high school

today i visited my high school again and saw my art teachers (favorite teachers) mr bibeau and mr burgan. they have known me for over 10 years now, and continue to inspire my life more deeply each time i see them. (i visit every few years or so... whenever i return to my hometown). life experience provides greater perspective and appreciation. in two years, bibeau is finally retiring after a lifetime of teaching art. burgan makes music on the side, and both strive to balance students as human beings, teach life skills as well as art techniques, and both say, "i LOVE teaching." outside of teaching, both have rich personal lives, and an amazing collection of life stories and diverse perspectives. open minds like the bright blue sky, opening young minds! thanks for positively changing my life as a teenager, and continue to do so, as an adult! my lifestyle is very different than most college graduates, and these teachers continue to applaud and encourage me on my unique path. all i can say is THANK YOU and you INSPIRE me, too. :) 

mt baldy

today was a beautiful day in mountains with my old friend piggy/ tommy. we've known each other almost 20 years now! 

i am proud to say that today, i initiated piggy in a few important life events ;) 

- piggy's 2nd time encountering snow! 

- highest mountain he has ever climbed in his life! 

- and longest hike of his life! mt baldy is the tallest mountain in los angeles county. we hiked almost 10 miles with 4000 feet of elevation gain, to a mountain over 10,000 above sea level. the best part was, it was spontaneous :) we didn't decide to hike up until after eating lunch in a tree overlooking the trail. then we just kept walking up. "wouldn't it be funny if we actually ended up walking to the top?" we joked with each other when we started our post-lunch stroll. well, we kept walking, and made it up the mountain! i kept saying "gorgeous... beautiful.... magical..." all day long, and those three words describe this hike and the majestic landscape quite perfectly. i feel super grateful for old friends, old mountains, and this gift of life 

bamboo forest

taiwan- taichong, friends

- me and tara 

- gods ride the train too

- goodbye to the roof i slept on in taichong 

- bag's packed and ready to go, in waiting room of taichong healing center 

carry-on

i always have too much stuff... 

nainai and gugu

dad's side of family in taiwan

taiwan friends 2- zfg folks

last dinner together, and then major thanks to thalia and miki for escorting me to the airport and helping me unload, load, unpack, repack :) 

taiwan friends

me and larry- in kenting, southernmost point of taiwan

seamas and camilla- in kaoxiong, southernmost large city, second largest city in taiwan 

me and eric- in taichung, central taiwan 

camping buddies in jiayi, central mountainous taiwan