Some of my favorite artists...

There was a time in my life if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have told you an artist.  As just a youngster, 6 or 7 years old,  I told a college age girl whom I adored that I wanted to be an artist and without knowing it, she squelched that dream by telling me that I did not want to be an artist because the classes were so hard (according to her friend taking those classes at the college level.) 
She had no idea that her comment would make me reconsider that dream and I have pondered how we treat a child's dreams so flippantly.  I am guilty of doing what my older friend did to me with my children, when they tell me what they want to be when they grow up, but no more.  As I was giving all the reasons why Anna does not want to be a soccer player when she grows up, the above memory came back to me and I regretted all the negative words I just spewed.  Now when she tells me her latest job possibility of being a house builder, I reply with words that encourage and hopefully fan the spark of an interest that just might be legit.  Who am I to say that she is not going to be a house builder or even a soccer player?  I cannot help but wonder what I would have done with my older friends words had they been encouraging since her words had so much power the other way...

So I love art and I would like to share a few of my favorite "   arteests"

The first artist is Carrie Ballantyne.

  Carrie is a self taught artist and is married to a working cowboy.  Her portraits are stunning and her subjects are real people which I love.  Below is called, "Boyd Camp Cowgirl"

Left is "Hannah's Palomino"






 

Finally, above is called, "Guardian of the Pup"       

These images have been obtained from "Wyoming Print Gallery and Framing" and you can view more of her work at there website:

  http://bighornprints.com/ballantyne_prints.shtml

What could be our last day on Earth...

I think that I can speak for most country kids when I declare that country kids are not really good bike riders.  We never had to learn to hop curbs, our tires are always flat due to stickers and in my case my riding was pretty much limited to our driveway because the black top road was too dangerous due to heavy over-stressed, too busy farmer traffic. Riding in sandy dirt just is not as much fun and easy as concrete.  Usually a 4-wheeler or horses are available and that always trumps a bike.   And oh yeah,  no helments, although no one needs them more! 
 

Why am I telling you this?  My kids want to expand our horizons and take their bikes to the zoo...and my bike too.  I purchased a bike with a baby seat thing on the back so I can take Jill along.  I probably should be arrested for child endangerment every time I have used that with her in it.  It will be an educational day for my little chics:  This is a curb, we cannot jump it.  There is a car coming, please stop.  That is a pedestrian, do not run them over.  That is an animal, do not look at it and still pedal your bike.  You city folk can do all of the above fine, but when country comes to town with our bikes...look out.

But hey, we go...just have to get Anna's flat tire fixed first.