Sometimes I have to go find adventure and sometimes adventure finds me. I have been traveling since Tuesday, September 28 in my cute little RT. My goal was to spend the weekend at Cane Ranch, owned by the Grand Canyon Trust to study watercolor with Suze Wolff, the artist in residence. Along the way I was planning to visit with friends and reacquaint myself as a solo traveler in the RV.

Felecity, Center of the Universe

First stop was in the small town of Felicity, CA. There is really not much in Felecity, except the Shell Station and a pyramid. Within the pyramid is a plaque declaring Felecity as the “Center of the World”. Hmmm…very interesting. Unfortunately this day I was not able to go there as I was on my way to meet Kat and the dogs, who are bicycle touring across the USA.

Kat & entourage in Felecity

It was hot in the desert, close to 100 degrees. The original plan was to load up the bike, the dogs and Kat and drive to Yuma. After a couple of cold bottles of water plans changed. Kat rode her bike the last 10 miles to the Welcome to Arizona sign. I became the official sag wagon of her touring. With the dogs on board I drove ahead and met her as she rode into Arizona. Yay. I got to spend the next 24 hours helping Kat with errands. It was fun. The RT continued to be the sag wagon for this adventurous friend and her dogs. In the afternoon we drove across the very hot desert together to Gila Bend. Kat continued her journey southeast and I headed north to Flagstaff. I went from the heat of the desert to the 70’s in Flag. It was so nice to be up in the pines and the fresh mountain air.

Sharon & Janet

For those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning, you might remember that the first stop on the Journeys of Thankfulness, July of 2013, was in Flagstaff to visit my friend Sharon. Remember the photo of the IV bags. She became very sick and I ended up helping her and her family in the hospital. Here is a picture of Sharon a little over a year later. Yay!!! Not only is she doing well but she has returned to her feisty self. I love stories with happy endings. I love stories of my friends with happy endings. I love my friends. I am so thankful for her recovery and that I can still hug and love my friend. We spent my one full day exploring Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument. Definitely a must see in the desert southwest.

Cane Ranch-owned by the Grand Canyon Trust

The impetus for this trip was a watercolor workshop that was offered by the Grand Canyon Trust at Cane Ranch. Since Jim was diagnosed with metastasis of his cancer I have stopped painting. I am not sure why. I know that this sometimes happens to people who are going through a major life change. At times of change a person’s life and preferences may shift. I did not know if this was the case with me. I decided to go to Cane Ranch to challenge myself and see if I still wanted to paint. If I decided that I did not want to paint I would just enjoy being in beautiful country.

Painting in my RT

My RT became my art studio for the watercolor weekend. I found that I painted better being away from the group of artists that had come to the ranch for the weekend. I painted looking up the canyon and it was fun. I loved being inside my RT and painting. Why was I inside my RV instead of painting outside?-forty mile per hour winds. Painting inspires my soul and that is still true. I love being challenged each time I sit in front of the canvas. Watercolor is a mystery. I never know how my paintings will turn out. That is one of the joys of this medium. It is fun to watch a painting progress to completion. I have found that it is a good teacher for me. I usually do not like my paintings when they are completed. Later I return to them and think, “hey these are not too bad”.  It is good in my life to often think before acting. Even a few hours can make all the difference in decisions I make. I review the postings on this blog the same way. I save them in a draft when they are done and review them several times before I post them. I find I edit them many times. Maybe the photos change. Maybe the thoughts change. It is OK to take time in my life to ponder change.

First Painting in Progress

Final Painting Completed, Vermillion Cliffs