Hello! Her name is Susan and his name is Ryan and we are Wild Lanterns.
We are so pleased to meet you!
We have no idea what we are doing here.
Susan and Ryan have been married for 8 years and have spent 9.5 years traveling the world together. They met working on the set of a short film – she was in front of the camera, he was behind it. A few years later they re-connected and have been all but inseparable since.
Suuuuuuuu!
I’ve been creating things in the kitchen since my mom first let me hold a knife. Since then, I’ve managed to only injure myself with said knife – also a cheese grater, a vegetable peeler, and an immersion blender (stitches were required) – a couple [dozen] times.
My first solo baking effort was a chocolate layer cake for my dad’s birthday. The cake was from a boxed mix. The frosting was buttercream, from scratch (Mom’s recipe). It was a triumph.
Recipes
Sharing recipes is a new thing for me as I rarely measure ingredients. Usually when cooking or baking, I throw in what “sounds about right” and later on lament that I can’t remember how I made it. “Recipes” often change based on what items are in our pantry/refrigerator. Or, if I happen to wonder what would the results would be if I used yogurt instead of buttermilk (it curdled).
Susan’s credentials include: a subscription to Food Network magazine, a shelf full of dog-eared cookbooks, a notebook full of recipes (hand copied from cookbooks at Barnes & Noble when she was a poor college student), a mouth full of taste buds, and years of trial & error.
Susan likes:
Mexican food in all forms – whether it’s a taco stand in Rosarito or Tex-Mex taco salad in her own home. Coffee (specifically Paul’s Roast from Thanksgiving Coffee Company in Fort Bragg, CA), dark chocolate, nectarines, cucumbers, popcorn (made with coconut oil in a big pot on the stove), all the bread from Tartine bakery, cold watermelon, passionfruit anything, and Popcorners Sweet n’ Salty chips. (She will push you down and take the bag.)
When I’m not making food I’m: thinking about food.
(It’s probably why she is always bumping into things.)
I also enjoy:
- Hiking
- Rocky, overcast beaches
- Performing the works of Shakespeare (and other playwrights) in front of a live audience
- Singing softly to myself
- Watching re-runs of the Office
- And traveling!
When I was a kid I wanted to be:
- A stunt car driver
- Actor
- Chef
- Painter
- James Bond
I hope to one day have a plot of land to grow my own herb and vegetable garden…even though I can’t seem to keep the potted basil plant on the back stoop alive.
Ryan!
I’ve been interested in electronics, photography and filmmaking since I was a kid. Recently, Su and I decided that I should give up my I.T. job and try out the film industry. Ever since, I’ve been bouncing around one show or movie to another.
Now Su and I are on another adventure, trying to unravel the vast amounts of stories and photos from almost 10 years of traveling. We are doing what we can to leave a log for others to find and enjoy. It started out as a way of sharing our adventures and photos with family, but we quickly found out others were interested too.
I have so many different interests ranging across so many disciplines, that it’s been tough to find an outlet for them all. So, this website and other hobby projects are my way of doing what I like to do. It’s great to be involved with big budget movies and TV shows, but there is nothing quite like creating your own content to share.
Ryan likes:
- Photography
- Film making
- Electronics
- Video Games
- Set building
- Anything creative
- Making small children cry
Why Wild Lanterns?
I saw this picture once of a great tree, branches spread out like a canopy over the grass below. Shining out between the leaves, as if they had sprouted there, were all of these ancient lanterns of different shapes and sizes. That image has stuck with me for a long time. It sparked my imagination and sense of adventure. It was strangely soft and romantic yet wild and dangerous all at once.
Whether it be twinkle lights wound thru branches, paper globes strung over a picnic table, stars peaking out from behind clouds, or unexpected laughter on a dark day – theres something magical about finding light where you didn’t expect it.
We all have a light to shine – don’t let this world tell you to turn it down. Be wild, glow, dare to illuminate the darkness.
Adventure awaits. Burn brightly.
– Susan
