Gift Ideas for Travelers

plane wing over SF Bay fog

I found some really neat gifts for the traveler in your life that I wanted to share with you. Spoiler alert, they’re all on Etsy!

Festive botanical Christmas gift wrap.
Botanical Christmas Wrapping Paper pack by Iris Merks.

While I am an affiliate and may earn commission from purchases, it’s really not about Etsy as much as the individual makers who use it as a platform to sell their creations.

 

Cactus shirt by Marcy Ellis (screenshot).

Etsy holiday shopping tips:

1. Shop the Sales

Continue reading “Gift Ideas for Travelers”

Holiday Happenings (Nov/Dec) 2024

trail at Red Rock State Park, Sedona

The Happenings List

These are my handpicked upcoming events for art, culture, food, and nature lovers with *Goodies starred throughout the List! I’ve also included some Etsy affiliate links, so you can support local makers and this site at the same time!

people looking at paintings in a museum
Artwork at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.

• Anywhere •

Being Human Festival: Ohhhh the Humanities!

November 7 – 16 online

Free 10-day festival that seeks to celebrate and engage the public with the humanities. Being Human believes that literature, history, classics, archaeology, art history, philosophy, languages, cultural studies, music, theatre, and theology help us understand what it means to be human and should belong to everyone. While most of the festival events take place in the UK, there are always several virtual and hybrid events on its program.

 

“The whole road is of one design…made by hand and breaking through mountain chains and hillsides…it is one of the greatest constructions that the world has ever seen.”

—Miguel de Estete, describing the Incan Road

andes mountains in peru
In the Andes, Peru

The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire

ongoing online 

Online exhibition exploring the history and culture of the Andean peoples that formed the Inkan/Incan Empire and the monumental road that would eventually unite their territories – and its status today.

  • National Museum of the American Indian online resources
  • Free
  • On Etsy: Indian Creations Corp – blankets made by indigenous artisans in the Andes

 

View-Master reel with slides that combine art and poetry.
“DeLand” by Teresa Carmody and Madison Creech on a View-Master reel. Via UA Poetry Center.

Book Objects: You Call That a Book?!

ongoing online

Items from the University of Arizona Poetry Center’s online collection that stretch the meaning of what a book can be!

  • Free

Continue reading “Holiday Happenings (Nov/Dec) 2024”

Pairings: Arizona Autumn + Fall Decor

I’ve paired nine shots of Arizona fall color with Etsy finds that match their autumn vibes! Each pair is a place to go along with fall-inspired decor and other fun stuff.

You can see more on Etsy’s Fall Decor Essentials guide or check out my personal picks.


 

Fall leaves at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Artificial stems with fall foliage in a glass jar vase
Six fall foliage stems from BoutiqueBarn in New Hampshire.

1. Fiery Orange Trees + Stems

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona

Every fall, this Chinese Pistache Tree at Boyce Thompson Arboretum turns brilliant shades of orange. You can see it from far away, as it stands out from the green leaves of trees surrounding it.

BTA is a great day trip from the Phoenix area! It’s just about 45 minutes from the East Valley via US 60.

Get it: Rustic Fall Branch

In similarly striking oranges and yellows, you could use these fall foliage stems as part of a flower arrangement or on their own, grouped together to make a standout seasonal centerpiece.

    • At 24 inches tall, they could really add some height to your Thanksgiving tablescape!
    • Sourced by BoutiqueBarn + shipping from New Hampshire.

 

Tree stump with small mushrooms growing on it.

shelves that look like mushrooms
Ceramic floating shelves made by LeilyCloud

2. Stump Mushrooms + Wall Mushrooms

Go: Summerhaven, Mount Lemmon near Tucson

I wasn’t planning on taking a photo of a tree stump while I was admiring the view from Mount Lemmon. Then I noticed teeny – almost cute – little mushrooms growing out of it, and those needed to be captured!
Continue reading “Pairings: Arizona Autumn + Fall Decor”

Field Notes: Drawing (on) Your Experience

aloe in bloom

Naturalist, artist, and author Roseann Hanson is an explorer. But her definition of the word doesn’t require you to have traveled extensively on 5 continents the way she has.

To her, being an explorer is more about how carefully you study something – whether it’s the Sahara Desert or a grain of sand – than how far you go. (Incidentally, I agree!)

Explorer Roseann Hanson sitting on the hood of a 4-wheel drive vehicle, taking notes in her journal.
Roseann Hanson (photo via her site, exploringoverland.com).

She gave a talk at the Natural History Institute in Prescott called “The Art of Exploration: How Field Sketching and Journaling Bridge Science, Conservation, and Well-being.”

I watched the livestream and found it riveting!

 

 journal page
Krkonoše Mountains drawing by archaeologist Jan Erazim Vocel, c. 1841. Photo via State Regional Archives in Prague + Wikimedia Commons.

Field Note History

In the days before you could just carry a camera with you, it was common practice for scientists and explorers to draw what they were observing out in the world.

Their field notes often included beautiful illustrations, along with handwritten descriptions.

 

Twyfelfontein rock art
Ancient rock art in Twyfelfontein. Photo by SqueakyMarmot / Mike, Vancouver, Canada – CC BY 2.0

Sketched in Stone

The impulse to make a visual record of what’s around us and what we’ve seen on our journeys goes all the way back to the Stone Age, to cave walls and sandstone boulders. Roseann Hanson sees these drawings as early field notes.
Continue reading “Field Notes: Drawing (on) Your Experience”