don’t look at everything so openly and with curiosity – you’re really just wanting to get things done, or make your way around. But ever since coming back, I’ve been making a genuine effort to try and look at my surroundings with the same openness, and curiosity, or – with “fresh eyes” as a friend said. ;) It allows me to look at things with a fresh perspective, or at least, allows me to be more open to people around me and the possible experiences that might happen because of that openness.

You think that paragraph could’ve had the word open one more time? lol

On top of that, I’ve learned to honor myself and the passions that I have, and what drives me. Because of this, I have had a few projects surface, one of which I shall be sharing soon. :) These passions don’t just come from anywhere, it is what drives us to a goal, and has the potential to be something great if we let it. Will it be scary to pursue? Most likely. Will it be hard? Most definitely. Will it be amazing & worth it when it happens? Oh, yes.

“The journey is the reward.” - Chinese Proverb

So, to close this chapter, I just wanted to say thank you to those who have supported me on this journey & thank you to everyone who was with me on this journey. <3 I am grateful for you all. I am who I am thanks to all of you.

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . the journey home . part one.

Susan — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:03:28 +0000

the journey home . canon 5d mk II . oregon/california border

the hills steeped in rain . canon 5d mk II . oregon/california border

the clouds . canon 5d mk II . oregon/california border

oregon thanks you . canon 5d mk II . oregon/california border

the road back . canon 5d mk II . near the northern california border

mt shasta . canon 5d mk II . mt shasta, ca

a tree . canon 5d mk II . somewhere near redding, ca

the sacramento river & county line . canon 5d mk II . sacramento, ca

the delta king/old sacramento . canon 5d mk II . sacramento, ca

the sunsets i grew up with . canon 5d mk II . sacramento, ca

. . . . . . . . . . . .

A year ago today, I left for my solo road trip up and down the west coast – something that would change my life & in many ways, make me who I am today. In the past year I feel like I got a little older, a little wiser, a little more sure of who I am and a little happier. Well, maybe a lot happier. Things like this really do bring some clarity into your life. :)

This particular blog post is about my journey home though, and the new perspectives I’ve gained since taking that trip. You know, since it’s taken a whole year for me to even begin to finish blogging my road trip! ;)

I left Ashland that afternoon, ready to head back home, but I had to stop at another home before making the whole way down – the home I grew up in. It was actually a bit of a struggle to even go on this trip – imagine telling Asian parents that their only daughter wants to go on road trip all by herself for two weeks and drive over 2000 miles? Yea, I don’t think many Asian parents would be too keen on that, even if said daughter no longer live at her parent’s home.

On the journey down, my favorite spot had to be the Oregon/California border. It was on & off raining throughout the drive, which I thought was amazing because it transformed the landscape to this constant changing vista. At the border, I could see the hills beyond and I could see the rain falling in between the curves of the landscape. It was almost like steam coming off the hills. I also love Oregon’s goodbye sign too, and I had a moment to say goodbye for now to possibly my favorite state.

About 5 or 6 hours later, I reached Sacramento, where I decided to stop off at Old Sacramento to catch the gorgeous sunset that I was so used to seeing growing up. Sacramento still holds the place for the most vibrant sunsets that I have ever seen on a consistent basis. But I haven’t traveled too much, so I’m sure there are other places out there that have even more vibrant sunsets on a regular basis.

Upon going to my parent’s house, I was warmly greeted by my family, where my mother told me that she was so proud of what I had done. What? When I first told her, she harshly resisted the idea of me going, but here she was telling me that she was proud! In many ways, that in itself was worth the trip and the struggle it took for me to tell them, knowing that they would be very unhappy about it.

A lot of times I do think that many of the struggles we go through produce the greatest result – if I had never told my parents, they would never have had a reason to be proud of what I did. And believe me, I considered not telling them, just to spare the stress of the many arguments/conversations that we will have about it. But I wanted them to be a part of it, a part of my journey, and I’m extremely glad that I did. :)

Next up, my journey home to San Diego, my thoughts, and the clarity I gained.

film fridays . 001.

