A Visit to Cheekwood Sculpture Garden

At the end of last year I was invited to help judge a high school art competition as a representative of Nossi and wound up really enjoying it! It was my first time being on an art competition jury, and since I had never done it before I jumped at the opportunity to experience yet another facet of being part of an artistic community.

These three were a few of my favorites I voted for. I mean, you know I’m obsessed with this shadow shapes, and I also loved the alternate mediums too! So interesting! Suck skilled young people!

The gardens weren’t exactly in full bloom in the middle of February, but it was fun to interact with a few of the sculptures and see the orchid show that was happening at the time too.

There were also a few random paintings, mostly of the family that originally owned Cheekwood Estate, but I really fell in love with these four seasons mini tapestries. Don’t they remind you of Alphonse Mucha’s 4 seasons so much? Such ethereal beauty:)

There were definitely a number of nice details hidden throughout the house too. Like these great sculptures in relief or the gorgeous inlaid stone tucked into some really surprising spaces.

If you like joining me on my art excursions, make sure you’re following me on Instagram @caleighbirdart where I love to fill up my stories with all kinds of artsy adventures.

3.2.2022

First Mushroom Forage

I’ve always been slightly enamored and mystified by the myriad of funky fungi I’ve encountered throughout years of adventuring outdoors, but have never been interested in learning more about wild mushrooms due to my lifelong distaste of Portobello or baby bello mushrooms found at any random grocery store.

I’ve always hated that I hated mushrooms, but what can one do?!

So as you can imagine, going out to enjoy a lovely solo hike in Chattanooga to get some fresh air and coming home with a large sampling of one of Mother Nature’s most nutritious, sustainable, and, as I later learned, delicious offerings completely unexpectedly has really opened up a whole new world for me.

You’re probably wondering what possessed me to pluck a random, though beautiful, unknown cluster of fungus from the woods and take it home to eat with practically no experience in the matter, especially knowing how dangerous decisions like that could be….

Well, two things: for one I had just seen that amazingly edited and incredibly interesting documentary Fantastic Fungi with the world famous mycologist Paul Stamets who really explained just what miraculous entities mushrooms are and how truly delicious they can be, which reminded me of the only time I have ever foraged and eaten a wild mushroom previously, and made me yearn to try again.

My first time eating a wild forage was with my good friend Jimi who is an old pro and knew exactly what he was doing. We collected this lionsmane mushroom together, then sautéed it with butter and salt n pepper and it was EPIC! It literally tasted like a meaty, succulent cross between a squash and a shrimp.

Happening upon that perfect specimen and then eating it less than 3 hours later felt all the more epic because my whole life I always had to let people know that I didn’t like mushrooms if they were providing a shared meal.

I mean…. I’ll still have to let folks who prep my food know my tastes… but at least now I can sound like an elitist hipster and say, ‘I only like wild mushrooms.’ tee hee

But I digress.. the reason I even gathered this particular mushroom was because it was so beautiful I took a pic and sent it to my friend who watched the movie with me and he immediately came back telling me it was a delicious mushroom called Chicken of the Woods and I should collect it. I had a hand towel with me so I broke it off the decaying branch it was growing out of and kept on my hike. My friend and I continued to check with a few folks to be sure it was safe and good and I watched a few videos on YouTube too.

I brought it home, cleaned it off, and sautéed half of it in a little Bragg sauce then included it in a veggie Thai lemongrass meal (see me cook and taste it in this quickie video here>>). And wouldn’t you know it, the Chicken of the Woods was epic too, and so aptly named!! The next day I did a barbeque olive oil recipe I found online and yummmmmmm! The consistency is so spot on and it just the mushroom just really takes on whatever seasoning you’re trying to give it. I’m hooked!

All in all though, I am seriously grateful to have a new healthy food group to enjoy. So much so that I even took the plunge and included some oyster mushrooms in my Misfits Market box this week. I found a recipe for those with just olive oil, garlic, green onions, salt n pepper, and lemon juice that was quite delightful. I’d have to say I liked the foraged fungus better than the oysters, but they were pretty good and I’ll definitely eat them again. At some point I’d like to see about growing my own, I hear it’s not that difficult.

You see those lil brown dots at the base? They’re tiny mushrooms! My mushrooms are growing their own mushrooms - ha!

Do you like wild mushrooms? Have you ever foraged your own? How about grown your own? Let me know or share tips in the comments!

9.16.2021

Shenandoah Campout Adventure

Last week I treated myself to six glorious nights camping out in Vaughn the Adventure Van including four night in Shenandoah National Park. My awesome adventure buddy Baila joined me for three days and nights of hiking, exploring, eating delicious food, and living it up with the most tame wildlife ever!

