Travel = Inspiration

Ever since my first trip to Europe with a newly-minted Art History degree from U.C. Berkeley (way back when!) I've found travel to be the most inspirational thing I could possibly do. Equipped with a Eurailpass and a small red leather notebook in which I'd listed all the works of art and architecture that I wanted to experience first-hand, I headed off from the darkened lecture halls to see all those faded slides (remember slides?) come to brilliant life. As a closet research wonk, I've always done extensive reading about, and kept copious notes on, the places I've been. My observations, thoughts and impressions are written down in a stack of worn, leather-bound journals, illustrated with watercolor and pencil sketches that bring back these experiences with a freshness that photographs alone could never capture. Detailed information and itineraries are now also kept on my trusty Mac laptops, which take quite a beating.

One thing I've learned over many years of travel and research: Everything is interconnected! The ancient sites of Basilicata, in Italy's far south, reminded me of ancestral Puebloan ruins we explored in the American Southwest. My snapshot of Timgad (above), a Roman city in the mountains of Algeria, shows a temple facade that is echoed almost exactly by the facade of Mission Santa Barbara, the Queen of California's Spanish missions. You'll find much more about these fascinating connections in the "books I love" section. Of course, "only connect" is the theme of my book, On A Mission: The Real Story of the California Missions—which I hope you'll read!

In this blog, I'll share some of these great itineraries and information about the places I've traveled, occasionally alone but usually with my husband—who's even more of a history buff than I am, and with other members of our wonderful extended family. And many times over the years, I've found inspiration on horseback, exploring the beautiful back country of California's central coast with our riding friends. And speaking of inspiration, in the photo below Lucy and I are surveying the Santa Ynez Mountains and Lake San Marcos from a place called Loma Alta — the name I decided upon for my new publishing company.

“This is the story of a unique place called California. It is also a guide book, written in the belief that our most exceptional travel experiences instill an enlightened understanding of the places we visit." From the Preface to On A Mission

Above: Classical Greek ruins at Selinunte, Sicily

Above: The beautiful ruins of the Spanish mission at Tumacácori in southern Arizona are testament to periods of conflict and transition in the Southwest. Founded in 1691 by the legendary Fr. Eusebio Kino in the lands of the O'Odham people, the mission's present buildings were constructed by O' Franciscan missionaries beginning in 1800 at the very end of Spain's empire in North America. After Mexican independence in 1821 the mission struggled and was never completed; it was abandoned by 1848, fifteen years before Arizona became a territory of the United States with the Gadsden Purchase.

Below: the "White Dove of the Desert"—Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson, is said to be the most beautiful mission church in North America. The site was consecrated in 1700 by Fr. Kino—who is one of two historic figures representing Arizona in the National Hall of Statuary, Washington D.C. This magnificent Baroque church was built by O'odham craftsmen and laborers beginning in 1783. Today, it presides over an unspoiled, pastoral landscape on the San Xavier Reservation, and is the heart of an active local parish.

LOOK FOR FUTURE TRAVEL ITINERARIES - MY LATEST ADVENTURES HAVE TAKEN ME AROUND THE VAST—AND ANCIENT—AMERICAN SOUTHWEST.