What a week in Portland and the world


Eight days ago we drove from Seattle to Portland, the last leg of our journey from France to the US. Portland will be our home now. What a change for us, it was almost 38 years ago that I moved from my hometown of Portland to Seattle for a job, married Tricia, and settled in…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip – the morning after


“ The sole art that suits me is that which, rising from unrest, tends toward serenity.” Andre Gide In our life’s times of unrest, art is a place to seek serenity. As my mind struggles to comprehend yesterday, art gives a bit of calm. The idealism of optimism has faded, but I cling to the…

Back in the PNW


For those unfortunate folks who have never had the chance to visit Oregon or Washington, PNW stands for the “Pacific Northwest” – this is arguably one of the most beautiful parts of our world. Our journey from Avignon began on October the eighth, it took us to Dijon in the wine country of Burgundy, on…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip


“I don’t paint what I see, I paint what I saw.” Edvard Munch This admonition seems the opposite of the standard adage of “paint what you see, not what you think you see,” or so it seems. But possibly they both have a bit of wisdom. Our brain is great at filling in blanks and…

Almost back to PNW


Tuesday afternoon our British Airways flight from Heathrow touched down at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. Tricia and I looked at each other and mouthed the words, “I miss Europe.” We packed carefully so as not to forget anything, yet we left a bit of us behind. My Friend Shirley will enthusiastically remind us of all…