Amy Artisan

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Category: Road Warrior (page 1 of 8)

Three Things…Airport Scenes

I had a business trip to Norman, OK this week so I was flying in and out of the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. For this Thursday, I’m sharing three art views from my travels through the airport.

Of course, the Will Rogers World Airport would have a statue of Oklahoma’s Native Son on his horse, Teddy. This is out front as I walked to the rental car shuttle.

Today’s early morning departure included a bit of Chihuly as I walked from the post-security “recompose area” to my gate.

And finally, a bit of nature’s art – a gorgeous view of the sun coming up over the horizon as we taxied to takeoff.

Linking up with Carole and Kat for Three on Thursday.

Saving Winter…Travel

Once again, as we reach the midpoint of winter, Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy is inviting us to share what is saving us this winter – the big or small things that help to pull us through what can be a dark season in myriad ways. In past years, I’ve focused on things at home that were winter saviors. This year, I’m focusing on helpful things for winter travel – January ended up with me being in Milwaukee for part or all of 4 different weeks and I just returned from being on the road for the 5th week in a row.

Human Gear travel containers – Well designed containers that allow me to bring my preferred products with me on the road. The GoToob squeeze bottles are great for my shampoo & conditioner…AND…I use one for a purse/bag container of my fave Ahava Mineral Hand Cream; The GoTubb pots are good for both pills and creams – one has a dab of my preferred hair styling cream to try to battle against the brutal dry forced air, one has a dab of moisturizer – neither leaks.

Chapstick Total Hydration in Merlot – My current go-to lip color combines a nice dark color with all the benefits of lip balm. This is always in the outer pocket of my purse or my coat pocket.


Travel Diffuser – A thoughtful Christmas gift from my sister is this small diffuser that allows me bring some calm to my hotel room (or car for a road trip). So far, I’ve just traveled with eucalyptus oil – in the evenings when I have this going, it is indeed euc-AHH-lytpus as I unwind with a book and some tea (either decaf candy cane green or Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland) in the hotel room.

Panera Pick Two for Dinner – Their current Roasted Beet, Quinoa & Citrus Salad paired with tomato soup has been a frequent dinner option while on the road. The Panera app makes it easy to pick up healthy eats as I head back to the hotel. Most evenings, I also pick up a Plum Ginger iced tea to round out the meal. Bonus: One evening when I discovered an order was wrong when I got to the hotel, Panera Twitter customer service made it right almost immediately.

Duluth Trading Quilted Ear Flap Hat – A fun new hat is hitting all the marks for the weather I’m encountering. This soft hat packs easily into my bag without me worrying about bending it permanently. The microfiber outside repels moisture – be it rain, snow, ice. The brim can adjust to shield my glasses from whatever is falling from the sky. The ear band can be flipped down to provide extra warmth.


Airport Art – This felted sculpture by Heidi Bleacher is currently installed near my gates at the PHL airport. I smile every time I see it – sunflowers and ladybugs, definitely a win!


Window Seat Views – In the last year I’ve moved from the aisle seat to the window seat on whatever flights I can. At this time of year, the window seat views are a great reminder that no matter the weather down at the ground the sun is indeed always shining.

What are the big and small things saving you this winter?

MKE Moments

As I’ve mentioned before, the last several months have included many trips to Milwaukee for work on a big project. When east coast vacation plans with the WI-fam in early August had to be delayed and I saw another MKE trip on the calendar for mid-month, all things aligned for me to fly out there earlier for a weekend of WI-fam fun before work. Here, a few snapshots along the way.

Coffee

Saturday @ 6:25 AM – Wide awake early, so I decide to make some iced coffee & read for a while to start the day. “Can I get some non-decaf coffee packets?” That was my question as I went down to the front desk once I discovered the in-room coffee service only had decaf. “You mean regular coffee?” was the response. Umm…yes – evidently I do need some caffeine to ease into this day.

