Springtime in Augusta

One down and five more to go before my first weekend off. this job is great with the exception of the time spent away from the family. It really gets to me when I don't hear from Ben.

The fact is that he knows exactly what a phone is about. There's a familiar voice in that plastic thing that he can talk to. The problem is after the first few moments he becomes real quiet so he can listen to his loved one. The louder the better.

So I'm either manning my booth or sitting around in a late-night campground setting when I get to talk to him. Most folks don't like someone speaking loudly in a cell phone regardless of the situation (count me as one of those folks). Therefore me and Ben communicate very little while I'm away unless I'm in the van.

We've had a great day today! I had Ben all to myself so we spent the day in the studio where I painted and he watched cartoons. Of course he got bored and ended up turning his whole body 180 degrees to watch me paint. That was cool until he started yelling at me. He wanted to paint and I just couldn't take the time to let him do his thing. He was a trooper though because he really enjoyed some of the things I'm working on: bright flowers, some rural landscapes, and those whacky fish that my buyers seem to enjoy.

I will admit that I wasted plenty of time kissing and hugging on the big guy since I head out tomorrow for a trip to Augusta, GA. This is a show that I've been looking forward to all Spring because the only painters invited were me and my good friend Christy. Since we are expected to donate artwork for a silent auction tomorrow night we've decided to collaborate on a painting that we will work on during the preview party. I'm really excited about it because it's been about 15 years since I got to do something similar which turned out to be awesome!

For the record I am carrying some paintings that Ben and I have already started. If time allows I just might have some things ready to post here next week! Good weather is predicted so I expect a good show and an opportunity to paint.

I miss all of you "bloggers" like you wouldn't believe. Having two days at home between trips has made it tough to really expound about life on the road, life at home, and all of those things that fall in between - particularly checking in on your own blogs. I honestly think about you guys and gals during those long hours in the booth. I send my love to each of you and hope life is treating y'all well! Check back here soon because I'm trying to get Joan to relay cool/funny/interesting info here as I report back to her.

Ben holds onto the loot brought back from Greenboro including Jessie's crab.