Time Capsule Sketchbook

What a whirlwind spring so far!The winter months just tiptoed away and here we are.In mid-April, I finished a major project after a few months of head-to-desk heavy involvement and then we got on a plane to Croatia.Split Croatia was such a deep blue water and clear warm breeze sky place. I spent a few mornings gathering sea glass with my daughter before heading out to Diocletian ruins in the old City Center.             Wow, I don't think I've ever been anywhere so ancient and labrynthian.I could have spent a few weeks more exploring these stone pathways.We flew from Split to Paris on May 1 and I was handed a bouquet of Lily of the Valley flowers as soon as we passed through customs at Orly Airport. How lovely!I had no clue as to why we [my daughter got a bouquet as well] were given flowers at the time.I soon was told that it is a First Day of May custom in France, for good luck.This is a tradition that I can fully support.              We returned to the US in Mid-May and everything has been a blur ever since.I'm immersed in another big client project, the last few weeks of school for the second graders raced by, with all the associated activities like camping, a cooking night [seeing my daughter serving riceand beans in 'her own restaurant' at the age of 8 will be a go-to happy memory forever].I worked in a sketchbook while we were traveling and tried to do a piece every day.This was such a great way to keep my hand limber, and it helps my mind hold on to the memory of exactly what it felt like to be in a place in time even better than a photo.Looking at my drawings just evokes the smells and sounds of the fish market in Croatia or sitting by the beach as the warm breeze flapped the canvas huts and made such a specific sound.I've always used a sketchbook for doodling and recording, and now I think I'll expand on that to use it to remember special trips and even mundane daily things that are only special in retrospect.A sketchbook as time-capsule.