An Appalachian Winter

Just a few photos of winter in rural Appalachia. We haven't had much snow, which I am thankful for. With so many hills the snow makes it tough to get around, so much so that even an inch of snow is enough to close school.

Week 5 and 6

Here's a few photos from around the house.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Week 4: Finally feeling settled in

Well, I've been here in the hills of rural Appalachia for four weeks now. It's starting to feel like home and my cat has finally settled in. I have to say it's quite different from Oregon. For one thing it is politically and religiously very conservative, which is an adjustment for me. I live in a small coal town. The area has some funny quirks that I'm getting use to, but one thing I still have not gotten use to are the insects. They're huge, they're noisy and I'd prefer not to see them. We have cicadas, giant crickets and these weird beetle looking bugs. There's one outside my door that has been sitting there for days. Totally gross.

I found this cicada carcass near my doorstep. Very gross. 
Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Week 1: Trying to get my bearings

I'm not sure what I expected Kentucky to look like, but it is beautiful! It's so green. The kudzu plant has really taken hold on the hills and seems to have taken over. Although that's not great for the ecosystem it's beautiful.

Living up in the hills in southeast Kentucky has been quite the change from Portland. I live in a coal town and the layout of the town has made if difficult to find my way around, but I think I'm starting to get a hang of it. I drove to work yesterday for the first time without my GPS! Here's a few shots from an evening walk around my neighborhood.

Till Later,
Tonya

52 Weeks in Southeast Kentucky

It's been a busy year. I got an internship in rural Southeast Kentucky so I thought I was change things up here on my blog, not that I've actually been blogging at all lately. Since I will be here for a year I thought I would document my time here each week, which will help me get out and explore the area. On the drive out to Kentucky I passed through St. Louis and thought I would check out the Gateway Arch (not something I would recommend in 100 degree weather). The arch was beautiful, but it was so hot and humid I only lasted an hour in the heat, plus I had my cat with me. I don't think he enjoyed it, but people seemed to be entertained by the sight of me carrying my cat with me.

Till Later,
Tonya

I'm a Terrible Blogger

Wow, it's been two months since I blogged last. It's been a busy and stressful two months, but not there is a lull in my schedule. For the past three weeks I have been interviewing for internships for my final year of school, which included some travel across the country. I did some clever scheduling of my plane tickets and found a day (was suppose to be two whole days, but the airlines ruined it) to enjoy the beautiful beaches in Florida. I took the weekend, well turned out to just be one day, on Sanibel Island on the west coast of Florida. I would definitely recommend going there if you like beach combing. I thought I would share a few photos of my trip with you all.

I will definitely be back again. Maybe next time with my Mom who loves beach combing as much as I do.
Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

View From My Desk

Wow, it's been a while since my last post. I've been crazy busy with internship applications. It feels like I haven't had time to do anything for myself for the past month, which is probably true. About a month ago I decided to clean up my garden for winter and I stepped in a hole, and ended up fracturing my ankle, so I've been stuck wearing a boot for the past month. Who knew gardening could be so dangerous. Anyways, I was sitting at my makeshift desk (my kitchen table) working on my next application (okay, that's a lie, I was looking at wool blankets on Etsy) when I saw a beautiful view out my window that I thought I would share. We've gotten our first winter storms this week, which consist of heavy rain and lots of wind (I wish I was at the coast watching the storms). Anyways, there was a short break in the rain and a rainbow appeared.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya