Tag: Seattle

There She Goes: Phoenix

Published on by Jenna HutsonLeave a comment

The fickle Minneapolis winter is devouring my soul. On any day, it could be 15 degrees and snowing, or 60 and sunny. My hopes for relief from the frigid morning commute, raised by signs of warming and melt, are dashed with every lazy snow flurry. “I just want to be warm,” is steadily becoming my catchphrase.

Bleak though my current situation may be, there was a beacon of hope. The upcoming wedding of two friends in Phoenix, Arizona. Let me just repeat those glorious words  for you; Phoenix, Arizona.. land of warm. Much like the mythical phoenix, I would leave my old, cold self in Minneapolis, and be reborn in the blazing sun of Phoenix. Too much? Little heavy handed there? Sorry… not sorry. This is what consecutive months of below freezing temps does to my brain. Deal with it, but please keep reading. It’s picture time.

 

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It’s good to get away…

Absorb a some culture…

Navigate outside of your comfort zone…

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Sink into the city vibe…

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Soak up the sunshine…

And get real cozy with the locals…

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Sites of my joyous thawcation:

–Phoenix Art Museum: You Who are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies 2005 by Yayoi Kusama

-Superstition Mountains in the Tonto National Forest

–Boyce Thompson Arboretum

–The Chuckbox in Tempe

– The Clarendon Hotel and Spa

…and an exceedingly creepy The Last Supper staged with disturbing dolls in the basement of Hanny’s pub, I feel the most was made of my brief adventure to prevent my heart from freezing into a solid ice block.

I would highly suggest all of these locales for someone looking to get away from Minneapolis, or anywhere really…but my experience is limited to escaping Minneapolis, which I hope to do soon… permanently.

It’s so cold, I wanna die

Published on by Jenna HutsonLeave a comment

Reporting from Minneapolis, Minnesota… and for the first time in weeks, the temperature is promising to rise above 10 degrees today. We could even get to the mid-twenties this week! HEATWAVE!

..but seriously, I’m not sure how people around here cope with the searingly cold temperatures. My inclination to leave the perfectly acclimatized 70ish degree haven of this ridiculous mansion has fallen away. I’m content to snuggles cats and devolve into a depressed state watching Making a Murderer.

Luckily, people have lured me out of the apartment on a few instances with promises of beautiful sites/sights;

The Walker Arts Center

Wandering through the various exhibits, I was impressed by the scale of some of the works. Feeling dwarfed by pieces that are meant to captivate is one of the few sure-fire suppliers of goosebumps. 09-11-2001 by Jack Whitten had the desired affect.people free

Yves Klein “Mondo Cane Shroud (1961)
Jack Whitten
Victor Moscoso

If you are as intrigued by the Yves Klein blue bodies as I was… yes, real ladies painted blue were used to get the proper silhouettes. Looks like a hoot.

The Basilica of St. Mary

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It’s impressive how closely the azure paint matches the true color of the blue sky.

Loring Park

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There are a plethora of pure white and black squirrels in Loring. I’m seriously considering grabbing that little guy and bringing him home. I know it’s not legal, and he would be ‘wild’ or whatever… but I would have a wee black squirrel. *Squee*

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I still have a list of things I need to do… but I think I’ll wait until it warms up… to not so cold I want to impale myself on an icicle.

Get Your Pige-ON/ Midge the Pidge

Published on by Jenna Hutson1 Comment

I come from a family that believes you have a moral obligation to help an animal in need. Which has lead to some pretty interesting experiences; my mom nursing an injured wild turkey back to health, a crow using a boyfriend’s sweatshirt as a toilet, and my dad being sprayed by adolescent skunks trapped in various places… more than once… the local vet doesn’t even keep track of the names of the cats my parents bring in anymore, instead filing them all under ‘Stray Cat Hutson.’

This is all just set-up to make my next story seem a little less odd.

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Midge the Pidge

One fine Spring day, my brother came home to find a pigeon in his yard. Not so weird really, pigeon are a ubiquitous bird buddy found almost anywhere these days. She appeared to be fine until he noticed that she was just milling around, and didn’t take off when he got a little close for comfort. After some rather unscientific tests, he determined she couldn’t fly. With a possible injury, and without proper shrub cover in his yard, she was certain to be kitty chow by morning. Bound by the Hutson Code of Animal Friendship he went inside and rustled up a cat carrier and an old blanket and some water. Dubbed ‘Midge the Pidge’ she happily slept on his porch that night, protected.

Midge lived a good life for the next few weeks. My brother found some proper pigeon food, cleaned her kitty enclosure often, and even contacted a friend with a flock (yep, a legit pigeon flock) to take her in… but before introducing her, she would need to be quarantined with my brother for a while to determine if she was ill.

I enjoyed the weekly updates from my mom in the Midge the Pidge section of our phone calls. Things were going well for the lucky little pigeon… But that’s where the story ends. Someone took it upon themselves to open the kitty crate and release/take her from my brother’s porch. He just came home to find she was gone.

Now, I will never know what happened to Midge. Hopefully she was well enough to get to safety. I like to think that she was healthy enough to fly again and is off having the greatest of adventures… laughing at the guy who was honor bound to be a pigeon dad for a few weeks. Enjoy the doodle in her honor.

PS. Here’s a snappy link to care for an injured or exhausted pigeon in need.

 

There She Goes… to Minneapolis?

Published on by Jenna HutsonLeave a comment

Okay… Alright… I’m moving again.

I just got back to Seattle, writing love letters to the city that birthed (gross word choice, I  know) my  adulthood… and in a flash, off to a new city.

I love Seattle, I really do. It will always be the home that I built for myself over the last ten years. I’ve lived in a multitude of neighborhoods and grown-up as the city became a tech empire. Yes Seattle, I remember when rent was cheap, and South Lake Union was an industrial heap.

Now the city hums with an Amazonian buzz and Microsoft murmur. Kids with too much money to blow have tripled rent and killed some of the punk rock, industrial undercurrent that fueled the Seattle grunge. I suppose they have done a lot of good as well, but gentrification seems swallows culture… and Seattle is feeling the squeeze.

Is this why I’m leaving? Pfft…of course not. I will happily live in a fancy loft and peruse gastro pub menus galore. I’m leaving because I can. I’m young, lustful for life, and lack any true anchor to any single place. I am free to travel as I please… so I will.

But Why Minneapolis? Seriously? WHY??….W H Y?!

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I’ll admit, it’s really not my first choice (New Zealand) but I’ve never lived in the mid-west. Perhaps it’s a worthwhile pursuit to see what middle America has to offer. People have to live there for a reason, right?

There is a perfect opportunity for me to pack my bags and just go. So I am.

I promise to write often and build some lovely photo sets for my loyal following, all 3 of you.

Bye for now Seattle, I’ll be back soon. ❤