A bit unusual ....

It was 5 months ago on  July 26th. Five months - 150 days - not really a long time (unless you are a fruit fly then it could be 5 generations - Drosophila melanogaster - A Dark Evil). My life changed.

Leigh and I were driving to Albany on July 26th. It was a Friday. I had just left work and was very upset. Our conversation drifted over many topics and lots of silence. She looked at me, and I at her.

     "You know, this will take some time."
     "I know. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the concept."
     "It will take time."
     "Unusual - I've been working almost full time for the past 45 years, since I was 16 - definitely since we           were married."  (41 years on August 18th.)
     "We can do this."
     "You're right. We can."

Since then the days have been filled with gardening, canning, preserving, fishing, hunting, and music - not really too bad! And then, a promise to myself - to learn to draw, to paint, and to have fun doing it. Now, I'm no Van Gogh, or heck, even a passable Grandma Moses (through Grampa Kinsey has a nice ring to it - just ask our 9 grandchildren!), but this has been fun. Acrylics on glass, pencil and techniques (I thought a tortillion - Yeah Chuck, What is a Tortillion? -  was a small tortilla!), oil pastels, and then gouache! And this is just scratching the surface!!!

This is one of my first paintings with gouache - perhaps I spent too much time in my tree stand this year? NOT! Meatballs were made to go with spaghetti, weren't they?

The adventure continues, though there are days I miss my team and the camaraderie we shared. I'm already thinking of adding oil paints to the media collection!