This was a long, hard day of driving, but there was a reward at either end of it: California poppies at the finish, and Morning Glory at the start.
Road fuelAshland, OR
Posted 10 years ago
Category: Animal-Vegetable-Mineral
Road fuelAshland, OR
We’re going to need a lot of butterGiant Artichoke, Castroville, CA
Posted 10 years ago
Confession: I planned an entire leg of my trip around this place. Now, pretty much all of the central California coast is worth any detour, if you ask me, but when it comes to the kitsch category, Castroville’s got a permanent blue ribbon in my book. And while Giant Artichoke is not quite technically a… More
Just slightly cornyRochester, MN
Posted 10 years ago
Every time I see something like this, I have to wonder why there are still plain, non-food-shaped watertowers in the world. I mean, come on!
Living libraryRocky Mountain National Park, CO and Mt. Rainier National Park, WA
Posted 10 years ago
I love sketching wildflowers and other plants—but unfortunately, I’m really not great at identifying them. Of course, sketching is an excellent way to cement the information into your brain, but it doesn’t help much when you’re not sure what you’re looking at. I’m not a fan of standing there, juggling sketchbook and guidebook, trying to… More
Travel checklistAshland Springs Hotel, Ashland, OR
Posted 10 years ago
I love hanging out with other travel bloggers—sometimes it’s just fun to know I’m not the only one closely studying my surroundings. Last year I took a road trip with my friend Mary-Alice of Dog Jaunt fame (with her lovely pup Chloe in tow). When we arrived at our hotel that day, we both did… More
Deck the halls
Posted 10 years ago
We’re away for the holidays this year (sketches to come, I’m sure), so instead of a tree at our house, I’ll have to settle for a picture of one. But I tell you what: there are few things more lovely than sitting for hours by the tree, basking in its glow and sketching every ornament,… More
Topsy turvy tannenbaumParamount Theater, Seattle, WA
Posted 10 years ago
This is by far the best use of a chandelier fixture I’ve ever seen. Now if only I could convince the Tailor to let me hang our tree upside-down…
Time travelFortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posted 10 years ago
Okay, I just have to say it: I usually have mixed feelings about historical reenactments—even the best ones. While I love the idea of immersing myself in a time and place, costumed interpreters (for all their talents and lovely enthusiasm) tend to bug the heck out of me. I don’t know what it is, but… More
Life (or death) drawingEdna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, RISD, Providence, RI
Posted 10 years ago
Speaking of taxidermy, Wednesday’s post reminded me of my trip back to Providence a couple of years ago, to show the Tailor around my old city and my alma mater. He was politely interested in my tour of the campus, but I knew he’d completely freak out (and I was right, he did) when I… More
Dig in your heelsNelson Museum of the West, Cheyenne, WY
Posted 10 years ago
The Nelson is a small museum—small enough that I thought the short visit we had time for would be plenty, sketching included. And then I discovered the wall of antique cowboy spurs, just as we were about to leave. Needless to say, if I had been wearing spurs at the time, the Tailor never would… More