Raspberry Leaves into Mystical Meadow

 In April of 2011, Bob began this painting inspired by a photo he found online.  He called it "Raspberry Leaves".  He worked on it for a few months on and off.  In March of 2012, he reached an impasse and didn't know where to go from there.  So, it sat for another 9 months.  I looked at it, nearly every day, seeking for inspiration.  I knew it had potential, but didn't quite know where to go.

Here is a collage of the original photo and the painting as of Feb. 14, 2013

Painting was begun in April of 2011

As of December, 2011

The upper right hand area was the most unfinished.  I knew that was the key to completing this painting.  I looked through hundreds of photos of trees to get inspiration.  I gathered a few photos and made overlays, clones and collages.  I did some clone work on the meadow.  I wanted to see a "trail" leading the viewer's eye into the background.

One of the first "Clones" January 29, 2013

Another "Clone" and overlay

Then, I found this photo taken at Snow Basin

Then, came up with this overlay, which gave a template for adding the mountains in the background.

Feb. 6, Bob added the mountains. I love them. But the background trees needed more work.  They were flat and lifeless.

 so I used this partial of the painting to create ...

Another clone...this time from trees in photos taken on the road up to  Mirror Lake.

Bob was able to transform his "blobs" into forms that resembled trees.  He did some more tweaking and now the painting is 98% done.  I really love how it turned out.  Just looking at it, you wouldn't guess how much time and effort went into it.  (Including my hours of research) 

 For me, It's like painting without the hassle of actual paint and clean up. 

This is a painting that you can get lost in  (or at least WANT to get lost in it).  I think it has a "magical" quality…slightly ethereal, mystical and unreal.  The leaves in the foreground are back-lit and just glow. They are iced slightly with a cool blue/white  frosting.  They are almost "otherworldly". 

 As you gaze into it, more elements emerge.  "Oh, I didn't see that before."  "Those mountains are amazing.  They just kind of melt into the clouds."  (Click on any one of the photos and a slide show will open with enlargements)

  If anyone is interested in their own piece of amazing art,  we can have high quality giclees made. 24 x 36.  They would be about $250.

February 14...98% done

More Than Feeding Horses and Husbands

    Yes, I am so ready for Spring...(well, maybe not quite yet)  But, definitely ready for the ice to melt.  Oh....where is soft, fluffy snow when I need it?  

Of course, there are my regular chores...feeding horses and husbands, but I am so grateful for many other things that I can choose… for so many interests and the freedom to flit from one to another as the inspiration hits.    

          I love retirement.  I miss the associations I had with wonderful people, but I don't miss the office politics and the late night commutes.

People ask me what do I do?.....The answer is "Whatever I want."

          So what, if I can't go riding . I can watch horsemanship videos and read books.  I can clean saddles.  I can read my children's blogs and books.  Love it!!  I can browse genealogy and family search.

          I can organize.  I have gone back to an old card file system from 20 years ago. Makes sense and now I can also put it on the computer.

My Bead and Oil room is now semi-organized and the massage table is clear! It is now my Sewing room, too. (My old sewing room is now our Sauna and Art room.)

          I can create. I have been creating some new essential oil blends.  Part of the fun of my research is coming up with names.  Sometimes, I  recycle a favorite name of a discontinued recipe.  My newest blends are : Five Powers, Arrowhead, Citrine, Dark Horse, High Rain, Sacred Splendor, Chaco and Magic Leopard. An old blend, Tea and Roses has a new name, Moki.  Purification is now Tomahawk.  Fruitcake is now Marzipan.  I have been updating my Aromatherapy Blog.

          I can enjoy watching the beauty of High Definition. Mostly, I limit myself to 1 or 2 hours of watching TV per day… Lately, I am hooked on West Wing.  I never saw it when first broadcast. Yep, totally hooked and in love with 3 main characters. I also have enjoyed Murdoch Mysteries, Sherlock and White Collar, all on Netflix streaming.  The only shows I watch on commercial TV are Downton Abbey, Tabernacle Choir and Equitrekking.   

         I can Facebook and Pin. I check Facebook and email at least twice a day and Pinterest at least once a day. Getting so I really like Pinterest. Not only is it a way of bookmarking, but is easier than scrolling thru favorites. So many great ideas.   It's amazing how much one can learn about the personality of a person by browsing their pins and boards.  Themes surface.  It's almost as revealing as Toe Reading.  J  

          I can work on my Master's Thesis Project.  ( You didn't know I was working on that?  Ask me about it.)

