Nut Your Chipical Banana Muffin
I can hear you grumbling already. “I know my banana muffins,” you say. “There’s absolutely nothing special about a banana muffin. Banana muffins are the ones that you find sitting untouched amid blueberry and lemon poppyseed crumbs when you arrive late for your motel’s continental breakfast. Nobody really wants banana muffins.” WRONG! Oh, dear muffin grumbler, you haven’t had these banana muffins. These are not garden-variety,...
read more ->Roscoff Skies
After a rainy drive to Roscoff, we were rewarded in clouds. Other rewards included delicious local delicacies (crèpes and cider), a hike around Île de Batz, and a visit to a gorgeous botanical garden. The next day, we were off to Cornwall by ship… Share...
read more ->Quimper in Stained Glass
Whenever I visit a new city, one of my favorite pastimes is photographing stained glass in every church and cathedral I can find. Not the usual, “this is a really big wall of glass and look at all the beautiful colors” photos, but photos of the intricate details that are easily missed when taking in the window as a whole. Why do I do this? Sometimes to find inspiration for my own illustrations. Sometimes because I love the stories the glass portraits tell. Sometimes because they make me laugh. And sometimes, simply because I like...
read more ->Peeking at Peaks in Py
The next stop on our European odyssey was Py, a tiny village1 in the Pyrenees. First, though, we had to get to France! After saying goodbye to our hosts in Girona, we hopped on the bus to Perpignan, on the French side of the mountains. The driver chatted away to me as he hauled our bags into the belly of the bus. (He quickly figured out that my command of Spanish is only slightly better than my command of North Baffin Inuktitut, and proceeded in French.)2 When I explained that I grew up in the US but currently live in Morocco, he immediately...
read more ->Journey to Girona
After over a month of traveling in Spain, France, and England, I am shamefully behind in blogging my adventures, of which I have had many. Couchsurfing1 through Spain and France, I made new friends along the way and had some great experiences. I left Tangier by plane on June 23, with my faithful (and unbelievably patient) sidekick travel partner, Erin. Just after touching down in Girona,2 we were whisked away by our hosts, Miguel and Cristina, to a party in honor of St John’s Eve. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to...
read more ->Marrakesh, a Visual Tour with Haiku Anecdotes and Explanatory Footnotes
Since my last post was so long-winded, I figured I’d go in the opposite direction with this one… At the end of March I met my dear grandparents down in Marrakesh1 We had orange juice for breakfast every morning It was delicious2 Lunch at a café recommended by my friend and very purple3 They both exited into sunlight, their figures dark against the door4 Heat in the main square radiated off a man in red, who strode on5 We walked through the souks dark with shadows but light in the eyes of merchants6 The streets are filled...
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Writer, illustrator, musician, rogue librarian, explorer, ill-fated baker.