Travel must-haves

Sorry for my absence! I spent the last two weeks in glamorous Detroit, MI at the auto show. Detroit sucks, guys. Avoid it at all costs.

As I'm sure you've gathered I travel a ridiculous amount for work. Some times of year are much busier than others; right now is the busy time and I'm barely home at all between now and May. I wish it was the other half of the year so I could enjoy the mild Arizona winter and beautiful East coast summers, since I end up being sent there so often.

Living out of a suitcase and in hotel rooms necessitates a nice collection of goods to keep one sane and comfy. Here are some things I never leave home without so I don't lose my mind on the road:

* My fluffy pink slippers. Never walk on a hotel carpet in bare feet - they are never cleaned!
* Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm (a must on dry planes)
* Boots Restore & Renew Serum
* My DKNY cozy. A convertible sweater that can be configured in a multitude of ways; also makes a perfect blanket on the plane.
* Uggs. Usually my tall black ones, best for getting back and forth to the convention center in my black auto show outfits. Not fashionable y any means, but they feel like I'm walking on a cloud after spending hours and hours in 5" heels.
* Oil blotting sheets
* A real nightgown and a real pair of soft PJs
* Antibacterial wipes. I wipe down every single surface my hands will touch in the hotel room - all door knobs, shower and drawer handles, the remote, wall switches, lamp switches, curtain openers, etc.
* Isagenix shake mix. It's so hard to eat right on the road, and these give me the peace of mind of knowing I'm having at least one nutritious meal. I pack a travel-sized mini-blender, too.
*A solid piece of classic literature. This will last the length of my time away, unlike a lot of modern work which I can devour in a day or two. (I don't own a Kindle because I like having real books at home and want to have a dedicated library room one day.)
*L'Occitane travel-sized hand creams. My personal faves are cherry blossom & lavender.
*My black patent leather Coach Poppy tote. It's shocking how much I can fit in this bag, including my laptop, shoes, a book, wallet, and sundry girl stuff.
*A favorite hat. Sometimes it's my burgundy flannel, sometimes the black and white houndstooth. Perfect for hiding travel hair.

What's in your travel kit?

Southern Beauty

Image copyright Bloom Creatives 2009. All Rights Reserved.

One of the nicest things about what I do for a living, I think, is the ability to turn every day into a new professional opportunity. I can write an article about some cool new place I've visited or interesting person I've met, and I can photograph beautiful people and places wherever I happen to find them.

Okay, so I found this beautiful place - Eden Gardens State Park - and this beautiful person - Mischa Marie - before I actually left home. I had heard and read about the park before and had momentarily considered it as a possible wedding location. Found a local model through a database through which we both belong. Scouted the location a few days before and turns out it was perfect... And so was Mischa.

Phoenix Mystery Castle

Copyright Bloom Creatives 2009. All Rights Reserved.

I visited the Phoenix Mystery Castle yesterday... 

In the 1930's, Boyce Gully of Seattle, WA found out he had TB. That very day he disappeared from the lives of his wife and toddler daughter, Mary Lou, forever. Unbeknownst to them, Boyce wound up in Arizona where he staked a gold mining claim and began to build a castle for his daughter, as he had once promised her. Boyce thought he only had months to live - but he lived another 15 years and died of cancer, not TB. His wife and daughter had no idea where he was until they were notified of Mary Lou's inheritance upon his death: the castle. 

Mary Lou and her mother moved to Arizona immediately and found this strange dwelling that Boyce had made completely out of found, repurposed or donated materials, including items from the governor and Frank Lloyd Wright. Mary Lou still lives here -- she must be at least 80 by now -- and says to this day she occasionally finds things in secret hiding spots her father left for her, like money and photos.

Mary Lou also has a penchant for cats. Her current feline companion is named Cleocatra. She keeps lots of inanimate cats around, too, like this stone kitty napping in the sunlight on one of the many patios around the castle.

Seattle Color

Photo Copyright Bloom Creatives 2008, All Rights Reserved.

I spent a long weekend in Seattle last week, staying in a lovely hotel within walking distance of a lot of wonderful Seattle sights. But having been to the city before and done the tourist thing - Space Needle, Pike's Place Market - and this time being there on business, I preferred to spend my down time on some details. This little garden was outside of my hotel. I loved the long, thin red leaves, which fell from a nearby tree.

Seaside

I took this photo in Seaside, Florida a couple of weeks ago. This is the view of the Gulf of Mexico, looking west from the rooftop bar at a great little place called Bud & Ally's. 

They have excellent mint juleps, by the way.

And the sky couldn't have been more blue. Days like that are heaven. It didn't hurt that I had just gotten married two days earlier! The Beaches of South Walton are easily my favorite stretch of shoreline in the US...