I’ve shared quite a bit of my graphic design and scenic painting over the years, but it’s been awhile since I’ve featured my ink drawings in any meaningful way. I’ve done a particular form of abstract ink drawings since high school, and I attempt to get a little work done on any number of works-in-progress each week. Starting in early 2024, I plan to start releasing my work as a limited edition NFT series under my online handle as Valdyr on the Solana-based platform Solarplex.
Living in a large metroplex like the one surrounding Dallas and Fort Worth means that it’s sometimes hard to ‘get out of town’ and out into nature. So it’s always pleasant to find those hidden areas in the middle of the hustle and bustle of city life, just like this one I’ve found down the road in Mansfield, Texas. As the closest nature park to my home, you’ll often find me hiking at Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park.
We were recently able to take an extended weekend vacation to New Braunfels, Texas, while celebrating the wedding of our friends in the area. An easy drive from the DFW metro area (roughly five hours if you’re like us and avoid the interstate), we decided to take advantage of the offerings in the historical downtown area for the days we were in town visiting New Braunfels.
We were thrilled to be able to make our much-awaited return trip to New Orleans recently, and I’m excited to write my first ‘return trip blog’ post, too. I wanted to branch out to see a few new-to-me locations, while there were several places I wanted to revisit in New Orleans from our previous trip.
We took the opportunity to take a long weekend visiting Surfside Beach, Texas, earlier in August before the fall semester started. It was an enjoyable, affordable, and nearby beach destination from our home base in the DFW area.
After a long pandemic year, we felt very fortunate to be able to get fully vaccinated just in time for our ten year wedding anniversary! We had decided to take an extended weekend road trip visiting Lake Travis, Texas. Still wanting to be COVID-conscious, we opted for a secluded Airbnb on the water, and kept to outdoor locations throughout our visit. Read on for recommendations for outdoor fun while visiting this location just outside of Austin.
I can’t believe that it’s been almost a full year since I launched my “Looking Back” blog series. Today, I’m concluding my blog series with one final post reminiscing about visiting Uppsala, Sweden (with a side trip to Stockholm) in the summer of 2016.
This week two years ago, I was visiting Vienna, Austria while tagging along on one of my husband’s work trips. I enjoyed a jam-packed trip filled with sightseeing, hearty food, local beer, and quite a bit of urban hiking.
And now for something a little different from my usual travel blog posts: witnessing the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale at Cape Canaveral, Florida. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that my husband is a space plasma physicist, and we were fortunate enough to witness the launch of one of his primary projects in person!
After visiting Key West several times with my family as a teenager, it’s safe to say this location is my overall favorite vacation destination. I was therefore thrilled when my husband had a meeting scheduled in Key West a few years ago. After his meeting, we headed up to Marathon for a few days to enjoy the nearby beaches and parks. If you’re heading to the lower and middle keys of Florida, I have several suggestions of visits and hikes below!