Meeting new friends at the Star Trek convention!

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The Final Frontier

Vegas Sampler

My time in Vegas flew by way too fast, but I did manage to sample a few of the essentials of any good vacation:  play, celebrate, create, and love.

The Star Trek convention at the Rio

Waiting to see “Love” at The Mirage

Renewing our vows at The Little White Wedding Chapel

“Love”–painted in my room at The Elara

Live Long and Prosper

Tomorrow, my internal odometer will turn over to ‘50’.   The last decade was a blur.  I believe most of it was filled with school, raising a teenager, chauffeuring, doctors appointments, vet appointments, working out, domestic chores, and searching for purpose.  I experienced great joy in my 40s, too:  travel, painting, long bike rides with my husband, watching my daughter perform in recitals and cross the stage at awards ceremonies, snuggling with snoring dogs, laughing until it hurt, and spending quality time with family and friends.  If I am blessed with another decade of life and health, I vow to slow down, to breathe more deeply, to live every day in a way that is memorable.  After all, what good is ‘live long’ without the ‘prosper’ part?

“Live Long and Prosper”–Graphite

To Boldly Go

One of my all-time favorite television shows is Star Trek.  I love the characters and the exotic planets they explore, but mostly, I admire the way the crew boldly goes where no one has gone before, not knowing what might lie ahead.  That takes guts.  Luckily, it’s just a TV show, so even if things go horribly wrong, all will be well in the end.

On my Artist’s Journey, I typically choose the safe route, the proven path, the road ‘more often’ traveled.  But today, I was an explorer.  I donned my uniform (aka:apron), set a course, and headed out into the unknown–warp 9.  Though I didn’t posses the bravery of Kirk or Picard, I did muster up enough courage to seek out new watercolor techniques.  Armed with a mister and a bottle of masking fluid, I decided to boldly go where I had not gone before.  I didn’t have the safety of an expensive starship to consider on my mission, but I did have a pricey sheet of watercolor paper that I certainly didn’t want to see get sucked into a black hole.  When I explore strange new worlds, I do so without an experienced crew or the support of Starfleet.  I don’t even have a script writer to ensure my safety.  I am on my own.  Sometimes I fail, but other times, I create something beautiful.

“To Boldly Go”–watercolor on Arches Aquarelle