Category:

all the posts!

Bottle Tree Ranch

by Kaylah Stroup August 6, 2015

After Death Valley National Park we made our way over to Bartstow where we got a hotel room for the night. Death Valley was our last big stop of the trip. We didn’t have any destinations planned but we had places already booked to stay for our last two nights of the trip so we had time to just wander around. We woke up the next morning and started heading toward Bottle Tree Ranch which I had found on Roadside America while cuddled up in bed watching the Food Network in the hotel. That’s only worth noting because the Food Network and hotels go hand and hand for me. I can’t stand to watch it at home but because it’s what Jeff always turns on in hotel rooms I’ve come to love it and somehow it makes hotels feel more like home to me.

So! Bottle Tree Ranch. What to say about this place? First of all, WOW, it’s incredible. It is literally a forest made from large metal pipes with bottles on them. Elmer Long has been interested in collecting bottles since he was a kid. He and his father would go on trips where they would bring home old bottles found at dump sites. When his father died he inherited his collection of bottles and that’s when the ranch began. In 2002, at age 55, he quit his job to dedicate his time to the ranch. There are over two hundred trees and thousands of bottles!

It is definitely a sight to behold. While the property isn’t all that large, it’s absolutely overwhelming standing in the middle of it all. I had no idea how to shoot it. The whole time I was just thinking “I hope some of these pictures look okay…“. I’m pretty pumped about my shots but definitely feel that there is nothing that compares to seeing the trees in person.

I know when I blogged about Jerry’s Junk I briefly touched on how much I love collectors, and their collections. I just really really love passionate people. I’m the biggest weenie in the book but I’m seriously sitting here all teary eyed about this place. It’s so awesome to see people doing something they love, even if that thing is seen as a bit crazy by the general public.

Bottle Tree Ranch is nothing short of amazing. When we visited Elmer was outside. He was so friendly and so kind. I’m so happy people like him exist! If you’re anywhere near Oro Grande, CA or are just out cruising Route 66, Bottle Tree Ranch is a must.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

my camera equipment

by Kaylah Stroup August 5, 2015

Photography has always been something I loved but for the longest time I never really saw any reason to upgrade my equipment. I stand by the notion that a good photographer can take a great photo no matter the equipment but y’all having awesome equipment sure does help!

The very first non-kit lens I bought many moons ago was the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II which I had actually read about on someone’s blog. I liked their pictures, and their FAQ included a link to that lens along with a few sentences about how much they loved it. I bought it same day. The internet is full of recommendations on camera equipment – and just about everything else but hearing that someone I know, whether that be online or in person, loves something and reading what the practical application for me is is what is most important to me when choosing what to spend my money on.

It’s been a while since I updated my equipment list here on the blog and since my last update I’ve found a handful of new things that I just can’t imagine myself not shooting with!

1. This shutter release is seriously one of the best things I’ve ever bought. You can either push+hold the button to take a single picture or set the timer to for it to shoot a few seconds (or minutes) later. If you put your camera in sports/ high speed continuous mode, and set the timer for a few seconds long it will take a series of photos for you. It’s a thousand times better than just a remote and an absolute must have if you take outfit pictures! It also makes taking long exposures easier since using the shutter release minimizes the possibility of camera shake.

2. The Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 was something that as soon as I got it I wondered how I had shot all these years without it. I just never realized how often I could benefit from having a wide angle lens. I find it most useful when shooting photos of abandoned building, landscapes, rooms in my home, etc. The whole room photos in my apartment tour are a great example of what this lens can capture.

3. Canon 100mm f/2.8, my macro lens! Perfect for shooting insects, and close ups of plants. It might be one of my least used lenses but when I do find a use for it I am so happy to have it. Here are two posts featuring examples of what the lens can do – 1 + 2. The photos of elephant seals I shot along the coast were taken with this lens as well.

If you’re not one hundred perfect sold on putting out the money for a macro lens I recommend macro filters. For under fifteen bucks you can take some pretty awesome close up shots!

