Land's End @ Sunrise

up before the birds; early mornings do have their advantages. 

we live in a beautiful corner of the world.

Torino, finally.

Ok a few more Torino pictures.... Best part about this city - boundless things to do, well and the best gelato in Italy. My husband who was doing most of the planning for our EuroTour knew little about Torino other than the Olympics and FIAT. I've always had a great interest in the city with a friend having spent many a summer there and showing me so many pictures. But we left most of the time there up to chance. We booked a little place 2 blocks from the city center and main train terminal. From there within 5 minutes we were strolling the  Via Roma and straight through the heart of the city. We even chanced upon the 150 year anniversary of the unification of Italy, and so there were Italian flags flying proudly from nearly every window. So awesome. I gotta find more pics...... bottom line: Italy is more than just seeing Rome & Tuscany! Go to Torino. If nothing else, go for the gelato (but not the pizza, because that sucked) but the gelato made up for it! Travel is always best with an open mind, flexible schedule & a hungry appetite!

Auto museum had just opened up like 2 weeks prior and were first in, other than 100 school kids from day camp during spring break. Seriously a must see. So cool - design, cars, art, history, and a 'ride' in a FIAT500! Concept cars were amazing as was the salute to F1 racing.

... and how rock n roll are the bathrooms. floor, ceiling, stalls, citrus dreams.

And these banners & flags were EVERYWHERE - don't mess with Italian pride!

Superga on the hill {Torino, IT}

Trust me, these 3 snapshots of Basilica di Superga do NOT in any way do it justice, especially taken merely with my phone since my battery had seen better days at this point (way too much to see in Torino!) So impressive - do check it out http://www.basilicadisuperga.com/ 

More Torino next...

europa beginnings

As I sort through the thousands of images from our impromptu Europe trip this Spring (a complete counter-clockwise lap of the Alps), I am confronted yet again with the same conundrum I had the week we returned. Somehow I had forgotten how many pictures there were to sort through! My laptop battery finally limped into the abyss so while waiting for replacement I put the project on the back burner. Now %BOOM!% just remembered how hard it is to edit photographs! To pick and choose... the hoarder's ultimate worst nightmare. Here are some UNEDITED early findings amidst the data overload... from wanderings though the quiet French countryside (day 2 of 16 is as far as I've opened so far). They aren't the crown jewels of the lot, but rather slices of moments that hold memories. Next up will be Switzerland and Italy.

aflight, switzerland

 

almost home to 2018 olympics, annecy, france

windows in a sleepy town, haute savoie, france

 5 moomers in a town of 1600 inhabitants, frangy, france

les vignes de féchy winery, cruseilles, france

lunch time in thorens-glières, france

No Jokey Yo - In Tokyo

From a big buddhas to a little baby (Julian), had an amazing time in Tokyo, Kyoto & Kamakura. So much to see / eat / smell / drink / hear / taste / feel / do hold be. It's nearly impossible to not be transported into the art vortex of Japan. I know so much inspiration for my own artwork as well as daily life will come of this trip - right place, right time.

Exploring the Island

On possibly the last day of full sunshine, we hit up the west coast of Vancouver Island at the tip of the Juan de Fuca Trail. Here's a few images to set the mood...

Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew, BC | 2010