Before taking Judy to the airport, we squeezed in visits to two more Minneapolis art venues. The first, The Northern Clay Center (NCC), had been a client many years ago. None of the people I know still work there, but it was fun to revisit it. NCC is a working and teaching studio, with a […]

Two things reshaped our plans for the day. We woke up to a cloudless sky and warm temperatures, clearly a day to be outside. Then, scrolling through Facebook, a follower suggested a stop in Hastings to see the work of Dale Lewis. Given his motto, “It’s okay for fine art to be fun,” I knew […]

Exploring Dakar’s Medina: Marche Tilene and Local Culture Senegal Heather Markel, Best Selling Author, TEDx Speaker, Traveler, Full Time Travel and Business Coach Table of Contents 2 3 FirstHeading Harmattan The Cat Day 2 – Market Exploration Marche Tilene Dinner And Ramadan Sabbatical, Career Break, Adult Gap Year… Missed my earlier post about Senegal? Click […]

Art, old friendships, and a touch of nostalgia made for a full day. My college friend Gary, his wife Marcia, and, for many years work, have brought me to Minneapolis again and again. One of the clients I worked with was the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). That’s where we started the day. I was […]

Today was a driving day, a LOT of driving. Had we gone directly, it would have been 270 miles. But we opted for backroads, increasing both the distance and the appeal. Rather than recount every small town we passed through, I’ll simply say the scenery was bucolic. Farms looked well-kept and prosperous, some fields freshly […]

A clap of thunder and rain slamming against the window woke me from a deep sleep last night, an omen for the day ahead. By morning, the rain had eased, but the sky remained slate gray and threatening. We hadn’t gone far before the rain returned. What should have been bucolic farm scenes unfolded instead […]

Tonight, as I write this, I am exhausted. It was a VERY full, and very wonderful, day. We started by driving to the outskirts of the city to the James Tellen Woodland Sculpture Garden. It is one of the artist-built environments that has been preserved by the Kohler Foundation. We started by driving to the […]

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Descanso Gardens This photo and the one immediately below show Linda enjoying the Descanso Rose Garden. The Descanso Gardens, a 150-acre botanical garden and living museum in La Canada Flintridge, California is known for its diverse plant collections. It features themed gardens, walking trails, and the “Enchanted Railroad,” […]

This morning, I flew to Milwaukee, the start of a Midwest trip on the trail of outsider art and friends and family. I met up with my friend Judy at the airport and within minutes of collecting a rental car, we were on our way to the Milwaukee Art Museum. It’s a place I have […]

First Impressions Of Senegal Senegal Heather Markel, Best Selling Author, TEDx Speaker, Traveler, Full Time Travel and Business Coach Table of Contents 2 3 Getting Ready To Go Arrival In Senegal Driving Into Dakar Meetings And Greetings Malaria Concerns First Explorations Marche Kermel Sabbatical, Career Break, Adult Gap Year… I have no idea what I […]