turquoise escape

Although these few days went fast...every second was savored and appreciated. 

Feeling so grateful for this get-away.

design in seattle

Interior designer's get-away to Seattle!  

Lots of walking and talking, site-seeing and Starbucks coffee breaks. 
Postcard views from the top of the Space Needle at sunset:

At the base of the Space Needle sits Chihuly Garden and Glass, an incredible display of the work of world-renowned glass artist (and Tacoma native) Dale Chihuly. AMAZING.

A couple of strolls through the iconic Pike Place Market to watch the fish throwing, and an abundance of food and flower displays.

A day trip with friends to Woodland and Duvall for the wineries and a farm-to-table culinary dinner.  

Such a great trip. Cheers to friendship and travel.

travel

Back from a long weekend at the North Shore. Hiking, campfires on the beach, excellent food, and adventure.
Refreshed, full of energy and ready for a busy work week!

(Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors, MN)

(Temperance River State Park, Schroeder, MN)

ahhhh vacation

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
-Chinese proverb

north shore

The scenery of Minnesota's north shore is breath-taking. A weekend of relaxing, hiking, great food, and a ride on the new alpine coaster was just what I needed!
The timing was perfect. I took a break from two commissioned paintings of birch trees and didn't realize I would spend the weekend surrounded by thousands of birch! I snapped a few photos and am now ready to finish the birch tree paintings!

beauty

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

rooftop jungle

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to check out a rooftop exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY. An evolving structure made of bamboo:

http://www.metmuseum.org/

"Big Bambú is a growing and changing sculpture―a vast network of 5,000 interlocking 30- and 40-foot-long fresh-cut bamboo poles, lashed together with 50 miles of nylon rope. It will continue to be constructed throughout the duration of the exhibition. The first phase of the structure―measuring about 100 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 30 feet high―was completed by opening day, April 27. The artists and rock climbers are continuing to build up the eastern portion of the sculpture to an elevation of 50 feet. An internal footpath artery system grows along with the structure, facilitating its progress."

south beach

Cheers to a fabulous girls' trip to Miami!

fresh air

After two weeks of being inside due to windchills, we took in some warm fresh Arizona air. My son's first trip on an airplane! I didn't take one moment forgranted on this special trip with family.

high line

I had an amazing weekend in New York. I was in awe over the High Line, a suspended park in Manhattan's West side. Built on an old railroad line, landscape architects created a gorgeous urban park above the city. Check out the website: www.thehighline.org

On a side note, the architecture made me think of a friend who is an architect in NY. About five minutes after I finished talking about him and wondering where he lives and works these days...we ran into him! What are the chances of that happening in a city of millions and millions of people?!

journey

"I wish you a very good journey to an unknown you've never seen."


-Pieter V. Admiraal

(I took this photo on the grounds of dalkeith castle)

inspired by scotland

I created a series of etchings from my sketches and photographs while in Scotland.

This extraordinary tree captured my attention on the grounds of the Dalkeith Castle. It has seen many years...oh, if trees could talk!

And the "hairy coos" are so strange and amusing!

shades of sienna

After a recent trip to Sedona, I feel refreshed and inspired!
The weather was perfect for hiking and eating great meals outside every day. I always felt incredibly calm and relaxed (even after two double lattes)! They call this the “vortex” experience.
What an amazing trip! I love that I was surrounded by a thousand different shades of sienna, my favorite color, which is also the base for every painting that I create.

.