+ Msytical Crestone

Crestone is a tiny town, nestled on the west side of a rugged beautiful mountain range. tucked into these foothills, on the edge of the st. louis Valley, just an hour from New Mexico are a string of Zen Centers and buddhist meditation organizations. We quietly explored as we headed towards New Mexcio on day 2 of the adventure.

the Strupa of Crestone

Yaks in the Valley

Crestone Stupa and mountains 

Me and Otis / Art in the Zen Center 

inside the Zen Center. An amazing work of craftsmanship. 

The boarder into New Mexico

+ leaving Denver in a Snowstorm, heading west, then south on 285

at the top of Kenosha Pass

This is a recreation of a picture my Dad took of my Mom before I was even around. 

out of the front range and into the valley

in the St. Louis Valley, looking north east

Made it through most of the weather, got to Salida for a couple second hand shop stops and pizza for lunch

+ Dark Roast Coffee Design

This is my favorite design so far in my really new and mostly unkonwn t shirt shop Lightning Minded at Threadless. This is for dark roast coffee lovers who appreciate metal inspired illustration. Too niche? If I can make 5 people happy with this design, I will call it a success. We must stand up for what we beleive in. Peanut and lime tasting light roasted coffees are gross, and I don't care who thinks I am crazy. 

+ Keep Kentucky Kind Design

Only 1 month till derby! Celebrate the Kentucky Derby with a hand illustrated t shirt !  

here is a link to my brand new online shop: www.lightningminded.threadless.com

 There's colors and styles for the whole family. After the derby I will be setting up a half a dozen or so fresh new designs so stay tuned for more wearable art!

+

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise.

—

Anaïs Nin

+ Keep Kentucky Kind this Derby season

Wow, it's 2017! So much has been changing and happening that I have fallen off blogging, but I am still here!

 I am launching a small t-shirt company on threadless.com and this is one of my first designs, inspired by Kentucky Derby shirts we wore growing up in the 80's and 90's, and my love of hand lettering and fonts.  The derby is such an exciting time in Louisville and I wanted to create a design that celebrates what we love about the derby, while standing up for diversity. Let's be proud of our ciy, our love, and our diverse pcitizens! There are lots of colorful options for t shirts with this orginial illustration on them, check it out! www.lightningminded.threadless.com

+ Landscapes from inside a speeding car

The most beautiful part of my job is the drive. Sometimes I catch the sun rise and set on the same day. Sometimes its really foggy when you are getting close to the Wyoming boarder in Colorado. There are often pronghorn herds roaming the rolling prairie hills. 

resting Pronghorns 

leaving work to drive home

+ Darker

Dear Leonard Cohen passed away last thursday. He was one of my favorite songwriters. I had "I still have my dusty Song of Leonard Cohen Vinyl record. He just came out with a new album not long ago, I found it on Spotify and was playing it on repeat during my not-sporatic-enough long commutes. His song "You want it darker" seems like a prophecy. I think he knew he was going to 

die soon, and listening it now after the results of 11/8, it feels like such a comment on America. 

Listen to his new album when you get the chance, and all of his old ones too. His writing is beautiful, haunting, full of truth. 

If you are the dealer, I'm out of the game
If you are the healer, it means I'm broken and lame
If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame
You want it darker
We kill the flame

+ Me and my pup

+

+

My art portfolio is up! Soon I will post the illustrations that will be showing at Wash Perk Coffee Shop next month in the Washington Park West neighborhood. Check it out!

www.lightningminded.com

+ My sister is a comic genius

This is her web series! http://weekenddetectives.com

+ Quote of the day

However many ways there may be of being alive, it is certain that there are vastly more ways of being dead, or rather not alive.

– Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker,

+ Penny Pepper and Otis the Wolfmouse

+ Our last two days, in Bangkok again before the long trip home.

We went to a Hindu Temple in the city, they did not allow pictures so this is just a peak at the amazing buildings within the walls. Prayers and offereings were plentiful in the colorful complex. 

A record shop that offered many Thai Albums 

Sunday market with food and artisans.  It was rainy and humid.

We ate dinner one evening on the patio here. Small delicious plates and wine. It had two tiny staircases upstairs. We sat behind a white sheet that was installed for a movie and performance by a french woman who made a movie about Marylin Monroe. 

+ Temple of the Golden Buddha in a Thunderstorm

This was one of my favorite temples we went to during the trip. The paths around the property were lined with giant bonsais like these and many benches to sit and relax and soak up the beauty around you.

Vietnam Buddhas were very different from Thailand and Cambodia. They liked to give them halos of neon.

Temple dogs

offerings on a small shrine

A miniature shrine with offerings nestles between a couple Bonsai trees

The temple next to the golden buddha. The storm rolled in at the same time as we did. We took shelter in this beautiful space for about an hour while it poured.