Custard

Saturday @ 2:01 PM – As we were out and about on Saturday morning, late afternoon supper plans were finalized. So when the shopping was done, we resumed the great Milwaukee custard tour with a stop at Leon’s Frozen Custard. For some of us, custard might have been our entire lunch. Another delicious vanilla cone – the heat of the day made this a fast melting and messy treat.
golfSaturday @ 6:57 PM – Mini golf with the cousins on a summer evening. It has been decades since I played. Fierce competition gave way to silliness among our 3 teams. By the end, my team of 4 (including the 3 year old) only had 2 golf balls to play among us all – so the adults would tee off and our littlest team member then made a game of getting the ball into the hole. From my play, evidently the stress of the last couple of weeks of work was working its way out via some horrible shots…

more custard

Saturday @ 7:47 PM – To beat the heat after mini golf we all headed to Kopp’s for more frozen custard. Truth, the LaCroix was more satisfying at that point in time after a filling supper and a hot round of golf. I only ate about 4 more bites of custard after this pic…but of course, since this was vacation I had to have custard twice in 1 day…

sleepy Will

Saturday @ 9:45 PM – Tuckered out from a full day…for the youngest in our crew, it was too much effort to stay awake for the final Phelps medal ceremony…watching the Olympics together & cheering on our favorites was a great end to the day…

market

Sunday @ 5:07 PM – After saying farewell to the WI-fam &  settling into the work hotel, I walked 2 blocks to the Milwaukee Public Market. Finally a chance to stop into the market after walking by it on every trip so far…a few provisions for a light supper & breakfast options for the mornings…

Monday morning

Monday @ 7:17 AM – Waking up to a view like this over the lakefront doesn’t jive with the “MKE travel advisory” email in my inbox from corporate security. Praying for peace here in this town!

beirhausTuesday @ 6:10 PM – A team celebration dinner to end an all day workshop meant a taste of Milwaukee at the Bavarian Beirhaus – complete with accordion music.
23rd floorTuesday @ 9:21 PM – Ending the day with drinks on the 23rd floor – the picture can’t capture the amazing view of the moon reflecting on the calm lake waters. A great jazz trio playing in the corner & plenty of laughter with colleagues.

The trip was quick; however, plenty of fun moments were had both “at play” and “at work” behind the cheddar curtain.

Currently…October

Ah, OCTOBER…a month of fall colors and falling temps…of shortening days…of pulling out the colder weather wear…in the midst of it all, these are a few of the things that filled my days…

Reading…a bit…plans for an October QuickLit update didn’t happen but the draft is queued up for November…unexpected work travel has given me more reading time than anticipated this month…

Tipsy discovering the magic of a ball of yarn

Tipsy discovering the magic of a ball of yarn

Crafting…continue to stitch through the Packers season on my Scorecard cowl…my “Walk the Land” cowl is off the needles and in use…some gift knits on the needles…

Spiced Pear & Apple Butter has brought autumn joy to many meals

Spiced Pear & Apple Butter has brought autumn joy to many meals

Cooking…it’s the season for cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg – pears & apples that were past their prime were thrown in a pot with these spices and simmered on the stove to become Spiced Pear & Apple Butter…continuing with some Whole30 basics on hand and prepped for quick meal success!

After work on a blustery day, the view of a favorite spot

After work on a blustery day, the view of a favorite spot

Traveling, Part I…plans for the month were very different than I thought they would be…back to back work trips to end the month – first a quick a work trip to Marinette filled with busy workshop days, beautiful fall scenery, a bit of time with the WI-family, enjoying a bit of a Culver’s Pumpkin shake and a bowl of my favorite stuffed bell pepper soup…

The view as I arrived in Switzerland for a work trip

The view as I arrived in Switzerland for a work trip

Traveling, Part II…because of course the trips stacked up, about 48 hours after getting back from WI I was headed overseas…the last week of the month was for meetings in Switzerland which meant a scramble to get my passport renewed…plans for Halloween with my Texas cuties didn’t happen so that I could extend my trip for a weekend of exploring…more to come on my Swiss adventures…

Looking Ahead…November brings my birthday, family Thanksgiving time, a time to focus on what I’m thankful for and more…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer’s monthly “What I’m Into” roundup. What are you into these days?

