OLD FOLK'S ART...

 

Ah, Summertime. 

 It really is a beautiful time of the year. 

 A time for fun, a time to explore, and a time to restore the mind 

of all the best that life has to offer.  

I can look back and see

 summers spent in Yosemite National Park, 

walking trails and climbing mountains. 

 Summers spent at my grandparent's ranch, 

swimming in the creek and picking berries.

 Summers spent with friends, riding horses

 and summers spent at 4-H Camp, 

singing around the campfire. 

 As I grew older

 there were summers spent at home, 

 as my parents and younger siblings 

went on vacation without me,

just because I could be trusted.

  Summers spent working my first job

 at Santa's Village

 and summers spent dreaming of going back to school with new shoes

 that were the ultimate of high fashion.

The older I got

 the more I looked forward to summer. 

 Now, I had a family of my own to share these beautiful days with.  

The kids were always so happy to get out of school

 and looked forward to vacations. 

 I could relate and remembered all of those days. 

 A trip to Disneyland

 was a very big deal for all of us

and Thursday nights at the Drive-In movie theatre

 for Dollar Nights 

with the promise of a trip 

to the canteen during intermission.

Fast forward a few very short years 

with motorhome trips to 

Canada and Yellowstone National Park

 or cruises to Mexico and Alaska. 

 They all pass by in a blur, 

and now you see photos that your grandkids took 

while vacationing in Costa Rica.

84 summers is not a long time.  

They go by more quickly than you will ever imagine 

but there is an upside to it all. 

There is the potential for memories that stay 

with you for a lifetime 

and, believe it or not, 

it makes "slowing down" easier to endure,

 although, I will admit, to not always liking it.

Folk art is the mirror image of real life.  

It is simple and plain, full of bright colors

 and direct images. 

 There is no real way to see it, 

only what you 

think is the right way 

and even then, you can only hope that 

you have seen it well.

  You learn as you go along, 

and like anything else, with practice it gets easier.  

It most likely will take a few summers to get it right 

but I, for one, will keep trying.

Hope your summer is

 one of the best!

Until next time,

...xxoJudy...

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