Once again the Southern Man and I hit the road and took a week-long trip to the Olympic Peninsula - the far northwestern corner of Washington State. I didn’t realize how good it felt to get away until we were on the road…nothing but big green trees, wide open beaches and plenty of fog.

The thing I noticed immediately was the quiet…and a pace dictated by sunrise/sunset and the timing of the tides. It gave me an opportunity to take a breath, clear my mind of clutter and more closely observe the natural world around me.

The natural world has always been important to me - involved with the Girl Scouts as a young girl and spending time at camp, pursuing undergraduate study in Natural Resource Management, and constantly doing what I can to be environmentally conscious. This is a major impetus behind the recycling/upcycling efforts in my art - I want to make the best use of what others discard, throw away, or identify as useless and protect the environment in the process.

Spending a week immersed in nature strengthened my commitment to political candidates who share a similar view. This quote by Thoreau sums it up best…

And on the topic of recycling/upcycling…I’m purging more of my art supplies and vintage treasures! I’ll be a vendor at K.Marie Ephemera Market on Sunday, October 6th in Milwaukie, OR. It’s a fabulous day of ephemera madness and vintage goodness with a bevy of artisans from across the Pacific NW. Christine Stoll is coming along with me so there will be plenty of vintage goodies from her too. Get all the details HERE - including information on purchasing tickets.

As we change up the seasons, I hope you get a chance to spend some time outdoors, if only for an afternoon walk in the park…and appreciate the importance of nature in all of our lives.