This week “not” in The Pearl – June 12, 2026


WordPress tells me that I first started blogging eighteen years ago today, wow. I went through a few periods of infrequent activity, but have enjoyed putting my adventures up here; thanks to those who are with me today, and to those who have moved on to other places. Last Friday we left Aix-en-Provence on a…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday – June 9, 2026


“I may paint the Eiffel Tower as an icon of Paris, but the soul of Paris is found in a tiny cafe with a glass of wine.” theTravelsketcher This voyage has clarified and solidified my thinking about travel. The cafe in the photo is in the 17th of Paris, it epitomizes what is important about…

This week “not” in The Pearl – Kotor and Aix


Friday was our last full day in Kotor, as much as we liked Kotor, we were ready to get back to France. We just hung around the city. I started the morning with coffee and a sketch, back at the same square. This is another of the views, from a different cafe this time. The…

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…