While Virginia is well known for its bears, we didn’t see any on this trip (although I have here before!). We did see lots of deer up close, a snake, some rabbits, and birds galore!!

Our favorite hike, called Bearfence Trail, actually turned out to be the most rock-scrambliest hike I’ve done since Hawai’i. It felt so wonderful to stretch to workout all those good climbing muscles again!

Venkman and Amaris also had a lot to catch up on, and really appreciated being included on a few adventures!

Those 360 views on the top of our hikes were truly spectacular! We also loved relaxing to the sun setting over the entire Shenandoah Valley, just sitting in the van like a cozy sofa.

And the wouldn’t you know it, but the two friends I met up with in Shenandoah were actually friends I made in Hawai’i! Baila was my neighbor and hiking buddy in Palolo, and my other friend Scott (who came out for one afternoon with his girl) was someone I actually got a job for at my beloved Coffee Talk. What a small world - I head over to Virginia to hang out with friends from da’ aina - ha!

It did rain little bit, bet we were well prepared. And it did get pretty cold on out last night, but nothing our giggles couldn’t keep us warm in. All in all, it was a pretty epic way to spend a week!

5.12.2021

Chattanooga Hike Trip

Ooohwheeee it felt good to get out and hit the trails again! I hadn’t been able to get out on any kind of elevation since leaving Hawai’i in December and I was missing it in a big way!

There’s a couple, Kristen and Kyle, that I’ve known for over 15 years now and they just moved to Chattanooga last year who I’ve been dying to visit! Now that the weather is finally a bit more bearable for a tropical bird such as myself, I was super psyched to make my way over there and spend a few days exploring that cute town and the local hikes on Signal Mountain.

One thing that’s really nice about Tennessee is that spring comes on in a big way around here. The winter does make things quite grey, but that only makes the greens growing in even brighter and more delightful to behold. Now I really can’t wait for the cherry blossom trees in April!

Signal Mountain is covered in trails and in three hours we didn’t even do half of them. Just another excuse to come back to Chattanooga! I think I’m going to look into campout spots too because it’s getting to be perfect Vaughn the Adventure Van weather for sure!

I’ll always have a piece of my heart on Pele’s ridge’s on O’ahu, but I am extremely grateful to be living in an area where I can finally begin to realize my dream career as a full time artist that is also flush with outdoor adventure areas.

As pretty as it is out here, you better watch out…there’s all kinda weirdos creeping around these trails!

3.25.2021

YouTube Break This Week

Aloha friends, no YouTube video today. I’m treating myself to the week off for a little hiking adventure. It’s the first few days in a row I’ve had off since getting back from Hawaii in December between packing up my life in Florida, moving to Tennessee, and immediately starting this tremendously busy new job. You know this wanderlust-spirited Birdie has to get out every couple of months or I start to go a little stir crazy in the Nest.

Luckily I have friends in Chattanooga and in Asheville who have been showing me a great time this week hitting the trails on these beautiful Appalachian Mountains.

Hope you find a way to relax and enjoy a little nature this week yourself! I’ll be back with next week for all your best fine art tutorials and art biz advice :)

3.14.2021

Travels through O'ahu :: Adventures + Artwork

Welcome back to my second home of O'ahu! I'm so thrilled to have just had the opportunity to spend 7 whole weeks camping, hiking, beaching, painting, and visiting friends on the beloved island I decided to leave just one year ago.

What can I say..? I didn't move away from Hawai'i because I didn't like it!

Visiting close friends and adventuring through the island is such a blissful existence. If you haven’t put it on your list yet, maybe a few more photos will help seal the deal..

Did you enjoy coming along for the ride? Here's my travel + art vlog from the vanlifing I did on Maui and Big Island last year. You can also see more of my life while I lived on island, including where I worked and my awesome bungalow with the fully outdoor bathroom! And if you're wondering why I ever left this slice of paradise, I made a video of that too!

12.20.2020

Visit to Circle B Bar Nature Preserve, FL

When I read ‘lots of wildlife' in the reviews, I honestly did not think much of it… but WOW was I wrong! I got so much closer to huge dinosaurs in the form of herons, cranes, and gators than I could have ever imagined!!

What an awesome up-close animal crossing experience! These cranes were not concerned about our presence at all!

Do you see that camo gator hiding out in plain sight in the pic above? We also got to see a heron tousling with his “sushi” dinner before getting spooked by a really big alligator splash just behind him.

And how about this Florescent Swamp Chicken (possibly not the scientific name) pecking here and there?! I wish the brightness of her face would have come through the photo more - it was like traffic cone orange!

