Sometimes we all need a little creative boost. That could come in many forms, such as taking a class in a different media, gallery-hopping, looking through magazines of innovative artwork. It could also take on the form of doing something completely different, like hiking, taking photos, gardening, going to a concert, or even cleaning toilets. Ha. Not so sure on that last one.

Last week I took one such creative break. But unlike the usual stuff, I went instead with a friend to Cave B Inn for a few days. We try to go on a yearly vacation and call it our “Mommy’s Weekend Away”. Which has always just been an excuse to let the hubbies take care of the kids and for us to have a weekend off. Anyway, this year, we stayed in a yurt. That’s right. A yurt. Whaaaattt? Honestly, it was one of the most enjoyable trips I’ve taken and it completely revitalized my creative juices. We hiked, talked non-stop (seriously), had massages, and simply relaxed.

Here is a pic of our yurt, with another in the background. The surrounding clouds were a little stormy, but we didn’t have any crazy weather except wind. Wait. I mean WIND. More on that later.

Yurt at Cave B Winery in Washington

I didn’t dwell in artistic thoughts all weekend, and I didn’t paint, but did take some pretty cool photos. Here I am, in my typical photo-mode, laughing as usual.

Me, taking photos mid-laugh

The view outside our yurt encompassed a portion of the winery as well as the resort and the Columbia River Basin. This was when it WASN’T windy.

Grape vines just outside our door, with the resort and Columbia Basin in the distance.

We ate very well. The photo below was a Sunday Brunch, with amazing wild salmon, salads, fruits, quinoa, and bacon. Yum.

Yummy Sunday Brunch at Cave B

I loved the yurt! A house-tent, it was calm and comfy inside, with a real bed, but we could hear night sounds and tent sides shifting. At night, the frogs “sang” a HUGE NOISY SONG that kept us both awake at times, listening to their cadences.

Oh yeah. About the wind. It blew. Hard. A lot. Note to self. Next time, bring a pony-tail holder. My hair ended up a tangled nightmare. One night, we had an extremely ferocious wind storm, causing the tent walls to flap wildly. I thought the yurt might do a Dorothy’s House!

Inside the yurt, all calm and peaceful before the wind

Before we arrived, we had each grocery shopped and ate most of our meals in the yurt with this view:

Inside the yurt with our food and wine!

Of course, we had to do a tasting and partake of their wine. Just doing our job as guests at a winery. Probably it is even required of guests. Right?

As I said, no painting, but I took plenty of photos. Here is another one of my photo-mode postures. What I love most about this pic is that it makes me look about fourteen years old. Or at least, I thought so. HA. Had to post it.

Me, taking up-close shots of a wildflower

We hiked the trails down into the basin every day. I don’t look 14 in the next photo, but oh well. The illusion is off now and you all know. I’m no longer fourteen. Yep. Truth.

View from the Columbia Basin hike

Travel always inspires me. I enjoy traveling and go as often as I can. It energizes, revitalizes, and relaxes me back into a creative-painting mode. So while this is not my typical step-by-step painting blog post, it is important nonetheless in that it illustrates what inspires me most and gets me in my creative spot.

Cave B Winery Merlot sign

Maybe it’s not travel that inspires you. Maybe it is something else. But find that something that gives you a creative boost, or just a boost to revitalize you to life. We all need it.

What is your boost? Let me know. I’ll be in the studio, studying photos from my trip, then happily painting away…

All images copyrighted by Sarah B Hansen.

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter and follow this blog to be informed of amazing new paintings and deals!

Keep creating to Feed the Beast! Support each other, people!:)