It's the last "Little Gem" and Kris Anderson, who way back on March 15th adopted, #1 Last of Winter on the Blue (Boy was that an optimistic thought !), also reserved adopting # 100 on the last day of the project.  Originally, Kris who now lives in Sedona, wanted a fishing/river scene of Summit County as he used to live here, way back in the cave man era of the 70's and 80's.  When I contacted him last week he had changed his mind and wanted a painting of his beloved 5 year old Siberian Husky, Denali.  A sprightly little girl who spent a lovely evening bounding off our deck after they had spent a day fishing.  He also wanted a river and mountains and maybe a fisherman in the background!  Whew...and all that on a little 5"x7" canvas.  Here you go, big boy...and thank you for collecting the bookends of my "Little Gems Project"

I can't believe that I did it!  It was an amazing journey of discovery, of friends and of finding my way through the challenge.  I couldn't have done it without you!  I also learned that I loved writing again!  I would love to get comments today so I have a clue who has been here on a regular basis...I know there are over 250 of you, but don't have a clue who you are :)  Just call me curious! 
I WILL STILL BE POSTING ON MY BLOG WITH PAINTINGS AND STORIES...NOT ON A DAILY BASIS AS I HAVE BEEN DOING.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP UP WITH MY PAINTING ADVENTURES SIGN UP FOR THE RSS FEED, found on the Ramblings and Musing page,  AND YOU WILL GET THEM THROUGH YOUR EMAIL WHEN POSTED!

This is the awesome view from our neighbor's deck.  They live up the hill from us and have an entirely different prospective than we do.  This particular evening a reddish glow was cast all through the valley.  Ed and Nancy Hines call Sioux City, Iowa home, but they are about to acquire a son in law that grew up in our "hood".  Their future in laws are gifting them with this to remind them to come often and visit our part of the world.

The OUTDOOR ALL WEATHER CANVAS ART shack is open for 
business at Neils Lunceford Nursery in Silverthorne.  Stop in if you're in the neighborhood!   All the available images can be viewed and are on their own 
page on my website .
www.mariannaduford.com

Sounds like an action movie title, doesn't it?  "Germanica 2 The Sequel".  There were so many responses to #88 Germanica, the first iris painting, that I'm hoping to make one more of you happy.   In ancient Greece "Purple irises were planted over the graves of women to summon the Goddess to guide the dead in their journey."*  This would have been before the invention of flashlights so I guess it makes some kind of sense:)  I love to look for the wild iris that are finally blooming in the mountains in the low meadow lands.  I also love that the purple iris also indicates royalty...my nickname in college was Queenie.  Guess that might explain my attraction to them.  I used an amazing photograph that my friend Nancy Canning took of an iris in her garden after a rain storm as a reference for today's Little Gem.  Enjoy your day...only 2 more to go and they have been reserved.

I
The OUTDOOR ALL WEATHER CANVAS ART shack is open for 
business at Neils Lunceford Nursery in Silverthorne.  Stop in if you're in the neighborhood!   All the available images can be viewed and are on their own 
page on my website .
www.mariannaduford.com


*proflowers history and meaning of iris, Samantha Green

Mt. Maunganui is a place with special memories for a family that has become special to our "hood".  The Lee family, Carol and Glen, parted with their son so he could marry his true love that lived in Colorado, where the mountains rise to 14,000 ft.  Mauao, an extinct volcano on the North Island of New Zealand rises a whopping 232 metres,761'1", above sea level.  I googled photos of area and it's basically flat and then a huge bump appears at the tip.  Covered with cabbage palms, giant ferns and miles of beach it's beauty is undeniable.  Geoff remembers wonderful walks with his Mom and fishing trips with his Dad as highlights of visits to Mt. Maunganui.  I fell in love with the friendly, good people of New Zealand when my husband and I vacationed there and the Lee's are no exception!    The Lunceford's say that, "We're glad your family has become our family...and we can't wait to come see your part of the world!"

I think the simple unassuming pansy is my favorite flower.  They are actually part of the viola family and are a common garden flower that just about anybody on the planet can grow!  There is something about their happy faces that always makes me smile.  Maybe because it was one of my Mother's favorite garden flowers and seeing them helps me remember her.  I always drove home on Mother's Day to plant a bed of them for her and I loved that something so simple gave her so much pleasure.  I guess that makes everyday that I see a pansy Mother's Day... Enjoy

Fun news...the local paper, The Summit Daily, has an article in today's paper about my "Little Gems Project".  If you would like to see it click on the link....it even has pictures :)

Sunday night we gathered to watch the sun melt into the Gulf and celebrate our friend's life.  We were joined with many souls that had also gathered to do the same thing for their own reasons every where the sun was ending the day.  Watching the sun set is a tradition that people all over our planet have had in common since the beginning of mankind.  Reveling in the beauty that the atmosphere our planet generates for our visual pleasure is healing.  Whether you watch it from a beach, the deck of a boat, the desert, the plains, or the mountains the setting sun brings a break in the time continuum that stops us in our tracks and quiets the soul.  We sometimes are so busy that we forget to look out the windows of our home to celebrate the end of another day.  I'm going to try to be better about that and I hope our friends join us to share the joy it brings.

Monday, our last day to sit in the sand and soak up the Gulf breezes.  This is the little "we have almost everything" market down the street from where we are staying.  The colors are the quintessential bright colors of the tropics of  coral, green, purple and turquoise.  To top off the whole thing a BRIGHT purple jacaranda tree dominates the scene.  Found only in the Caribbean and tropical parts of the world the jacaranda tree's leaves are used to make a natural purple dye and other parts are used medicinally....in what I have no idea!  Till tomorrow...I'm back on track to finish this project in style.  This has been an amazing challenge.  To be honest I really had no idea what I was getting into!  Thanks to all of you for coming along on the ride with me....

Meet Trinity, beloved pooch of Heather.  Part Chow and part whatever jumped the fence this little cutie was the last puppy out of 14 to be adopted.  Heather said she stopped by a friends 14 years ago to pick something up and ended up with a little ball of fur, too.  Jackpot!  I understand her favorite time of year is winter and that she is a true powder hound, but now it's spring and she is lounging in a field of wild flowers...a lady of good taste!  She has moved into a retirement home recently as her 14 year old arthritic bones weren't dealing with the 3 flights of stairs into her person's home.  She's spending her golden years being babied by her Grandparent's Susan and Eddie.  Happy trails, Trinity...and request that your steak be ground up for easier digestion :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER...AND HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU BIG DADDY'S OUT THERE!

Saturday June 15, 2013...My husband Bill and I are on the Island of Anna Maria to say goodbye to our old friend, Steven kaluza.  We lost him 6 days ago at only 58 years of age.  His wife called me last night and asked me to speak at the funeral and tell people about our years as artisans at Renaissance Festival.  And to tell people about his life when we first became friends 33 years ago.  The time I allotted to paint has been consumed by writing hard , fun and loving memories.  I will add another day and the Little Gems Project will now conclude on June 23rd.  Thank you for understanding  and I will return tomorrow.  Adieu...and hug your loved ones, call them and don't let a day go by without living it to the fullest.  Easy advice, I know...but we can try.