the note

The note the kids left on the countertop in the kitchen the morning (Friday) we had to brush the sand off our feet, pack it up, say goodbye to the beach house and drag ourselves back to Utah.
The teens got up at 6:30 am for some last minute surfing, good work team members.

journaling

I'm a very serious journal keeper when I travel, not so much when I'm at home. But I get motivated after a trip. I enjoy the record keeping, cutting and pasting, coloring (now I just need to draw more...) and of course the looking back aspect. I guess what this all means is that I should travel more.
I've started sewing in the journal, just for fun or just a super smart way to add some more pages when you run out of space. Your extra maps, special papers, speeding tickets (that's Steve O's department not mine) can be easily included and don't go spilling out all over the floor evert time the journal is opened. More journal pictures here.
One of our most favorite pieces of art by Tatzu Nishi, War And Peace and In Between remembered here. In a nutshell, he built a temporary 'house' structures around two sculptures in front of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. When you walk into the 'house' the horse from the sculpture is standing on a bed in the bedroom, or (like in the picture) the rider's head and arm are on display on a coffee table with the horses head in a cupboard. Very funny, clever, creative-art that makes you smile.

what I am...

I'll tell you what I'm not.... a very good journal keeper. I just ran into a journal I started in 2007... and never finished. I always have the best of intentions, and I really like looking back at what was written/drawn/glued/cataloged. I suppose it just finding a bit of time here and there and not having any expectations whatsoever. As God my witness, I promise to do better.
Journaling that I admire can be found here.

driftwooding

In the absence of fabric or a sewing machine on this summers trip I found I myself itching to make something. I wanted to keep a journal of the trip, but make it un-boring unlike so many of my previous journaling attempts.
I have never before been a serious journal keeper, I always try for awhile then stop for no good reason other then time constraints, lack of personal motivation, and perhaps the thought that what I have to say is dumb and no one will ever want to read it. My lovely spouse- on the other hand- is a fabulous journal keeper. He has stacks of journals, all filled up with words, drawings, pictures and "driftwood".
Driftwood goes back to a Saturday Night Live reference from the 80's. Does anyone remember John Malkovich's driftwood artist sketch? Very funny...(I think I'll look for it on youtube later)
Anyway... "driftwood" refers to found objects- put into one's journal. It became the catch phrase of the summer. It always made me chuckle it when one of my kids would nonchalantly rip off a corner of some poster we passed, hand it to me and say, "Here you go Mom, some driftwood."
I decided that this trip of a lifetime needed to be documented for the family. Just words are visually a bit boring, so I took a lesson from the master- Steve O and started adding driftwood, drawings, some watercolors, and glitter. What I discovered was a surprisingly pleasant and interesting way to keep a journal. It satisfied all of my creative urges and documented the trip. I didn't get much reading done this summer, but I wrote everyday, went through about 20 glue sticks, and had lots of fun picking up driftwood (a.k.a. trash) all over Europe.
I think I'm hooked on paper now. I have continued the driftwood tradition since I have been home, not everyday- but close. I think it's a habit that is worth acquiring, so- I am going to try and keep at it for good....you know- for posterity.