St John's Bridge, Portland Oregon

Portland is known as Bridge City because we have so many. The most beautiful in my opinion is the St John's Bridge in NoPo (North Portland for you non-locals). This long sketchbook is a new experiment in drawing iconic places in Oregon up close. After painting 20 quick landscapes in my memories journal, this one will have more detailed sketches. I am trying to use fewer colors but still capture the image I have of the landmark. It's definitely a new learning curve, and has got me thinking it may be time to take a formal watercolor class next year. 

Skogafjall knitted sweater

Time to take a break from painting. Now that it's cold, I have been knitting and crocheting a lot. On my Iceland vacation, I had the chance to stop at the Alafoss store in Mosfellsbaer to buy a lot of yarn for a good price. I had no idea what I wanted, so I took my time in indulging in the largest selection of Icelandic yarn I have probably will ever see in my life. 

I chose this magenta color because I rarely wear anything of this hue, plus I din't have any pattern in my mind to knit with it. Finally, this past summer I chose Skogafjall because it calls for Lett Lopi yarn. This sweater is typically knitted with greens, and of course the colors I purchased were nothing close. That's okay, the sky can be pink and the trees dark when there are Auroras right?

Memories Journal #20-Best day of my life!

I will never forget March 27th, 2017. After a sleepless seven hour flight from Seattle to Reykjavik Iceland, I was about to begin my dream vacation I had for the past 27 years. Those who know me, know I have been intrigued by the beauty, culture, and forward thinking of Iceland. As a book crazy teenager that worked in the city library in 1989, I spent a lot of time researching this tiny country, along with The Netherlands and New Zealand. Iceland had the first female president, Iceland wasn't as cold as one would think, Iceland had Bjork!! The remoteness yet fierce independent mindset really grabbed my heart, and I told my 17 year old self someday I will get there.

March 27th, 2017 was the first day I woke up in this tiny magnificent country. I had planned this vacation with my oldest daughter for the past 9 months, and although I tried not to have an itinerary, I couldn't help but plan how I would cram all the sights I wanted to see in just six short days. Google Earth is one of my most visited websites, so I had ample opportunity to explore the areas I would visit. Number one on my list was South Iceland. 

Normally, March in Iceland is dreary and cold, but for whatever reason, we were blessed with clear and sunny skies. I couldn't help but think this was a gift from Odin and Frigg. The first stop was Seljalandsfoss (yes, that took me awhile to learn how to spell without looking it up!), and this beautiful waterfall can be seen for literally miles it is so tall. My wet cheeks hurt after spending about an hour here.

We also stopped at Skogafoss, a very wide and powerful waterfall not to be missed! I have the full daily blog here.

Our last stop in South Iceland was in a tiny town called Vik. It is a bit touristy because it is so quaint, and the little red and white church is iconic of this town which sits at the base of a few volcanoes. Black sand beaches, waterfalls, sunshine and smiles-can you get any better than that?

Memories Journal #19

Our family reunion in 2014 was such a good one, we decided to repeat it but with even more family. In August 2015, I rented a vacation home in Sunriver Oregon. This is a resort town that is popular for skiing in the winter, along with fishing, hiking and golf in warmer months. This time, we had more family come, plus my new Icelandic Sheepdog puppy Kaela who was just a few months old. There were a total of 11 people and 4 dogs! 

What I love about Sunriver is the serenity of the river and surroundings. Pathways follow the community so it is easy to just wander for hours.

Memories Journal #18

There is a little town on the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula so quaint called Port Townsend. In 2014, my father came for a visit from North Carolina to spend time with my brother. I drove myself and my three children up to PT for an extra long weekend to have a mini family reunion. It was early spring and the winds were brisk. 2014 was a memorable year for our family because my 14 year old son had just moved in with us permanently. We spent our family time eating pizza, walking around town, strolling pebble beaches, and it was the first time in my life I saw a bald eagle. 

Memories Journal #17

Continuing on westward home from our 2012 cross country trip, we stopped in Wyoming. Our destination was Devil's Tower, but we were running low on funds and decided not to spend the cash on entering the park. Instead, we admired from afar while eating cold ice cream just outside of the pay booth. 

Probably the biggest regret I have on this trip is continuing on I-90 instead of detouring east to drive through Yellowstone. I had this vision that Montana was going to be more beautiful than Western Wyoming, but I was greatly disappointed until we reached the very northwest tip of Montana. Hopefully this journal will include a memory of Yellowstone and the Tetons in the future. 

Memories Journal #16

We drove home on a northern route when we left Reading. Driving through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois wasn't memorable, other than I appreciated the toll highways to move along quickly. Once we made our way into Wisconsin however, my attention was perked up. Grateful that we were traveling during summer and not a bitter winter, the flat farmlands were quite beautiful to me. 

Once we made our way into South Dakota, I was pleasantly surpised at how magnificent the summer prairies were. Yellow was everywhere, and it was unlike anything I had ever seen. Yes, flatter than I am used to, but the whole point of this trip was to see landscapes I had never experienced. 

We planned to stop in Wall SD because of the hype of the drug store. We toured that 'mall', and it was cute, but I couldn't really find the drug store but it's there. Our daughter had her photograph taken on the famous Jackalope, and my husband ate buffalo that night for dinner.

We ventured into the Badlands earlier that day, and again was surprised by a beauty I had no idea existed. The rock formations, colors and sunshine was a very happy place to be. An unforgettable area, I always tell others how surprised they will be with the beauty of this region.