Vagabondbond

I Moved! & other compelling,…Part II

Wrecklessgirl — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:40:42 +0000

Today’s especially sunny and there are freezing, biting breezes racing in the alleyways and down small downtown streets. I swap sidewalks to meander on the sunny-side and stop to visit the only thrift shop in town. Sitting in the coffee shop, also the only coffee shop in town, I’m settled and appreciative of the gifts I’ve come to know as necessities: a creative space to work, a cup of coffee, and music pouring into my mind from my headphones. The shop’s playing Radiohead, which is normally an absolute favorite, but I’m listening to the newest Fun. album, Some Nights, a perfectly suitable substitue. Williams, Arizona, though making its way gracefully through their slow season, is alive today. A few tourists are browsing shops, hopping trains, and probing about a rumored train robbery. The windows of a cute storefront next door are covered in brown paper–a beef jerky shop is opening up, the second jerky shop on the block. Go figure.

View the first installment here.

I Moved! & other compelling, hackneyed updates Part I

Wrecklessgirl — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:37:07 +0000

This past year, I traveled from Norway to Oregon to visit my family and photograph a wedding–not realizing I’d intend to stay in the states. Then, I traveled to North Carolina for the holidays (the whole of them) and fell in like with a wonderful man. So, then we both moved to Northern Arizona–I live three blocks from historic Route 66 in Williams, AZ (The Gateway to the Grand Canyon). Williams is a quaint, small town, but I’m absolutely in love with it. I love the flow. I appreciate that I see the same people in Safeway when I go shopping (and hold conversations in the checkout line). I’ve spent hours talking to the lady who runs the quilt shop. Best yet, they are re-opening The American Flyer Coffee Co, so I’ll be able to do my coffee shop + work thing.

We went on another little adventure (see the last one in Greensboro here and the Desert Trip I & II) in Williams last week. This feels like a new hobby, photographic wandering. It’s not quite Where We Stay, but it’s not exactly How I See It. Lately, I feel like it’s my only means of knowing & really seeing a Place. I have another part of this story to share next time.

If you have similar photographic/videographic/musical stories to share, please, do. Fill out a submissions form.

A Glimpse of Thailand’s Countryside Part II – Guest Post

kassia — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:05:35 +0000

A Guest Post by Kassia Meinholdt

A Glimpse of Thailand’s Countryside Part I – Guest Post

kassia — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:40:40 +0000

A Guest Post by Kassia Meinholdt

Life happens at a slower pace in Khon Kaen than in Thailand’s metropolitan Bangkok. Khon Kaen is located in a rural part of Thailand, about 400km northeast of Bangkok. Most tourists either flock to the southern peninsula and visit the beach-side city of Phuket with its surrounding tropical islands, or venture up to the far northern mountains of Chiang Mai. While I do adore these beautiful places, I enjoy the lack of tourism that characterizes Khon Kaen and the surrounding area. Hidden treasures are abundant–like the historical site Prasat Phi Mai (a Khmer temple built around the 11-12th century in the Angkor Wat style), beautifully kept and decrepit buddhist temples, and small towns scattered between the larger cities. These towns exude traditional character and a sense of Thai country life, often beautifully displayed through the hearts of the people and the architecture of the buildings. I hope you enjoy these snapshots.

It’s a country dear to my heart and one that I will revisit in the future whenever I get the chance because there is so much more to discover and experience.

Thank you Kristy (Wrecklessgirl) and the VagabondBond crew! I have so much respect and admiration for all the talented people here and am happy and grateful to contribute.

Doesn’t dragon fruit look so fierce for a pink fruit? For such a striking appearance the taste is quite mild.

Pad Thai <3

For 20 baht at the temples you can release these birds for good luck. Yes, it’s a vicious cycle because some of them are captured again for this reason but I still feel like I’m helping a little bit by buying into this good luck scheme.

(Fake) elephant tusks.

A village celebrating this young man becoming a monk.

If you look closely in the right corner there is a woman monk in white accompanied by a bunch of cats and dogs. I went to this temple because supposedly there were orchid brushes all over the grounds. I arrived to find no orchids but still a beautiful but haunting site of what the temple once was. It is now a refuge for the animals in the area.

Thai silk

Thank you again for viewing! To see more photos from this post click here.

Double-decker Coffee Cart & Red Hots

Wrecklessgirl — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:26:05 +0000

Many images photographed in Double Ds Coffee (bus) — if you want to visit, see this map. I thoroughly enjoyed my chili pepper mocha. Mmm. The rest of the images photographed closeby in downtown Asheville.