Travel Tips

This is one of the colorful barns along Latrobe Road as we head to the Shenandoah Valley wine country near Sacramento. It feels like a million miles from the city.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains are not that far from Sacramento so we can drive over to see the snow . . . or stay home and be warm. LOL

We visited the Old Point Loma Light near San Diego. The views from the lighthouse are stunning. You can see the new Point Loma Light down on the shore far below. This is a great spot for whale watching on the southern California coast.

The abbey is in the process of being restored privately and you must take a tour to see it. However, it is in a stunning setting and is definitely worth a visit. Take time to wander the paths outside the abbey through the wild garrigue of the Languedoc.

The chateau is very impressive. However as we had to wait for a tour to start, this doorway caught my eye. The tours were only in French but since everyone on our tour (except us) was Irish, they gave the tour in English. That certainly made it easier to understand! Three cheers for the Irish. 8^)

The moat with ducks on a little island and the gardens are worth the trip, but most impressive is the carriage house. Next time I'll paint that.

As you drive the D275 toward Mont St. Michel, you come across magical views of the Abbey on a hill. I think it's so dramatic because it is so flat surrounding it but the first sight of the Mont is breathtaking.

If you are going to Normandy, don't miss a trip to Mont St. Michel. Yes, it will be very crowded but it's always been a pilgrimage destination so it's always been crowded. That means you are having an authentic experience. 8^)

Everyone wants to visit Tuscany. Yes, it's gorgeous, but Umbria, right next door is equally beautiful and not nearly as expensive. We spent several weeks in Tuscany and then drove on to Umbria where we rented a small apartment on an olive farm overlooking Lake Trasimeno. I think the entire country of Italy was designed to be fun to paint and this was no exception.

I have one dream painting I want to try. One morning we woke to look out our window and see the tower of the town across the valley clear as a bell but beneath it was fog as far as the eye could see. The fog came up from the lake and lay close on the ground. It was magic and someday I'll get the courage to paint it.

I started near home and will end there. At the time, our oldest daughter lived near this winery in the Napa Valley of California and photographed it when the mustard was in bloom. The bright yellow with the red barn roof really caught my eye so I painted it.