This week in The Pearl – May 8, 2026


A good week with friends and family. Saturday, Alexis and Joe brought two of their friends that were visiting from Chicago over for dinner. We had Tuscan Chicken with orzo, and Tricia made a peach tatin. Sunday, Tim and Lisa came for Sunday lunch. We had Mediterranean tilapia, and Tricia made a second peach tatin….

This week in The Pearl – May 1, 2026


Bon 1er Mai ! In France today it is La Fête du Muguet, the Festival of Lily of the Valley. It is also Labor Day in France and much of the world. The French tradition began when, in the 16th century, the French King Charles IX received a sprig of Lily of the Valley as…

This week in The Pearl – March 6, 2026


We had a wonderful weekend. Saturday we celebrated Alexis’ birthday by going for high tea at DOJA Tea Lounge in Tualatin. It is next to Tualitin Lake at The Commons. Tricia had the ‘Vegan’ – the rest of us carnivores had the ‘Citrus Menu’, though there was only a tiny bit of chicken on one…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday – Skyline sketch


I am continuing on in my quest to show a variety of simple ways to capture your moments. Another simple way is to draw the skyline. These are actually pretty popular as pieces of art, I have seen them in shops in many countries. Remember that the objective here is to be a bit more…

This week in The Pearl – February 20, 2026


Today is one of the first quiet days we have had this week, Tricia is on one side of the table writing a blog abut the importance of thank you notes, handwritten of course. She asked for a sketch of a pen and inks, which of course was a treat for me. I am on…