road trip!

pete and i tend to spend anywhere from about four to six months away from each other during the year. so when opportunities present themselves, we try to take advantage of any quality time together we can get! quality time for the month of april looked like this... 18 hours in a ford F-750 and miles of interstate between seattle and santa cruz.

 the giant truck! note that it requires TWO stairs to get into this thing.

i think my carbon footprint for the year is ruined!

i flew up to seattle on friday and we spent the night with our dear friends tish and morgan. this was the first time that the four of us have been together since tish's defense a year and a half ago. we went for a lovely hike, had dinner at one of their favorite neighborhood restaurants, and enjoyed each others' company. saturday morning, pete and i loaded up in the ginormous truck and started our journey south. it was fun for me to drive that stretch of highway again...it has been a few years. there are many sites along the journey that are tied to memories from my years in the pacific northwest. 

lighthouse on puget sound

we drove as far as ashland, oregon, the first day and made it there with enough daylight to go into downtown and walk through the park. it was a beautiful, warm evening and the walk was much needed after 10 hours in the truck. despite it's truckiness, it was actually quite comfortable. 

ashland, oregon

we made it back to santa cruz by late afternoon on sunday after 18 hours of driving (and a stop at the olive pit in corning). the journey was well worth it for the quality time with pete...however strange that may sound. 

(cassie got a weekend away with my friends erin and nick who took her to the beach, topped her food with pork gravy, and paid endless attention to her...so i don't think she felt left out at all!)