Susan — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:51:45 +0000

So, I think I’m going to try & introduce something called Film Fridays, where I post some personal film work for fun. This one is from my roadtrip in Northern California & like I’ve said before, I terribly miss it here. I have recently had an obsession with camping, and my goal is to go camping in these woods someday soon. <3

Hope you all have a good weekend — go & do something that is inspiring!

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . ashland . part two.

Susan — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:51:31 +0000

the columbia hotel . ashland, or . canon 5d mk II

stumptown coffee at mix & breadboard restaurant . ashland, or . canon 5d mk II

stumptown at mix cafe . ashland, or . polaroid sx-70

lithia park . ashland, or . canon 5d mk II

deer at lithia park . ashland, or . polaroid sx-70

deer at lithia park . ashland, or . canon 5d mk II

breadboard restaurant . ashland, or . polaroid sx-70

ashland hills . ashland, or . canon 5d mk II

on the way to medford . ashland, or . canon 5d mk II

the road there . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

self portrait . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

the most amazing person . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

sammy & julie & richard . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

bear & sammy . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

hands . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

a letter from kim’s . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

kim’s chinese and american foods . medford, or . canon 5d mk II

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, here I am, finally blogging the second half of Ashland. It took a really long time to blog this portion of the trip because it was the most personal to me, and I learned a great deal about myself from it. I’m still not sure what to say, but I will tell you what I did love about it.

+ the most charming hotel I stayed in — The Columbia Hotel, which is a European style hotel had real keys and such charm. Hotels like this don’t fit everyone, but I really loved it.

+ mix cafe — where I discovered Stumptown coffee. I was in heaven after that.

+ lithia park — I had to make another stop at this lovely park in the morning after going there the evening before. Which brought me to the best part of the park — the little deer family I stumbled upon! And they must be so very familiar and comfortable with humans because they allowed me to get very, very close! Of course, that one deer kept eyeing me as I was taking photos.

+ breadboard restaurant – um. yum.

+ family friends — one of the largest reasons I wanted to come to this area was see old family friends that I have not seen in about 18 years. It was amazing catching up with them, hearing stories about my family, and my parents when they first immigrated to the US. I learned more about myself in this section of the trip than I have in a long time. At least, about my history. I read letters my dad “wrote” & got to see places where they had been before me. Before I came into this world. It was amazing.

+ josh ritter — And, it was our family friends who introduced me to Josh Ritter & his wife Dawne Landes, who I listened to the majority of my trip back home. It turns out that Josh is a part of the family that I went to visit. So a part of my roadtrip music collection grows. I pretty much listened to the music I collected during this trip for months after coming back from it.

Learning about my history, about my family’s past makes me feel like a part of something larger, something more important. I almost felt, rooted. I don’t know how to describe it, really. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I was going on this entire trip — what I would learn & see & do. But I have gained so much and I am so grateful for it. This made me want to go back to China someday because when I went many years ago, I wasn’t into photography just yet, so I don’t have good documentation of all the things I saw and learned. So that is definitely something I will have to do in the future. :)

Now, it is time to drive home.

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . ashland . part one.

Susan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:51:05 +0000

ashland creek . ashland, oregon . polaroid sx-70

. . . . . . . . . . .

