Better Late than Never!

Wow, it's fall already! In some ways, I feel like I'm so far behind that I think I'm first. I must apologize for being away so long & explain why...

This summer was spent guiding -- bike tours in KY & NC, then a hiking tour out in Yosemite, another hike back in southwestern Colorado, then out to Oregon for a few more bike tours.

My mom fell very ill in the early to middle part of the summer then sadly, passed away -- I was on tour then back "home" a few times. Had to spend a little time grounding as well.

The Good News (and there *is* Good News) is that I'm in Santa Fe, NM, for six months of massage therapy training. I've only been here for less than a month and still in the getting-used-to-it/shock-of-having-to-be-in-school again, but it's going well so far. And, I'm learning Lots, with a capital L! Not sure how much I'll be able to post from here, but hopefully at least periodically. So far the workload has been plenty, but old high school habits are returning (like, I keep my head in the books full-time! Haha!). Not sure if that is a "good thing" but am trying to adapt to be focused but not "too" focused... and not "too" perfect. I like to think of myself as a "recovering" perfectionist. Hmmmm! :-) Our class is a great group of people, too! Yay!

This is the time of year for comfort food, like apple pie and chili! So I hope everyone is doing well out there & enjoying whatever fall weather / colors you have in your neck of the woods!

Images of Summer -- Colorado

Here are some pictures from late July in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. We saw the most amazing field of blue columbines in the Ice Lake Basin near Silverton!!! Cool!

Images of Summer -- Yosemite

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back online! It's been a very busy summer. Here are a few shots from the 2008 July Yosemite hike. From the top: group shot at Mariposa Grove; Half Dome from Clouds Rest; Gull at Mono Lake; view east from Mono Pass; view of Tuolomne Meadows from Glen Aulin trail.

Hope all of you have been enjoying your summer! :-)

Kentucky Bluegrass Bike Tour

Here's a quick couple of pics from a recent bike tour in Kentucky around the Lexington area. (From top: Horses training at Keeneland Racetrack; Terry & Kim at Keeneland; Kay & Gunter and friends posing for a picture out in horse country)

Kentucky was a really fun tour this year, especially with the people that were on the tour. I was too busy visiting all week to take many pictures! :-)

Moving Along!

Sorry for the long absence. Time flies -- or is consumed -- when you are moving. And I've been Moving (with a capital "M")! Moving as in moving out of the place we rented for six months over the winter. Moving most of that stuff into storage in Colorado for the summer. Then, literally moving myself & my truck up to Canada, where I am now, to get my stuff out of my storage here so I can move it to the storage area in Colorado! Although I don't have that much on a relative scale, I do seem to have too much stuff!! Yikes. I've been going through items that I've been carrying around with me the last 25 years. I'm like a cat with nine lives, in Life 5, looking back at Lives 2, 3, & 4. :-)

Inspiration: The photos above are artwork from June's Originals, here in Windermere, B.C. June is an amazing artist, as you can see! She is a fantastic painter as well as a master woodcut artist. She is also one of my very best friends! If you ever get up to Eastern B.C., stop by her studio. It rocks! She is just getting her blog set up and pretty soon there will be lots of really cool artwork online, so check back. (I put a link to it on the side of this page.)

New Painting

18" x 24"

Untitled

Acrylic on Canvas

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I've just spent the last couple of days painting in a painting whirlwind. Realizing that it was less than a week until our 6-month condo lease was up, I thought I had better paint something on the last blank canvas!

This painting came together much easier compared to the last two since I have been playing with the design for awhile. I like the bright colors. Can you tell from the photo that I was working on blending colors in each section? Still experimenting with acrylics, though. You have to work pretty fast since they dry so quickly. This design was originally used in my CorelDraw program on my computer. I am hoping to eventually design a bike jersey based on my artwork, so I was playing with the "blending" tool! Too fun! :-)

TGIF

I found this photo in my archives and thought I would share it with everyone. Reminds me of lingering winter, which is what the weather is doing today up at 7000' in Colorado. Still 38F! Brr!

Spring is anxious. Little green blades of grass are pushing up through the straw-colored lawn, but winter just won't let go! Tree buds are starting to appear on branches, not yet willing to expose themselves as full-blown leaves. We still have a few days of skiing to appreciate, though many people have already dusted off their bikes (my bike is still quite dusty). Hopefully you are experiencing some beautiful spring days already! :-)

TGIF and have a great weekend!