TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip – It’s the pits


Smash those olives to get the pits out. Removing olive pits is a breeze if you smash them first. We have pizza often. Though I do make the crust at times, Trader Joe’s premade dough is a lot easier and just as good. We roll it out onto a cookie sheet and I use a…

This week in The Pearl – August 1, 2025


One year a go today we moved into our apartment in Avignon. Tricia has posted many times about Avignon, here is my post from our first week there – it is hard to believe all that has changed. It was a good week here in The Pearl and beyond. Though I have been an Urban…

This week in The Pearl – July 25,2025


This has been a busy week, such a good week. Last Friday I met up with friend Tim to chat and play a little music. Then that evening we drove to Newberg to have dinner with Alexis and Joe. They took us a to a place that we had never been. It had been a…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip – July 22, 2025


Deconstructing and rearranging are a creative cooks best tricks. We watch a lot of food shows. (BTW if you have not seen the “Chef’s Table” series on Netflix you are missing out on one of the most beautifully done shows ever, so check it out.) Top chefs are masters at deconstructing and rearranging. Thankfully we…

This week in The Pearl – July 11, 2025


Thank you in advance for indulging me a bit of reminiscing. Just a year ago this week we were in the final throws of leaving La Thebauderie in Normandie. I am one of those people who tends to let events pass with little residue, yet if you have followed this blog you know that is…