If you ask Linus Van Pelt he will tell you that the Great Pumpkin is a fan of the quaint and sincere pumpkin patch. He may be right, sincerity is nice, but so too the big and grand. Enter Disneyland. They are fans of pumpkins of unusual size. Also, rodents.

That’s right, I just combined Disney, Peanuts and the Princess Bride into three sentences. Impressive, isn’t it?

This post is part of UpTake’s Friday Family Series. If you would like to see your family vacation photo here please submit it via the contact link in the sidebar, subject line: Family Photo.

Photo:  Whit Honea

Kate Tremel at work in her studio

For lovers of pottery, ceramics and all things clay, head immediately to Ann Arbor, Michigan. This lovely college town has long been an artist haven but a sizable number of those artists specialize in pottery and ceramics.  You can fill days just browsing studios, galleries, museums and shops and still never glimpse all of the hand-crafted pottery wares available.  Studio tours of some of Ann Arbor’s most notable  ceramic artists is a must for any art lover. Read More »

A Hawaiian orchid

The bitter, Midwestern weather and flat prairie lands of Chicago are probably about as far away as you can get aesthetically to the lush, tropical beauty of Hawaii but this weekend, touches of Hawaiian beauty and culture will be explored at the Chicago Botanic Gardens for the ‘Food Network Magazine and The Hawaiian Islands Weekend”  free event on October 1st and 2nd. Read More »

Racks of decorative paper at Hollander's

A writer and her  (beautiful) paper should never be parted. At least that’s my philosophy, which probably explains my deep-seated paper snobbery.  I simply can’t stomach cheap, bland or flimsy paper products of any kind, whether it’s a desktop business card or  cheesy wrapping paper. Chalk it up to my long-term, close relationship with paper. I really see no reason why it can’t be high quality and gorgeous.  So I felt like I was in paper paradise when I waltzed into Ann Arbor, Michigan’s paper mecca, Hollander’s School of Book & Paper Arts. But you don’t have to be a paper snob to enjoy it. This crafty emporium stocks cards, bookmarks, books and all the  elegant paper and book making materials that you could ever conjure up. Read More »