4. Canon 35mm f/1.4L. So it’s technically not my lens, it’s Jeffs, but this was the lens that made me realize L-series lenses were no joke. This was one of the first outfit photo set I shot with that lens and I just remember being blown away. Before purchasing the 50mm 1.2, this was basically my every day lens. It just takes some seriously gorgeous photos! Good glass is worth the money.

5. I recently upgraded to the Canon 70D. I did a ton of research before pulling the trigger just to make sure it was the right camera for me – I’m pumped! It was important to me to buy another camera with a flip out screen since a lot of the photos I take for the blog involve me shooting photos of myself. It’s an excellent way to make sure I’m in the frame. It’s also useful for shooting things low to the ground while not getting your knees dirty.

6. The 50mm 1.2, ooooh boy. This lens is what dreams are made of. I splurged and bought this puppy for my birthday and haven’t looked back since. It rarely leaves my camera now. The plant photos in this post were taken with this lens. I’m sure after having it for a little while longer I’ll have more articulate things to say about it but right now I’m just feeling very “wooooow” about it.

My top two film cameras are the Pentax K1000 and the Canon T2. I love them both equally but have figured out which works best for me in certain situations. The Pentax K1000 is a manual camera, you have to focus and adjust the settings properly yourself. It’s an excellent camera to learn to shoot film on. I use it most for landscapes, and subjects that don’t move too quickly. The Canon T2, on the other hand, does have auto focus. It’s my camera of choice when I know I’ll be shooting animals (like at the deer park) and children since I’m still not that quick at focusing on my own.

As far as 35mm film goes, I’m not that picky. I will shoot with anything I can get my hands on. I tend to most frequently purchase Fuji 35mm Superia X-TRA 400 because Amazon has it for a decent price.

My pride and joy, the land camera. This is my absolute FAVORITE camera. I bought mine from Film Photography Project on ebay a few years ago or so when they were having a sale. They do currently have a few in their webstore. They’re slightly pricey compared to what you’d find at a thrift store or estate sale but they have been tested and come with batteries. Plus they have really great service that I can attest to! When I first got the camera I had no idea what to do with but it actually came with an instructional DVD to help you out.

Film for land cameras can be found on amazon, black and white or color. The black and white film was recently discontinued, hence the major price difference, so if you’d like some I’d stock up while you still can.

I own a handful of camera bags, it’s kind of my thing. Some people collect shoes or purses, I have camera bags. I very rarely leave my house without a camera so it’s important to me to have something safe to tote them around in. My current favorites are the Bellbrook Backpack and a cross body leather bag called Siena, both of which are from Jo Totes. I own more of her bags than any other brand. They’re stylish, and functional! You can find lots of photos of my camera bags, and how they look on by browsing through my What I Wore archives.

Those are my favorite, and most commonly used photography related things. I also have a list of just for fun cameras that I love, you can read more here! Or if you’re interested in instant photography (with easily accessible film!) you can read more here.
xoxo

found on the beach // balls

by Kaylah Stroup August 4, 2015

For as long as I can remember I’ve suffered from chronic headaches. I’ve been to the doctor, had CT scans, and tried just about everything. Last year I started having vision problems too so I visited the optometrist who was actually the first person to give me some helpful hints. My vision problems, and subsequently my headaches, were being caused by some overworked muscles in my eyes. Basically I stare at my computer too much. When I’m not on my computer I’m reading, playing video games, or some other task that strains my eyes. I got reading glasses (which look pretty darn cute!), and began paying a lot more what I was doing the days I got headaches.

Last week my head and eyes just felt off. I wasn’t able to look at my computer for very long at all without starting to feel a headache coming on. My house was clean, and it seemed like no matter what I did I’d somehow end up back at my computer desk to check emails, or edit “just a few” photos so I had to get out. All that just to say I spent a lot of time at the beach last week.

It wasn’t long after arriving to the beach this day before noticing I was finding a lot of balls. It was just one after another. All different shapes, sizes, and conditions. There was even a soccer ball but didn’t fit in my little framed area.

