Mid 2016

 Another catch-up post here. I mentioned before that I am trying to document all the years that I didn’t write in my blog. I skip some things because it’s just too much to tackle but I’m trying to catch the highlights of the things we did so I will have some kind of record. It’s better than nothing and I have enjoyed recalling some of our trips that have been in the back of my mind all this time.
These pictures were taken on Oahu during a trip we took with Teresa and Mom Gibbons. I don’t have any pictures of them this time around though. We stayed in a VRBO overlooking Kaneohe Bay with a view of the Kualoa Mountain range out the back of the apartment.
The apartment was small but very well decorated. Teresa was stuck on the hide-a-bed in the living room :/ But she is always such a good sport about things like that. Mom had a fall inside the house but not injured! We were so worried when we arrived about this one step that led into the bedroom area and I remember thinking and saying that we shouldn’t be staying there with mom. And sure enough, she fell. But other than a bruise on her arm, she wasn’t hurt. We put a chair just above the step to remind her it was there and for her to use it as a support.
My sister Jeri and her husband Jeff were also on Oahu staying at my Aunt Lisa’s house. So Jeri and I took a day and drove almost all the way around the island. We took our time and went to a bunch of different beaches, out to lunch, etc. It was really fun to spend time with her on our own.

 Teresa and I went horseback riding at the Kualoa Ranch and had a great time. We also spent some time at Ko Olina at the lagoons there. We always seem to end up there on every trip to Hawaii.

Fast forward to summer and we are at the cabin again. I took my painting supplies into Yellowstone Park and set up in a campground to paint. Pretty soon I saw some Bison in the field but they were pretty far away. So I proceeded to try to paint the scene.
It wasn’t too long though and the bison had moved steadily towards me to the point that I just got in my car and took pictures instead.
I have tried to paint in the park several times since then but the pictures always turn out poorly. I just haven’t been able to get the hang of painting outdoors yet.

This scene with the huge bison in the shadows of the tree trunks really appeals to me and I want to attempt to paint it at some point.