Dead Horse Point
By Donna Lyons © 2019
Artists, especially, seem to need a change of scene every once in a while, to sharpen
powers of observation and to shake the senses into experiencing the various shapes
and colors and moods of a landscape or environment that is different from the usual. It
is interesting to sit with the colors of the red-rock Southwest, where the dry, buff, soft
tones contrast sharply with the purple shadows and severe shapes of the massive cliffs
and ancient formations.
It becomes a surprisingly awesome experience to witness vast vistas unfolding towards
the horizon, each blue and purple disappearing in diminishing values as they recede.
Fellow painters and I frequent these places of vermillion and brilliant fire colors to open
our eyes and senses, and to mix the colors we see that are so different from the wealth of greens and blues our mountains reflect on our palettes and paintings.
Getting new material
By Marty Coffin Evans © 2023
We all tell our stories. Then we add more stories, embellishing them for other audiences. “Is that the truth” becomes a frequently asked question.
What do you do when your story material runs low? Well, take a trip and try for more stories found in different settings.
We experienced this one summer when we met fellow Upper Mississippi River travelers that first breakfast. “Our daughter says we need new material,” explained one tablemate. Soon entertaining stories emerged.
“I took a shower this morning and realized I forgot to shampoo my hair,” commented one gal. Back into the shower she went for a redo. Another commented about her sister mixing up the spray. She misted her hair with the room deodorizer while the more traditional spray remained untouched. “I couldn’t read my bottles very well so double conditioned my hair for days. Later I realized I hadn’t been using shampoo,” lamented another. Glasses in the shower, anyone?
Speaking of showers, one traveler regaled us with his story of being “stuck” since the door wouldn’t open when he was inside. After complaining to the staff, an attendant showed him how to pull the door toward himself vs pushing it in from the outside. He never got “stuck” again!
Some travelers have tales dealing with clothing. One traveler’s two tee shirts lasted five days until her luggage arrived. Another wore her roommate’s clothes for 10 days until her own reached her.
River cruises provided more stories about unexpected “viewing” opportunities especially when travelers expected to be docked only to find themselves looking into another ship’s stateroom! Standing in natural or other attire surprised all!
Whether gathered daily or drawn from past travels, “new material” keeps us all laughing at ourselves. We fondly remember those summer’s travelers and tales. It’s time to look for another year’s worth of material.
August 2026