I am constantly amazed at the things that wash up. The balls are really interesting to me (uhhh, phrasing) because unlike the other things I find on the beach I would presume most of these are lost as opposed to being intentional litter. Not that I think people throw lighters on the ground, I’m guessing those are lost most of the time too. I just imagine dogs whose owners have thrown the tennis ball just a haaaaair too far and they get lost out in the water for a while before finally washing back to the shore.

You can find previous sets under my “found on the beach” tag.
xoxo

my succulents + tips for healthy plants

by Kaylah Stroup July 30, 2015

After realizing how great my plants were doing on my deck I decided to move everything out there for the summer. I’m no expert, everything I know about plants has been from scouring the internet or personal experience, and believe me I have killed my fair share of plants. I think I’m finally getting the hang of really growing things though. For the first time ever I’m actually confident I’m raising healthy succulents that are taking root and growing!

Something I kept reading about over and over was that plants have a growing season and a resting season. In the winter they should get less light but I had no idea how to do that because by moving them anywhere away from the window it just wouldn’t be enough light. It took seeing some of my plants outside thriving for that little bell in my head to finally go off and realize that putting them outside to get the most sunlight might be the best option for healthy plants. Despite getting what I would consider a great deal of light in my office nothing really compares to being outside.

I get so many requests for posts on how to grow cacti and succulents but it’s really all trial and error for me. My best advice is make sure they get lots of sunlight and to water them when the soil is completely dry. I don’t have a regular watering schedule because some weeks they dry out quicker than other weeks and each plant is different. I recently read about how watering them a little bit less will help grow better roots since the roots will search for water. I’m not quite sure how true that is but I have been playing around with watering certain plants only a little bit instead of the full amount I would normally give them. So far so good!

Another thing I’ve noticed really seems to make my plants super happy is misting them. I bought a spray bottle specifically to mist the pups I was propagating. Since they were right beside all my other plants I’d end up just spraying every one of them down. I noticed fairly quickly how much more green and lively everything looked! Now it’s something I do to every one of my plants outside on a daily basis.

Basically if you didn’t feel like reading all that nonsense above, for healthier plants –
▴ Make sure they get enough light! If possible, put them outside for the summer. Just watch when the forecast calls for heavy rain, they most likely won’t love that and make sure they don’t get too much light. Plants can get sunburn too. I think there’s this idea that succulents are super easy to grow inside but it’s just not true – they need lots of light!
▴ Water them when their soil is dry. All plants are different and no one on the internet is going to be able to tell you the best schedule for yours, just keep an eye on them.
▴ Mist your plants daily – I promise it makes a huge difference!

Even if you end up killing a plant at least you go to enjoy it for some
amount of time. Think of it this way, it’s kind of like buying flowers.
You enjoy them for a week and then they die except with succulents and
cacti they live a lot longer than flowers.
xoxo

Death Valley National Park

by Kaylah Stroup July 29, 2015

I don’t know what I was expecting from a place called Death Valley but somehow I was still shocked by the conditions in the park. At the visitors center we stood beside a sign that read 119 degrees Fahrenheit, which is easily one of the hottest temperatures I’ve ever experienced. Why we had to visit at the hottest time of the year is beyond me but I’m definitely glad we went. It still blows my mind that just a day before we were on the coast where I was worried I hadn’t brought enough warm clothes.

We did a lot of driving in Death Valley National Park, and not too much else since we’re both absolute babies in the heat. One of the few spots we stopped was at Mesquite Sand Dunes. It was insanely hot. So hot that I could feel the heat through my shoes which I thought was crazy. After roaming around in the sand a bit shooting photos we scurried back to the car. We sat down, turned on the air, chugged some water, and realized there was a funny smell in the car.

“Do you smell burning rubber?”
“I think it might be my shoes…?”
Lifts foot as close to face as possible in the car. “Yep!”

That sand was so hot our shoes were actually melting. The park’s brochure actually said of the eighteen heat related deaths in the park sine 2000 three of them occurred in the sand dunes. My photos don’t really seem to capture the size of the dunes and just how expansive the area was. But to see this place in person and experience heat that oppressive that fact really isn’t all that shocking.

