Be Afraid

Today is January 1, 2019. I have no idea what this year has in plan for me. But I hope it will be as exhilarating as last year.

Last September as I was returning from Ireland, I sat at my desk and questioned, what's next in my head. In the next minute the phone rang and it was Claudia Post inviting me to do a painting trip in Wyoming. I said yes, not knowing how I would manage it. It was an adventure I wasn't going to miss especially because I asked a question and was answered so quickly by that phone call. I decided because I need so much equipment and that I had a new car, I would drive cross country to Big Horn. Everyone in my world thought I was crazy. I was terrified! But it felt right and I wasn't going to let my fear stop me. My husband Glenn came up with every scary thing the trip could offer. Bear and snake attacks, bad weather, bad people, etc...

May 26, I took off on my journey filled with excitement and terror! Because of bluetooth in my car, my husband kept in touch with weather reports and good places to end up in for gas and lodging. After  about 4 hours in, I started to relax and enjoy myself. As I got my hotel rooms each night, I would do it as quickly as possible so no one would see I was alone. I would bunker in and jam a chair in the door so no one could enter.

When I made it to Sioux Falls South Dakota it was still early and Glenn had done a little research of the area and suggested I go to Sioux Falls. It was supposed to be really pretty. I brought my paints and was happy he was right. It was a beautiful spot. There were many great people who talked to me including a group of teachers having an outing on their last day of school riding on a bar/bicycle contraption. I actually sold my painting off the easel! I couldn't wait to tell Glenn when I got back to my hotel room.

My next stop was Mount Rushmore. I don't know why I wanted to see it so bad, but it was on my bucket list and I had to stop there. I again brought my paints and did a quick painting. Thank God I did stop there because if I hadn't, I would have been hit by a tornado that touched ground in Gillette, Wyoming!!!

It took me four days to drive out there. I enjoyed every minute of it. People told me to take books on tape because the scenery would be drab in the Dakotas. But I couldn't listen to them because I didn't want to miss the scenery! It was gorgeous!!!

As I was finally approaching Big Horn, out of no where a storm came in. It was stunning, but terrifying. I had to pull over to take pictures! It looked like a tornado was forming! Glenn was watching the weather, but this came in fast. He didn't see it!!! I made it just in time to Big Horn to see a rainbow. It was the universe telling me everything was going to be alright!

Alright it was!!! Claudia met me in the front of the ranch and I soon met the first group of artists that were going to be there the first two weeks. It was to be two of the best weeks of my life! Our landlord was John Wayne in the flesh! As handsome and charismatic as the actor. We all got along so wonderfully! Our group connected and we had some incredible adventures! Everywhere we went we seemed to be there at the right time. We were taking pictures of some cows and a woman came by asked us what we were doing and introduced us to the farmers. They invited us on their property to paint and bought my painting! It was a magical time that two weeks.. So many great people we were introduced to. Joel Ostlind, the most amazing artist, had Claudia and I in his studio. We were so entranced we missed dinner. He is an amazing artist and person!!!! We shuffled off the Buffalo and there were all these Model A cars in front of the Occidental Hotel. As soon as we were done taking pictures, the cars left!!!

In the end, I did 54 paintings. I had hoped to do 100, but the adventures got in the way. I have sold 14 of them! Probably more than I would have sold if I was home that month.

After coming back from Wyoming, a dear friend asked me to go to Ireland again with her. We went together last year and had a fabulous time. Again, I had no idea how I would pay for it!!!! We went to the Beara Peninsula. It was incredibly beautiful. We spent a lot of our time trying to find stone circles. There are over 100 there. We managed to find 3! I sold most of the paintings I did there!

When I got home, a friend who trades a painting for her cottage asked me to do it again. How could I say no? Her place is so friendly with amazingly good vibes... I love to stay there. Jackie Jones spent some time with me. She was one of the artists from the first two weeks in Wyoming. It was great to spend more time with her. She blew me away with her paintings and it was great to reconnect!

Thinking my traveling was done, I was supposed to go on a trip with the woman who plans all of my trips abroad, but we couldn't fill it. One of the girls who was going to go on the trip suggested we go to the village she grew up in in Anversa, Italy. I asked her to see what it costs to fly there. In a blink of the eye, we had 6 people who wanted to go. Most of them my dear friends. So, here I am flying into Rome a week after being on the Cape. What a fairy tale!!! Needless to say we had an amazing time! We stayed with Rita Delvecchio's family. They were amazing! They brought us expresso and wine while we were painting outdoors and made us dinner and drove us around. Her family also brought us bottles of Proseco as we were painting. What a giving town! They opened their house to us! We all got along so well. We spent the last 3 nights in Rome in a fantastic Air BnB. We couldn't have had a better time!

When I got home, it was back to business. I was lucky with full classes. But things were still tight. In early December I had many bounced checks. Talk about scary! But at the end of 2018, one of the best years of my life, things are in the black.

I AM GRATEFUL!

Be afraid! It wakes you up!