Spring Color Story: Salmon, Blush + Eucalyptus

We often think of pink with Valentines Day. But if you take a couple shades that go well together – like blush and salmon – then balance it out with green, it becomes an all-spring color scheme.

In this case, I’m thinking of minty, sea foamy greens. In the neighborhood of a lighter, warmer teal. Like the tones you find in sea glass. Or eucalyptus leaves.

So here are some DIYs, places to go, handmade items to shop⁺, artwork and more in this Salmon / Blush / Eucalyptus spring palette!
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February 14, 2019April 28, 2026

Blush: A Color Story

If fire engine red screams Valentine’s Day, blush whispers it sweetly.

It’s a romantic yet subtle shade, as lovely on walls as it is on flowers. Although it’s a more traditional choice for this holiday than last year’s black and white, they look fabulous together. Blush is also great with deep blues or teal-y greens.

Like the illustrations, destinations, and DIYs in this post, blush doesn’t even have to be about Valentine’s Day at all.
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October 11, 2018April 28, 2026

Vintage Travel Posters

I stumbled across all these 1930s Swiss and Italian travel posters online that are up for sale at an auction house in Dresden, Germany.

I had intended to quickly share some of my favorites, but then I got curious about some of the places pictured and ended up doing some research/getting sidetracked. So I have a little extra backstory for some of them.

Pilatus Bahn, Luzern – Pilatus Railway, Railway Chemin de Fer, Lucerne, Switzerland poster by Otto Ernst, c. 1930.

At first glance, I thought this was the same mountain railway (funicular) I’d posted about previously, Gelmerbahn, but it’s actually Pilatusbahn, which is on a different Swiss peak about 40 minutes away. Different sources claim each one to be the steepest cogwheel railway in Europe, so that may be where my confusion came from.

Anyway, I found a 2009 photo of Mt. Pilatus that was taken from almost the same angle as the poster – you can even see the little red funicular making its way down the hill (on possibly-the-steepest-grade track in Europe).

Genua und die Italienische Riviera – “Genoa and the Italian Riviera,” lithograph, 1931.

Are there palm trees in Genoa? I wouldn’t have guessed that, but I’m not going to verify that right now. This post has sent me down enough rabbit trails already! (Yeah, more are on the way, I just rearranged the post to spread them out a bit.) For now, I’m going to refrain from even doing an image search.

Leuchtender Sommer – Beschwingte Fahrt. Die schöne Schweiz – Zürich poster “Bright summer – Lively ride. The beautiful Switzerland.” by Augusto Giacometti, c. 1930.

This design is such a departure from your typical travel poster. Instead of focusing on a scene from a city or landscape, it’s just a close-up of a slightly abstracted, watercolor-y butterfly.
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September 10, 2018September 10, 2018

August 2018 Photos: St. Mark + Dr. Seuss

We were in Italy a year ago, and I’ve been thinking about the trip and the stories I still want to tell.

Venice - San Marco

The Lion

I recently posted a photo of the bronze winged lion that towers above Venice’s main square, Piazza San Marco.

Because the mythical creature is the symbol of St. Mark/San Marco, who is the patron saint of Venice, it has come to also represent the city itself. (And you can spot winged lions all over the place!)

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Geisel library quote

The Lorax

Anyway, the other August photo I wanted to share is a panoramic shot from inside the Geisel Library in La Jolla (San Diego).

It’s a glass wall covered with facts about Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) and the history of the unusual building.

Geisel library

My favorite part was this quote from The Lorax:

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

When you think about it, that sentiment about caring enough to take action is oddly in line with something St. Mark (quoting Moses) wrote:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

August 10, 2018December 10, 2025

San Diego Sights Worth a Second Trip

While I’ve never spent more than a few days at a time in San Diego, it’s been part of some very memorable trips.

We camped at a State Park just outside of town on the final night of our trip down the coast in 2012.

Back when Phillip worked for an airline, we flew in just for an afternoon once, because we could go for free.

Another time, we took the San Diego Trolley south to the end of the line. Did you know it goes all the way to the U.S.-Mexico border? We crossed over to visit friends in Tijuana.

And, of course, there’s the trip I took with my grandma. We packed a lot of sightseeing into just a few days!

Fast forward to this year. When Phillip and I decided we’d join my brother, sister-in-law, their kids, and my parents on their San Diego trip in July, I started thinking about previous trips and what I’d want to see and do again.
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