It's Getting Harder To Admit ..
That I am growing older with every year that passes me by. I am totally aware that I am not alone in these thoughts and that others feel the same way. I just take a deep breath or two, place my hands flat against my sides, close my eyes and dive into the memories of my past. Those gentle breaths and happy thoughts ground me and lead me back from the edge of despair. Okay, maybe I am not quite at the "Edge Of Despair", but it is slightly depressing to realize how fast time is passing me by. One thing is for certain though, I have a lot to be grateful for, including the summer of 1992 .. The year I met my soul mate and love of my life.
The Summer of 92 ..
It seems like yesterday, yet so much time has passed since that summer. It is now the summer of 2020 and my mind is again slipping back to the day I met the love of my life. Not sure if anyone has even noticed, but I have been away for several weeks now. I took some time for myself and a break from everything requiring a reservation or timeline, including blogging. Everyone needs a reset every so often. For me the reset came just in time for our wedding anniversary. On August 18th, we celebrated 19 years of marriage ...
... although we met some years before that. 28 years have past ...
It was the summer of 1992.. 28 years ago. I arrived home from a long day at one of my first jobs I ever had, and met my wife, but didn't know it just then. We slowly became an inseparable pair. We rode the roller coaster of teenage life, surviving the untamed emotion, teenage drama, and the plethora of changes and uncertainty life threw at us. We did a lot of growing, both emotionally and spiritually over the last 28 years. I wouldn't trade a day of it for any other outcome.
Happy Anniversary Honey!!
Time To Take A Vacation ..
There is just way too much to fill you in on at once, and in one post, so I'll run the highlight reels of our mini vacations. I was unable to take a full few weeks off from my work, so I decided to take a few long weekends instead. We planned and took a few mini trips to visit family, who reside within a 3 or 4 hour drive from home. It was a nice way to catch up with those we love and also get away from normal life routines.
The night before we left, I wound down my work thoughts with a pre-vacation beer and prepared the puppies meals for the up and coming long weekend. They have always enjoyed a nice grilled chicken, cut into small pea sized pieces for easy eating. Their bellies and senior teeth thanked me.
On the first of the two trips, we decided to leave the kids (Molly and Pepper) behind. We have an AWESOME dog sitter who comes in to house sit and tend to the pups. They are sort of spoiled, so when we leave them home, we need to have someone who will spend the nights with them. We are always so concerned with Molly's health (due to her Addison's Disease), and Pepper's age, hearing loss and partial blindness, that we would rather have a close eye on her during the evening and night hours.
The hardest part of any vacation without the dogs, is dealing with the broken heart of leaving them behind. I try not to look at the front door when we pull out from the driveway, because there will surly be two tiny faces there staring back out at us. "Where are you going? Why did you leave us here?" I can't help thinking that they are devastated by us leaving them behind, even though I know it's not true.
Weekend Vacations Part One! ..
Once we got past the initial sadness of our departure, and a few hours into our trip, we were less depressed about those sad faces in the window. We arrived in the central Pennsylvania (Lock Haven) after approximately 4.5 hours of driving. Long enough of a trip that we were ready to get out of the car and start our vacation.
I'll speed through it now and maybe revisit some of this stuff later, in another post. We arrived to my cousins house and he had most of the days planned out; we were along for the ride.. The Jeep ride! Well, a lot of Jeep riding. Everywhere we wen't that weekend, included a ride in the Jeep, top down and doors off. I also own a Jeep Wrangler, so my wife and I are okay with the open air experience.
Due to my wife being prone to car sickness, I got stuck in the back seat most of the trip. That's okay.. I never get the backseat experience and almost never get the chance to just look around. I enjoyed the time back there. I couldn't hear anything being said about me in the front seat, but enjoyed the fresh air (wind) and the alone time (for selfies).
Most of the little (or long) trips were out over dirt mountain roads. They were a little dusty at times, but the views and scenery were beautiful. They are in a drought in this area of PA, so the tiny streams were dried up, but we still had plenty to look at along the way.
This is my cousin and his Jeep wrangler (and his very white mountain legs). Hahahaha!!
It was a weekend vacation of driving from spot to spot, Winery to Brewery, food and drink, and laughter to relaxation. Below, we can be seen at the Shade Mountain Winery and Vineyards. We indulged in sweet and dry wines samples, produced from the previous years harvest. We sipped them along side the rolling, green landscape, and fruit laden vines ready for this years picking.
We paid a visit to two breweries.. Jackass Brewery and The Rusty Rail Brewery. Both of these breweries had awesome brews, although it is not very hard to please me when it comes to beer. They also served food and alternative drinks, if beer is not your thing. Wife wife appreciated that since she thinks beer sucks and often says it tastes like "Horse Piss." Not sure where she has had the chance to taste horse piss, but I assure you it does not! It tastes like nectar from the gods.. hehe.
My BEAUTIFUL wife of 19 years..
A Belgium style ale and my wife's lemon drop martini (YUCK! haha)
Head up, chest out, and white legs (oh my) hehe.
My wife and my cousin enjoying the nice weather, also trying to decide on what to eat.
Both breweries were different from one another and each enjoyable in their own way. I had a great time there and wish I could have consumed more than a few. I didn't want to over do it with a long Jeep ride back home, ahead of us.
We rounded off the long weekend get-a-way with more food, drink, fun and scenery. As I mentioned before, they are experiencing a bit of a drought in that area, so the rivers are very very low. I still think that the scenery was beautiful!
Saw some of the biggest pretzels I have ever had the pleasure of eating too!
It was most enjoyable :-)
We were able to get out for a few other meals and beers locally before thinking about wrapping up our visit (mini-vaca) and heading back home. I was able to find a couple of my favorites.. Guinness and 60 Minute IPA. BONUS!!
I almost forgot to mention the breath taking sunsets. On those cool rides back to my cousins place, after a long hot day of riding around drinking and eating, The sunsets were incredible. They were hard to shoot from a moving vehicle, but didn't come out too bad. I enjoyed them immensely from the rear seat of the Jeep.
Part One Of The Vacation Was Ending ..
After four days of an extended weekend vacation, we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and headed back down the same road that lead us there. Thoughts of our two beautiful, fluffy babies started to creep back to the forefront of our minds. Would they remember us? How excited would they be to see us again? Would Pepper give us any attention or play it like he was mad we left him? In about four and a half hours we would have our answers. In about four and a half hours, this small vacation would be a memory and we would start again looking forward to the next trip.
Our babies were happy to see us, in their own calm way. Sort of stared at us and then Pepper played the 'I Am Going To Ignore You' card.
After some stretching and play time, we were right as rain in their minds and all was forgiven.
It's Good To Be Home :-)
Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!
“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. Likewise, I never imagined that home might be something I would miss.”
― Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.
About Me ~ The Artist
My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.
Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.
For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.
If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:
They can be found for sale on
Saatchi Art
Or
Etsy
If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in HBD, Hive or any other crypto) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).
