#Project365: Glacier View

For most of my trip so far, I had been eating dried fruit, nuts, and granola for breakfast; so I decided since I would be passing through Prince George that I would stop at McDonald's for some scrambled eggs. Alas, when I arrived, the McDonald's was still closed. ARGH! It was after 6:00 AM, so I figured that things are different in Canada. At Telkwa, I discovered a nice little picnic area along the Bulkley River:

Not too much further was Smithers, which is where my campground was located just north of the city. Hudson Bay Mountain is just to the southwest of the campground, which is aptly named Glacier View.

Tomorrow and Friday I will explore the vast interior mountains of British Columbia far away from civilization.

#Project365: Chief Mountain, Crossing the Border, and Pincher Creek

So far, my trip had been pretty tame and on fairly familiar ground; as I had already been in every state I had traveled through. As I wound my way up US 89, I recognized the familiar towns of Browning, Kiowa, and St. Mary. My excitement was building as I was entering the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

As I entered the mountains, I came upon Chief Mountain; a grand sight indeed:

As usual, it felt great to be back in the mountains. Knowing that I would spend the next 4 weeks traversing mostly mountains, I was entering a new realm. I was about to experience quite the interesting time at the border....

Unbeknownst to me, apparently guns are big issue with regard to crossing the border. What held up my crossing had more to do with a lack of border agents where I chose to cross and the fact that the couple in front of me was found to have a gun in their car without declaring it. Furthermore, when asked why they didn't declare it; their stories apparently didn't hold up. Luckily for me, an agent quickly got to me after finishing up with their vehicle and asked me a few questions and told me to enjoy my stay in Canada without ever searching the van.

I arrived safely at Pincher Creek about an hour later and discovered that the campground had a lovely flower garden where I took these pics:

The only problem I had encountered was the fact that my phone no longer worked in Canada...ack! Tomorrow I shall describe my most exciting day yet.

#Project365: Wandering North America

Yesterday I mentioned that we have some new artwork pictures of items we are working on, so I'll get to them first. Do you need something to hang your herbs on to dry out?

Here are some domino charm pendants:

I will have more pictures tomorrow of more new creations. Meanwhile, this van was my home for 5 weeks last summer for me. I outfitted one of our vans for camping by insulating it, installing a freezer, coolers, microwave, fans, lights, power inverter, and an air mattress. Hooks and holders were mounted for everything including duffel bags, can opener, coats and jackets (it gets cold in the mountains; especially in Alaska), coolers, and all the cords. While I have traveled fairly extensively in the western U.S., I had never camped on any of those trips. 

The picture above was taken at my first night's campground at Sidie Hollow Campground outside Viroqua, Wisconsin. The scenery was great as shown below.

As it turned out, camping was much more comfortable than I had thought it would be. 

Along State Road 131 in Wisconsin:

I found a nice rest area along I-94 just outside of Black River Falls and discovered a trail leading up a large hill, so I decided to hike up it.

At the top I was rewarded with this view:

Until tomorrow......

#Project365: Wandering North America

I have some pretty exciting photographs (including pictures of a couple of new art projects!) coming up. This photo was taken at Long Hollow Scenic Overlook [http://www.galena.org/places/long-hollow-scenic-overlook/] in northern Illinois on US 20 between Elizabeth and Galena: 

The trail above led me to this area below:

Needless to say, the overlook has become overgrown; but is still beautiful even if one can no longer look out here over the surrounding countryside. Upon further investigation, I discovered that there used to be a wooden tower near the bathrooms which was there in 2012 as shown below obtained from Google Maps. It has since been torn down; as it was not there last summer.

#Project365: Winter in the Midwest Continued

As I write this, I did a double-take on temperatures in Florida today. The HIGHS around Tampa are what we will experience as highs HERE later this week! The high there is 54 and the predicted high for here Thursday is 52. Needless to say, the snow and ice around here will be melting this week. Here are a few pictures I caught this weekend:

Near the stately sycamore tree above, I found these geese enjoying the river:

Check out the white goose looking at me just left of center here:

#Project365: Winter in the Midwest

As I listen to the birds chirping outside the window on this cold, frosty morning; I think about how quiet and serene winter can be. We find inspiration from nature and all the seasons.

We are planning on new creations for the upcoming year and we'll keep you updated as dates are set for shows!

#Project365: What do frogs signal?

During summer at the lake, one can constantly hear the frogs. This frog isn't real, of course. But it IS a reminder that spring is on its way and will be here before we know it. Now's the perfect time to make those summer plans...

#Project365

Today's picture:

Seasons change yet some things are constant; it is always good to have a friend scoping things out with you.

#Project365 Campaign

Hello everyone! Since June introduced me yesterday, I figured I would describe the pictures we will be posting here as part of our #Project365 campaign. Some of the pictures will be nature pictures so as to encourage you to get out in nature and enjoy as much of our beautiful biosphere as you can. Some of the pictures will be projects we have either produced in the past or current projects. Either way, you can look forward to something new regularly now!

My first three pictures (including yesterday's picture) of this year focus on trees. Trees are something very special to me, as I often use wood from trees as part of our art projects and other projects. I also appreciate their shade in the summertime and the oxygen they produce. Their beauty and magnificence might not mean much to someone until he or she visits the Great Plains or desert areas or high mountainous regions above the treeline where there AREN'T many or any trees. Furthermore, I understand how much more important trees are to me now that trees are being devastated worldwide due to a variety of issues including climate change, pollution loading, agriculture, and other human activity.

These two pine trees appear to be touched by the maple branches in this picture:

 Believe it or not, this picture of these maple leaves was taken in JANUARY here in Fort Wayne, Indiana:

This is a "Home is Where The Heart Is" decoration in progress.

Until next time.....