FULL SWING SUMMER

CRITTERS & ART
June 23, 2011 

But first...

"adventurer at heart...

living out loud!"

My guide took this photo of me in tribal southern Ethiopia: my friend, Joanne, joked that if I entered the tribal, remote part of Africa, I'd been boiled alive...we're just acting out her thought! It was a fun and humorous time for all of us! This was taken in the village where my African families live...the tribe is the KARA tribe.

Welcome back, family and friends...I'm happy you stopped by to share my "vivere" for the week... Summer is finally in full swing here in Central New York and everything is very green. (We had two months of rain in April and May...is it any wonder?)  The flowers are blooming and the critters are very busy living their lives around us. My bird feeders are weigh stations for many different species of sky vagabonds......

Birds always personify "integrity" to me...that's what's written in Japanese...INTEGRITY! The cardinals are constant visitors to our weigh station...that flash of red is startlingly beautiful!

and  some of our trees provide enticing berry snacks for neighborhood squirrels!

In between reorganizing my art room/den this week, I did manage to answer a few art challenges...helps me to stretch my imagination a bit and as the years march on, it's good mental exercise! See what you think...

SUMMER was the theme for three of my favorite challenge groups, so I thought this piece would do nicely for all three: 4X4 FRIDAY, THEME THURSDAY,  INSPIRATION AVENUE;

THREE MUSES had me dreaming about Paris with their POSTMARK, PARIS challenge. I used a photo I took from a train in Paris as my inspiration... THE CHALLENGE BLOG also asked for some Travel or Journey inspired art...this works!

One of my favorite online art groups, PAPER TRADERS, has group members creating an ongoing Word Prompt Journal using words to live by (and interpret...)  Here's INTEGRITY...

and WONDER...

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART wanted to see some VINTAGE MEN...these have been workin' on the railroad!!

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me...please come back...I'll be looking for you!  :o) 

XOX, 

abbyj