Packing Cube: Peace of Mind

Last July I blogged about my favorite travel item of all time, the Lewis N. Clark Pressure Reducing Ear Plugs. They work continually to reduce the pressure in my ears as the plane's altitude changes. I won't fly without them.

After coming across my blog post online, the company reached out to me and asked if I would like to try some of their other products. I selected a few that looked great and I will tell you about my experience using them.

The funny thing is that I have had an incredibly stressful year and I didn't use the products as I expect to, but I loved them just the same. I thought I was on-the-go a lot before, but my old schedule doesn't hold a candle to this last year. 

From April to December 2016, I flew to southeastern Michigan to sell 2 houses (my house and my mom's), pack-donate-store-ship the contents of 2 houses and make decisions on the new house we were building in Seattle. During those same months, my mom needed surgery twice and I found myself with stress fractures in my hips from the constant moving. 

By the last week in September, I was living in a Marriott for 3 days with my husband and my mother as we closed on our houses and waited for the car transport service to pick up our cars. The hotel rooms were brimming with clothes, dry cleaner bags and precious items we wanted to fly with us.  

I had cuttings of my beloved roses wrapped in wet newspaper lined up in mailing boxes on the hotel dresser. I had notes, paperwork, keys and stuff. By the time we were finished, there were 11 suitcases and 3 carry on. (yes, we did just send a truck out West and no, I don't know how this much stuff still remained!).

The night before we left, my mom came to me in the hotel room with a stack of her favorite sweaters. She hadn't packed them back at the house because she didn't want them to get crushed. 

I pulled out the magic Electrolight Expandable Packing Cube and handed it to her. It is a rectangle of whisper light fabric, rimmed with zippers that expand to allow the cube to accommodate even more. This travel cube is part mesh for breath-ability and smooth so there is no risk of snagging. My mom slide her sweaters into my neon yellow packing solution, zipped it shut and said, "that's perfect!" and handed it back to me. I found a place for it in the last bag and we were packed.

Do I love the idea of having a separate clean expandable pouch to pack my clothes in when I fly to Houston or take a road trip to Vancouver? Yes! Am I even happier when my mom can relax and have her concerns taken care of? Absolutely. 

Thank you, Lewis N. Clark, you did it again. 

It's Mostly Honey: A Journey Through the Airport TSA

A day in the life of our move: 

When Dan was home, I gave him a postal priority box packed tight with treasures marked "suitcase." I told him, "It's mostly honey." 

He forgot and put it in his carry on. He called later to say he's now known at TSA as the honey whisperer. They couldn't believe that the box was full of jar after jar of honey (from Paris' La Maison du Miel and the Paris Opera House, from the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria B.C. and from Beekman 1802). 

When they got to the beautiful jar of lavender buds mixed in white sugar, they relented and told him he could check it. Do you remember my Honey Bar? 
Sometimes it's hard to move delight.

#TSA #moving

Travel Essentials: Pressure Reducing Earplugs

I will not fly without a pair of Lewis and Clark Pressure Reducing Earplugs. How's that for a testimonial?

I absolutely love these earplugs because they somehow flex and change and help my ears cope with the pressure in the plane during altitude changes. I used to get ear aches, pain, air sickness and now I don't. 

As I fly, I can actually hear squishing and sucking as these earplugs help my ears cope with the pressure. The occasional sounds let me know that they are working and they are completely comfortable to wear.

I fly cross country (SEA, DTW, PBI, IAH) all the time and these earplugs are part of my travel essentials. This may seem like an unusual post, but if I can improve your travel experience it is indeed delight. 

Portland: Rose Test Garden is a Must See in Summer

I found delight in Portland. I visited the International Rose Test Garden. I know, why haven't I been there before? Clearly I had no idea what I was missing.
I had only been in the garden for a minute when I lost my cool and started taking selfies with the rose bushes taller than me. 

A beauty - full and fragrant!

I recommend that you follow this link and watch a segment about the 
International Test Garden that was broadcast on the PBS television show Oregon Field Guide. The video films the 10,000 rose garden at peak bloom in 2014. The segment interviews Harry Landers, the man in charge of this living masterpiece.

Can you see the happy bee in the photograph above? Buzz buzz...I know that I should have noted which rose I was photographing, but frankly I was having too much fun to be practical. 

 

These photos were taken on July 3, 2016 and the garden was in full bloom. I haven't seen anything like it since I was at David Austin Rose headquarters in England.

I kept coming back to this regal beauty called Frances Meilland. The soft pink center fades to a candlelight white.

