She's Off Her Rocker

Best Place on Earth...
After a morning trying to finish a large moon lantern, I put everything down and instead headed off with my young guns to the farm! Today was another glorious day out at the farm! First of all, you can't beat one of THESE if your near water on a day like this:

This is what I'm talkin' about!

So inviting...some kids are already out there....

This is my dad and his girlfriend (of 22 years and counting!) Connie. They both do really cool things together like paint, go on road trips just to paint and photograph, etc. Connie loves to make Dad lots of treats, banana bread, cake, and the like. Dad plays the Blues on his guitar for Connie! She also makes sure his kitchen gets a Sanitation Grade A, and checks on other things like that to keep the place straight, when she comes out. They have a marvelous time together and are the happiest couple I know!

Here is one of the paintings my dad did. He did it from memory of hunting beaver down at his pond, at night. We've often talked about painting the night, and what that would look like...

Well, THIS is what it looks like!

Not a good photo, there is much more color than this in the real painting and detail too, but the tiny silver line in the water is actually a beaver's head swimming accross! He is at war with the beaver, and I think he is still winning!


Here are some more...

He is color blind, but I don't think that matters! His favorite still life painter is Morandi.

The red barn where we grew up playing and brushing and feeding horses...

another evening pond painting...

one of the big pine trees closest to his back porch...

Looking into the pines, different times of day and light...

sleeping out under these pines is really nice...

He has a front and back porch on his little farm house, and it is literally littered with all these paintings from the summer... amidst charcoal, hunting and fishing accoutrements, bullet making molds, bowls of cat food for his cats, bridles, bow and arrow targets and lead and who all else knows what, these paintings are everywhere!

More happiness.. Connie and her grandaughter visiting from Atlanta, Emma.

A farm day always includes, talking about somebody's art, laughing, a lot, talking about the good ole days, which are really STILL here, eating some cooked out hot dogs, getting in and out of a pond and on and off a horse, plunking around the water's edge with nets, and ALWAYS with a variety of kids everywhere! Here is a good pic of two of mine getting ready for action...

Here is a good action shot...myself on Whiskey...

NOW whose turn is it???

Danny, even though, make no mistake, believes HE CAN do it...

I don't get to ride alone much, these days!

This is my Favorite view!!

But this one's hard to beat, too!!

This is what I call SUMMER!!

This one, are words even neccessary??!!!

Oh, here are some fun pics....Cassie, our seven year old's favorite thing to do is swim underwater and look at the fish. She can touch them, even! I should strap an underwater camera to her head. She loves to swim underneath me and report on all the fish there. I know they ARE there because they nibble at my bikini strings!

I think she is part fish, too!

My six month Doberman Retriever, Angus, is already proving a loyal companion! Here he is watching from the shore...

Once again, here we have the coolest man SOUTH of the Mason Dixon line, (only place that counts!) aka: "Doo-Da" with the coolest horse....Sugar is 36 years old, and will still graciously give tons of kids rides all day long!

Sugar Boy is a Leapord Appaloosa, and I think he and my dad look just alike...AND they are both adored by all children, so you know they're alright!

Another beautiful day in Marshville, N.C.!