If not now, when?

Paint Mines, CO

It's evening and I'm sitting in my van watching my dog Bailey sleep.  I'm at a campground outside of Yellowstone Park.  I'll head in tomorrow morning and spend the weekend camping and sight seeing in the park.  So I thought I'd write a blog post and show some of the places Bailey and I've been the past few months. We started in Alaska and my husband drove down through Canada with us.  He got us safely into Washington and needed to get back to his job.  So from there, Bailey and I have been roaming around and stopping to visit friends along the way.  We drove though Washington state, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming... and after Yellowstone Park, I'm headed to cooler weather and a hot meal with my favorite two people on Bainbridge Island.  

You know how a house dog looks generally clean, living in a furnished home with soft couches and pretty rugs, a clean water dish, regular meals ... it's fur is tidy and brushed, trimmed nails, a bright,  clean collar around it's neck.  Now picture what this dog looks like after it escaped under the fence and ran around off the leash for a day and night.  You find your dog...it's been running around like a wild animal for 48 hours, dried mud on it's paws, maybe a scrape on it's face, fur is all wild and messy.  There's a wild look in your dog's eyes, maybe it doesn't come to you immediacy when you call it's name.  

Well, I'm feeling like that dog right now.  The one that's on the run.  Especially the hair part. :)

When I finally get to Seattle...I'm going to have a shower, and scrub up a bit!

I'm going to put conditioner in my hair, and it's gonna feel soft when it dries.

Wear some clean pants and a fresh t-shirt ....lotion, I'm gonna put lotion on, without the thought of  dust clinging to it.  I'm having a moment, I'll admit it.

Tomorrow morning I'll wake up, have some coffee and a banana, and then I'll go explore Yellowstone with my dog and my camera :)

Thanks for reading...I'll check in again soon.

Get out and play this weekend!  If not now...then when?

Fort Casey, WA

Grand Teton National Park, WY

Utah...close to Flaming Gorge

Utah, near Dinosaur National Park

Port Townsend, WA

What you are seeking ...is seeking you. ~ Rumi

Well....inspired by others and my own insatiable desire to wander,  I've decided to step out and explore for 4-5 months.  I live in Alaska, so that's where the journey begins. 

 I have an 1980's VW Vanagon, so that's my home for a while.  

I only have a few "must do's" ....

* drive down the AlCan (Alaska Canada hwy) and

cross the Washington boarder

* see my friends and family in Colorado  

* a concert at the end of September in California

The rest of the trip is going to be... wherever the wind blows me, leaving lots of room for surprises and miracles. I believe if I loosen my tight grip on how things are "supposed to be", then miracles have room to slip into my life and show me something new and beautiful.  I'm traveling with one of my very best friends... Bailey.  A dog I adopted from the animal shelter in Anchorage.  A dog that had been adopted and returned by 4 families the year we brought her home that sunny October day.

Who knows how many homes she had tried to be a part of over her 7 years.

She was afraid of everything.  She had a rocky beginning at my home, but I have a loving family and we all gave her room to love us, be brave and learn a new way to look at life.  

She's the perfect copilot for my trip, and she's gonna need to let go of some of her fears, just like I do.  We're both going to be brave and let each day come with everything it has to offer.

My family is very supportive and I am very blessed to have the opportunity to do this. I'll be posting new sights from time to time...and maybe a new drawing or painting from time to time.  The details and pictures will be here on my blog throughout the summer.

If you want to see what traveling in a van with your dog looks like, follow along :)

I have a feeling this is going to be the most amazing summer!

Bailey....my adorable copilot.

She sleeps in the back on all of our blankets, while I drive.

Thank you for looking and reading!  

I'll see you again soon!

Road trip....

These paintings are on display and for sale now at Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge.

I have been daydreaming and painting images of road trips.

Painting is close to a prayer for me....and these prayers are about to come true.

I'm going on a road trip...from Alaska, through Canada and exploring the western US,   

my dog Bailey and I.  I saw Utah last fall, and I need to go back and paint it.  I'm not sure how long the trip will be.  In the morning, I imagine Bailey and I on the road until fall....at night when I'm tired, I wonder if it's a good idea at all.  But morning comes and I have butterflies and excitement again for an adventure I've been dreaming about for years now.

But first, my husband (gifted mechanic) is going to replace the clutch in our VW van....maybe fuel lines, new transmission oil, oil change, new air filter..... by the first week of May.

I'll keep you posted.  If this happens, I'd love to share the trip along the way.

Thank you for looking reading!