We have been busy settling in, yet we find time to be with friends. We went to a block party in the Hollywood area of Portland, then had friends over for Sunday lunch.

I finally have an area to do some painting. My small Guerrilla Pochade box sits nicely on a tripod in front of the window. One thing about oil paints that is different from acrylics is that it tends to be a slower process, so I am spending time with art but just not producing as many pieces. In 1888 Van Gogh did over 200 paintings, wow.

Tricia is posting about the 8th Arrondissement this week so I did a sketch of the Arc de Triumph for her.

One evening while we were in Avignon we walked to the Palace of the Popes. We met a group of African college students in the square and had a memorable conversation about college and life – meetings like this are why we travel. I did this sketch of how the castle looked that night.

We live just a 15 minute walk from Powell’s Bookstore so of course we made the journey this week. We picked up a couple of gifts, and Tricia found a book that our friend Nat from Marseilles recommended, so it only made sense to stop for coffee and read a bit. We must resist visiting too often, we only have so much bookshelf space and budget.

The view to the street is a continuing parade of people, even this morning on a rainy day.

With most of the unpacking done I am hoping for more time for painting and sketching. We have a dinner with friends this afternoon, and are meeting Alexis and Joe Sunday to see Wicked. This is why we came back.

I hope your holidays are going well, and that you are spending time with the people in your life that bring you peace and grace. Do a sketch when you can and capture the moment.