Oh and one more thing!

I forgot to mention that about an hour out of Lake Louise the freight train in front of us had a couple of cars derail. So we sat in this little town on the train for 31/2 hours waiting for buses to come get us and take us the final distance. Rocky Mountaineer could not have been nicer to us for the inconvenience which of course wasnt their fault. We didnt board the buses until around 800 pm and the crew had been waiting on us all since early am. On the bus ride the crew riding with us got up and passed out snack boxes and water bottles and were so cheerful and laughing. All I could think was if this had been an airline crew they would have sat down and said we are off duty now. I could not believe they just kept going and were so friendly and nice. It was so beyond what service people are willing to do now that I was in awe.
OK one last bit of info...since you have all 'listened' to my constant art show conversation. I thought it would be a great idea to show you the pieces that did sell. You are dying to know right?! Well tada...

 

This last one I had priced at 795.00 because I did not wish to sell it. Its personal and so many details and hard work went into making it just perfect.  I received a call after the show was over and my pieces were getting ready to fly home. A gentleman fell in love with it after a summer of camping and wanted to buy it. I started telling him it was my favorite and pointing out why and he had noticed all the details. So when I said 600.00 he said fine...for some reason selling a piece of my work for that much seemed to validate in my head I am an artist of worth. I do know if it had made the trip home I would not have sold it because my wall seems empty now. People say just make another...but thats like asking Van Gogh to paint another sunflower. Its not fun or creative to try and copy something..its just frustrating. Maybe one day I will feel like making another but for now I feel done. Its as if I had to be someone special for a minute at 60 and boy oh boy I think I did it. Check!
A friend said I should get a business license but right now I just dont feel like being a business. I have given away 4 pieces (for good reasons) since they arrived home and the rest all found a spot.
I am one of the chosen local artists for the La Quinta Museum and the reception is this week. Its a wonderful exhibit and eclectic works of art. I am excited to be included and who knows what will come from it. Here's my entry...

Ok off for a walk so again...thanks for dropping by! xo

I have a small update to make...I sold yet another piece today! I know its crazy right?! This whimsical desert scene was purchased by a neighbor...said she had the perfect spot for it. Nice! Life is good when you are an artist!!  lol

and the story continues...

I was delighted to hear from a few of my fav readers as I honestly thought I had lost any interest in my blog. So today lets head into Canada eh?! (That's Canadian for allrighty!).
The Rocky Mountaineer is a wonderful train line that is basically only for tourists (not travelers desiring a destination) and only the western Rockies. The staff could not have been more attentive and fun to spend two days with and constantly offered us food and drink.

J man happy with his seat selection

This gives you an idea of how long our train was. We were 3 different classes of service and you basically never interacted with the other cars or classes. Our car was half full and mostly ladies from other countries. There were probably 4 more cars behind us as well. The good part was you could change seats and move around depending on the view. The disappointing part for me was in the brochure they showed passengers leaning over seats with a glass of wine laughing and having a great time. I was absolutely exhausted being the only one in my car trying to be entertaining and brochure like.

I forgot to mention before we left Vancouver I told J I was going outside to get his photo. At this point of our trip our camera broke...one of the most scenic vacations ever and I had to take photos on my iphone. Not only was it embarrassing to be looking at this amazing view and pull out my phone but it was a bit limiting what I could do fast. Anyway here are a few of the photos of the first day of our train ride. Everything looks a bit green and not sure why...enhancer?
The second night we all got off in Kamloops which is a small town along the train route. We stayed at a very old hotel from the 20s and while it had charm our room was itty bitty and not our favorite.
We walked downtown for dinner and I guess there was a contest to dress the trees...

 I guess it helps to have a sense of humor when you live in Canada and the train people thought the trees were wonderful.

I decided to try local beers all along the way...

You can only look out the window so long....

Just so you know I was on the trip too.

We were up and at it early the next morning as well and our destination was Lake Louise. I saw a photo in a travel magazine years ago and I could not imagine a lake and setting so beautiful. Our train ride included a room at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise the first night and I booked a second so we could have a day to enjoy. We hiked the first day until we met 2 couples from WA and walked back to have a beer with them. The one couple lived in Gig Harbor and I swear it was as if I was sitting across from myself. I have never experienced such a feeling of 'she is just like me'. Wish we could have become friends because she was great fun! haha

Our amazing hotel and Lake Louise

See the mountain goat and baby?!

