Vacation Souvenirs

What do you bring back from vacations?  Are you immune to souvenir buying?  When Best Loved Hubbs and I went to Switzerland and Italy a few years ago the kids commented that we only brought home edibles. It was true.  I bought hot coco mix that we loved when we were in the alps.  We even tried to find a way to duplicate the way they heated the milk with the foamer on the espresso machines that seemed to be in every restaurant.  I also bought Parmesan cheese - in Parma, Italy!  It changed my cheese buying life.  No more dusty stuff in a green container that smells slightly like vomit for us.  The BL MIL and one of the BL Girls and Husband like to find a fridge magnet for each place they visit.  I've  heard of folks who collect sand from each place they visit.  All fun. 

I usually don't look for a specific type of memento and I hate the t-shirt and junk stores that are so common in popular tourist areas.  When we went to Yellowstone Park  I found the perfect item to carry home.  I even got to  meet the artist.


Under the Boardwalk, by James Reed, Artist in Residence, Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park

BL Baby Boy brought the art display in the Old Faithful Lodge to my attention. He liked a print showing some buck deer in velvet titled "Bachelor Pad". I fell in love with this print showing a unique view of Old Faithful geyser.  The artist was a firefighter with the Casper, WY fire department for 25 years and on retirement devoted himself to full time art.  He became an Artist in Residence at Old Faithful Inn in 2003 and has lived and worked there in that capacity every summer since.  Fun gig, huh!  Since I have the ability to do framing I was happy to buy an unframed print.  It traveled home in my suitcase perfectly.  It was not a numbered edition, though Mr. Reed told me he would never do open editions again but it was signed and he then personalized it to me.  I don't know if that is good or not, but it was fun.  Now to find a frame.