i’m falling into bed every night with a cup of THIS tea and a copy of martha’s vineyard, isle of dreams.
such enchantment to read! i’m crossing fingers that susan branch is planning to write another travel memoir of her current trip to scotland.
isle of dreams is the last in a 3-part illustrated memoir that was published out of order. i love the old-school feel of her blog and the long posts she writes there.
which brings me to emily carr.
thanks claudia (!) for mentioning her in the comments of my last post. i now have one of her diaries on my kindle and this fabulous book on my night table.
it is a laugh-out-loud good read. naturally i love the way she refers to her sister as “sister” because my travel journals are full of sister this and sister that.
i think i will write this very thing in my next travel journal chronicling an adventure with carol jean moss, who i’m quite sure will agree the handwriting in this dedication looks EXACTLY like the script of dear mama moss (!)
i finished season 3 of the fall, but i worried myself a bit when i started to feel sympathy for the serial killer. my favorite character this season was of course krister henriksson. (wallander!)
i’ve got midsommer murders on my watchlist as one of you suggested, and have begun one mississippi.
the drama i’m most keen to see unfold however will take place on tuesday, november 8. between now and then i hope to get in a few more quick sketches of the candidates.
see you soon!
Oh! So many good books to add to my list. I have been to Vancouver Island, BC, what sensory joyful place. There is an enchanted rain forest on the way to Tofino that you must visit should you make the trip. I know that fairies live there and probably leprechauns too. Light streams thru the trees like in a cathedral. Magical.
My sister & I call each other “sister”. My mother and her sibs called their elder sister, sister. As kids, we called her Aunt Sis. They called their parents Momma & Poppa which I thought was endearing. The younger generations didn’t carry on that tradition.
I do think you should write & illustrate a book about Wyatt the teacher’s assistant cat. Then read it aloud in serial form to your kidlets. And maybe you can bring photos of Wyatt for them to draw in their journals?
If you have the chance read her books she wrote when she could not longer paint due to poor health as she aged. I think the first one is , Klee Wick, and tells of her painting trips as a young girl. She would go up island then out to the remote villages to paint. She is a most interesting character growing up in a Victorian place and time in Victoria. I always have her book, The Book of Small, in my car in case of traffic jams or ferry lines! She is one of my hero’s.
Please read her books before the Diane Vreeland book.
Ah, so much good stuff. Wyatt and Birdie are enchanting! Love the candidate sketches. Hope we don’t all have nervous breakdowns before the results are announced. Then I hope we don’t have them after the announcements. I loved Susan’s three journal books. They really do make you feel good, as does her blog. She’s a lovely person, too. I’ve been liking the Grantchester series. And, of course, the Outlander, The Vikings, Poldark. Years ago, I unearthed a set of vintage books in a used bookstore by Kate Douglas Wiggin that I loved. They were written in the late 1800s. Volume 1: Penelope’s Experiences England; Volume 2: Penelope’s Experiences Scotland; and Volume 3: Penelope’s Experiences Ireland.
oh those books sound charming!
That page with Wyatt and the bird and gold and violet paint! Love your Hillary, too. I hope DT is just a footnote in your journal before long. My early voting sticker is in my journal, too. 🙂 I read Emily Carr’s autobiography years ago.
huge fan of Emily Carr and I hope you’ve read Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland. Also, thanks for the tea recommendation.
no, haven’t read forest lover, but now i want to! just downloaded sample. weeeeeeeee!
I am watching Season 3 of “The Fall” right now…already watched “Midsummer Murders”…it was cute and fun…I will check out the other shows you are watching…always looking for good shows!! As far as the election…I’ve needed to up my anxiety medication (seriously). I have been absolutely terrified…NY is Blue so it’s good over here.
Your Wyatt drawings need to be in a children’s book! Seriously Mary Ann, You’re an amazing illustrator. Very inspirational!!
so nice of you to say! in fact makes me want to go draw another cat portrait.
which.
i shall doooo!!!
Hi MAM,
As always, your art is delightful. Though I cannot wait till DT is silenced. Ugh.
And, Paris is my favorite! Having a cup right now!
All best,
Cortney
Look forward to more of your political sketches, these are wonderful. As is your painted cat. Inspiring. My sister and I have called each other “Sister” for decades. Once when shopping together, calling each other, as we did, we were asked if we were nuns. With THAT much eye makeup? Thank you for a light and lovely antidote to what swirls around us right now. xo
ooooooooohhhhh so many good books to add to my ever growing list. I can’t keep up but I sure do a fantastic job trying. When I read the heading of this post; all I could imagine was this thought ‘ how does Mary Ann manage to fit a quick trip to Alaska with Carol over a weekend’ and then of course my wonderings revealed the ‘end of the story’ so to speak. It would not however surprise me in the least little bit if you did just that though, cuz you are a magician when it comes to sneaking off to a hide hole somewhere just for a few days. I have to add that I also started watching ‘The Crown’ last night. I’m 3 episodes in and love it. The scenery alone and the costuming are worth watching for. I keep imagining who I’ve seen as the queen all these years and finding it so endearing to learn of her early years as a young woman becoming ‘the queen’. I’m smitten. I just finished watching Doctor Foster on Netflix and couldn’t quick watching. A British mini series.
i just added the crown to my watchlist and just today am on the very first episode!
LOVED this Susan Branch book!
I was hoping to read you and “sister” were on your way to Alaska, thought perhaps not until the Spring. Thanks for all the book recommendations. I am having trouble keeping up with you… hehehe
We love Midsomer Murders and check out Murdoch Mysteries—also really good. i love the cat in your journal page. Also is this the same Emily Carr that was involved with Frida Kahlo?
Thanks for this book recommendation. I have others of her’s but never saw this one. Yes, One Mississippi is good. Also, a documentary called The Irish Pub, which is beautiful and like seeing Susan Branch’s book come alive. Have you watched Michael Pollan’s documentary Cooked? It’s gorgeous and mesmerizing. Very spiritual, which I did not expect. Finally, I just started watching The Crown, a mini-series about Queen Elizabeth from right before her marriage. It’s absolutely sumptuous and gossipy and stunning locations and wardrobe. For the edgier side of life and right in your LA backyard, watch Insecure on HBO which is hilarious. ON Amazon – The Disappearance which is in French, so you unless you speak French, you can’t paint at the same time or you’ll miss the subtitles. – (As you can see, I am spending most of my disability leave going to PT and watching Netflix and Amazon Prime while painting. Heaven on earth!)
your disability is dreadful
but your leave
…oh that is another story entirely!
Thanks so much for posting about these travel memoirs! I plan to add them to my Goodreads list….and so glad to find another fan of The Fall. I binge watched season 3 last weekend. Keep making us laugh and sharing your art MAM!
the ending was dreadful. i wanted the psychiatrist to become a father figure to paul spector and heal him. i knew it wouldn’t happen…but i wanted it to
WHEN you get to Bictoria, be sure to check out the Emily Carr paintings at the Art Museum of Greater Victoria. They own some of my favorite paintings of hers! There is a wonderful statue of Emily and her monkey at the Empress Hotel. It’s on the corner closest to the harbor across the street from the British Columbia Museum. It is adorable. XO
P S. Try Harney & Son’s Big Red Sun blend in the morning. It”s one of my favorites. PPS. Waving wildly from Cape Town!!!
i will swing by and you can accompany me to bictoria…
enjoy your adventure. thanks for the tea tip!