Leslie Hsu Oh

As seen in National Geographic, Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Outside, Backpacker, Parents, Smithsonian, Sierra

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Tiptoeing out of my warm room, I slip onto the porch and brave a few daredevil mosquitos at 4:30 a.m., hoping that the other guests at Kennicott Glacier Lodge would still be in bed. A large raven zips by, followed by a curious violet-green swallow.  In a nearby spruce, a veery trills a ripple sound. The first explorer to discover this area must’ve held his breath like me, enjoying a private moment with this view.   Now the largest national park in the United States, six times the size of … [Read more...] about Peaks, Glaciers, & Kids – Part I

With sprinkles of water from gray skies cooling my cheeks, I followed in Auntie Rita’s footsteps along the shore of what she called, “A secret spot.” Kyra and Ethan’s giggles echoed in the wind whipping across the ocean.  At the moment, they had no interest in what Auntie Rita and I were doing.  Ethan sunk his fingers into the sand and massaged it into his hair.  Kyra tunneled her Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster.  And if they weren’t both marinated enough in the earth, Kyra shoveled it into their laps.  … [Read more...] about Love+eMotion | A Secret Spot

About a week after the art exhibit started at Pacific Northern Academy, Ms. Jaeger invited Ethan and me to model for Kyra’s class. “Are you sure my terrible two is going to stay still for the class?”  I asked Ms. Jaeger. “Don’t worry.  It will be fine.” I leaned in close so only she could hear me, “So, do Kindergarteners know how to sketch from live models?”  Note:  I’m asking a teacher that had fifth graders create artwork for the film, Everybody Loves Whales, and seventh graders design four … [Read more...] about A Confession: Part II

Filed Under: Art

As long as I can remember, when it comes to art, my mother’s side of the family won awards.  The artistic gene ran strong producing writers, painters, sculptors, photographers, and graphic designers.  A gene, which I inherited but my brother did not. I saw over the years how this placed my brother at a disadvantage.  In minutes, I could churn out an assignment with a creative twist that would wow my teacher into giving me a top grade.   For hours, he would stare at me with envy as I goofed off … [Read more...] about A Confession: Part I

Filed Under: Art

This will be my sixth year as a mother, and still Mother’s Day has never felt like my day.  Since 1994, the year my mother died of liver cancer, I have dreaded a holiday that used to be my favorite. Weeks before Mother’s Day, my brother and I would start planning an elaborate multi-media handmade card, which always had to be bigger and better than the year before.  We wrote poems, stitched quilts, painted watercolors, crafted origami…all hosed with plenty of glitter. Mom made things extra … [Read more...] about A Mother who had Time to Play

Even as I look forward to long summer days, picking berries, fishing, reading a book on my deck or dozing to the rush of Eagle River, I am, deep down, a winter gal.Besides the basic comforts that winter offers (no bugs, no yard to upkeep, no need to paint my toes), I love how the world slows down beneath a coat of snow. Plus, I would much rather be cold, than hot.April is a tough month for me, because I race against the receding snow to squeeze in some last minute winter sports.Last weekend, we … [Read more...] about Stoked

When my daughter was two, she hunted for dandelions in our yard.  The bright yellow flowers delighted her and she would grab handfuls of them for me and insist that I place them in vases throughout the house. At the end of a dandelion’s flowering days, Kyra played a mischievous game, where she raced to blow apart the seed-bearing parachutes before mom and dad could catch her. “No,” I would yell from the porch.  “Daddy will be mad, Kyra.” She would collapse into giggles as the wind … [Read more...] about Love+eMotion | Dandelion Killer

The first thing my East Coast friends notice about my Alaskan born kids is that they love being outdoors, doesn’t matter if it’s snowing or raining.  Ethan specializes in sinking his feet into the nastiest mud puddle he can find.  Kyra collects rocks, sticks, sometimes logs.  The size and weight don’t bother her at all.  Both of them seem to have a homing device for the deepest snowdrift or steepest berm, anything really that could trap, trip, or bruise them. As long as they are dressed in the … [Read more...] about Making Art with Nature