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My daughter said our family vacation was a COUNTRYSIDE NIGHTMARE!    Before you think we took her to a crazy place let me explain….

My family and and my best friends family met up to stay near Fredericksburg in a 160 year old house.   It was SO secluded that you had to drive another 9 miles off the already secluded main road through water crossings, around huge hills (we think they are mountains in Texas) and then around cliffs and other rough terrain to arrive at the house.

When we arrived at the house a scorpion fell from the top of the door when we opened it… a dead lizard was corroded to the door frame and to make matters worse a tribe of yellow jackets were living at the front door.

On our way into the place we saw a snake cross the road, a jack rabbit that posed while I took a picture, a herd of cattle in the road while we were trying to drive, 7 deer, several birds and a partridge in a pear tree!

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!   

The place was seriously amazing!   You could see every star at night and loved hearing all the wildlife.

But, my daughter thought it was a countryside nightmare.   Do you think she’s a little dramatic!?     I really think my husband and I need to work on her nature side.

Anyway, we had a blast and we climbed Enchanted Rock – Which I highly recommend…. the views are amazing!   My daughter ran to the top of the hill as my husband and I tried  to keep up behind her in case  she fell we would have 2 adults ready to catch her.   It was so cool to see how much she loved climbing the rock.

I wanted to write this post because sometimes as artists we get stuck in our studio and don’t get a chance to witness all the beauty around us!   I was amazed at how the countryside looked like so many Texas wildlife paintings I have seen and how the artist that painted them took IMG_2864such great attention to detail.    This weekend was so much fun.   Our phones rarely had service and the tv stayed off the entire time.

 It was so nice to unplug and notice all of God’s beauty.     

As we explored Fredericksburg we came across an artist who draws soldiers for FREE!  Her name is Janyth Banfield and she was such a cool lady.   She offered to draw our girls and they were so excited to be the model of a masterpiece!    Here is a picture of how they posed for about 20 minutes until we told them they could relax.   I think my friend and I were enjoying watching them be so still and quiet.  Jan was so sweet as she used charcoal and an eraser to make magic happen in just a few short minutes.    I was so impressed by her talent and her  extreme generosity.   If you want to contact her about a soldier portrait her email is jbanfield@austin.rr.com.

Well.. that was our family trip!   I’d love to hear a funny story about yours!

IMG_2903I hope you enjoy your summer!