The Sights of Maine

I love Maine.  The past day, I drove around and took photographs of what I came across.  I have yet to have a lobster roll, but it's on my list of things to do while I am here.

This afternoon, I decided to take a dip in the water and was able to get in the ocean half way until Max decided to run off.  I am soaking up the time I have on this island and am doing a lot of nothing, which is a nice change of pace.

The Beauty Of Yosemite

I love traveling to our National parks.  There is something about them that instantly relaxes me.  Just driving up to the gate fills me with excitement with the anticipation of what I'm going to see, especially if I haven't been there before.  This was my first visit to Yosemite and despite the crowds, it is truly a sight to see.  As with every park, there are places you can find to get lost or stay with people if you want to drive around the valley.

Since Max isn't allowed on the trails, I had to stay near the road and even doing so brought me to some amazing views.  One of the best investments I've made was purchasing a National Park Pass.  For $80, you can travel to all parks for a year without paying admission.  If you plan to visit several, it's well worth the price.

I plan to visit as many National Parks as possible this time around and I look forward to seeing many I haven't explored before.  This is the perfect time of year to dust off your tent and equipment, get in the car and take a road trip to see the most beautiful acres of property in this country.

The Joy Of Painting

Who doesn't like a happy tree?  I know I love happy trees and if you do too, you must love Bob Ross.  He's the painter on television you might have seen in the early 80's when you were too lazy to get up and actually push the button or turn the knob to change the station.  And why would you? He is pretty entertaining to watch.

His voice and calm way about him would capture my attention.  I wondered how he makes it look so easy and why is he so happy and nice saying things like, "let's build us a happy little cloud that floats around the sky." Of course when something looks that easy, I have to try it and his "happy little cloud" would turn into a thunderstorm of mud on my painting.  Not a thing happy about it.

Last year I dabbled in watercolors and one of my goals this year is to paint with something other than that.  I don't know if I can count these paints as "other than watercolors", but I just might!  So, goal completed!

Sometimes it's nice to do an activity to turn off your brain for a while and not think about anything but what you are doing at the moment.  Turning my brain off is a bit of a challenge for me so when I was at the art store the other day, I thought perhaps Bob Ross could help me do just that.  Don't let the "for kids" on the box fool you, this is some serious paint by numbers project.

I set up my "painting station" and started painting away with number five first, then one, then seven...and for a moment, I didn't think of anything but filling the space with paint.  Bob Ross sure knows a thing or two about painting happy trees.



Here are the 12 watercolor scribbles I did last year and let's not forget my new Bob Ross happy snow mountain landscape to add to my collection!

No plans for the weekend?  No worries!

I think a masterpiece is just waiting for you at the art store.   Just look for the man with the crazy hair on the box and you are in the right place.