I'm constantly amazed at how good cel phone cameras have gotten.  I daresay most smartphones probably have what would have been considered a top-of-the-line point-and-shoot digital camera way back in the day. I spent a long weekend snapping photos of our journey to Eastern Washington and back, to see the Mister's family. It's amazing to see how drastically different both sides of the state look, when you go from rainy, mountainous Evergreen Western WA to the big sky, rolling farmland of Eastern WA. 

Can you not already tell how much I'm making the most of these waning days of sun-filled skies? It had been a long time since we had left the homestead to visit family -- the Mister and I joined a gathering with his grandfather, who will be turning 90 (we celebrated early -- why not??). We all met up at his aunt and uncle's house in Brewster, which is just outside of Chelan, if you're familiar with that part of Washington State. If you've never headed out there, you should -- it's a uniquely beautiful landscape, so different from what we see on our evergreen, tree-filled horizon.

Lookout! It's Vancouver! Or so I want to say whenever I see the Canadian city's iconic revolving Lookout Tower. One of the tallest buildings in Vancouver, it stands out against all the city's blue-green glass landscape, given its unique shape. As we were driving into the city, this photo was quickly snapped from the window of a moving bus, a total let's-see-if-anything-turns-out flurry of photo-taking. Of all the photos I took on the trip, this one stands out as a favorite.

What better artistic inspiration is there than the natural world? I had the very fortunate opportunity to wander the halls (and drawers) of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, located in Vancouver, Canada, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. It's a unique collection of over 500 natural history exhibits from both the local Canadian province, and beyond. What makes exploring the Beaty so unique can be found in its unofficial title, as "the best collection of weird things in drawers." To put it simply -- your own curiosity will curate your experience, as you navigate through literally millions of specimens. This is an ecologically Jaunty must-see the next time you're in Vancouver, BC.

How goes the New Year so far? After only a week or two, it's hard to tell, but I'm sure we're all trying to keep our resolutions and promises for the year ahead. And if we falter on those commitments? Well, I'll be the first one to say, not to worry, because it's better to have several fresh starts, not just one.

Keeping with my own version of "Favorite Things" with our trip to Europe, I had to share this chess set in Marksburg Castle in Germany. There's a beautiful stillness to a chessboard, especially these gorgeous, Medieval-themed pieces. A friend rightly said they reminded her of Harry Potter's "Wizard's Chess." While they never sprung up and started bashing one another up, there was a bit of magic in this moment.

picture-perfect timing

They say timing is everything -- and it's totally true! We can probably list all the just-missed moments of wonderful-ness in our lives; an opportunity that slipped through our fingers, even a lost love that was never meant to be. But what about the rare, treasured moments where it was as if all the stars aligned, and you literally felt like you were exactly in the perfect place, precisely where the Universe wanted you to be? 

Dreams of a Journey - Be Back Soon!

The Bird is flying off for an adventure! But don't fret, I'll be back soon enough and with a ton of amazing photos. I won't spoil the surprise over where I'm going, but it should be quite the journey and a much-needed break. I look forward to sharing it when I return, but until then, get cozy, have a pumpkin spice latte for me -- I'll see you soon! xoxo 

Jaunty Fine Print: Photography by Denise Sakaki

I think it's safe to say that navigating the security check at airports has gotten to be about on par with getting your teeth professionally cleaned. It's inconvenient, at times invasive, and they're both done by a professional. To further salt the wound, the three ounce rule for liquids and gels that requires you to stuff all your favorite beauty products into a little sandwich baggie is the absolute worst. True, you can skip this whole ordeal by checking in your bags, but this Bird has had her luggage sent on separate vacations one too many times, so even if I'm going to Tahiti for a month, by hook or by crook, the packing will be creative and I will get everything into a reasonable carryon-sized bag.

While I wasn't in Tahiti for a month, I did spend about a week and a half living out of a suitcase recently, and while I was able to borrow simple toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo when staying with family, for the rest of the trip, I used these little workarounds to keep my hair and skincare from going to hell from using hotel soap. I'm a big fan of Lush products -- not only do they use quality ingredients that feel really good on your skin and hair, but you can get solid bars or tins of their {1} Ultrabalm lotion and their {2} Godiva shampoo/conditioner bar, a solid multitasker that saves you from hauling two haircare bottles. My other skincare favorite is Neutrogena -- their oil-free sunblock is my product of choice, but for travel, I love their {3} Healthy Defense Oil-Free Sunblock Stick, available in SPF 30. The liquid has better coverage, but the stick's size is handbag-friendly and makes for an easy swipe on your skin. I've become more of a perfume user and I'm so glad the old style of solid perfumes are coming back. Pacifica has some of my favorite scents -- floral, natural and vacation-perfect. My go-to is their {4} Tahitian Gardenia -- a more heady scent, but just a light touch is enough. There's some items that you just can't get in solid form, so for those, I make sure to stay on the catalog mailing list for DHC Skincare. I use their Velvet Skin Coat, and with every order you place, {5} you can choose up to four free samples of their products, and with every catalog, they always send a few samples stuck to the pages. They're small one or two-use items, but I hang onto the ones for things like eye cream or face masks -- it's the perfect size that fits in the sandwich baggie without taking up extra space for packaging. So, the next time you have to travel, save up those sample sizes and go solid for some hair and skincare to save you from having to deal with a lost bag!


Jaunty Fine Print:  photographs from product sites