Not at Home

Hi all!
As usual, it's been a while, but not as usual I have been all over the place! Literally! (and somewhat metaphorically I guess, but thankfully more literally than metaphorically.) I thought this summer was going to be so boring but I'm glad God had other plans - mainly a cross country road trip followed by a more stationary stay in the Smoky Mountains. I'll start with the road trip - me and some school friends travelled to LA (the city not the state) with our brave boy Sam Abner who's staking his animation claim out there. I always imagined doing a cross country road trip while in college - experiencing the romance of the open road, eating a bad hamburger while sitting on the hood of a yellow convertible, chasing the sunset while listening to something vaguely vintage - you know, that kind of trip. And I'm pretty sure our trip checked at least a few of those boxes. 

the DUDES: Joel, Aedan, Sam, and me

Our drive took us across the American Southwest, taking several stops along the way. While doing so I quickly realized that almost all my preconceptions about what a southwestern road trip would be like were shaped by (1) Blacksad comics (2) the Route 66 Overwatch map and (3) the esteemed and not-Oscar-winning movie Cars. All these present a very nostalgic and very 60's view of the southwest, which has not really stuck around in 2020. In every state was the same chain businesses, with a conspicuous absence of chrome plated diners and sketchy, but very charming, motels. (For the record, we did stay in a sketchy motel on this trip but it was NOT charming.) All the tourist traps had been sprung and were withering away with peeling paint and no cars in the parking lot. By about day two I was realizing that my idea of the classic American road trip may had just rode out with the ghost of the cowboys. 

But that's not to say it wasn't a great trip, or that we DIDN'T see actual cowboys (in an In-and-Out Burger, no less). Although the roadside businesses may have become homogenized and somewhat unremarkable the natural wonders and views were still stunning. I was surprised how each state had a different landscape that changed almost the second you crossed the borders: marshy forests in Arkansas, Texan wind turbines scattered amidst amarillo fields, New Mexico's scrubland overshadowed by purple mesas, and finally trees, pine trees, again in western Arizona. We also stopped along the way at several natural landmarks which were my favorite part of the drive. 

We hiked through the red sandstone base of Palo Duro Canyon, and on the way there I also DESTROYED the only tumbleweed we saw when it tumbled in front of my car. 

palo duro

the artist in the wild

The hidden gem of the trip was Petrified Forest National Park which offered views not only of petrified wood (very cool, predictable), but also painted desert vistas (surprising!) Aedan and I opted to take the scenic route through this one and I do not regret it. 

Joel and I paid slightly too much too much to look down into the ever so big Meteor Crater.

those are people way down there in the bottom right

And the last major stop was THE Grand Canyon, which was just so immense it was hard to believe it wasn't a painting or something. The canyon stretches so far out of sight that you almost lose track of the space and end up compressing it in your mind. I would love to hike down into it on a future visit and really feel the grandness of the place. 

that's me way down there in the white shirt

I had never really thought I'd make it to the Grand Canyon but I'm glad I did!

And all this was before we made it to LA, where we got to hang out with good friends, play a lot of smash, and eat amazing takeout. We were stuck at home for pretty much the whole time but it was a great group of people to be stuck at home with! And we did get out a couple times to get food, walk around town, and see the sequoias. Which were really, really big! Hard to believe they weren't a prop or something - after seeing imitations of world wonders as a child at Disney World most of my adult wonder is found in the fact the real thing is in fact real. A strange twist of experience only possible in our American world of entertainment, I guess. 

I turned 22 while out in LA - and since this is my one chance to make this reference, yes I am really feeling 22. Which in my case means I've now lost the "I'm an adult and it's cool" swagger of 21, and instead I've been thinking a lot about what's being left behind in childhood. How things are different and a new stage of life is beginning. It's that kinda of early John Mayer energy (Room for Squares album) when you think about your parents getting older, that your childhood home is owned by someone else now, and that without really realizing it you are now older than every Stranger Things kid and if an '80s mystery bike adventure does somehow become a part of your future it will be accompanied by an unshaven beard and worries about your career. This feeling was perhaps even more amplified by my recent playthrough of Night in the Woods, which really captures a bit of what I feel when I come home each summer and despite it still being home, things are just different. I've wanted to play it since it came out in 2017, which coincidentally was also the year I graduated high school, my family moved, and I went to college... big changes.

take a moment away from my existential dread to enjoy this delightful badgerclops cake my friends made

I've felt this way each summer I come back to North Carolina - kinda like Mae in Night in the Woods it takes coming back home to reconnect with and reassess my childhood and current state of Being an Adult. And often it makes me a little bit sad, since I'm not a big fan of change and also wish I had enjoyed childhood just a bit more before it all went away.

Then I go to college, forget about all that, and love being an adult again. Because I'm freaking 22! And I can drive across the country, and smoke pipes, and wax nostalgic, savoring these new moments as I wish I'd savored childhood. And even though this is in some ways a sucky time to be a young adult with big dreams (most of which require some amount of non-quarantine and un-social distance) I still want to get out there and do Cool Stuff! I've tried to avoid writing about the many ways covid affected our trip - from day one we were having covid scares and having to change plans, although everyone ended up ok and healthy - because honestly I'm just so done with being bummed about covid and I'm ready to find new ways to thrive in this new world. After naively thinking that this whole thing would go away after 1-2 months in quarantine, I've had to come to grips with the fact that covid is here to stay and the rest of my life's story will be different for it. But guess what - I'M HERE TO STAY TOO. And to that point, I'm gonna live my life! I'll be safe about it, I'll be informed - cause I want you to live your life too, but I'm not gonna watch Netflix and work remotely for the better part of my 20s. I'm gonna wear the raddest mask and go do STUFF. And to that point, here's some pictures of me trying to do that during my other trip this summer, to the Smoky Mountains. (nailed that transition, daniel)

these bikes were like real life mariokart

linville gorge

Shortly after my LA trip I got to go to the mountains with my family - after not seeing them for two weeks it was great to get a lot of time with them again! I hiked through wilderness and creeks, taking lots of reference pictures for my Super Secret Senior Short Film. The Smoky Mountains are such a nostalgic place for me, which is a big reason why I'd like to tell a story that's set there. 

There's a lot more to tell, and you can ask me about it next time I see you. But now I'm back home with lots to do - I'm getting ready for another year as an RA (somehow I did not realize that I go back to school on the 8th) and I've also just been hired to storyboard! It's remote freelance work but I'm working with people I like doing something I like. Which I think is pretty cool. I should have more art to share by next time - but take a peek at my portfolios in the meantime! I just updated my visual development one with some new props I've been working on this summer. Summer is always my little prop design time where I beef out that part of my portfolio, and I even got to do a collab with my brother on one!

Until next time, may you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity! AND GO ROCK IT PEOPLE CAUSE IT'S 2020!!
-dh



Music Recommendations: Still listening to Sammy Rae - this time her singles Whatever We Feel and Denim Jacket. Very good and groovy!

Also three of my favorite people who also happen to be all siblings and all Petersons are making an album, and to that end, a kickstarter! I think it's going to be some really great stuff and I'm excited to hear it :)