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…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip – July 8, 2025


Approach painting like a chef preparing une création du chef, approach cooking as un artiste. “All is mysterious, magical, spellbinding, that which is accomplished between the moment of placing a pan or cooking pot and its contents over the fire, and that sweet moment, full of anxiety and sensuous hope, when you uncover, on the…

This week in The Pearl – June 27, 2025


Food and eating was a frequent part of this week. Lunch is our main meal of the day, it was that way before we went to France and has continued to this day. That was convenient while in Europe since folks there have a tendency to eat late, some places do not even open until…

This Week in The Pearl – June 20, 2025


Today is Summer Solstice. Sunrise this morning was at 0521, where it has been for the last 10 days. Sunset will be at 2103, the latest of the year. That makes the day 15 hours and 42 minutes from sunrise to sunset here in Portland, Oregon. Soon the days will begin to shorten by a…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip – June 17, 2025


“Try not! Do!” Yoda Yesterday, I thought oil painting would be a good idea, but setting up and cleaning seemed like a lot of work. Thankfully Tricia gave me a bit of encouragement and I got my stuff out and started. Once into the motions I enjoyed doing a small painting from our trip to…