Impressions of the Turks and Caicos

 

We spent a day on Grace Bay here on Provo.  When I saw this impromptu gathering of island scarecrows 

I was smitten. Everyone has a creative side. 

Why is it that sights you could see almost anywhere seem more interesting while

 you are traveling? Our eyes are wide open. 

 

These bikes on Salt Cay in shades turquoise seemed so Caribbean. 

 

Had a very nice dinner at CoCo Bistro. The setting was stunning! Set in a palm grove with all the trunks 

circled in tube lights. The bright orange red of the buildings and surrounding structures 

was perfect with accents in white. 

 

Did a day trip by ferry to the North & Middle Caicos islands. Some gorgeous views but mostly vegitation you can't see through. Glad we went but wouldn't recommend the effort. This spot, Mudjin Beach, was the high light. 

 

As always, a sucker for rust & texture. 

 

For my calligraphy pals, I found some on our dessert last night. We have been eat in & pack lunches a fair amount here but have done some splurges. There was nothing left of this when we got done with it, so glad I took a picture. 

In 2 days we fly back to Michigan, which has had a dose of warm sunny Spring like weather while we were gone. That 's OK, we like the weather & the water here. 

There Are So Many Blues Here

 

All the different blues in the water here are astonishing. True ultra marine blue exists here. 

The wild life we see when we snorkel has been wonderful. 

A group of 4 eagle rays swam right under us today. The link is exactly what we saw. 

I have never been so close to them before to see their gorgeous markings so clearly. 

  

After a whale watching excursion to Salt Cay a couple days ago we walked the beach in search of treasures. 

This perfectly preserved crab was a great find. I see a sketch of him in my journal in the future. 

 

We did get in the water to snorkel with these two hump back whales! They didn't let us get too close, but what a thrill. What you see are them on their sides with a pectoral fin in the air. They hung out around us for about a 1/2 hour. We saw others as well.

 

When I saw this abandoned building on Salt Cay I thought Georgia O'Keeffe would have loved the Caribbean. 

The history of this small island is worth a look. Click the link above. 

We tend to stay on the go when we visit a new destination so time for my journal is limited. Did this sketch on our patio in some free moments. 

My skills are meager, but I have designs on doing more & improving. 

 

Travel to Warm Weather & Sun

 

We are on the island of Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos. Our airbnb is wonderful! 

When you live in Northern Michigan it seems imperative to get out of Dodge to recharge your solar batteries. It can be so grey and dark foe what seems like forever in winter. My husband & I love the Caribbean. Our main activity is snorkeling. We have found a great spot in Providenciales. 

 

The view of the ocean from the patio at our lodging. 

 

We went to a local weekly food & art gathering Thursday. Caribbeans love fried food. We overinduldged in conk & lobster fritters and fried plantains. 

Hump back whales migrate through here this time of year in the thousands. We are doing a boat trip in a few days in the hopes of getting up close & personal with them. Marine biologists will be on hand. 

More TCI impressions to follow.  

Do You Use a Travel Journal?

 I always have a journal when I travel. Do you? What do you use? How big? What kind of paper?

 In preparation for a trip that starts next week (more on that when it happens) I went a little crazy in the studio with small books with pages from an old college rule spiral notebook.  It begged to be cut up & re-purposed. I prefer small structures.

These two are 7" X 4"

Here was my process.

  Decide on a size, determined by papers I wanted to use for covers. Measure, cut, fold.

Brilliant little tip learned at a work shop. Dig out those old legos stuffed in a closet to make corner  &
straight edges guides to hold  papers or covers that need to stay put. What a frustration reducer!

A 2 signature five hole pamphlet stitch was my structure of choice. Create templates for the holes, punch signatures & cover, sew.  Great tutorial on the sewing in the link above. 

 

 

The fold in the spine is what allows two signatures to be sewn together in one pamphlet. A stronger structure that can accommodate lots more pages

Of course there has to be an index.

 

Which leads to the pages being numbered.

With the paper left over from cutting down the pages for the first books I went on to make smaller versions with a 3 hole stitch.  Another great tutorial here with a few different design choices to create a 2 signature 3 hole book. She describes the spine of the 2 signature approach very well. 4" X 3 3/4" is the finished size.

I should be set for jotting down those random ideas for awhile. 

My favorite Canson Mixed Media spiral bound journal will still come along on the trip for artful pursuits. I wouldn't leave home with out it. I'm on my 7th of these.

Before embellishments

Back cover