I strongly believe that “great art” is in the eye of the beholder and not in the artwork itself. I can look at the same piece of art as 20 other people and it would “speak” to us in 20 different ways. With that thought in mind, I viewed lots of great art at the Des Moines Arts Festival today. I talked to a number of talented and friendly artists

As you have likely guessed, I really enjoy staying in AirBnbs when it makes sense to do so. The variety of AirBnbs and other home rental offerings is amazing to me. Check out this barn-themed AirBnb in Roger’s, Arkansas!

Des Moines is a beautiful city with enough population to bring in major concerts, events, and restaurants, but small enough to feel like a large small town. I always enjoy going to Des Moines. One of the things I enjoy there is trying new (to me) restaurants.

If you’re like me, you love to discover unexpected little gems when you travel, especially ones that are underrated or somewhat unknown. When you find a place like that, it feels sort of like you have opened a surprise birthday gift and are delighted. That was the way I felt when I visited the ESSE Purse Museum and Store!

I have enjoyed going to arts festivals for many years. I enjoy the art tents sitting side by side, with many types of artworks in the same small space. I enjoy the art festival atmosphere. It just feels like a big party!

Last summer I spent a week on my own in Milan! I stayed at an AirBnb with the most wonderful host and arranged some wonderful tours and activities while I was there. One of them was an exuberant tour in a classic Fiat! One of the places we went was called BAM: The Library of Trees. Join me for a quick tour and of BAM and information to plan your own tour!

Last summer I spent a week on my own in Milan! I stayed at an AirBnb with the most wonderful host and arranged some wonderful tours and activities while I was there. One of them was an exuberant tour in a classic Fiat!

Salem, Massachusetts is a fascinating place both for its long and varied history and for the events that took place there - e.g. The Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem of today touts both in a big way. Not only is it a great place to learn about colonial history, it also has become famous all things witch and supernatural related. And don’t even get me started on the town’s Halloween Festival.

Lots of great locations, activities, and attractions to learn about on my blog this week!

Since this is National Library Week, I thought a post about how I utilize my library when I travel and how you can use a destination library when you travel would be a fitting topic for this week.

Here’s the blog post schedule for the week!

I have been taking inexpensive classes this year from Kelli Sweet, who runs a creative organization called Hibernate and Create. Next weekend is their big Spring retreat and I can’t wait! I am signed up for several classes and I’m so excited to be going! Great news! You can still sign up yourself!