Restoration and Exploration

Here we are on our third day out.. landing in Kerrville Texas which is along the Guadalupe river. An excursion, an exploration, a time of restoration. Does one call this a vacation? Not exactly.. perhaps a time to explore new art scenes and art galleries, a time to create on site and allow creative expression to unfold, a time to show my work and sign up for art classes! A holiday of spirit, a time of respite... ..
Enya prefers to think of this as a time to smell the roses and every bit of substance that puts itself in her pathway. She loves her time next to the steering wheel on a perch of considerable height for a wee bosty. She loves the interaction with people and dogs at various locations along the countryside. This morning she met a therapy dog who is traveling from military station to military station providing help for soldiers returning home. A proud beautiful dog who was well behaved.. we both marveled at her. Enya loves the snacks and the new smells as anticipation builds for the ocean sites. Kerrville is 300 miles away from our first destination and you can smell the salt air... soft and breezy. k
Travels cause us to be present in the moment, grateful for the moment while soaking up the geography that floats by. One is aware of the open road and the reflections of other lands that we glimpse. Long forgotten homesteads litter the path from Billings Montana to Casper Wyoming, from Casper to Lamar Colorado where the signs of drought were beginning to show. From Lamar Colorado through the panhandle of Oklahoma and Texas. As we entered Lamar the abandoned homes began to appear from the landscapes. Ghosts from long ago seemed to wave as we silently drove by. All creek beds were "dry as a bone" as my father would say. Hard-working folks who scraped a living as they could. Reminders of my days growing up in Laredo Montana and watching the unfolding of seasons and weather patterns that ruled the day and my father's spirit.
I thought of the words sung by John Cougar "Little pink houses for you and me"...  Many of these wee homes revealed pride and tenacity. Every small community we drifted by had a museum that was well kept and full of memorabilia. Our first night in Casper was uneventful. Not that Wyoming doesn't contain beauty or talent.. just think Annie Proulx came from this country with her cutting prose. Wyoming seems to be a land of tenacity born of stones & scrub brush. I often wonder about the feminine spirit that would have existed on this land years ago.
Our second night was spent in Dumas, Texas. As we began our journey to Dumas, humming the tune "I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas" we watched a sunrise that revealed a sun halo...yes a sun halo. If you haven't seen this phenomena it is remarkable. A full halo (or partial halo) forms around the sun (or moon) due to ice crystals in the air. The circular halo is referred to as a 22 degree halo because of it's radius around the sun at, you have it, 22 degrees.
Further down the road, as we left Fort Collins in the dust, we were to feast our eyes upon a rookery! Yes, yes, I know many of us have seen a rookery but I (and Trace) have never seen one with 7 herons in it all perfectly happy watching traffic zoom by. I quickly sketched in my book (but we were on a mission so no stop). What a perfect start to a gorgeous day!!!
A dear friend of mine sent a link for the "best" rendition of ding dong daddy of Dumas. I have included it below. Love to all of you and thanks for coming along on our exploration.
Blessings your way
Annie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W671d5w3zHU

We are off to see the Great Road Wizard...

Once again we prepare for the open road.It is extremely exciting and engaging preparing for the open road. This January it is quiet and reflective as we pack bags, plot menus, pull out books and binoculars, prepare our bikes, and last but never least decide which art supplies will travel with me! As the quiet, reflective moments settle in I realize I am going to miss not only family but my new home, my studio, my new found friendships. Yes two months will pass quickly but I will miss everyone a great deal. So my writing begins..
My reflections cause me to ponder the connections that run from the North Rocky Mtn. Divide to the South Rocky Mtn. Divide.. yes, there is a connection just as there is a Santa Claus (in my world). I am ecstatic about the thoughts of connecting the energy from Montana to the energy of the south. How that will play out I'm never quite sure but until we ask the questions we will never know the answer. 
I will begin with several blogs a week.. one from the viewpoint of Enya, my faithful black and white friend who (like me) has one eye in the heavens and one eye on earth. This allows her the clear vision needed to keep me on my toes. Just one look from those eyes and I know when something is awry, or calm or perhaps funky. One blog from the birds point of view.. yes I feel they have a point of view so once a week we will have a page dedicated to our marvelous winged creatures from the east. And once a week you will have an artistic perspective coming at you.. please feel free to comment. I will add photos of excitement or wonder. Thank you for joining me on this trip. Much love to all. Till we meet again at snorts and giggles. Annie