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June flew by!

I can’t believe the first month of summer is already behind us!   It was filled with new scenery, experiences, and memories for our family.

Just a few Instagram highlights:

Across Utah: From the Car Window

Watching the landscape change so dramatically from Colorado to Utah.  The sheer power of rocks jutting up from the ground and trains carrying cargo was an engaging sight to behold.  I felt like we were entering “Radiator Springs” and Lighting McQueen and Doc Hudson would come speeding by.  Everyone in the car kept pointing and exclaiming “Look! Those rocks look like …”  It was akin to cloud-watching, only seeing shapes in big, ginormous, immoveable rocks which have been permanently sculpted by nature.

The “Prospector Shop” Next to Our Motel at Zion National Park, UT

My youngest son is a gem and geology hound like me.  We were so excited to see piles of rocks, minerals and big chunks of colored glass at the “Prospector Shop” next to our motel in Utah.  We both scavenged for the best specimens, explored unfamiliar varieties, and had fun measuring their weights on these old rusty scales.  We came home with some beautiful (and heavy) souvenirs!

Central Coast California Beach Scenes

Waves were jumped, seashells were scavenged, a very large sand castle was built, and panoramic vistas were soaked in as we ventured to three of our favorite beaches: Morro Bay, Avila Beach and Pismo Beach.  We biked along bluffs overlooking the Pacific at Montana D’Oro State Park and enjoyed the breathtaking waves and wildflowers.  We even spotted several California Condors gently soaring around the shores.

Fresh Air in San Luis Obispo, CA

Returning to simple scenes from an earlier life was so gratifying.  We had forgotten how much we love the San Luis Obispo Wine Trail, and celebrated our 14th Anniversary by stopping at a few of our favorite tasting rooms.   We explored “Poly Canyon” (a gorgeous open space trail behind Cal Poly University) on our bikes with the boys.  They had so much fun seeing these horses up close and investigating the experimental structures built by the Cal Poly Architecture students.  We topped the SLO experience off with a night outside at famous Thursday night Farmer’s Market, where the produce is lush with color and the air is filled with the delectable smells of smoked tri-tip….mmmmmm!

Fun In LA, Santa Monica and Venice Beach, CA

Nothing makes you feel “cooler” than leisurely pedaling on the wide, flat, paved bike paths next to the beach from Santa Monica to Venice Beach.  Taking in the open horizon over the sea, the palm trees bending in the warm breezes, and all of the unique people is absolutely fun!  We finished our day off by riding all of the rides at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier- @PierSantaMonica even retweeted that pic of  us laughing on the giant Sea Dragon ride!  Of course no trip to the LA area is complete without seeing Graumann’s Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Our favorite stars on the Walk of Fame? Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, Bill Cosby, and Jackie Chan!

Vegas, and Celebrating a Birthday and Our Return Home

We stopped off for an evening in Vegas to see the lights and spectacle, had a round of “Dirty Martinis” to celebrate my husband’s birthday, and enjoyed a bottle of Trader Joe’s Dry Rose wine on our back patio to celebrate our return home.  It was a fun trip, that was thoroughly enjoyed and will be remembered by everyone.  

…now back to reality

(which has found us in the middle of an unusual, unending heat wave and disastrous fires here in Colorado!)

I hope you are having a great summer, and staying safe- it seems like quite a bit of the States is enduring severe weather this summer- fires out west and horrible storms out east!

I had the pleasure of returning to one of my very favorite stores, The Garden Gallery in Morro Bay, on our recent trip to California.

I wanted to share my photographs from this wonderful store, and a few inspiring ways to add a little Artful Zen to your home and garden:

A Meditating Frog…

Bubbling Fountains in Pebble Pots…

Interesting Cacti…

A Beautiful Bonsai…

A Variety of Unique Succulents…

Something Funny and Whimsical (fogger, optional)…

This year for our outdoor space, we transformed a salvaged resin planter into a water fountain, and have added some handmade garden art we bought at a local art festival.

Our Homemade Garden Fountain: A Simple Fountain Pump Inside a Large Resin Planter

Handmade Ceramic Mushroom Garden Art

For indoors, we selected a nice variety of succulents and pottery from The Garden Gallery, and are enjoying watching them thrive. These plants are so unique, and easy to grow, provided they have ample light, water and well-draining soil. I am hoping to order more varieties from Simply Succulents soon!  Want to add some “bonus” Zen? Top the soil with special rocks or shells you’ve collected from your adventures!

Our New Succulents…Aren’t They Interesting?

Add A Little Zen to Your Home and Garden too!

