Settling into the Pearl


We are settling into our apartment in the Pearl quite nicely and the sense I had early on of a bit of a Parisian feel has only grown. We can walk to most anything we need, we already discovered The Fields Bar & Grill which has a casual neighborhood feel – not the same as…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip


A pencil is good for more than just laying out a sketch, with ink it works well for shade. I use a Blackwing and a 5mm 4B in a lead holder.

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip


Don’t apologize or use disclaimers (excuses). “I just did a quick sketch.” This is a phrase I see quite often in posts, but I know that what tempts me to use that phrase is the sense that what I sketched is not very good and I hope I will be forgiven for it not being…

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…

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…