This is exactly one yr from his ambulance ride so I told him to try and stand on a log. Kinda cheating tho isnt he?!?

Day two hiking to the Tea House with Sharonne and Barb.

Even their chipmunks are cute and fluffy!

What can I say except God was so busy here and its breathtaking everywhere you look. So happy I got the chance to see it for real and not just in a magazine.We left after this day to spend the rest of our vacation day tripping out of Calgary and Sharonne's house. Best part is the weather became stellar and we did not see rain again.
We rode the light rail to downtown Calgary for lunch and its a beautiful city.

We spent a day in Banff, rode the gondola to the top, walked thru the village and stopped in cute town of Canmore on way home to try their local brewery.Banff is equally breathtaking and I would love to return with my camper and spend a week hiking and biking all around the area.

The Sisters

Looking down on Banff Hotel and golf course

Gondola station

Picnic with an incredible view

Do not try this in a kayak

Banff Hotel

Local beer Grumpy Bear!

We visited Drumheller where they have discovered dinosaur bones over 70 million years old. The museum was fascinating and their work painstaking. Here are just a few...

Last day was to Heritage Village where they have created a little town from the past with actual buildings and antiques. They also have a car musuem.. It is a very popular destination for the town...

My personal favorite!!

Sharonne and Barb

Ride home!

We had a wonderful time and literally needed a vacation from our vacation when we got home!
We felt we really had a chance to see western Canada and experience so many different things.
It was very expensive compared to US and combine that with my overstuffed suitcase and shopping was not an issue!
This was a difficult post because there were so many wonderful photos to choose from. It felt sometimes like we were living in a postcard it was so incredibly beautiful.
Thanks for dropping by!

What happened to September??

I have been 'chatting' with myself that I need to post an update since returning from our PNW vacation. Last night I noticed I managed to completely skip the entire month of Sept and felt motivated to begin again before I have no readers. Sometimes too much has happened and its difficult to break it down in a post. Let me get another coffee and I will see what I can do.
5 DAYS IN SEATTLE
We arrived to beautiful weather and spent two nights with Ingerlise and her friend Mark. They fixed a fabulous dinner and we all got a chance to catch up. The art reception at the winery was a disappointment in the sense that about 8 people showed up to taste wine and none to see my work. It was a beautiful day and probably everyone was trying to enjoy the last days of summer. I had about 10 friends show up and they made it a wonderful day and even bought a couple of pieces!!

After the show we went home with Philip and the girls and had dinner on their dock. They have created a wonderful lifestyle and everything seems to be going perfectly including expecting another girl on the 15th...The girls didnt remember us and it took most of the evening and gifts to get them to warm up.

We were invited back to spend Labor Day with them on the lake and it was heavenly AND hot!

 

Well and of course this is one of my favs...I was told Megan is a mommy's girl but I turned on my GrammaCher charm and she was mine for the day!

For me the best part of the visit was getting to know the girls again after 2 years absence, the chance
to see their place and enjoy a bit of their amazing lakeside lifestyle... and to see Philip's joy at having us share his life even if only for a day. Did we fix everything that is wrong? No. Will our relationship ever be what it should be? No, and I am eternally sad about that. I love being GrammaCher and they were my chance. We did lower some of the walls between us and thats a good thing.

We spent the next day in Gig Harbor and stayed with our neighbors Aki and Mary. We have never had or never will have neighbors/family like these. Love them always and our visit was wonderful.

Aki ~the chef extraordinaire! I had a family photo but our camera decided to die and I lost it. Guess we will have to go back!
We headed to Seattle to return the rent a car and spend the night in the city close to the train station.

Pike Place Market

Seattle sunset

The next morning we were up oh so early and hurrying in the rain to get aboard the Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver.

Our hotel in Vancouver was wonderful and we were able to walk to Yaletown Brewery for dinner. There was a farmers market going on and just fun people watching even tho it continued to lightly rain. So far our trip has been memorable and we have just begun. I need to kick this day into gear so I will continue with our Canadian vacation next post.
Thanks for dropping by!