The goal was to not spend too much time in the park since we needed to get out of the area before we got too tired. Every other night that we had tried to sleep in the car this trip it was miserable. The last thing we wanted was to be sleeping in the car in this heat. After the dunes we cruised to the visitor center to get stamps in our National Parks passport. We sat inside looking over the other main parts of the park trying to figure out what else we wanted to see. Death Valley National Park is massive, it actually has more miles of roads than any other national park. Sadly everything else we were interested in visiting suggested having some sort of fancy pants all terrain tire that our rental most definitely didn’t have. Guess we’ll just have to go back another time to see The Racetrack…

We made one last stop in the park, at Zabriskie Point. You walk up this steep hill to the an overlook where no matter which way you turn there is a gorgeous view. It kind of seemed like all the other visitors in the park that day we’re following the same agenda as us – only get out of the car when absolutely necessary. This overlook, and the visitor center were the only place we really saw anyone else. Even with the crowd at Zabriskie Point it was a perfect last stop. It was so beautiful you could easily just tune everyone else out.

Right outside of the park there were tons of abandoned buildings. It was a busy-ish area and a great majority of them were fenced off so we passed. We did manage to find another outside the fenced area that we stopped at. Just a small shell of a building but I love the photos of it nonetheless. I actually have a whole post of abandoned things we visited in the desert that I’ll share another day. The desert is a wonderful place!

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

23 miles, 5 bikes + Cleveland

by Kaylah Stroup July 28, 2015

Mural by the fantastic Erin Guido.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who thinks summer can sometimes be kind of stressful. There’s so much pressure to have fun, which sounds strange but maybe you get what I mean…? Aside from the big road trip we haven’t really done too much. Jeff has been busy shooting weddings and editing photos, and I’ve been hibernating (because humidity is my worst enemy) so bike rides, days spent exploring, and everything else have been few and far between.

Jeff’s long time friend, also named Jeff, was in town for the week from Maine so we spent last Wednesday biking! I cannot even begin to tell you how good it felt to get out, ride, and enjoy the city again.

Jeff from Maine has the same bike as me!

After lunch we met up with Jason who took us over to one of his secret spots along the lake. We lounged around on the edge of the water, throwing rocks, and just relaxing. Tiny escapes hidden around the city are so awesome but the highlight of this stop for me was actually leaving. Instead of heading back through the weeds which were lousy with ticks we decided to follow the rocks along the shore. They got bigger, and bigger until we were just hopping around on massive boulders. Jason had been this way before, knew there was a fence/wall we’d eventually have to hop over but I think he may have underestimated how difficult it was going to be. Jeff got over pretty easily after some careful planning, Jason slowly maneuvered his way over, and my Jeff said “eh, let’s go around.” The rocks were slippery and it quite a fall if you did slip. I was kind of determined to get over so I grabbed on to a tree limb with each hand, walked my legs up the wall, and shimmied my way up until I was sitting on it. Basically it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’m always super pumped when I underestimate my body and it’s ability to do something. I bragged about it the whole rest of the day (and yes, I am totally bragging right now.) It was way rad, I’m very sad there isn’t video or at least a photo of my skills.

After that, we headed to Koko Bakery to meet up with Brandon and grab some bubble tea. I know I’ve mentioned Koko Bakery a few times before, I just love that place. The bubble tea is amazing, and they’re super sweet there. The woman working even gave us a free loaf of some sort of fancy bread!

The evening included more photos, more miles, and even a neighborhood block party (complete with food trucks!) Nearly six hours later with 23 miles down I arrived back at home to shower and crash in bed. Days like this do not happen often enough!
xoxo

Blue Apron review

by Kaylah Stroup July 27, 2015

You guys, I made food! Like really really tasty food!

Due to the fact that I formerly held the title of world’s pickiest eater I never learned to love cooking. I can probably count the actual full meals I’ve made on one hand. While I was drafting up this post about how I’ve been a lot more open to trying new foods and am realizing that I’m not actually a picky eater at all I was contacted by Blue Apron. The timing could not have been more perfect!