Here’s a few simple and easy ways to get started:

Oakland Living Frog Garden Hose Holder $63.74 from kohls.com Single Monterey Bonsai – 8″H – Botanicals $32.87 from samsclub.com

Doesn’t it put a smile on your face to open your mailbox and find a handwritten letter?

These days, old-fashioned “Snail Mail” is usually relegated to birthday wishes and holiday cards.  When was the last time you put pen to paper and just wrote to a friend for the sheer joy of writing, affixing a beautiful stamp and watching your letter begin its journey when it slides into the mail slot?

“To Receive A Letter, You Must Mail a Letter”

I always signed up for the school Pen Pal project as a child.  I exchanged letters with several other children from Europe and Japan.  I adored those letters.  I loved it when they doodled in the margins, or included a drawing on the envelope. I exchanged letters with distant friends throughout my childhood, as our family relocated quite a bit.   I have also preciously tucked away almost every letter or greeting card that was given to me by my beloved elders and children of my family.  Recently, with inspiration from my friend Diane, I have rekindled my lost love of hand-written letters.

So I Did This>>>

I joined the Letter Writer’s Alliance
(The L.W.A. for those in the know!)

The L.W.A. is a super-cool, Indie business dedicated to preserve the art of letter writing.  They have over 2000 members worldwide, and provide a secure Pen Pal service (for members only), free printable stationary downloads, a shop full of gorgeous mail ephemera, and tons of inspiration to get some letters sent off in the mail:

Like appreciating beautiful stamps, and getting to know your local Postal Staff>>>

For years I have been buying stamps only as I need them (which was rare), and I would just pick them up at the grocery store (which sold only the most boring, plain set).  I had attempted to collect stamps as a child, but I didn’t know what I was doing, so that hobby didn’t last long.  Recently, I stood in line and waited to speak to one of our very friendly USPS workers here in Parker, and he kindly showed me all the different stamps they currently had at that branch. He then explained that I could find more designs at the USPS Shop Online , and that is how I have now become a stamp enthusiast!

Check Out the Coolness>>>

Once at www.usps.com, download or order a copy of the Philatelic Catalog, a quarterly publication, which has all of the currently available stamps with the US Postal Service.  You can browse all of the beautiful designs and read the stories behind them.  They even have a few opportunities to buy foreign postage through certain stamp programs, like the Chinese Lunar New Year collaboration with British Royal Mail or the Miles Davis/Edith Piaf Voices series with the French Post.  Beyond just the “Forever” value stamp for a single letter, there are stamps of all different types of denominations for your shipping needs.  And they are so much prettier on your packages and letters!

I Am Now on a Mission: Artify My Mail>>>

With all this pretty postage, I needed some crafty supplies to make unique stationary.  I’ve been collecting labels, rubber stamps, assorted pens and adhesives.  I have rulers, scissors, and templates.  Even plain white rubber erasers are about to be carved into custom stamps!  Paper and ephemera once destined for the trash is now being hoarded for collage.  Postcards and envelopes are about to get artsy…

But I have a Dilemma>>>

I don’t have a lot of Pen Pals anymore!

I have signed up for the Pen Pal exchange over at the L.W.A., and over at Good Mail Day’s “Call for Correspondents”, but it’s been a slow process getting started.  If you are already in my address book, you will probably be seeing some colorful post coming your way, but I was also thinking I would see if there was anyone else out there looking to exchange a bit of mail.

Mail fascinates me.  From a visual perspective, I love bright colorful packages, beautiful stamps, handwritten letters, and the patterns and textures the mail receives during the course of its travels.  From a communication viewpoint, I just love the idea that a cheerful, uplifting sentiment can be captured on paper and then carried by other people to the intended recipient.

There’s also this concept that “Art” can be freely exchanged in the mail, and it is one that I am exploring and researching.    It’s a bigger subject than this post was intended to handle, but if it interests you too, a great place to start is “Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art”.  Though I love the galleries and museums, life should see Art off the wall, in the hands of all people, and Postal Art facilitates that!

If this whole idea interests you, and you would like to receive a bit of Postal Art, or even just a friendly letter, drop a note to me via Snail Mail:

Erin Fickert-Rowland

P.O. Box 3304

Parker, CO 80134

Remember: “To Receive a Letter, You Must Send a Letter”

(plus this keeps your address entirely safe)

On that note, this is just a mail exchange- you will not be added to any list of any kind– just an old-fashioned address book for letter purposes only.  I also reserve the right to remove my address from this post if there are any problems in the future.  This is a little experiment I am doing, and I am hoping to find some other like-minded folks who would like to have a bit of fun with me!  

So gather some stamps and hit the stationary store! I hope to see you in the “Snail Mail!”