August Vacation “Gone Fish’n”
Gone Fish’n See you in September!
Author: Kathy Sweeney
August _ Staycation
There is nothing like your favorite old chair, or in my case chairs (plural). You see, for many years I had a chair obsession. I would fall in love with a soft comfy chair or a tall ladder-back chair, a bent-wood rocker type chair, an antique chair – you name it! I would buy chairs like most women buy shoes. I would drag them home or have them sent. Until, one day we looked around our house and realized we could hold the next town meeting with seating to spare. I was asked to stop buying chairs! Perhaps in your hectic life there are things you love right in your home or yard or neighborhood, that you never took the time to sit back and enjoy. Why not take a “Staycation” and do just that….sit back, relax and enjoy that which is all around you. I offer you my old, red Adirondack chair …….
August _ Vacation Month In Africa
Do you ever dream of faraway places that you would love to visit? Africa’s Serengeti is on my bucket list. Sometimes I Google Map it and enjoy a few minutes of incredible pictures without the ad cookies or travel companies calling me later. If you can’t make it all the way to Africa but still want to see beasts in the wild; I suggest booking a trip to San Diego Wild Animal Park. Operated by the San Diego Zoo, it offers 3500 animals on 1800 acres resembling their normal habitat. It is located about 30 minutes northeast of San Diego CA; which is a fun destination point all on its own. The Wild Animal Park is an animal and plant preserve that was originally a breeding facility for endangered species for the San Diego Zoo. Recently, it was renamed San Diego Zoo Safari Park; but you can locate it with either name. You can also check out the blog called Roam Wild And Free to read about safaris in Montana where you will see Bison, …
August _ Vacation Month
When Mike and I left the grueling two year project we were on in the Middle East; we did what expats call “R&R”. Rest and Relaxation! I like this term because when I say I am going on “R&R” I actually do just that. Vacations tend to get out of hand and find me going back to work more exhausted than when I left. We arrived at our R&R, a small village on the island of Mykonos, Greece, to find that our villa was on a hill side with an incredible view of the Aegean Sea from one balcony and a view of the little village on the cove from the other balcony. It was perfect for a painter! However, it was so stunning that the blue greens of the sea and the whitewashed buildings and walkways overwhelmed my senses. Alas, the grandeur never got presented on my paper during that trip. I have been trying to paint that delightful memory since. I still don’t have it perfected; but today I present my latest attempt. …
Pursuit of Happiness – Americana
Is our American Constitution now just a bit of ‘folklore’? I think not! The Constitution is alive and well and living for all of us. The “Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” thing is for real. Take the woman in our painting today – what is she doing? Is she driving a T-Bird convertible; or a bumper car? Perhaps it is a speed boat; or an arcade game. It doesn’t matter, really, the point is she has the freedom, here in America, to pursue happiness and can make the choice of what to drive. Not every country can boast the same, especially when it comes to the female gender. Thank you for joining us in July’s review of Americana. Next month we share vacation ideas….some good stuff coming up so be sure to check back in August, the Vacation Month. All the best to you and God Bless America !
The Old Chisholm Trail – Americana
When my husband and I purchased our home of 27 years in the bay area of Northern California we noticed a hole at the very bottom of the fence in the back yard. We then noticed another small hole in the front lawn fencing. Subsequently, we learned that the neighborhood wild animals, such as skunks, raccoons, possums and the like, were using the holes to get from a distant field to an even more fertile area near a park in our neighborhood. Late at night we would watch the animals make the trek and use our yard as the major though fare. They actually wore a path in the soil and lawn. We appropriately named the path “The Chisholm Trail”. We never shut it down, it was there before we were. Years later, here we are in Texas, right on the real Chisholm Trail route. Who knew? Please enjoy my interpretation of “The Old Chisholm Trail” – Americana, the good old days.
The Old Front Porch Swing
How many of us have sat on the front porch, perhaps on a swing, a chair or bench? It just seems that at some point in our lives we should do some front porch sitt’n; because that is where memories are made and neighbors are met. Back home in Montana our front porch was screened in and had a piano where my mother would play fun things like Tiger Rag. She’d sing “hold that tiger” and then run her fingers down the entire length of the key board. We kids just went nuts over this song and demanded she play it faster and faster. We also counted the cars that drove by our place on the Hiway between nowhere and somewhere else. The game was to guess if the next car would be a Chevy or a Ford. Now that’s iconic America.
July 4th At The Lake
In July we are celebrating Americana which refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to American history, geography, or folklore. There are many ways to define Americana: paintings; drawings; license plates; antique vehicles; household objects; tools; weapons; flags; plaques and statues; and so on. Patriotism and nostalgia play defining roles in the subject. We American’s shout our patriotism to the sky by using fireworks on the evening of July 4th. Depicted in this post is ‘July 4th At The Lake’. Where ever you celebrate this great nation’s Independence Day, please enjoy it and be safe. May God Bless America
Romance In Marriage
Today’s post is a collage using Anne Bradstreet’s poem “To My Dear And Loving Husband”. I tore it from a poetry book that I had given to my own husband on our first anniversary. Please note my hand written note to him. Poor guy, he has been getting sappy stuff like this every year since! It’s called romance – and he loves it! Keeping the romance in a marriage is very good for the spirit, doesn’t have to cost a lot, creates staying power, and is what memories are made of. Collage: Watercolor, colored pencil, a real rhinestone ring, a page torn from ‘A Little Treasury of Love Poems’ by Cary Wilkins Can you spot the design error I made? Thanks for sharing the romantic, wedding month of June with Sweeney Art Center. Next month is July: Americana
Marriage Traditions
There are many wedding traditions; from the white dress to the honeymoon. Some fun wedding traditions that I found to share with you: Jumping the Broom This tradition is said to have originated with an African ritual in which a broom is used to demonstrate that all past problems have been swept away. Tying the Knot In some African tribes, the bride and groom have their wrists tied together with cloth or braided grass to represent their marriage. Tying Tin Cans to the Back of the Marriage Car Historically this was done to scare away evil spirits so the bride and groom could get a clean start at life together. Over time the wedding party had fun tying empty tin cans and tin buckets to the get-away-car so it would make tons of noise and everyone in town would look. Of course there is always the attached “Just Married” sign to be sure that everyone gets the picture! Just Married
Sweeney Art Center 