Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Excitement is Building!

Welcome to the Road Dust and Wanderlust blog! Two friends (Ann and Carolee), two to three months, one vehicle, about twenty five states, visiting artist friends and their studios along the way, and documenting it all as we go!


The idea came about when I randomly posted on facebook I was feeling the need for a road trip, and my friend Ann responded. Things sort of snowballed from there, as we discovered we both shared the same dream vacation; see the US at a leisurely pace largely via two lane back roads, out west one route, all the way up or down the coast highway, and back another route. Ann has actually seen most of the states, with the exception of seven in the Pacific Northwest, and they're all on our list. I haven't seen quite as many, but I'm getting there!

Granted, the trip is ten months away, and I'm normally a "wing it" kind of gal, but something of this proportion deserves some advance planning. And the planning is a big part of the fun, yes?!

Soooooo, I have this map. It's big. As in don't-have-a-wall-big-enough big. So for now, it's taped to the dining room table. Which we never use unless we're entertaining, so it's fine there...

And as with ANY new surface in the house, Gwennie (or as we like to call her, The Cat Who Knows No Boundaries) has claimed it as her own.

Travel guides are arriving almost daily now, most of them FREE from tourist bureaus across the country. So many possibilities!

And I must share this incredible birthday gift from Ann - a Winsor Newton travel watercolor set. The entire thing is about half the size of a paperback novel, so can fit in almost any purse or tote...

Inside are a complete set of watercolors, a brush and two palettes. How cool is this!!? (Thank you, Ann!)

I want so badly to dive into them, but I'm being good and waiting, hehe. The plan is to keep a travel journal filled with watercolor sketches. :)

To that end, I've purchased a guide to art journaling - no time to really delve into it yet, but hopefully soon!


As the months pass, we'll be posting our approximate route as it evolves, and pinpointing "must-see" sites and stops along the way! We'll see friends and relatives, art acquaintances, as well as plenty of quirky, offbeat attractions.

We'd would also like to invite you to "follow" our little adventure here, and feel free to comment! (Feedback really does fuel a blog, hehe!)

Back very soon....

♥ Carolee