Why hello, Ashland :)

the moon & the ashland springs hotel . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

windows & displays . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

I arrived in Ashland well after dark, and after unpacking and checking into my hotel (the Columbia Hotel – highly recommended European style hotel), I spent most of the evening walking up and down the downtown main street (it’s quite small) trying to decide where to eat. Nothing looked really appealing until I looked into the window of a restaurant called Tease and saw a band setting up that I found my spot. :) The band was actually a small LA band called the Tyler Lane Band and they were really quite good! I purchased a CD (my second one on this trip – I was well on my way to making a soundtrack without even planning it) and snapped some photos while enjoying my dinner (duck tacos! I can never resist duck) & a honey ale beer (my first one that I finished!!). I felt like such a grown up – on my own in a restaurant, sitting at the bar, enjoying the band & just being content. :)

the tyler lane band . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

honey ale & free chocolate pudding! . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

the tease bar . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

The next morning I went to the first place that looked appealing for some brunch and coffee, a little place called Pangea :) Lentil soup with one of their wonderful wraps – yum! (notice my Oregon sticker on my polaroid/travel journal :)) Afterwards, I pretty much spent the rest of the day going into shops, visiting the park & walking all around.

lentil soup . ashland, oregon . polaroid sx-70

floor with character . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

pangea & mix . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

ashland hills . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

used books & fall tree . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

ashland creek . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

ashland creek & bench . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

The Ashland Creek & Lithia Park, two places that just spoke to me during my stay here. The stream is so comforting, and the park is so inviting. I could get lost here for hours. In fact, I spent a great deal of time here. (and I’ll spend more the next day!)

reflections . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

the most soothing place in the world . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

painter & cellist at lithia park . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

leaves . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

leaves & light . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

one leaf . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

lithia park . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

fall is on it’s way . ashland, oregon . polaroid sx-70

ashland lithia water . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

thirsty . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

ashland springs hotel . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

Home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, possibly one of the most popular and well know Shakespeare Festivals in the nation, you see this all over the town. Because of this, there were quite a lot of junior high and high schoolers milling about (I remember in high school there was a field trip here – I didn’t go to that though). I didn’t watch any plays, but I did see one of the free shows on the outdoor stage, which was some flamenco dancing.

columbia hotel . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

banner . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

lithia park . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

the coolest car on the entire planet . ashland, oregon . polaroid sx-70

flamenco dancing . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

After watching a bit, it began to get cold, so I headed to a coffee/ice cream/pastry shop called Mix – where I had possibly the most perfect cup of coffee I ever had. They serve Stumptown Coffee, which I am simply head over heels for. I only wish they had locations over here! But I understand why they wouldn’t – I will just have to settle for buying beans online. When I arrived at Mix, I asked for a decaf coffee, which they said they don’t have ready, but they could do a french press for me, which is how my love for french press coffee from cafes (I already owned one at home) began. It really is that much better. I got the decaf honduras. Seriously amazing.

the most perfect cup of coffee. ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

After coffee, I went to Standing Stone Brewery for dinner – which to be honest was a little disappointing. The beer was fabulous but the food fell a bit short. :( I sorta wish I tried something from these pickled jars though.. I love all things pickled. <3

pickled . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

standing stone . ashland, oregon . canon 5dmk2

. . . . . . . . . . .

Ashland, my roots. Or at least, where my roots began. It felt good to be here, to be reconnecting with this… space. lol, I don’t know how else to explain it really. It’s a beautiful little town, with so much character and charm. One could argue that with the festival, it could be too geared towards touritsts, but I didn’t feel this way at all. It held it’s own. I struck up conversations with everyone around me, and just thought it was all around lovely.

I just love Oregon, I do.

Part two on it’s way.

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . the road to ashland.

Susan — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:15:59 +0000

road to ashland . somewhere in oregon . polaroid sx-70

Hello again, Oregon.

puffy clouds . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

rain in the hills . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

over 30,000 miles . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

expressive clouds . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

the light . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

ivy . eugene, oregon . sx-70

sheep . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

rail . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

on the way . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

mist in hills . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

sunset . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

sliver of light . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

an oregon sunset . somewhere in oregon . polaroid sx-70

towards the sun . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

farewell light . somewhere in oregon . canon 5d mk2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So, here I am, back on the road again. This time I was heading back down south, towards home. But before reaching home, I had a few more stops to make. My next stop was namely Ashland, Oregon.

I’ve said before in the past posts about this trip that there is something about Oregon that just feels good to me. I think in large part is it due to the fact that it was where everything began for me.

