What should you pack when you're traveling half way around the world? I needed to pack watercolor supplies for my demonstration.Those were already in my suit case. I had enjoyed choosing gifts for my Japanese hosts and friends. I wanted to wrap each gift in Japan at the time of presentation, so some wrapping paper and special cords got tucked away in suit case pockets. A Japanese-American potluck supper was planned. My contribution would be a plate of corn bread. I purchased two boxes of corn bread mix, in the event that my first attempt failed. So all of that was taken care of. But what clothes could be wrapped around these items? It was autumn, so it seemed sensible to pack autumn clothes. Which autumn clothes? This little drawing was the first of the Saitama Journal series, completed just before our departure to Japan in 2002. I emailed it far and wide. Many people wrote back to help me along with my fashion decision - red dress or turqoise.