This rose garden has many levels and sections. You can't get through it quickly, nor would you want to. Set aside a good hour to wander and enjoy. This time well spent.

Blank Walls and Big Opportunities

Where have I been and what's going on? I have been distracted with finding and then setting up an apartment in Seattle.  Last year, many of my blog posts came to you from our darling room at a Residence Inn in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Whenever I was in town, I baked desserts in my convection toaster oven and had a wonderful time trying new restaurants and writing about shops, sweets and treats I discovered.

This year we decided to put hotels behind us and set up a pied a terre - a small living unit in a city that is close to work. It has been incredibly fun having a blank canvas to decorate and I know that I won't be able to resist sharing some of my decorating successes.  Projects, artwork, design ideas...even apartment gardening. I find inspiration everywhere I turn when I am in the Pacific Northwest. And I've been having the most interesting conversations.

Are you looking forward to seeing what I come up with in this new environment? I am!

Tiny Oven, Big Flavor: Salmon with Apricot Mustard Glaze

The key word that was missing was oven.  This year, I was planning on living in Seattle with my husband for the months of April and June, and the Residence Inn we would be staying at sounded perfect: it was clean and comfortable, was in a great location and we'd have a nice room with a kitchen (full refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and a 2-burner cooktop).  Bueller? Bueller?  No one said anything about an oven.  As an enthusiastic home baker, a kitchen without an oven was something I had a hard time imagining.

It was around the planning stages for this trip that a friend got married and I was looking at her registry online.  Hmmm...she wanted a toaster oven. Would a toaster oven do me any good in Seattle? I knew it was used for more than toast, but I wasn't sure for what.

I'd never had even the most basic toaster oven, so when I began researching them online I was surprised to see the features that were possible and the praise they could inspire.  Convection cooking?  Meat Probes? When I saw that this Hamilton Beach "Set and Forget" Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking was $99 and would ship free with Amazon Prime, I couldn't resist. I looked up the address for the hotel and had it sent there, along with a set of toaster oven-size pans. Ha! 

No oven my foot.

And I love it! I call it my Easy Bake Oven in jest, but it works like a dream. In honor of being in the Pacific Northwest, the first thing I cooked in it was:

Broiled Salmon with Apricot Mustard Glaze 

Place salmon skin side down on cookie sheet.  Broil under high heat until fish is partially cooked, then spoon a apricot mustard sauce (1/3 dijon mustard to 2/3 apricot preserves) over the fish and return to broiler. Sauce with warm and bubble, browning slightly. Remove from heat when salmon is cooked to your preference. Serve with boiled new potatoes or sticky rice.

A Port in a Storm: New Found Friends and a Kindred Spirit

I haven't blogged in a few days because I have been thinking about how to explain something that happened to me last week.  There are some scenarios you think will never happen. 

Last Sunday afternoon, I found myself driving alone on I-75 North when severe weather hit. The dark sky and hail were ominous enough, but when the national weather service commandeered my phone and started barking: “Tornado Warning in your area. Take cover!” over and over I got scared.

I drove a mile in limited visibility before I made it to an exit. There were 2 churches at the intersection, but their parking lots were deserted. I saw a house with a light on in the family room and I pulled into the driveway. I moved carefully across the driveway through hail and rain and started ringing the doorbell when I reached the porch. No answer. I tried the door, opened it and walked into this stranger’s house calling out, “I’m taking cover! Yoo hoo, I’m taking cover!”

When a man came around the corner, I said, “I was on I-75 when my phone went berserk about a tornado and taking cover!” He responded, “Mine too! Come on, we’re all in the basement.”

I spent the next 2 hours (while several storm cells passed overhead) taking cover with a darling family. A pastor, his wife and their 3 children (a baby, 2 yrs and 11 yrs) gave me snacks, told me stories and watched the radar with me. As we distracted each other, we found that the mother and I have a lot in common - would you believe she quilts?

I still can’t believe the circumstances that led me to their door and gave me the courage to walk inside. I’ve been texting with her and she said that she’s glad the wind blew me their way. I am forever indebted to this family in Kawkawlin, Michigan and I've promised to come back and visit this summer (on purpose!) on one of my trips to the cottage.  

We joked that we'll start sending Christmas cards to each other this year and that 15 years from now, someone would pick up my card on their mantel and say, "Wait...who is this?" 

Threatening weather brought me to their door and neither of us knew that I would made new friends and find a kindred spirit.   

