Championing the makers, artists, and wanderers in all of us.
Do you have a Leap Year tradition? If I have one, I can’t remember what it is.
It would be fun to have something you do every 4 years.
As it is, I’m just looking at it as an extra day. There’s usually not a February 29, so anything you actually accomplish is bonus, right?
Also, I’m pretty sure calories don’t count, which is good because my local Culver’s is offering 29-cent custard cones for the occasion. But maybe I should leap a few times just to make sure.
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If you’re still looking for gift inspiration, here are some ideas.
All of these items are things I actually own, use, and love:
1. Designhype Metro San Francisco Cuff – Yes, there’s an actual metro map on the bracelet! Mine is for San Francisco, but Designhype also makes these for Paris, NYC, and other cities.
2. Moleskine Journal – For travel journaling, lately I’ve been starting with a blank Moleskine, writing about the day, and using washi tape to attach ticket stubs (like the transit pass from our Re:Make trip) or folded programs or whatever I happen to collect. The cahiers 3.5″ x 5.5″ size comes in a 3-pack and is really convenient for carrying with you. I throw one in a quart-size ziploc with my ultra fine tip Sharpies and washi tape and take it along, in case I want to journal on the plane or while we sit at a cafe. Some brick-and-mortar options: I’ve seen these at Changing Hands Bookstore and Target, but you can find various sizes of Moleskine journals lots of places.
3. Sakura 18-Piece Koi Assorted Water Colors Field Sketch Set with Brush – Super portable watercolor set with a brush that holds water inside of it (so you don’t have to fiddle with a separate cup) and folds up. Since Jennifer Mack introduced this to me at Craft Camp, the link above is her Amazon affiliate link.
4. Bodum Travel Press Coffee Maker – Basically, it’s a shatterproof French press you can drink out of. This is especially great for camping, but you could also use it to upgrade from the hotel coffeemaker. I’ve had mine for awhile, so I didn’t see this exact design – I linked to one that’s similar. I just saw these at Cost Plus World Market.
5. GoToob Travel Bottle – Humangear travel bottles are made to keep from leaking, and mine has been fine when altitude changes have made a mess out of cheaper bottles. They have this neat little ring you can twist to designate the contents (sunscreen, soap, etc.), but they’re also food safe, in case you want to fill a small one with sri racha or a bigger one with pancake batter. I’ve spotted these at my local REI and Target. I think they may have been a little cheaper at Target, but REI had a much bigger selection.
6. REI Flash 18 Pack – Very comfortable day pack with a streamlined silhouette. It’s great to throw stuff in for a day at a convention or on a hike. In the photo, Phillip is wearing it while admiring the view from Mt. Lemmon. Since this is REI brand, they’re most likely only available in REI’s stores and site.
What travel gifts do you love to use or have on your wishlist?
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P.S. This DIY spice mix is also easy to make, and there are more ideas in our last-minute Christmas guide.
Not a sponsored post.
Every few years, my mom decides it’s time for a Thanksgiving picnic.
We’re kind of spoiled here in the Phoenix area by almost always having gorgeous weather on Thanksgiving Day. I guess we kind of pay for it with the crazy hot summers.
Anyway, ever since I was a kid, some years we have traditional Thanksgiving with a whole turkey and a dining room table, and other years we have turkey sandwiches at a desert picnic table.
This year, it was just my parents, Phillip, and I. We kept things super simple and picnicked at Usery Mountain Regional Park.
We still had the boisterous, house-full-of-people experience with Phillip’s side of the family the following Saturday.
But Thanksgiving Day was all blue skies and saguaros.
After picnicking, we took a short hike, chatting some and listening to the gravelly trail crunch under our feet, a cactus wren calling to us, and far off coyotes howling. The sun dipped low to backlight the landscape, putting glowing edges around fuzzy chollas and creosote bushes with their tiny, fragrant leaves, and making the evening seem magical.
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I have a present for you.
I’m going to give you the (up until now) secret holiday spice mix recipe I created myself. It was part of a set I made for family gifts one year and sold at a fundraiser another.
I looked at combinations of spices in some our favorite dishes and cuisines, found commonalities and experimented until I had the proportions just right for a delicious and versatile blend.
I’ve substituted it for pumpkin pie spice, including when I made pumpkin pie from scratch. It would be fabulous in spice cookies or sprinkled over a whipped-cream-topped dessert. You can use it to make chai or Mexican hot chocolate, or add a dash when you brew your morning coffee for pumpkin spice without all the sugar.
It even works with some savory dishes. Think Indian curries or Morrocan chicken with raisins.
Fill up a spice jar and tie with a ribbon or some baker’s twine, and give it as a hostess or holiday gift. There will be printable labels for this in an upcoming issue of our newsletter (before Christmas), so make sure you’re on the list!
Ingredients:
1.5 TBSP Ground Cardamom
6 TBSP Cinnamon
1.5 TBSP Ground Clove
3 TBSP Ground Ginger
Mix well and use as needed.
Makes approximately 3/4 cup (12 TBSP), about enough for 2 small spice jars. Give one and keep one. Or increase the recipe to make additional batches.
“Wait…that’s a real thing?!”
People from outside of Arizona have been surprised or skeptical when these 5 things have come up, but they’re all for real.
How many of these have you seen?
1. Tumbleweeds – Not just the stuff of western movie lore, they’re actually Russian thistle plants. When they’re alive, they’re green and grow like weeds. The dead, dry ones break off and roll around in the wind. It’s not like I have to stop my car for tumbleweeds rolling across the road every day. But it has happened.
Also, the city of Chandler builds a big tumbleweed tree for the holidays every year.
2. Gila monsters – They’re more fat lizards than monsters. Yes, they have a poisonous bite. However, that’s not a big concern, since they’re not particularly quick or aggressive or likely to chase you down (or meet you at the airport). In fact, it’s rare to even see one out and about.
We felt lucky when we spotted a Gila monster sauntering through the shadows at Boyce-Thompson Arboretum.
3. Desert monsoons – A friend from Taiwan laughed when I mentioned monsoons in Phoenix. While what we call “monsoon season” isn’t what you’d see in South Asia, it comes with bigger storms and more rainfall than we get other times of the year. Sonoran desert storms are dramatic – and beautiful – in their own way with downpours, thunder, lightning, wind, and dust storms (see #4).
4. Dust storms – If you saw Mad Max Fury Road, that’s not what a dust storm is like inside. Think fog made of sand, and you’ve got the picture. When it’s dry and very windy, blowing dust forms a cloud you can see approaching from miles away. sometimes an eerie orange color in the afternoon light.
5. Roadrunners – Although they look nothing like the Wile E. Coyote’s nemesis, they are an actual type of bird. That runs. Sometimes on roads.
So there you have it: the real story behind Arizona’s mythological-seeming creatures and phenomena, which are, in fact, the real deal.
Of course, the jury is still out on the Phoenix Lights.
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Photos:
1. Willcox, AZ
2. Tumbleweed Tree, Chandler, AZ
3. Gila monster. Photo by Blueag9. CCL.
4. Gila monster at Boyce-Thompson Arboretum.
5-8. Phoenix area during monsoon season.
9. Roadrunner. Photo by Ralph Arvesen. CCL.
10. Sierra Estrella Park.
