Tuesday, November 27, 2012

'Twas a Great Day...



...here in Arizona.
We spent today with Scott's son Rob...
who recently returned
stateside after experiencing incredible adventures
travelling through South America
in October.
Among one of his most memorable experiences was
completing the 4 day trek
over the Incan trail to to the ancient site of
Machu Picchu, Peru.
He said he truely became one with the mountain...
actually, in more ways than one!.
Scott and I sat spellbound 
listening to Rob's tales of physical anguish
on the trail
and hearing how conquering these challenges
 turned into moments of inner triumph
and
satisfaction he will never forget.
He brought us both to happy tears more than once...
that's for sure. 
What a special time...what a special son!
What a treat
to be with someone who is living their dream.
The weather was impeccable....the Coronas were cold...
and
the memories made...were simply priceless.

“Life is uncharted territory.
It reveals its story one moment at a time.”
~Leo F. Buscaglia

Thursday, November 22, 2012

A Bit of Thankfulness...

I thank all of you...each and every one of you... 
for coloring my world with love
and
decorating my heart with treasured memories.
 
"On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence."
~William Jennings Bryant
                                                            

Monday, November 19, 2012

Stumbled Upon...

...this while out and about on the internet today. 
A Facebook artist friend of mine in India stumbled upon it too...:)
Thanks for the link, Aarti...:)
Click on image to enlarge a bit.
(You can check out the original link HERE...for a larger
more reader friendly size...)
Sometimes,
a simple, unexpected stumble can be most rewarding...
Ahhh...:)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Whew! What a DAY!!!

It all began with an early breakfast...
strawberries,
cottage cheese, cranberry juice...
followed by a 40 mile drive east across the valley
to the car dealership...
for an oil and filter change,
chassis lube,
multi point inspection,
and drain plug replacement.
Exciting...right??? Well, it took 2 hours!
This was all accompanied by way too much Starbucks,
multiple mini muffins,
and
a quite bit of sketching.
This was to precede a trip 10 miles to the north valley
to visit with mom and dad...
sharing stories of Rob's 4 day Inca trail adventure trek
to the ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru...
hugs and kisses, too
before beginning the 45 mile drive back home
west across the valley.
Hungry again...
we stopped at Coco's for eggs Florentine,
fruit, another muffin,
and more coffee...
all topped of with a small ice cream cone at the
Grand Cafe.
Once home...at 4:30 mountain time...
we became inundated
with the early returns of election results from the east coast.
Now...mind you...we still had 2.5 hours of open polls
here in Arizona.
Sooooo...
we decided to escape the early election madness
and go to the pool only
to find out that the rec center was a local polling place...
and of course, it was still open!
(Note: we voted early
when we were back in Illinois
so the fact that this was a polling place
was news to me!)
At least
the sunset was magnificent...outlining the palm trees..
as sentinels in the desert sky.
That did a lot to soothe the savage beast.
   Sooo...after water walking and some star gazing
chill time in the hot tub
we headed home.
I painted...this journal page actually...
while listening to more early projections...now 5% of precints in...!!!
Jeesch...the west coast is still voting!
Aggravation rebuilding...!!!
Soooo...
I grabbed the remote and flipped to QVC for a diversion
from the election chaos...
and ended up
buying a Rowenta iron on 2 easy payments.
Go figure!
I then checked emails,
had a bowl of cereal...felt bloated...
and continued to watch returns.
Slowly, and surely, the election map began filling in.
My heart began to race...as things began to get
fairly final.
What???!!!
Barack Obama was re-elected to serve
another term as president.
Unbelievable!
What a day...What a night!
I think I am still hyped up on caffeine...
as I just looked at the length of this post...and it's a bit much!
So there you have it folks...
a day in my life...
"All signed, sealed, and delivered"...she's yours!
I am over the moon happy!
Congrats, Mr President!
Indeed it was a very, very...good...day...:)
Plus,
I think I may just have to move to Colorado...
Inhale...exhale...Ahhhh!

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone...
you may cherish the sweetest reflection
that your vote is never lost.”
~John Quincy Adams 

Monday, November 5, 2012

"Be counted on..."

...TO VOTE...

...no matter which political viewpoint you prefer.

"To make democracy work,
we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers.
One who does not vote
has
no right to complain."
~Louis L'Amour

Thursday, November 1, 2012

My Art in Jan's Book...

 Penciling in some basic ideas...
I make my preliminary drawings on copy paper
just to see
how I can best visually blend my art
with the art of the person who came before me.
The theme of Jan's book is "Doors"...and...it is spectacular to see.
The books we are using for this exchange
are the Japanese fold Maruman sketchbooks.
These books take both ink and watercolor beautifully...
I really love them!
 My next layer in with ink...
then after running a couple of color tests...again on copy paper...
 ...I am ready to layer in my watercolor...
ever darkening my shadows and enriching my color.
Then, adding my night sky...complete with bits of starlight...
it's ready for a signature
and the next book exchange...What fun!!!!!!
(Click on any image to enlarge...)
Here are our books from our most recent exchange...October 17.
We have only two more exchange rounds
until our books return home to their owners in January.
My book
is the floral themed book 5th from the top...:)

"The doors we open and close each day 
decide the lives we live."
~Flora Whittemore