Currently…August

Ah, AUGUST…a month of… local heat waves 3 and 4 of the summer (and maybe the start of 5)…some mornings that had the slightest hint of crisp and the promise of cooler days ahead…birthdays and anniversaries of many dear ones…seemingly endless summer produce at the farm stands…in the midst of it all, these are the things that filled my days…

A farm stand bouquet to start the month

A farm stand bouquet to start the month

Reading…working my way through the lofty vacation reads stack…after finishing up my recent Civil War read, I transitioned to baseball & World War II for my next narrative nonfiction – The Game Must Go On: Hank Greenberg, Pete Gray, and the Great Days of Baseball on the Home Front in World War II by John Klima has kept my attention while diving into the way that professional baseball survived during the war…no surprise that I didn’t get my summer reading challenge finished by the arbitrary end of summer that the local library decided upon: closing time on Tuesday, August 18…but I did achieve 12 books this summer before month end…August travel provided a lot of reading time…

Reading on a rainy Sunday morning in WI with Willie Bear at my feet

Reading on a rainy Sunday morning in WI with Willie Bear at my feet

Watching…Wallander was the Netflix series to start the month…Doc Martin was a fun show to work through later in the month…The Astronaut Wives Club was a fun summer series…it won’t be long until Sunday afternoon football is back in rotation (time to figure out football knitting)…

Never too old to have fun opening gifts

Never too old to have fun opening gifts

Celebrating, Part I…On the front end of my work trip down to Florida, I was able to stop in Georgia for a weekend in the ‘Ville…it has been years since I have been with my sister for her birthday – it was fun to enjoy her birthday celebration in person instead of via photos sent via text

A bit of summer crafting

A bit of summer crafting

Crafting…breaking in new colored pencils with some coloring books…knitting a few more dishcloths (you can never have too many on hand)…working on a new infinity cowl for me with some local-ish yarns…

Supper one evening - a nod to British breakfast: eggs over baked beans

Supper one evening – a nod to British breakfast: eggs over baked beans

Tidying…#konmari action in the kitchen means I’m taking stock of stockpots and food stocks and everything in between…it’s really amazing what items that once were “must have” items are exiting the house because they don’t spark joy these days…

Pan fried zoodles & homemade tomato sauce

Pan fried zoodles & homemade tomato sauce

Cooking…late in the month I started another Whole30 & I will be sharing some of my recipes in September…but I resumed many of the food prep/meal concepts at home early in the month…the key to success really is prep…hard boiled eggs in the oven become quick meals/snacks during the week…chopping & cooking up a package of bacon on the weekend provides a quick addition to meals and snacks throughout the week…mason jar mayo is a great base for dressings and dips/sauces…several times in the month, a quick supper involved throwing a couple of fried eggs on top of whatever was in the house…pan-fried zoodles with homemade tomato sauce was a delicious Sunday supper…

Jam & Pickled Blueberries ready to put up

Jam & Pickled Blueberries ready to put up

Preserving, Part I…A heat wave Sunday afternoon was spent canning with a friend and her daughters. After many years of “canning solo” in my kitchen, it was fun to have the girls help with some of the activities and see their reactions to the alchemy that is canning. In a couple of hours we made a double batch of a favorite Cantaloupe-Vanilla Jam and tried our hand at Ginger Pickled Blueberries.

WI weekend fun

WI weekend fun

Celebrating, Part II…a trip back to Wisconsin to celebrate the kids’ birthday – a total of 42 candles was celebrated among the 3 of them…in addition to the party, the long weekend was filled with just general fun of hanging out together and ended with Vicki and I enjoying a spa day & discovering a great restaurant in Appleton before I flew out on a Monday afternoon…

Putting up tomatoes for the winter months

Putting up tomatoes for the winter months

Preserving, Part II…A plethora of tomatoes at the local farm stand provided several opportunities for “putting up” tomatoes for the cooler days…for the freezer, I made several batches of the go-to tomato sauce recipe that I picked up at the Italian cooking class I took in Assisi in July 2011 (must share this simple recipe!)…for the cupboard, a batch of spicy tomato jam was put in jars and put up for the winter and for gifts…

Airplane & airport scenes

Airplane & airport scenes

Traveling…eight legs of air travel between the 2 trips: early in the month, a work trip down to Florida with the detour to the ‘Ville on the way down…later in the month, the Wisconsin adventure…

Starting the WI weekend off right with yummy root beer & frozen custard

Starting the WI weekend off right with yummy root beer & frozen custard

Looking Ahead…as we turn the page to September I’m starting a new weekly planner calendar to try to keep more on top of things…no definite travel plans are booked yet but several things are blocked out on the calendar in the coming months…

Linking up with Leigh’s monthly “What I’m Into” roundup. What are you into these days?


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