There were literally huge wetland birds in every direction, mostly oblivious to our passing by. Circle B Bar is over 1,200 acres of nature preserve with about 10 miles of trails throughout with both hikers and families enjoying all this pristine coastline, so the animals at this point feel very safe and carry on their normal activities as if we weren’t even there. So fascinating!

I was literally speechless with just how many HUUGE gators there were just a foot or so below the grassy pathway. We even saw and heard them leaping out of the water at prey, sometimes within fifteen feet of us! Yikes!!

All in all, a fabulous day with my adventure buddy Baila!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering… I do believe I’ve made a personal breakthrough and will be carrying a parasol with me from now on on flatland hikes because this Bird is officially over getting sunburned, ya dig??? ;)

6.17.2020

First Campout in Vaughn the Adventure Van

Woo hoo for Vaughn the Adventure Van!!

I’m beside myself with excitement and to celebrate I have already taken him out for his first campout at Myakka River State Park here in Florida. I haven’t started outfitting him with my proper bed and storage yet, but for just grabbing gear form my parents’ house so far I think we’re doing pretty well!

First my friend Baila (who was actually my neighbor and hike buddy on O’ahu who recently relocated to the east coast too!) and I decided to go on a relatively local adventure around town…

then we hopped on down to Warm Mineral Springs in North Port for a rejuvenating dip. Not too bad being able to swim outside in December!

We were so grateful to find such a peaceful and gorgeous camping spot just before sunset.

This park was extra cool because it features an elevated canopy walk 26 feet tall so visitors can experience all the unique air plants and local birds at eye level. Such an enlightening experience!

The trees were absolutely teaming with aerophytes! And after that fun catwalk, you get to climb up a 74 foot wooden tower to literally look down upon the trees as far as the eye can see in this super flat Florida landscape.

I mean, WOW!

Those trees are over 30 feet tall

Good thing Venkman isn’t afraid of heights!

One of the neatest plants on the journey so far…

On our way out we got to see about a dozen big fat happy gators sunning on the bank too. Fun to see from a distance, but they appeared around 8 feet long so I think we’ll stick to the roads for now:)

12.11.2019

Big Island Hawai'i Adventures!

Wow I am still floored by all the differing ecosystems coexisting so closely on a tropical island! It’s so weird to drive from arid desert, to grassy plains, to lava fields, to rocky coast back to thick jungle all in a matter of hours, especially when all you’re expecting is palm trees and lush mountains! If you didn’t catch the island hopping vlog already, tune in for a real treat too:)

Not to mention the surreal nature of playing on both black and green sand beaches!

And, did I mention this particular black sand beach was a nude one...? So you know, when in Rome…

I’ll have to admit, the opportunity for some plein air painting in the buff was too good to pass up. What a fantastic day!

One of the wildest things we did wasn’t splashing in our birthday suits, believe it or not, it was actually exploring some lava tubes! Lava tubes are basically places where the the igneous rock has broken away forming long underground caves. The temp became 10 degrees cooler the second you enter, and quite damp regardless of how dry that area of the island is. I didn’t go far at all because I only had sandals, but apparently they go back for miles and miles until you are literally crawling! Somehow spelunking does not feel like my forte though....

Make sure you check out my Maui blog too for some of the most phenomenal waterfalls ever!

11.21.2019

Livin' in a Van on Maui

So um, van-lifing around Maui is my new favorite thing...

From sleeping under the biggest rose gold full moons, to guerrilla bathing in a state park stream, to chasing more waterfalls than we ever thought possible... following Hana Road along all of East Maui has been one of the most delightful road trips of my life. If you didn’t already see the island hopping vlog I made, get ready to plan your next vacay…

My friend Steff from O’ahu (yep, different than Stephanie from Charleston - not confusing at all I know) and I rented a really nice n roomy minivan (although I am calling them adventure vans more and more these days), but weren’t quite sure what we were going to do before we arrived. With my blow-up mattress, sunscreen, and some citronella incense in tow, along with the perfect temperament for adventure, we wound up happening upon the most delightful places to eat, sleep, and play which gave us the most fulfilling, yet totally relaxing island tour ever.

There has been so much beauty to see and so much delicious fruit to consume in countless little adorable ‘honor-system’ roadside fruit stands in between mind-blowing photo ops around every twist and turn… I think we may have actually discovered heaven on earth!

And I can’t help but share these epic waterfall shots Steff snapped of me too..

Make sure to take a peek at my Big Island pics too for awesome green sand and lava tube adventures too!

11.19.2019