And Then I Came Back...

the White Cliffs of Dover

I got back to the U.S. last week...I wasn't ready to come back, though. After such a incredible trip, who would? Anyway, I am eager to get back to the bench and excited about moving forward with my work and business, once I get a studio going. For now I'm answering apartment listings and making a variety of to-do lists. I've also posted all my remaining images from the trip on Facebook and Flickr but here are the highlights of the highlights:

My final days in Europe were lovely. I met up with my sweetheart in London and we headed to Herne Bay, Kent where he did a guest spot at Classic Ink Tattoo. I spent my hours wandering around the town and taking the double decker bus to nearby Canterbury. Canterbury hosts a little gem of a museum called the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge.  Its collection is divided into a number of categories, my favorites being: "Materials and Their Uses,""Cabinet if Curiosities," and "Colour and Camouflage." Materials and Their Uses includes displays of glass, ceramics, wood, metal, and this impressive dollhouse furniture case.

dollhouse furniture and accessories from the 18th and early 19th century

Later we traveled to Dover to see the White Cliffs (top picture) and then back to London for a few days. One of my favorite places in London was the Wellcome Collection, a museum that connects medicine with art and life. It includes an exhibition of objects that belonged to its founder, Henry Wellcome. "Medicine Man" is composed of all sorts of unusual things and oddities that relate to the body or health--Napolean's toothbrush,  prosthetic devices from the 1900s, a mummy. It's one of the most fascinating collections I have ever seen.

Thanks for reading.