I am also working on a book for publishing.  (Hmmmm. Didn't know that either?  Here's a clue….I was inspired by
Wildbound and her photo books.  I figure I can do a whole book with just my own photography now). I have been going through ALL my photos, selecting my favorites, deleting duplicates and ones that have no impact. 

           In going through photos, I keep an eye out for inspiration for Bob's Art.  In looking through my Canada photos, I came across a photo that I had overlooked before…one taken in a place called Johnston Canyon in Banff, Alberta.

          Somehow, I was drawn back into it.  It reminded me a little of Bob's previous painting, Rocky Canyon, but this place REALLY exists.  At first, I didn't care for the tree in the front right and did some extensive photo editing to remove it. Then, after looking again, I changed my mind and decided it added depth and texture.

  I did some more editing and added some ferns and mosses to the rocks on the right. 

 I think ultimately, Bob will move the tree to the right, so it doesn't cover up part of the waterfall.  I don't think people really realize what goes into creating a painting unless they have done it.  I truly considering photo editing an art form, too.  I spend countless hours editing for different effects.  I am always looking for the drama, energy, movement, emotion, light, texture, color, contrast.

       I can research quotations having to do with Nature and Wilderness, etc.

(That is totally fun…)

 “...while I am alive, I intend to live.” 
― Everett Ruess

“Good luck is opportunity meeting preparedness.” 
― Deepak Chopra

“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast,
and you miss all you are traveling for.” 
― Louis L'Amour

“Never laugh at live dragons.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien

“Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.” 
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

"Sometimes we get bound up tight by people or events around us. All we have to do is change our stance. When we are willing to change the way we stand on issues and problems in life, change the way we look at things, sometimes the grasses (rewards and solutions) become much more plentiful…"..  CowboyBob

 Well, you get the idea.

Feel free to send me any quotes you think would go in a book of my photos.

End of a Cottonwood Era

The cottonwood trees were on the property when we bought it 33 years ago.  Through the years, that grove became the "treehouse", a magical place for children to play in.  Evergreens were planted west and east along the property line to the "alfalfa field", which eventually became Greystone subdivision.  The cottonwoods soared high and the roots grew plentiful under the asphalt driveway.  In 2006, Bob made a decision to take down as many of the trees as possible to prevent a possible "falling on the house or cars".  They took down several trees, including one that was still very much alive and heavy.  The wind caught it, it twisted, and it came down on the garage roof, causing some damage.  (daggone, I didn't get a photo of that).  Thanks to insurance, the cost of the damage was covered.  

The trees in 2006 before the carnage

2006, beginning of the chain saw massacre

This was not the one that fell on the garage, 2006

aftermath, 2006...sniff***

At least we got some nice wood.

Fast forward to 2010.  Look at the background, several new trees have sprouted up to 20+ feet

Fast forward again to 2012.  Several of the trees are dead or have partially died.  A strong windstorm brought down 3 dead ones that lodged themselves among the living. At least they caused no damage at that point.  Tree Blazer Bob determined to bring them down.  

March 23 2012, Before and after

We used chains and truck, just the two of us

And brought down all three dead trees

Determined to "take care" of the rest of the trees, some of which were still alive and some were half dead, Tree Blazer Bob  hired a neighbor with a back hoe.  March 30.  Holy Back Hoe!  Wow, it can sure do a lot of damage.

At several points, Back Hoe Rider Bob had to ride up in the bucket to saw and to attach towing straps.

"That was kinda scary", quipped Cowboy Bob.

Thankful for good neighbors willing to lend a hand and a chain saw.

It looks like wind storm destruction of great proportions, but at least we had some control.

I miss the trees.  We even took down one huge pine tree that was dying from the top down and it's little friend, a volunteer cherry tree.  Wow, what a project!

The only casualties were: the tree water system; the basketball standard, and a few sprinkler heads and pipes, and 3 young cottonwood tree sprouts.

We did have to leave one standing.  However, he promised me he won't fall down.

Moroni the Martian

Came across this amusing little article in the Sunstone.

 Called "Moroni the Martian"

The History channel recently offered a fresh take on the Angel Moroni.  He may have been a space alien.  For the kickoff of the 2nd season of "Ancient Aliens" (which coincided with the release of Cowboys and Aliens) the producers explored the topic of "Ancient Aliens and the Old West".

The show explains that "according to Ancient Astronaut theorists, Moroni may have been a star being, an extraterrestrial whose mission was to pass down to Smith and his followers the advanced knowledge of the Mound Builders."

The show includes clips from an interview with Logan Hawkes, author of "Close Encounters of the Old West", who states that "Moroni claimed to be from the Pleiades star cluster. So, a church today 9-million strong believe that their church may have originated, not of this world, but of another world,"  Hawkes concludes.

