This week in The Pearl – November 21, 2025


A sure sign of the seasons is that the crows are returning, I have seen them flying by the window just after sunset. During spring and summer we only see the occasional crow in our part of The Pearl. Then in the winter, the tree right outside our window becomes a communal roost for the…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday – October 28, 2025


What is one of the first things you focus on when you look at a piece of art or a photo you have done? Frequently we find the “mistake,” – what I did wrong. We even tend to do it when we look at someone’s post we see in a blog or on IG. This…

This week in The Pearl – October 24, 2025


It has been quite a week, certainly not dull. It started with a full and eclectic Saturday. Saturday morning I joined the Urban Sketchers of Portland at Directors Park in downtown Portland. Contrary to what you might hear on the news, Portland is not burning down. It was a beautiful sunny morning, the bright autumn…

This week in The Pearl – Central Oregon II


Last week we continued exploring the John Day Fossil Beds. These fossil beds have had a place in my memory since I was a child. I read and re-read The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek by Evelyn Sibly Lampman when I was still in grade school. It was a story about a couple of children…

This week in The Pearl – and central Oregon


Started the week by doing a digital painting that has been on my mind. Long time followers of this blog will recall the many candid photographs I took while living in France, I don’t find as many here, but I took this one from our fourth floor window – I had to use Tricia’s camera…