Blue Apron is a company that delivers farm-fresh ingredients to you along with a super easy to follow recipe card (that has pictures!) so you can create delicious meals at home without ever even having to go to the grocery store. You get exactly the right proportions so there’s no waste or question of what to do with the rest of your ingredients. They offer two types of plans, the 2-person plan ($9.99 per person per meal) and the Family Plan (feeds four + costs $8.74 per person per meal). They can accommodate a variety of dietary preferences and personalize your meals each week based on your preferences. There’s no commitment, you can skip or cancel at anytime, and shipping is always free.

Basically it’s the coolest idea ever, and more than perfect for where I’m at right now in my relationship with food. I love eating but my creativity does not expand into the kitchen and I really do hate buying too much of an ingredient I’m only going to need a little bit of.

So last week while Jeff was editing wedding photos I went over to his house to make us lunch – by myself. Ahhh! He has much better lighting in his kitchen, and unlike me, he actually has kitchen supplies. With the two person plan you receive three meals. All three of our meals sounded delicious but I chose to make the seared pork chops with roasted sweet potato salad.

I was a little bit nervous to be cooking to be honest. Can I tell you guys a secret? Outside of bacon, I’ve never actually cooked meat before. Well… nuggets – but I’m going to say that definitely doesn’t count.
I was a vegetarian for around six years, and after that it just wasn’t
something I made for myself. Jeff is definitely the cook in this
relationship. As soon as I plopped the pork chops down on the pan I shouted to Jeff “I’m cooking meat!!” Haha.

I can say without a doubt this was the tastiest meal I have ever made. Seriously. That was a dang good pork chop, and hey, guess what! I like sweet potatoes! Blue Apron meals are not only incredibly convenient, and delicious but gave me an opportunity to try things I probably wouldn’t chose on my own. I knew I liked pork chops, but I’ve actually never had them with this. The sauce on them was seriously just amazing.

All of the recipes Blue Apron has can be prepared in 40 minutes or less. This meal was surprisingly easy and quick make. Like I said, I don’t make meals by myself but Blue Apron makes it so simple. This is making me feel like cooking might actually be fun! (Who am I?!) They actually have an online cookbook with all of their current recipes available. Their rice and beef-stuffed poblano peppers look amaaaaazing.

Best of all? Blue Apron is offering the first 20 Dainty Squid readers their first two meals free! I am truly impressed with them, and I think you will be too!
xoxo

This is a sponsored post but you
best believe I am alllll about Blue Apron! Thanks for supporting the
companies who support The Dainty Squid.

Ballarat, CA

by Kaylah Stroup July 23, 2015

Fish Rocks, Salt Wells Canyon, CA

Cell phone service in the desert is hit or miss. I either had all my bars or nothing but while I did have service I was browsing Roadside America for spots to hit. That’s how we found Ballarat. Formerly a supply point for the mines nearby, Ballarat is now a ghost town. In it’s heyday it was home to nearly 500 people. It had 7 saloons, a jail, a school, a handful of hotels and more. There isn’t much left anymore, just a few rusted out all cars, shells of buildings, and a cemetery.

I was a bit nervous to visit since it’s a little ways off the main road. I was worried it would be home to someone who might be offended by our visit. A sign near the entrance of the town read as follows…

“this is a free zone take any kind of photos you want. camp party make movies etc no harm. nobody cares feel free. learn nothen setting in your car the friendly zone welcome to ballarat ghost town…”

After seeing that I felt free to roam…

The thing I was most excited about in Ballarat was the cemetery. I’d been on the lookout for an old desert cemetery since the last trip and we had yet to stumble across one. I saw photos of this one on Roadside America and that was actually one of the biggest reasons I wanted to visit. This one was smaller than I had been hoping for but still so awesome. It had such a gorgeous view and it was just a world of difference from the cemeteries we have here. And this headstone?! Get out! Easily one of the most interesting I’ve ever seen in person.

