State Your Love

17/02/2024

In honor of Presidents Day, we thought this was a fitting share. Mount Rushmore in South Dakota features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

25/12/2023

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and joyful holiday season! We appreciate your support throughout 2023 and are excited for things to come in the New Year.

03/12/2023

Deadlines for Christmas gifting are fast approaching! While we don't shut down the shop over the holiday season, ordering by these dates helps ensure your gifts arrive in time.

30/11/2023

Just stocked these new North Carolina door hangers at Evenbrooke. Several styles and color combinations to choose from. Not local? We can ship!

28/11/2023

We've stocked some fun engraved-lid cake pans at Evenbrooke. Full 9x13x2 1/2" size aluminum cake pan with a lid for storage and transport. Sure to be a hit at your next potluck with the added bonus that no one will confuse your container for theirs! We can also create any of these designs for shipping through our Etsy shop - only Navy and Black lids left in stock for online orders.

27/11/2023

Our personalized Mason Jar shaped cutting boards are a great gift for the cook in the family. On sale now in our shop with limited quantities remaining. Available in Maple or Cherry solid wood.

This Cutting Boards item is sold by StateYourLoveLLC. Ships from Lexington, NC. Listed on Nov 24, 2023

24/11/2023

We're stocked up with a selection of North Carolina state love at Evenbrooke in Lexington! See something that you like but aren't local? We ship and can create any state in ornaments, keychains, magnets, earrings and more.

14/11/2023

I've been a bit stressed the last few weeks since one of the hard drives that contained almost all my images from my recent 60-day adventure wouldn't work when I returned home. Thank goodness that Seagate Data Recovery Services was able to restore my files - and at no cost since the drive came with recovery service! Looking forward to getting the files back so I can get back to editing some images to print and create some videos of my trip.

P.S. I had a full backup of everything from the day before I left since I'm very diligent about backups of internal and external hard drives using Time Machine. I think I may now carry my backup drive with me when I travel so I don't have the stress of potential data loss in the future.

14/10/2023

I'm a sucker for the brown and white signs indicating a historic or significant sight when I'm on the road. As I was doing back to back, long drive days to get home from my extended trip a sign near Eldon, Iowa grabbed my attention. Some of you may recognize the house in the background of the first photo. It's the farmhouse from the iconic Grant Wood "American Gothic" painting!

11/10/2023

The World's Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, my last official stop in South Dakota. The Corn Palace has been a landmark in Mitchell since 1892, with the current building dating from 1921. Each year the outside of the Corn Palace is decorated in a different theme - all using corn products.

10/10/2023

The Dignity sculpture may be the most beautiful art installation I've ever seen at an Interstate Rest Area. Located off I-90 in Chamberlain, South Dakota, she stands 50 feet tall on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River.

10/10/2023

Dahl's Chainsaw Art in Wall, South Dakota features a huge Jackalope. I've seen these mythical creatures in several locations throughout the western leg of my trip. Have you ever seen a Jackalope?

09/10/2023

Badlands National Park in South Dakota has a unique geologic landscape that seems to stretch forever.

08/10/2023

Did you know that both female and male bighorn sheep have horns? The female ewes have thin horns with a slight curve, while the males, or rams, have thick curving horns that wrap around the sides of their heads. I was fortunate to spot this herd of ewes in Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

08/10/2023

Sunrise over Badlands National Park in South Dakota. What an amazing view directly out the front door of my campsite.

07/10/2023

360 degree view from my boondocking site at ‘The Wall’ - free camping in the national grasslands just a few miles from the entrance to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. One of my most memorable experiences on this trip.

06/10/2023

Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the badlands of western North Dakota is home to an abundance of wildlife. In just a few hours I saw bison, herds of wild horses, turkeys and prairie dogs. The landscape is equally amazing with layers of color throughout the mountains and valleys.

06/10/2023

Did you know that Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the only US National Park named for a single individual? Our 26th president visited the badlands in western North Dakota in his 20s, which began his life of conservation of our beautiful lands. The Visitors Center houses a great display of his time in the area and the history of the park.

05/10/2023

North Dakota wasn’t originally in my travel plans but I figured why not, since I may never be this close again. Theodore Roosevelt National Park bound!

05/10/2023

Deadwood, South Dakota is known for many famous figures in the history of the West, including Wild Bill Hickok - who met his demise at Saloon No. 10 on August 2, 1876.

04/10/2023

Can you name these four presidents? The Mount Rushmore National Memorial features them boldly carved into a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

04/10/2023

Iron Mountain Road in the Black Hills of South Dakota covers a lot in its 17 miles. 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, 3 pigtails, 3 tunnels, 2 splits and views of 4 presidents. My mountain state dwelling family and friends would call this a drive to the store - ha!

04/10/2023

Fall has arrived in South Dakota! These amazing rock spires abound along Needles Highway - a scenic drive through the Black Hills.

03/10/2023

Our 4 presidents featured at Mount Rushmore were green before it was a thing. Marketing genius on these recycling signs!

03/10/2023

A drive along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway resulted in an amazing wildlife sighting. My first ever view of Mountain Goats in the wild! It was amazing to watch them for about 30 minutes as they grazed and scaled the rocky terrain.

02/10/2023

The Annual Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park. Once a year, the herd of approximately 1,300 bison are rounded up and sorted in corrals for health checks. This is the nation's only buffalo roundup and I was fortunate to experience it during my visit to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

01/10/2023

My first glimpse of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. George Washington's profile view is visible along Route 244.

30/09/2023

I stepped foot on the Geographical Center of the Nation Monument in Belle Fourche, South Dakota! While the actual geographic center is about 20 miles north, it lies on private property so this monument serves as a substitute. You may be thinking - hold on, that's not in the center of the country. The official Geographical Center of the Nation includes Alaska and Hawaii to determine the center of the entire nation.

29/09/2023

Aladdin, Wyoming. Population 15 - or thereabouts according to the lady at this fabulous store. This store has been in operation over 130 years - since before Wyoming even became a state. The red gas pump is from the 1950s and still in operation. What a gem to come across in my travels.

28/09/2023

Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming rises 867 feet from its base to its summit. The top of the columnar rock tower cover 1 ½ acres. Wyoming has offered up spectacular and varying landscapes and wildlife throughout my travels. I'll be saying goodbye to this fabulous state as I make my way eastward towards home over the next couple of weeks. Still more new states to come!