Written this month, like most months, by Anne (so you know who to complain to or compliment 😆)

Hello and welcome back to our monthly newsletter, where you’ll get all the latest a&b and studio news that’s fit to print: Where we’ve been and are heading, what we’re shooting and studio updates, along with some of our favorite things & people. Know someone who might like to receive this in their inbox on First Friday’s as well, please forward this free post to them and THANK YOU!

This month’s is a little bit shorter as we’re taking a little August breather. Hope wherever this month finds you, you’re taking some slow time, as well. 💛

(Oh, and this post’s featured image? It’s your sneak peek from our upcoming post on Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Stay tuned!)

current location📍

If you guessed Colorado, you win a 🌟! We’re still in Woodland Park and are greatly appreciating the somewhat cooler temperatures. Unfortunately here, like too many places, average summer temps are rising. But at 8,500 feet elevation, most people do not have a/c so it can be quite unpleasant inside. Thankfully, unlike the big city and lower elevations, the nights still cool down and it’s truly heaven.

Another thing we’re really enjoying is watching the hummingbirds visit our feeder! Well, I should say, we’re enjoying it. Although we have yet to see any around us, apparently bears have been visiting the campground, so the owners asked everyone to put their sugar water away. We’re bummed, but understand their desire to put safety first and foremost. It was a warm, dry winter and bears are hungrier than usual. We’d personally love to see one here, but perhaps from inside our trailer. We did see one crossing the road at dusk the other night in town, but he was pretty much a big lumbering blob!

Thankfully, we set up the tripod and remote and were able to get some photos of our humming visitors while we had the feeder out! Such beautiful creatures.

(Not a hummingbird above, of course, but still, a pretty cute fawn out with its family for an evening meal.)

in the rear view ↩️

Normally a July wrap up would include if not some photos, at least a mention of getting to see some fireworks. Alas, that was not to be this year. Most of the planned shows were canceled due to the extreme drought and dryness in Colorado so here’s an oldie but goodie pic from a few years ago we took at Rockies stadium. (Denver and the Rockies DID still have their fireworks this year, but in most places outside of the city like the mountains where we are, they were cancelled.)

However, we found ourselves at Red Rocks that holiday weekend for a premier showing Andrea Gibson:Love Letter from the After Life after Bill scored a great deal on last minute tickets. Named after the final poem that Andrea Gibson wrote for their spouse, Megan Falley, the film features Andrea’s sold-out final performance at Paramount Theater in May 2024. (We wrote about Andrea in Road Trippin’ #6 under Artist Spotlight and their documentary film, Come See Me in the Good Light. Highly recommend both films if you can see them.) 

Megan, along many others, and hosted by Sundance Film Festival (moving from Utah to Boulder in 2027!) put the special night together, which featured the Colorado Symphony accompanying the film live, Sara Bareilles singing Salt then Sour then Sweet (co-written by her, Brandie Carlisle and Andrea themself) with Megan and Edie Carey accompanying her, and one of their best friends, singer/songwriter, Chris Pureka. There wasn’t a dry eye amongst the sold out crowd and if you’ve been lucky enough to visit Red Rocks, it feels truly otherworldly so it was a special evening to be a part of. We even saw a blood red super moon on the way home!

Mid-month saw me getting a colonoscopy (don’t worry, no pics of that!), which is of course, never a pleasant experience, but one I’m willing to talk about, because that’s how much I want you to get yours if you’re overdue. Did you know that the American Cancer Society recently lowered the screening age from 50 to 45 because more and more young people are getting it? And if you have high-risk factors like me, you may need to start even earlier. I’m currently on the 5-year plan and it’s a good thing. While my 2021 one was clear, they found and removed a 3mm polyp this time that turned out to be a pre-cancerous type. Had I waited the standard 10 years between, it would have been larger and greater chances of malignancy. (Should you want to know more, feel free to reach out, I’m happy to share more personally.)

A dear friend of mine was diagnosed with colorectal cancer a few years ago, but thankfully they caught it early and she is doing wonderful now. It was literally three days after her 45th birthday and the doctor said that the cancer had probably been growing for 10 years already at that point. Crazy.

When I offered to help, she requested post-treatment reward cookies, as I was doing Eat Love Cookies at the time, and I was more than honored to oblige. While I cannot make you cookies in a cramped Airstream, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you get out of your colonoscopy.

Gratuitous Drinks & Desserts outings during July. Hope you’re not currently, right this minute, prepping for a colonoscopy!

cats crossing 🐈‍⬛

As you know, we’re not alone on this journey of ours, thankfully. Our dear kitties, Frankie and Willow are with us providing much needed cuddles and lots of laughs, always. 

u-turnin’ ⏎

Did you miss any of the past month’s Tranquil Tuesdays?

wild hearts 💓

Where we share sightings of hearts in the wild, because who among us couldn’t use a little more love?

artist spotlight 🔦

This month we’re featuring artist and illustrator, Laura El of Stellar Villa. 

I believe I found artist Laura El on Pinterest, back when Pinterest was actually a usable and good tool. I was looking for someone to design a holiday card for us, found her ethereal work and was immediately in love with her style. 

She graciously took on our commission and not only did we use the art she created for us for our card that year, we also had it professionally printed and framed for our gallery wall. While it’s currently in storage with the rest of our art, we look forward to hanging it back on the wall where it belongs in our future sticks n’ bricks.

We asked her to capture us in our soul city, New Orleans, by the courtyard where we married, along with our dear kitties, Frankie, Willow and Sadie, along our sweet girl, Callie who we lost that year, depicted with a halo over her head. Sadly, since we’ve been on the road, we’ve also lost our dear Sadie and miss her everyday that she’s not on this adventure with us. 🩶

Laura started her own snail mail club earlier this year, the Monthly Muse which we are proud early members of. We love being able to collect her pieces in this way, especially since they’re smaller and unframed, we’re able to keep them with us and easily display them while we’re on the road. And her beautifully written behind the scenes letters served as the inspiration behind ours that we include with the Love Notes Postcard Project.

We receive a new piece each month so we can display the latest on our desk in a rotating personal art show.

It probably wouldn’t surprise you to hear that I personally wouldn’t mind living in some of the world’s Laura creates. The rich saturated colors create a vibrant tapestry teaming with life, each little detail, an individual jewel contributing to luminous, whimsical story she’s telling. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the night sky so beautifully depicted. I want to wrap myself in it.

Some favorite pieces include: (Click each photo to go directly to that images shop page on Laura’s website.)

Follow Laura on Instagram and sign up for her newsletter on her website, Stellar Villa. 

**Please note all images of the artist and her work are copyrighted by Laura El and may not be used w/out permission.

exit through the gift shop 💝

Somebody’s birthday coming up? Maybe yours? We won’t tell if you treat yourself. We’re pretty sure you deserve it. Check out our photo coasters which is a great way to bring a little bit of Holland Photo Arts into your home without a major wall commitment! #shopsmallyall

packing for our trip 🧳 

Holland Photo Arts Print Shop (start with our faves) (and the Oh Those Hollands! gift shop) is our full-time work. As artists, we love nothing more seeing our pieces proudly displayed in our clients’ home (yes, yours!). Giving a piece you love a home is one of the best ways you can help support us and our work. Also, see above Postcard Project!

Thank you! It means the world to us both. 💕

Lastly, if someone you know would enjoy this and Tranquil Tuesdays posts, please share this email or send your friends to our Journal to sign up. 

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