We didn’t stay too long in Ballarat, it was hot and we were both anxious to get into the national park but it was definitely a great stop.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

San Francisco to Yosemite

by Kaylah Stroup July 20, 2015

After the tide pools Jeff and I made our way up to San Francisco. We hadn’t scheduled much time in our agenda for the city, it was basically just meant to be a stopping point for our journey along the coast. I wanted to see two things in San Francisco – Camera Obscura and the Golden Gate Bridge. So, first stop – Camera Obscura! It sadly wasn’t open but I was happy to see it nonetheless. This has been on my to-find list for so long. I’ve been seeing photos of it pop up from time to time for years but never really knew anything about it, let alone where in the world it was. I realized right before the trip it was in San Francisco so I super giddy about finally seeing it.

From the Camera Obscura you can see the Sutro Bath ruins. It had popped up on Roadside America when I was browsing the area but it didn’t seem that interesting considering we only had a few hours at most in the city. Being right beside it, and in the fog was another story though. We had to go check it out.

The Sutro Baths opened in 1896 and at the time it was the largest indoor swimming facility. There were slides, springboards and even a high dive. There were six saltwater pools and one fresh water pool. It eventually closed due to not being profitable. Shortly that in 1966, a fire destroyed the building while it was in the process of being demolished. (Arson for insurance money!) Now the land surrounding it is part of the Golden Gate Recreational Area which is way cool because you’re able to explore the ruins. This website sums it up perfectly “It’s allowed to be harrowing and wild in a time and place where shampoos carry warnings and most interesting things are cordoned off for your protection. Here’s the playground for those who love crumbling stone clubhouses, jutting pipe monkeybars, stairways that lead you off cliffs and shifting sandboxes that get swallowed by surf.” It’s really surprising to me that you’re allowed to explore the ruins but you best believe, I’m all about it. I wish there were more places like this.

Beside the ruins is a cliff-side tunnel which I thought was terrifying. I’m sure some local is reading this and laughing but that water was rough, it was dark, and I thought the ground felt smushy. I was afraid somehow I was going to end up in the water. I don’t know, it was just really strange experience. I’m pretty fearless when it comes to most things but that tunnel freaked me out. It’s fun to be afraid sometimes, if that makes sense. I was happy to get out of the tunnel but I enjoyed the rush of being in there.

Next we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge which I didn’t actually get to see because of the fog. Whomp whomp whomp. We drove over it, I shot this picture, and we called it day. I have never in my life seen fog SO thick. We had assumed the sun set but after getting outside of the city we got to watch it actually set. It was really strange to watch it get dark, then an hour or so later watch it get dark all over again.

We drove into the night toward our next stop, Yosemite National Park. We got there in the middle of the night. I had a really bad stomach ache. Jeff said he had some tums or something in his suitcase so we pulled over on the top of a mountain to get it. I’m all bundled up in my seat when Jeff calls from outside “You have to come see this!” The stars, you guys, THE STARS. It was just the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I’m literally teary eyed right now thinking about it. We got out our cameras and hung out on the side of the road trying to capture the view. I didn’t get anything close to representing how amazing it was but Jeff shot this gorgeous photo. I could have stayed there and watched the stars forever. That actually might be one of my favorite memories of the trip. Just being barefoot on the side of a mountain looking up at the stars with Jeff. They were something else!

We finally headed back down the mountain to find a spot to sleep for a few hours before making our way into the park. It was another rough night of not being able to find somewhere suitable to sleep. I remember groggily searching “how to sleep in your car” for tips because we just couldn’t find somewhere that felt safe enough to snooze at. Rough night or not all was well because the next morning I sat on the rock wall below and put on my make-up, and got gussied up for the day ahead. Talk about a great view!

Yosemite was gorgeous but a bit crowded for my tastes. I was also crabby I didn’t have my bike because everyone there was on a bike. But I ate a killer sandwich, got some pressed pennies, and took photos that I love with the man I love.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

Newer Posts

Older Posts