Maker Spaces: My Patchwork Quilt Takes Shape in Seattle

I had so much fun Sewing in Seattle.  I like to make things (sew, bake, knit, buy, try) and when I knew that I would be spending a month in a hotel in Seattle, I wondered how I would adjust to having no sewing machine, serger or any of my crafting tools.  I could pack my knitting needles, but how many scarves can a girl wear? (Read my post about why I only knit scarves.)

When I had been on location about 2 weeks, I bought some beautiful stretch knit fabric and started hand-sewing it into a scarf one morning while I had coffee in the hotel lobby/dining room. 

My husband saw me making little to no progress over the course of breakfast and said, "This is ridiculous. There has to be a place where you can borrow a sewing machine."  He started Googling on his phone and sure enough, he found several places for me to contact.  Maker Spaces. Have you heard of them?

A maker space a workshop-style location filled with the machines and supplies needed for specialized creating.  In this case, I needed a maker space for sewing. I paid $10/hr to use the iron, measuring grids, rotary cutters and sewing machines.

I haven't found the perfect sewing maker space for me just yet, but I did visit a couple and was able to start making myself what I call a Reading Quilt (you can see the beginnings of it above). 

I wanted something that was: beautiful, portable, cozy and offered warmth when relaxing.  My favorite thing about a large patch quilt is that the fabrics have a chance to speak for themselves.  It isn't the tiny pieces and intricate stitches that capture your interest, it's the colors and patterns. I bought these gorgeous fabrics (from many different collections) at the Fabric Depot in Portland.  My quilt will be my souvenir from Portland, one that will last a lifetime.

As I worked on my quilt, I talked about it, and one of my new friends stepped in and loaned me her sewing machine! Can you believe it? The nicest thing a girl can do is lend her sewing machine to a friend who wants to sew. I designed this quilt to be patchwork on both sides and I will insert a blanket-style batting and finish it when I am back in Michigan.

When I return to Seattle this fall, I'll explore some other maker spaces I found. I want to take some basic sewing classes for fun and camaraderie, as well as create something unique at a high skill maker space.

I found one called Metrix Create that offers 3-D printing, heavy duty sewing machines (sturdy enough for leather and vinyl projects), large-scale knitting machines, lamination and grommeting tools, plus so much more. If you don't have the skills required to operate the machines, you can pay skilled labor by the hour to create your design. I was given a tour and it was so exciting. I have been trying to think of the perfect project to undertake. My mind whirls when I am in such a creative space. This was meant to be!

Scarf Management: A Super Simple Way to Pack Scarves

I have a serger and I love to buy silky fabric at the fabric store, serge the edges and have a new beautiful scarf to scrunch around my neck.  That said, I sometimes (sometimes? always) get carried away when I am "making" and I end up with a huge collection of scarves, all of which I want to bring with me on my trips. 

So "Scarf Management" has been on my mind. I was struck with this simple and effective packing system for scarves when I was getting ready for this last my trip to Seattle.  I was in my office and I came across this pale pink multi-pocket file folder (intended for papers) and thought: scarves!

It worked like a charm.  I folded each scarf into a medium size square and slide each right into the pocket.  No snagging, no becoming unfolded, no problem!

The next time you are packing for a trip, look on your desk to master scarf management!

Ferry: Port Angeles to Victoria, British Columbia

My first big car ferry trip and it was a gorgeous morning.  The sun was out; the water looked calm and I felt certain that the 90 minute crossing to Victoria, British Columbia would be easy and photogenic.  

I have a long history of motion sickness in cars, planes, boats, rafts.  These photographs on the dock were all that I took to commemorate the trip from Port Angeles to Victoria, British Columbia.  A ride that I will never go on again.

We learned later that the route we chose was the only one considered to be in "open water" and that the ferry was "smaller than the others" and therefore more likely to pitch and sway.  Terrific. I felt unwell and I wanted to get off the boat.  No such luck, I clung to the metal railing in the wind and the cold for an hour.

Yes, this blog promises a moment of delight (I did love my time in Victoria once I got there - more tomorrow) but it is also about everyday moments (like this City Series) and I want you to learn from my experience.

When the water finally calmed down near the harbor (above), I joked that they should come out and welcome their new citizen because I wasn't going to be able to get back to America.  We had made a new friend at the hotel breakfast that morning (he is a native of Vancouver Island and has lived there for 60 plus years) and he said I could get home another way if I took a larger ferry "through the islands" up to Vancouver.  Done.