And I’m going back to the beginning.

My next few posts are a bit hard for me to formulate, I really almost don’t know what to write. Half of me wants to write nothing at all and just let images talk. I haven’t quite decided yet.

Either way, here are the images from the part of the trip where I travel through Oregon again, this time on I-5. I especially enjoyed the fact that I had clouds & rain to entertain me the entire trip down. :)

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . seattle . the man in the alley.

Susan — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:11:01 +0000

the man in the alley . seattle, wa . polaroid 420

. . . . . . . . .

One of my most absolute favorite images from the road trip, I thought it deserved it’s own post.

To wonder who this man was, where he has been & where he was going.

I hope he is well.

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . seattle . part two.

Susan — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:51:24 +0000

geraldines & sweet potato fries . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

ammmmazing french toast . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

pioneer square . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

salumi . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

pioneer square . seattle, washington . polaroid sx-70

such a wise face . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

ornamo . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

rooms 75 cents . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

cadillac hotel . seattle, washington . polaroid sx-70

ivy & socks . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

a collection of guitars . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

globe bookstore & bookworks studio. seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

elliott bay cafe. seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

amusing store writings . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

books books books . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

the elliott bay book company . seattle, washington . polaroid sx-70

taping of a movie. seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

public boat landing . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

rain . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

refuge from the rain . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

fremont troll . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

etg . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

mel & matt’s place. seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

& commences part two. :)

A few things I enjoyed & saw:

+ geraldine’s.
The yummiest french toast resides here. And I can never say no to sweet potato fries. :)

+ salumi.
The yummiest cured meats resides here. There was a pretty large line when we went – definitely a place to visit while in Seattle :)

+ fremont.
A really cute, hip area, where the famed Troll lives and where the best vintage mall in all of the world is. (This is probably not true, there are other ones out there that I’m sure are more amazing, but this has been by far the best place ever. I spent wayyyy longer in here than I intended). Another great vintage store is also in this area, as well as the cutest tiny coffeeshop (with a working vintage cash register!) where I took refuge in while it rained.

+ wasabi bistro.
Awesome sushi place where I met up with the very lovely Sarah Rhoads & her husband, Chris. I had such an enjoyable time meeting up with them for the first time, and the sushi was pretty awesome too ;)

+ pioneer square.
Known as the oldest part of Seattle, it’s got lovely brick buildings, and I also witnessed people filming a movie (which I found out later was the movie called The Details). They also have underground tours here, but I always seemed to miss them because of the timing with parking just never worked out. There is also a really great antique shop here, where I found a great typewriter for Mel ;)

+ elliott bay books.
I just love bookstores, and Elliot Bay is the oldest in Seattle. I loved the feel of it – it’s different than Powell’s in Portland, the floors creak, the nooks are a bit more hidden, and it just feels older. I love it.

+ vintage/antique malls.
Can I just say how I love the way Seattle sets up vintage/antique malls? People can buy space and sell their things at whatever price in that space in the ‘mall’ so you can find things at varying prices. So likely you’ll find some bargains, or at least, some really reasonably prices vintage/antique items. The vintage mall in Fremont was especially amazing – the prices were really quite fair, I thought! I found a lovely blue fan there and a gorgeous grey clutch that I love! :)

. . . . . . . .

Thus ends my northernmost portion of my trip, and I begin heading south. Heading up north, going through all the cities and landscapes, I saw a lot and experienced a lot. Next in my journey would be the most personal part, the part where I learn the most about me.

Ashland, here I come. :)

clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . seattle . part one.

Susan — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:39:28 +0000

seattle from kerry park . seattle, washington . polaroid sx-70

Seattle! I have finally arrived. :)

sunset . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

seattle from kerry park . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

5 spot . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

molly moo’s . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

a random dodgeball game . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

locks at ballard . seattle, washington . canon 5d mk2

foliage . seattle, washington . polaroid sx-70