            This is of course, is an outrageous falsehood:  The LDS church is 14-million strong.

The Best of Dream Quotes

I really do have a sense of humor.  It just may not be on the same wave length as yours.  I may not laugh in the same places or even at all at plays or movies or TV shows.  (There are a couple of TV shows in which  I have actually laughed out loud, The Office and 30 Rock.)  

At the end of the year, I was reading my dream journals as I prepared to begin a new one for the new year.  I decided to compile a few one-liners or statements that I thought funny.  Now, you may not even care to see what I thought funny, but here goes. (the "color" goes as follows:   Black are regular dreams.  Brown are dreams where I am vaguely aware it is a dream.  Red are Lucid dreams.)

November 18, 2005 

 Then baby threw up all that he had been eating, coins, shampoo bottles, so much kept coming back up.  Poor baby all empty now.

January 5, 2006 

 Hot.  I said to everyone, why are you all wearing black? When it’s so hot.  Then everyone just stared at me.  I had on a black outfit too.

January 3, 2007

 I was arriving at a work assignment, except I flew in on a broom.  I was teased, but said I actually got my aerobic exercise because I had to pedal like a bike.

March 22, 2007

I asked if they had ever seen “The Gods Must Be Crazy”.    I said it was a really old movie that took place in Africa about the natives and a journey and a coke bottle falling from the sky.  … “Why is this old lady, telling us about a dumb movie, that she can’t even remember very well?”

April 15, 2007

 I was concerned about the fish, because the enema bag fish tank didn’t seem to be sufficient.  I wanted to put them in the bigger tanks, but knew the sharks would eat them.  I wanted to get rid of the sharks, but they were Bob’s and I wasn’t sure what plans he had for them.

May 6, 2007 

“Does anyone have any cayenne?” 

May 7, 2007 

We had a week that we all came to work in costume.  I got mixed up on the days and came to work dressed as a wizard, when everyone else was in Marie Antoinette costumes.

May 13, 2007

NOW IS THE TIME TO SELL.

July 5, 2007 

 …the doorbell rang and it was the visiting teachers.  We told them we were busy with wild animals.

August 10, 2007 

The family members had gathered there at the ranch to discuss what to do with the horses and to plan my funeral.  I tried to communicate with them, but no one could hear me. I tried to remind them that I wanted all music and maybe poetry and a slide show presentation.

November 6, 2007 

I usually like the front row.  Since I was in the back, I thought no one would mind if I levitated to see better. 

November 21, 2007 

I thought it was weird that I dreamed this so many times and now it was really happening.  I decided to test it to see if was a dream.  I pinched myself and touched others to see if it was a dream.  I could definitely feel them, so I figured it was real.

December 12, 2007 

  They answered with “We don’t want to learn to dance, we know how to dance—we want you to tell us your adventures in your detective business.  We heard you have had some amazing breakthroughs and cases.”  I wasn’t sure how they knew about my other business, it was supposed to be a PRIVATE Detective.

March 24, 2008 

“why did we move all this crap with us?”

April 29, 2008 

 Then everyone left, making sure to avoid the thing dripping water in the garage.

May 30, 2008 

I still KNEW it was a dream and wanted to control it, but instead was just watching it play out because I didn’t know HOW to control it—as in HOW to have it play out, or the mechanics of HOW to manipulate it. 

August 5, 2008 

The tubes were flexible and iridescent, almost having a life of their own, seeming to take enjoyment in their duties, weird as it may seem.  This gave “catheter” a new meaning.

September 18, 2008 

I was miffed that someone had placed an elephant on my wall, because it associated me with the Republican party.

September 20, 2008

I thought as I climbed the stairs for the umpteenth time, wow, I have dreamed this so many times, but now it is REALLY happening.  If it’s a dream, I can stop it.  I tried stopping it and couldn’t, so it must be REAL. 

October 15, 2008 

 I constructed or put together something like a “solar liahona” made of blue lego-like things, about the size of a large grapefruit. I was so elated that I had actually put this together without assistance or instructions.

December 15, 2008 

I replied something like, “I have plenty of money, the abundance of the universe flows to me.” 

January 1, 2009 

I realized it must be a dream!  That meant I could make a decision and change something.

February 3, 2009 

…I now told Bob of all the happenings of the previous dream.  He kept saying, “How could you NOT know it was dream?”

March 6, 2009 

 I said to everyone—be careful of the dog poop, don’t walk in it. So, of course, they did.

