hello steadfast armchair travelers & friends!
girl reporter has come home to roost. i returned home on sunday – a direct flight from guatemala city. i was starting to doubt i would catch my plane because when my driver arrived the grill to his truck was being held on by t-a-p-e. it had come loose that morning and he patched it as best he could, but we drove slowly over the bumps lest it fall off. i should have known it would be smooth sailing with dahr at the wheel. he’d given syd, mary, and i a tour of some villages 10 days earlier and shown us a great time.
if you make this trek south to central america do yourself a favor and book a direct flight. you’ll be glad you did!
by midday, i’d bid farewell to casa blanca, was walking up the steps of moss cottage and the cat posse were throwing themselves into my arms.
i just finished leaving a review at airbnb so i’m ready to share the link to casa blanca with you. i did have a few misgivings, but it was a lovely old house and i’d choose the exact same one again if i were doing it over. some owners make better property managers than others, which is why i like to provide honest reviews. especially if all the previous ones made no mention of things i think need attention. accurate reviews are how i base my decisions on where i’ll stay.
my house on the shores of lago de atitlan was perfection in every way possible and that review/link is HERE. next time i’m in guatemala i’ll stay much longer at the lake. it was magical. the solitude, the water, the nearness of the volcanoes, the lake breeze, the sky. the swimming. an unforgettable combination that i’ve planted in my mind for safe keeping.
i took 3 sketchbooks with me to guatemala. i had intended to keep 2, but after a few days i thought better of it and settled on the one on the right – the bigger of the 2. i tore out the pages in the long skinny sketchbook and attached them to my new main squeeze. that worked out well.
i also brought along this notebook for trying out things, keeping notes, and carrying with me when i was out and about. i love these notebooks and am more free to take risks, try things, and not worry about “ruining” the good watercolor paper in the other sketchbook. these notebooks are only a few bucks and i highly recommend them. (eco-qua fabriano)
for the most part i found i couldn’t paint on location because the paint took forever to dry in the humidity. the weather in the highlands is wonderful, but 60 degrees in antigua did not feel cold like it would in LA. my california peeps know of what i speak, the rest of you may be rolling your eyes. go ahead. you’re allowed.
i did a lot of drawing on location, but painted once i was home.
more sketchbook pages coming soon! i only have 2 more sketches (from photos) to add and i’m happy to report the guatemala travel journal is complete. much more compact than my sweden travel journal. but sometimes a simple sketchbook (or 2) is less fussy and just easier. there are so many ways to document travel. whichever one you’ll enjoy and finish is the right one at the time.
bear hugs & air kisses for the comments while i was off galavanting. they’re so fun to read after a day of exploring.
that’s all for now from moss cottage. where all the women are strong, all the cats are good lookin’, and all the ideas are above average. xo
Hi, Mary Ann–Did you bring the travel palette you showed us in Sketchbookery? Or have you gotten a different one since. Trying to choose one for an upcoming trip. Thanks!
i do have a different one! it’s super light-weight, thin white cheap plastic. someone gave it to me – they got it at the japanese dollar store. will try and post a pic of it real soon!
I wish we had a Japanese store here. I tried looking online for one of those plastic cases you kept your ephemera in on your trip to Venice and it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack! One of these days I’ll have to get to Philly or NYC…Thanks!
i see them everywhere! just look online for a plastic palette. it’s nothing special you can trust me on that! i bet blick has them.
Ah, I see what you mean. Yes, they are all over the Internet. Alas, I have no tubes of paint–just pans, so I will have to stick with something like the metal palette for now.
Playing catch up as power went out during storm. What a delightful and colorful post. i love your reviews too. Both places were wonderful for you. I so enjoy all your sketchbooks. They truly are treasures.
I am forever and ever so blown away by your sketch books! Such an amazing way to capture your travels.
Catching up on many of your posts this morning; I’ve been moving here – as in I packed my entire house up, and then decided on the eve of the move…that I wasn’t moving after all. Too soon. Here in my house I remain until it’s time to make bigger moves than across town! So I’m staring at your neatly packed suitcase with envy and wishing I had a travel suitcase to unpack and not almost two months of moving boxes! Hah! It will pass. They’ll all get unpacked and rearranged and it’ll be good. Meanwhile, I’ve missed out on most your your three weeks in Guatemala. Dear lord, I thought Guatemala was an island in the Caribbean, not a country in South America. I hang my head in shame…and think maybe I need to visit this gem! Love you, MAM.
