State and Country Decorative Plates

Another fun collection of mine are plates from other states and countries. I wondered how many places I had been in my life and came up with the plates to match.

Yellowstone Park where my family trips were spent when I was young. I have many fond memories of seeing Old Faithful, the geyser, real live bears wandering up to your car as you drove through the park, and being able to pick out a few souvenirs to take back home (with the inevitable tag on the back indicating it was made in China)

Utah, my home state! One of the most diverse places on the planet. Zion's National Park-- towering mountains with slot canyons; the deep gorges of Bryce Canyon, red in the sunset; Moab, with stone bridges and rock formations in red sandstone; Park City, home of the Sundance Film Festival; The Great Salt Lake---miles and miles of salty water and home to the tiny brine shrimp. A pretty great place to live.


Texas! Dallas, where you can see on the street off Dealey Plaza a red X that marks the spot where President Kennedy was killed. Then into the "Fifth Floor Museum" where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shots. The whole floor is filled with photos and memorabilia from that horrible day. Outside a stark wall behind which is a memorial to Kennedy where one can meditate.


Seattle, Washington. The Space Needle, Pike's Market, and wonderful places to eat really fresh fish! A little known place to visit is the underground Seattle that still has the places carved out where there was a thriving "Red Light" district a long, long time ago.


Portland, Oregon. Green everywhere you look. Beautiful, lush Japanese Gardens, eclectic restaurants and diverse shopping areas, Powell's Book Store that takes up a whole city block. Lively downtown area by the pier overlooking the Willamette River where barges from all over the world come in from the ocean. On a clear day you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams, famous volcanoes in the area.

I have a lot more places I've visited and more collective plates. Stay tuned!