TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday – August 11, 2026


In a recent article, travel personality Samantha Brown wrote about habits that “Mark you as an american tourist immediately.” She emphasized that this was not about “shaming,” it was about cultural tells that say we are from the USA. Samantha calls them “cultural fingerprints” and says “most locals find them more amusing than offensive.” Here…

This week in The Pearl


Kind of a quiet week. At the moment we are in Mukilteo to meet up with our friends from Paris, former neighbors of ours when we lived in Mukilteo, who are back for a few days. On Tuesday, while Tricia was at her book group, I stopped off at Fields and sketched. Tricia is blogging…

This week in The Pearl – July 31, 2026


We are continuing our re-watch of Eugene Levy’s show “The Reluctant Traveler,” it is just as entertaining the second time around. We watched episodes in Spain, and in Mexico. I of course sketched. In one episode he said something that is worth quoting. “You’re never too old to get aquatinted with the world you’re living…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday – Mornings


From early childhood I was an early riser, I still am. Awake at 5.00am has been normal for me all of my life. My parents made it clear that they did not share my propensity for such an early time, and I quickly learned that waking them at that hour was not a good thing…