April 9, 2009 

 The feelings were of frustration and of having huge obstacles placed in my way of what I was trying to accomplish (a simple "get away" to Goblin Valley).

May 1, 2009 

“I guess they don’t require people to clean up after their dogs here…oh, wait, it’s their own yard.  I guess they enjoy being surrounded by dog poop!”

May 11, 2009

I said something like “Ugh, Texas, no way”.

September 30, 2009 

I would have REALLY liked Brandon or Tristan on my team.

November 23, 2009 

 I was really surprised  and delighted that the church had added a line of “colorful” garments  and a line of “lingerie” style ones.

March 2, 2010

The groups of young men especially paid us notice because we had so many beautiful daughters and grand-daughters with us.

  

May 5, 2010 

I dozed off (in the dream), so I was dreaming that I was asleep and also dreaming.  In the dream within a dream, I dreamed of someone telling me about some important documents.  What I didn’t realize, the dream was within an actual dream…About that time I actually awakened and realized the WHOLE thing was a dream.

July 9, 2010 

It was unusual in that the horse wore shorts and somehow pulled them down to potty.

September 30, 2010

Do you know anyone in Panguitch we could stay with…

October 8, 2010

 The last scene was us being crushed and suffocated in blue and white plastic walls and I was thinking “this is it, I am dying in this weird way.”

October 10, 2010 

  I am very agitated and start yelling at him, saying that it’s exorbitant for a stupid clock.  We could get an awesome horse for that price!!!  And … it’s not even a cool Cuckoo clock!!

December 10, 2010

…all this craziness was costing me extra money, even though the government was paying, they wouldn’t pay for my stupidity!  I mean how could I have brought a cat that I wasn’t planning on taking and forgetting my luggage???

January 8, 2011

 He was a Bad Rap, meaning he was a Good Rap.  Sure, he was carnivorous, and ate meat, but he tried not to eat his friends or humans.

  

January 26, 2011

I looked at a clock and it read 2:40.  No wonder everyone was hungry.

February 13, 2011

 Heather  was rolling up the loaves, making bolsters (but, how would they last…being made of bread?)

February 18, 2011

….I wish we had  “walkie talkies” and/or a battery operated communication radio

February 25, 2011

I was in my pajamas with mismatched top and bottom and hadn’t done my hair or anything. 

  

March 9, 2011

…it would be cool if I could actually SING that song. 

March 14, 2011

 Someone said “every one duck!!”  so, I flattened on the ground. (as if that would prevent something) 

April 4, 2011 

“I am an old woman”.  Those sitting around us chuckled and thought this was funny. 

May 2, 2011

I have dreamed this so many times; I just have to make sure it is real this time."  Each one told me that it was NOT a dream.  Then, I woke up and found that it WAS a dream.

  

May 27, 2011

…if this is a dream, I can leave it.  I tried to stop it, but couldn't,  if I can't stop it, I will try to change it. The only way I could change it was by moving myself, so I began walking,  leaving the house and going outside.  it seemed to be very cumbersome just walking,  I will just fly, so I levitated in the air and began soaring over the landscape, like in the movie Dinosaur.  I came to some very big and scary dinosaurs, so I just reached out my hand to them and willed them into cute, little cuddly creatures.

July 8, 2011

"I have dreamed about this so many times.  Now it is REALLY happening." 

July 10, 2011

 I not only had lost my friends, but my belongings AND my memory.

July 26, 2011

It doesn't seem to be as much fun in a dream. Where are all the interesting people?   the REAL people disappeared as soon as I realized it was a dream. 

October 23, 2011

Then, I realized I didn't have lipstick or a cute outfit on, and felt unprepared for whatever was in store.

October 25, 2011

You're kidding me of course.  You all are fired as architects. I just want a normal triple car garage with room for storage. What in the world were you all thinking???

October 29, 2011

 I pondered on what it felt like to die as I was surely going to.  I just relaxed as best I could hoping to avoid too much pain and felt as if I were floating into a sandstorm with a light vortex.     

 Have I inspired you to keep your own dream journals????

Colorado Trip, September, 2011

Grand Mesa Nat Forest

Heading up the Grand Mesa

One of the Grand Mesa Lakes

From the top of the Grand Mesa, looking out toward the Gunnison River Valley

Margarita Pizza with fresh garden tomatoes...not quite sure why it's called that.

Daddy and new daughter

Along State road 191, north of Vernal

In the Ashley Nat Forest, between Vernal and Flaming Gorge

At a rest stop, along State Hwy 44 between Flaming Gorge and Manila

An amazing (I think) view of Flaming Gorge