Shuttlecocks.

Today I visited the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. I hadn't been there since middle school (well over 20 years ago.. you do the math). This is part of the Shuttlecocks exhibit out on the lawn. I put my spin on it of course.  It was well spent for an afternoon of free entertainment - one exhibit had an actual ancient mummy! I went alone but hope to go back soon to take my husband along.

Textured Home.

Here's another house near where I live. The siding texture from that era from when the house was built I think looks pretty neat, at a glance. I try to block it out of my mind that it contains asbestos. :)  I'm beginning to realize that my morning outdoor walks are beginning to become numbered for the season as we inch towards shorter days and colder weather... despite having a high of 100 degrees today.

Serendipitous to the Point of Uncanny.

OK so this may be cheating a little bit since I didn't create this image today, but the serendipity surrounding this picture is off the charts. I really must post this.

I shot this image at an old motel in the town I used to live in 8 miles south of where I currently live. I worked some Photoshop magic on it at the time to appear as if it was glowing at night. The old neon tubes were broken off and hanging, so it definitely wasn't easy to restore. 

It was July 21, 2006 when I shot it. I remember because I was off work that Friday. Back then my summer job schedule had me working 4 days a week. I took my day off to go shooting around town with my Nikon D70 camera and a tripod. My grandmother passed away suddenly early that next morning, July 22.

Fast forward to approximately 8 years to the day from when I shot my image and this appeared today on Facebook on a local page that celebrates our city's history: 

I learned that the motel used to sit just a few minutes from where I currently live but then the entire building and sign were moved to the location pictured here. The motel was torn down at some point, not exactly sure of when. 

What are the chances of this, I am still in amazement. 

Wanderlust.

This vintage RV is parked down the street from my house. I have a serious case of wanderlust anymore. I would be perfectly content living out of some kind of vehicle that would allow me to live in whatever city I felt like living in at the moment, as long as I had an internet connection, bathroom, comfortable bed, space for cooking, and storage space for my clothes. OK those are just the bare essentials. ;) I spend my days dreaming of this. My husband and I have even done some research on it.

The quote is from one of my favorite authors, Austin Kleon.

This Old House.

Honestly, I don't know why I was compelled to draw this house. There's really nothing strikingly special about it. It's just your typical post-war, old, small, suburban home. However, the gut spoke on this one and I still shot a picture of it out on a walk one morning.

Tame Impala.

I think this is around a '65 Chevy Impala convertible. Tame Impala is the name of a band I really like too. I spotted this hidden gem on one of my neighborhood walks.

KC Arts.

I live near Kansas City- I like the downtown area & surrounding- near the urban core. This newspaper blackout says why. 

Image by Eric Rogers 
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Mad Men Sighting.

I'm a huge fan of the TV show Mad Men. A few months ago I went to an estate sale that was held in an old hospital  and spotted this painting. It was a dead ringer for Pete Campbell, a character on the show. I turned the painting into a geometric print here and cooked up this funky psychedelic background that reminds me of the 60s, which is when the show takes place.

Morning Caprice Pt. 2.

Here's a more complete drawing of the old Chevy Caprice that I posted about yesterday. Rust and all!

Morning Caprice Pt. 1.

I plan to do more with this picture, which is why I named it "part 1". Like actually color it in, but I didn't want to be up all night long either finishing it. I have to confess I got a late start on today's post for all that I wanted to do... but I wanted to go to bed at a decent time more.

This vintage Caprice belongs to an old man who lives at a senior citizens' home just up the street from my house. I see it whenever I go for my morning walk.

Live For Today

Another cemetery post... kept it simple since I didn't have much time to throw something complex together. My husband and I on a whim decided to hit a pro baseball game tonight. The cemetery reminds me to have fun now; because one never knows when it'll all be over with.

150 Year Old Cemetery.

Just around the corner from my house is a cemetery that has been around for over 150 years. There are Civil War soldiers buried there who died during the war. A couple of our state governors are buried there as well. This is one grave that has always taken my eye.

Effing Yeah.

I saw this same verbiage on a t-shirt one time except it said Lawrence. I went to high school in Effingham.  This would work on a t-shirt too.

Old Workhorse.

I was on one of my outdoor walks and discovered this old truck about a couple of miles from my house. I just had to get a picture of it for a poster- to some it's an old junky truck, to others it's a workhorse, to me it's colorful and interesting.

Another Cat.

Here's another shot of one of the shelter cats from the photo walk last night. I decided to have some fun with this image, which initially didn't turn out great. This little guy was quite the feisty kitty, but he did sit still long enough for me to get a few shots. That's the beauty of Photoshop, you can turn a not-so-great shot into something totally unexpected.

Getting ideas of how I can pester my own cats more with the camera...

Photo Walk.

Tonight my husband and I did a photo walk at a local no-kill pet shelter with an Adobe enthusiasts group for creatives that we belong to. We spent the evening shooting pictures of the facility to donate back to them for marketing materials, and whatever else they need pictures for. This precious kitty was willing to pose for me. If we didn't already have 2 in our small house, I think we'd go back this weekend to adopt. It was a moving experience.

Fresh. Fun. Beer.

I tried a different beer tonight called Tank 7 from Boulevard Brewery. I've been wanting to try it for a while now. I'm hooked.

Argyle Tree.

A totally random post for today, I had pondered what our tree in front of the house would look like if painted with an argyle pattern. I like the result of my prototype.

Keep JoCo Beige.

So technically I skipped a day since yesterday was spent traveling. I just returned from the airport and it's 3AM. But I made sure to post as soon as I got home... after showering my cats with chin scratches after having not seen them in days. I needed my feline fix. Priorities. ;)

This is a parody I made of the Keep Tahoe Blue stickers that you commonly see around the Lake Tahoe area and surrounding. I'm not particularly fond of the area I currently live in- it's a suburb. In many areas around here almost everything you see is beige and manicured.  Yes crime is low and I have all of the things I need (restaurants, grocery stores, Target, etc.)... but I long to live somewhere that is more urban, colorful and cultured. This place is great for people with kids because of the schools, but children are not in my plans.  I'm very bored, and just returning from Seattle amplifies that.