I landed in Guatemala this evening. Tomorrow I head to Antigua and I’m definitely going to Saberico. Then I’ll go to Santiago Atitlan on the lake. I’m so glad you went to the lake it is a magical place. I’m looking forward to seeing where you are headed next.
OH, at last a post from you! Sounds like your trip was just perfection. Glad you’re back home and tending to the cat posse…I’m sure they missed you.
All the sketches are fab, even the ones in the “other” notebooks you gave us the heads up about.
I do know about the humidity in Guatemala, I was right on the border when on a birding trip down there. The humidity nearly did me in along with the heat (spring time) Our guide assured me that spring is the cool season! Yikes, glad I wasn’t there for the hot one.
Ooops! Sorry I added an”e” to Ann. We have Anne’s in my family so it is a habit. Anne, with an “e” like on Anne of Green Gables:). You are Ann…Mary Ann…no “e”.
Did you ever know that you’re my hero? Teehee! So glad you are safely home, though you may still be wishing you were back in Guatemala. I bet your kitties were so glad to see you. I am sooo happy to see all of your artwork! I have been waiting for that treat the whole time. Just WONDERFUL art, Mary Anne! Are you off on more trips any time soon? I looked at the photos of your villa. Oh my GOSH that place is stunning! BTW… If you were to make a for sale version of the watercolored brightly colored table and chairs, I bet someone would buy it. Someone like moi? WB!!!
I am glad you are home. Our trip was such fun. The sights, sounds, atmosphere and the people were enchanting. I am so thankful you took me along. I never would have gone on my own. I am in awe of your sketches. Thank you. Hugs
Sorry you had to leave your paradise, but so glad you are home safe.
I loved your ABB reviews, they are clear and will help others.
Heck, I’d book both if I ever traveled. ;o)
Skectbooks are truly wonderful, I enjoyed seeing spots you had shared on the trip.
Thanks again for taking this OC couch potato along, again.
Thank you for bringing us along. Glad you are back home. Relax and enjoy those memories.
Welcome home!! That suitcase looks like it holds some yummy things. Glad the car didn’t fall apart on your way to the airport!! and love looking at all your sketches!
Yay! You’re back in the USA, with a suitcase full of colorful textiles, and a full sketchbook. Love those gorgeousl fabrics, would love to touch them! This has been a wonderful trip that you have shared with us all. I think this has been one of the longest times you’ve been gone, right? I’ve read every post and felt like I was right there. Again, “what a trip”!!
Mary, your sketchbooks take me on travels I will probably never go on in my own life. Your paintings and sketches inspire me beyond words. Your style and love of color and how easy you make it all appear. You and PG are my sketching/journaling heroes and I could get lost for days just flipping through the pages of your lives and sketches. Sending love from the East Coast.
Thank you for sharing your trip with us… it’s fun to follow along. I think it would be fitting to call you an “Adventure Sketcher”. Travel sketcher just doesn’t quite seem right…..
Wow your suitcase looks like a fabric pallete lol love the journal pages too
Bet your babies gave you lots of lovin after the obligatory cold shoulder lol
As Dorothy would say there’s no place like home thanks for sharing .
So exciting to see your sketchbooks after another wonderful trip! I have been so inspired by the colours in your photos and your descriptions of Guatemala, but the sketchbooks! And I quote, “WOW. UM. WOW.” Thank you Mary Ann – I am just off to add more colour, spontaneity and joy to my own drawings…
Welcome back to cloudy SoCal! Thank you for sharing your trip! I read every post and felt as if I were there with your words and pictures.
It’s SO GOOD to hear from you again! It’s been awhile, and I thought maybe I lost the site, but no, here you are, in all your glory with such wonderful paintings! When I go to San Miguel this winter, I’ll be influenced by your choices. Thank you, Mary Ann!
I just adore all your posts, sketch books, etc. You really have a way with pictures AND words! HUGS!
So glad you are home. I loved your sketches and pictures from Guatemala. Seeing these places through your eyes is such a treat. Blessings to you
boyoboyoboy! That suitcase is as yummy as your sketchbooks. Many treasures to unpack.
(Do you return to classroom in new year? or next school year?)
You make extraordinary use of your freedom. Grabbing it all with zeal.