My caveat is that everyone else on the boat was fine.  Reading books, eating, talking.  I was the only one incapacitated.  If you are sea-worthy, the Port Angeles to Victoria ferry should be fine.  But if you "don't like moving," consider another route.  You're welcome.

Little Patchwork Gardens

My mom had the cute idea to plant a collection of dianthus in different shades and patterns in a section of her garden.  It's a little bit blurred now from growth, but can you see how the variety of colors and patterns look like a quilt? 
She wants you to know that it is not finished; her plan is to expand it around the edges with more plants.  So cute!

I've thought about doing the same thing with herbs.  I normally plant mine in a strawberry pot, but would love to plant an area with stripes and squares of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  The height and color variations would make a lovely pattern.

I think it is important to always be on the lookout for opportunities that delight.  I read about the Amish Quilt Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana and I'm hoping to photograph them sometime when I drive over to see my friend, Barb.  (Are you listening Barb? Put on your thinking cap!)

Have you heard about gardens designed to look like quilt blocks?  There are gardens planted in quilt patterns all over Elkhart and they are open to the public to tour and photograph for free from June - October.  I think it is a delightful way to have fun with annuals, don't you?

Purse Protectors

As someone that makes cigar box purses, I naturally carry and travel with cigar box purses.  I have always managed to cushion them well enough between clothes in the suitcase, but it never felt right.  

So I took a day out of my schedule to take the time to make the things I need.  I decided on a simple open sleeve with padding and I made four pouches of varying shapes.  

I ironed fusible fleece to the wrong side of this fabulous flannel fabric printed with mixed drinks.  I couldn't resist the tongue-in-cheek idea of cigars and drinks paired together.  Yes, I amuse myself all the time with things like this.

The inside of the pouches is also lined with the drink fabric and on a few of the sleeves I sandwiched bubble wrap in between the fabric.  Genius, right?  These pouches provide all the protection I could ask for and they are super cute to boot.  The best part is that they work just as well protecting my purses in the closet at home.

Gate A43 is now boarding!

Las Vegas: Cityscape

I promised one of my readers in Denmark that I would take a lot of photos of Las Vegas to give her some perspective on the city.  Tah-dah! 

A little like Times Square in New York City, the Vegas Strip has gotten a lot of new texture lately.  I notice jumbo trons (giant TV screens) playing video of popular Vegas shows to increase ticket sales everywhere and giant "ad wraps" on buildings (see Gordan Ramsay's face on the column below the Planet Hollywood sign) are promoting restaurant openings and special events.  

Plus the city practically has a soundtrack, now.  Popular music is piped onto the street, into the moving walkways areas, outside by the taxi stands.  There are speakers everywhere.  Las Vegas is no place for a headache.  But it is fun and lively and the lights, music and action certainly makes 4 o'clock in the afternoon  seem just as fun as 1 o'clock in the morning.  But then, that's Las Vegas.

And in the daylight, you can see these glorious mountains in the distance.

City Series, Williamsburg: Governor's Palace

Behold the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg.  I have always wanted to visit historic Williamsburg and this year I finally had my chance.  We were invited to visit our friends, Kerry and Paul, in Richmond, Virginia.  Knowing me so well, Kerry built a day trip to Williamsburg into our weekend together.  Yea!

I've been drawn to the design/style/mood of Williamsburg for years and can't remember a time I didn't pour over the Williamsburg Marketplace catalog admiring all of the formal decorating pieces, brass trivets and fresh fruit decorations (You can download fruit cone instructions here).

My house is brick and a few years ago I even bought an over-the-door ornament that is a large half circle of wood that comes studded with nails.  When the mood strikes, I have a Colonial-inspired Christmas and cover the base with a fresh pineapple surrounded by apples and lemons hanging over my front door.  It looks beautiful, but I must admit that sometimes my guests get drops of juice in their hair as they cross the thresh hold.  How did they prevent that in Colonial times?   Even so, I love it and I decorate the arch over the front door that way every few years.

 

We decided to wait in line to see the Governor's Palace and had a wonderful experience taking a 30 minute group tour.  A costumed docent narrated the life and times of the house and really brought "an afternoon at the palace" to life.  You can read all about the palace in a wonderful spotlight here.  Afterward we wandered the garden, admiring the sculpted hedges and marvelous "living" pergola constructed over a path from a double row of trees.  I wish I could identify the tree from the leaf! Can you?

The front entry hall is loaded with weapons as show of military strength.  

A dreamy white bed in the Governor's Palace.

