twenty years ago, my husband and i spent three months in french polynesia. our experiences as two young, naive, northerners encountering intense tropical heat and humidity for the first time are probably worthy of a book some day.

back then, i didn’t keep a journal or an artists sketchbook, but i love to doodle patterns, and sure wish i had spent some time copying some of what we saw around us in the place where they invented tattoos. one of our favorite symbols, seen everywhere, was the sea turtle, always drawn with interesting shapes and patterns on the shell. with 50 below windchill forecast in saint paul next monday, we are feeling nostalgic about lagoons and barrier reefs and searing sunshine and wearing pareos and nothing else for days on end.

sea turtle graphic made with timothy grass, goldenrod leaves, ginko leaves, seed heads, oak leaves, bog rosemary leaves, and artichoke petals

all specimens from minnesota