It's not just the hills that have eyes...

Shhhhhhh.  I'm reading.

Silence is the theme at www.illustrationfriday.com

This pick is timely since I created it for the MNSCBWI fall conference several years ago.  And their annual fall event is just a week away.  I won the illustrator mentorship award that year.  And now my friend and former men tee Nina Crittenden is the current mentor. She illustrated Cedric and the Dragon (the inspiration for the book above) and now is working with a major publisher.  Someone will be very lucky!  

I've come a long way as well since those early days. In frequent flier miles.  Ha!  

But I have illustrated two books since then.  And many moons...

Out with the old and in with the new...sniff.

I'm doing a little recycling this week.  I'm re-posting an old favorite for Wild Bird Wednesday  It is new to all those folks.  And I never get tired of re-visiting my first Costa Rica trip.  We'd been to Hawaii before.  So I thought, what could top that?  Well, Central America.  The birds and animals are so amazing.  It was the first time I'd seen so many species of Hummingbirds.  I have a monster one in this post.  And since this trip we've been to C.A. 7 times.  Maybe I should do a little more recycling.  But until then, check out a blast from the past... 

This happens every year.  And I'm certainly not complaining.  But it is still a very sad thing in this household.  My walls are not getting any bigger.  And when a new crop of travel photos emerges, I have to retire a few old memories.  We just got back from Belize, and now our very first trip to Costa Rica is on the chopping block. So I'm so glad I can share them once again with all of you.  This photo of Arenal Volcano still inspires awe.  I'll never forget my first glimpse of it in the distance.  I had never seen a cone shaped volcano like that before.  It is experiences like that which keep me completely sickened with the travel bug.  An unrelenting need to keep feeling that same sensation over and over again.  There is nothing like the thrill of a new adventure.  

A raccoon like Coati.  They are cute little beggers.

A parrot beauty shot.

Fortuna Waterfall.

Arenal Volcano as seen from the wonderful sidewalk at El Silencio Del Campo.  

A monster humming bird in the cloud forest of Monteverde.  They buzz around you like something out of Top Gun!

Manuel Antonio  (a.k.a.  Monkey Park)  A requisite tourist stop.  But still a beautiful beach and a must see.

Well, that's it.  Another grouping of travel photos fades into black.  But God willing there will never be an end to the turn over.  

My kind of trees.

click to enlarge

A long time ago in a far away place I did a little thing called the Fiction Project for Art House Co-op.  I wrote and illustrated my own little journal with the theme Over the Top.  I filled it with illustrations and story observations about my beloved vacation destination Costa Rica.  And called it, There's an Iguana on my Roof.  These three illustrations have eluded my blog until now.   

But with the www.illustrationfriday.com theme tree I thought it was the perfect choice.  Palm trees are close to my heart.  And if there is an Iguana on my roof and it is 90 degrees outside, even better.

P.S.  To see all the illustrations and Costa Rica love stories click on the fiction project icon in my side bar.

The Loser Files...

I have an uninterrupted losing streak over at Joan's blog  She has a monthly photo contest.  But at least my photos are winners to me!  Because they are my photo memories.  Especially my cat Akua.  He's my baby after all.  The theme was cats and dogs.  

 A leaf for a Fall theme.

Cows grazing for a food theme.  They are food (gulp) plus they are eating.  Poor cows. 

 White flowers for a White theme.

A Green parrot for a Green theme.

 A snowman for a Christmas theme. 

 This is one of my favorite travel photos.  We are sitting at the top of a Mayan ruin at Tikal in Guatamala. Do you see the other pyramids peeking over the jungle in the background?  Seeing Tikal was an amazing experience.  Calgon take me away right now!  I wish I was on a new adventure as we speak. Oh, and this was for a shoes theme!

A weathered and worn mailbox for a mailbox theme.  There were only 3 entries so I thought I might have a chance.  But no winner was selected!  My bad.

Beautiful Spring trees for a tree theme.  Loser.

But you might be a winner.  Have you read my toemail post below?  O.K.  I know these blog awards are kind of silly.  But I played along and forwarded the good, the bad and the lovely.  Are you feeling lovely...Punk?

For more winning photos visit Sunday Best!  

  

Big Eyed Birch

Tree that is. For those of you that follow my blog, I'm sure you're aware that I always relate my photos to my art. It really makes posting fun. But being that I'm an artist, you might not guess that it's usually the photo that I pick first. Like today's photo. And I think it's a perfect match. This photo was taken at lake Nokomis this Spring. There is nothing better than enjoying a stroll around any of the chain of lakes in Minneapolis. I took my camera to Lake Harriet recently and captured the bounty of lilacs, crab apple trees and fields of tulips in full bloom. Let's see. Do I have any paintings in stock with tulips or lilacs? Maybe a Purple Cow standing under a lilac tree? Or a Pink Cat popping out of a tulip patch? I might have to dig deep!