Ever been so close to winning a carnival game you could almost taste it? Well way back when, coveted prizes weren’t colorful plushies, but cigars. So when carnival goers were just about to win a nice big stogie but didn’t quite get there, the game masters would yell out to the crowd “close but no cigar!” a phrase that now refers to coming close to a goal but falling jussst short.

THIS WEEK IN AWA AWESOMENESS

🚗 Last chance for a Nevada road trip
✒️ Putting pen to paper
🥒 An ode to cucumbers
🗞️ Feeling “out of sorts?”

LAST CHANCE, LANCE!

Have you ever wanted to ride on the open roads? We’re sending two lucky Community Members on their very own Nevada Road Trip Adventure courtesy of our friends at Travel Nevada. Buckle up and add your name here.

Double your chances by forwarding this email to your favorite travel buddy ;)

MONTBLANC CHALET POP-UP

The actual Wes Anderson had a hand in directing the campaign for the centennial celebration of Montblanc’s most iconic pen. Want to join in on the fun? The Montblanc Observatory, High-Mountain Library and Writing Room is open in Los Angeles for all your pen to paper pleasures. Head here for all the details!

June 14th was National Cucumber Day, and we may have thrown around the phrase “cool as a cucumber” a tad too much. But with a whole day dedicated to our favorite cylindrical veget... fruit, we felt it fitting to curate a curious ICYMI homage to our cuke-loving compadres at Hendrick’s Gin.

🍸 A cucumber’s favorite palace
🎲 Curious crafts
🪴 Creation of the greenhouse
🥒 A lil’ ditty about cucumbers

If you're feeling "all out of sorts," you can thank the printing press ... for the expression, that is. From “stereotype” to “above the fold,” a vast collection of colloquialisms can be attributed to machines like the typewriter and printing press. It may sound cliché, but we have many people (and objects) to thank for more idioms and expressions than you might expect...

MORE WONDERFUL WATERCOLORS

Before the dawn of photography it was pretty tough for archaeologists, geologists, and other scientists to accurately depict new discoveries. So many exhibitions brought along a watercolor artist to capture their findings in an illustrative format. Solid move!

Keeping the tradition alive, we have one of our own Adventurers @madebyvarunika capturing sights around San Francisco in some lovely urban watercolor renditions (and animations)!

Did someone say “secret link”? This week secret link seekers will win a Pink Stationary Set. For all you newcomers who aren’t entirely sure what we’re talking about - check out this link to get in on the secret 👇