California here I come...

Getting ready for a 2 week trip to California seems to be like planning the Normandy invasion. Not only do the airlines make it difficult with the new limits on bags, etc., packing art materials to schlep so that you can draw or paint on the other end is crazy.
I have decided not to take my oils as they just seem too darned messy and dealing with a French easel nearly impossible. So, pastels it is and as fragile as they are, deserve careful packing. I have meticulously gone through my hundreds of pastels and picked those that I think that I will use and those that are smaller in order for them to fit in my foam padded container. It is an old box with a foam insert that once held half sticks of Rembrandts. I am prepping with precut Wallis paper and a little Art Spectrum colored paper so that the measuring is all done beforehand. I also have some new pastel board that is small that I am anxious to try.
I have a special box for pastel pencils that I have sharpened. Ha! I must have 8 various sharpeners to fit different pencil sizes and NONE of them do a very good job. So, I have also set aside a pair of scissors and an exacto knife to go into my regular suitcase.
All of the above will go into a backpack along with my wallet and other items I would normally have in a purse as this will be my "carry on" purse to take on the plane with me.
I always get a little nervous when my backpack goes through the xray machine and have been asked at least on two seperate times to open all of my materials for closer inspection. It has always been fine, but if making connections, you have to allow for the extra time.
All this preparation along with the regular packing, I hope, will be worth it. Can't wait to get out of town.
Monterey, San Francisco, Carmel...here we come. I just hope for good weather as pastels are impossible in the rain.