Painting Lake Lucerne

One of my favorite memories from a trip I took with my parents to Switzerland a few years ago, was painting with my mom on the edge of Lake Luzerne.  We brought my travel paint set and some watercolor postcards along on our trip and found a quiet afternoon to sit at a table drinking tea and painting.  It was relaxing and so much fun.  A view like this needs to be savoured and painting is the perfect activity to slow you down and help you to really "see."

We were staying at the Hotel Central Am See and since it was a cool day, we had the patio all to ourselves.  I painted this view above, and my mom painted the scenery from her perspective. 

Not only do I recommend painting a "postcard" while you are on a trip, but be sure to photograph your painting alongside your inspiration.  It will help cement the memory and can "put you right back there" any time you want.

My task for this week?  Track down my little painting and frame it.  Art is meant to be displayed!

Tools of the Trade

As another Easter vacation draws to a close, my husband and I went to the post office today to mail home a box of things that won't fit in my suitcase.  When the postmistress got to the questions about the contents of the box ("Does it contain anything liquid, hazardous, perishable..."), I answered no and told her it was just clothes and odd things.

Then I started naming the contents of the box to my husband because it was so funny.  "Lamb-shaped cake pans, electric hand mixer, edible luster dust, knitting needles, beads, duct tape, self-healing mat...you know, my Tools of the Trade."  Isn't that funny?  I wonder how many other girls brought crafts and baking supplies with them on their vacation.

I am heading home and I will be there for a nice long stretch.  I am looking forward to working in my garden, trying new recipes and making custom touches for my home.  There is a lot of Delight on the horizon.

Honolulu: Hiking

Are you up for a hike? I wasn't when I realized that this famous "Koko Crater Trail" has 1,048 steps to the top! But I can show you what's possible on this gorgeous island; feel free to send me pictures from the top.

Apparently the railroad tie trail is the remains of a funicular track that carried men and supplies up to a radar facility on top of the crater during World War II. The view is said to be spectacular and is a fun milestone activity for those who like a physical challenge on their vacation.

Aloha from Honolulu!

Pinch me! I am visiting friends in Honolulu and THIS is the view when we are out enjoying the day and "running errands". Can you believe it? I took this photo from a moving car and grabbed a little bit of paradise to show you on this first day.

Do you have any favorite places on Oahu? Please share them with me here. Mahalo, which is the Hawaiian word for thank you.

Music Case

Can you see what I have been up to?  I've made myself a custom iPod Nano case.  My Nano is light-years from the latest incarnation of music-on-the-go, but it serves me perfectly well.  It is full of the music I love and lets me escape into familiar rhythms and lyrics whenever my mind needs a rest.

My biggest problem with having a small Nano, was that I couldn't keep track of it easily.  When I was on an airplane and I wanted to listen to music, the device was hard to manage and often slipped off the tray table or my lap.  I decided the solution was to make a hanging case for it.

I used an office supply store retractable name badge holder and fashioned a narrow sleeve out of a plastic-coated map (to support my travel theme), lined it with felt (to cushion the Nano) and sewed it together.  I used a hole punch to make the opening for the name bag clasp.  By trimming the excess off with pinking shears, I had a pretty finished edge.  Voila!  The construction is so simple, there is no need for a pattern or tutorial.  Just layer the map and felt and sew - just use a sturdy needle (like one for jeans) to help ease through the layers. 

Now when I travel, I can clip the name badge holder to the "seat pocket in front of me" (or to a beach tote, car pocket, bicycle basket) and my Nano is safe and easily within reach.  When I pack up and move on, I just clip it to my pants pocket and I know exactly where my music is until I deplane and can get organized again.

I hope this simple (but super cute) craft inspires you to fashion your own mini music case. 

Sun Protection

I give you my latest find...sun block that is modern, cute AND offers great protection!  I was so happy to find Physician's Formula "Healthy Wear Powder Foundation" which boasts an SPF of 50!

This is the kind of thing I can keep in my purse and "dust" on myself, my parents or my nieces/nephews if we get in a pinch and are caught out in the sun.  The perfect spot at the 4th of July parade can stay perfect when the only obstacle is that someone forgot a hat.  "Here, put on a little of this powder."  Problem solved.

And I really like that because it is in powder form, anyone can benefit from it. No one is willing to smear sunblock cream on their face when they have make-up on.  But when it is a powder compact - a quick puff-puff on the face and we are good to go.

And talk about cute!  A cool orange case, full mirror and hot pink applicator makes it very 2011.  So before you head out of town this holiday weekend, swing by the drugstore and pick up a little portable sun protection.