Hello! My name is Staci, and I am an artist and photographer.

My favorite subject to work with is wildlife, so the Galapagos Islands were an obvious dreamdestination for me! I created a journal out of a watercolor book, which I will be sharing with you in my blog posts. Some things I painted and drew before my trip to the islands, in anticipation …

The Galapagos Islands are amazing. Basically, everything you have ever heard of, that is cool and awesome...is absolutely true.Youmight be eye to eye withaBlue FootedBooby. Youmight get splashed in the face by a sea lion. You might find yourself having a conversation with a salt-spitting, crusty old marine iguana. And it is marvelous! How did it …

When you are planning a trip this big, it is good to have information.The islands have a lot to offer, and choices are always tough.

My trip was the end of May, 2015. We were in a "mild El Nino event", so the weather isn't typical for every year. We had rain most days. When it was rainy or overcast, it was quite nice.

The sun on …

Galapagos began to show off immediately. As we were coming in for a landing, we spotted two yellow-orange land iguanas off the runway.

Darwin finches and lava lizards dodged in and out between groups of travelers.

We could smell the warm, moist air of the ocean. We were greeted by our guide, waited for our group then transferred to a bus, then …

There are many things to consider about HOW you travelin the Galapagos. It seems like each island has its own unique flavor, with specializations that aren't available anywhere else. For example, albatross only nest on one island. Some of the best diving are by the islands wayyyy on the outskirts of the archipelago. So experiences vary.We …

Genovesa island made me feel like I was inserted in a National Geographic special. First of all, we anchored inside the caldera, as Genovesa is the top of a volcano. It really gave you a strong impression of the origins of these islands. This is a giant cove.

In Darwin Bay, I was greeted on the beach by the strange,hollow-tube soundingwhistle of …

Up early for more adventures!

Bartolome island is an interesting place. The rocks are fantastic--there are amazing lava formations everywhere.And, on the way in....we saw a Galapagos penguin!!!That wasan artist's inspiration, for sure!

Long ago, a group of penguins followed the cold Humboldt current up from Antarctica and settled here. They …

Today was the first of two days visiting sites on Isabela Island. We landed at the harbor for Puerto Villamil, the town on Isabela, and with all the rain, our bus was late. So we explored the area, walking the trails and the beach.

A sea lion slept next to the trail. I could hear her inhale and exhale. It's so cute the way they tuck their …

Elizabeth Bay was full of wildlife. There is no landing place--we explored from the dingies. The red mangroves are a great refuge for a variety of animals.

We viewed eagle rays, golden rays, bluefooted boobies, sea turtles, sea lions, flightless cormorants...on the water we saw 16 penguins and flying fish!

This series of photos (more in the …