Key West

I was first introduced to Key West in 1986, and fell in Love as are just about everyone that gets there. I started doing drawings on mat board with felt pens, in the years that followed I had a few hundred drawings a few hundred hand watercoloured prints and a few hundred watercolours and oil paintings . The 29 years that I spent in Key West, and I say 29 years but really was a lot less,, for in those years I was usually there anywhere from 3 to 6 months,, but in that time,,became welcomed as though I was family by not only the people that were seasonal but by the permanent residents of the city, treated like one of them. respected as an artist and Human being,, One Human Family, is the mantra of most of the folks I grew to know and Love. Writers , Musicians , Artist, Business owners as well as all who spent time there,,working hard through difficult times , with a love and a passion, that without could not produce ,the love and respect ,that you encounter everyday and night,, giving people,, One Human Family,, and why do I write this,, Loss,, How often we lose a beloved one of this, Family,, and the pain of loss that we feel,, from the loss is so felt by even One like Me who feels so blessed that I was accepted by this Family even that my time there was so limited,,I cannot imagine the pain of Loss of those who have been there full time in their lives, and who have loved and had the backs of the likes of me coming there year after year, for the few months we do,, I want to reach out and let you all know how loved and apprieciated you have all been in my life and that I do feel that pain everytime we loss one of this One Human Family

2015,,Who Would Have Thought

Jan. 20th,2015,another winter in Canada,,could be bummed out but have to stop and think about what it is im learning from this situation in my life. Missing so many good friends ,,not being able to complete so many projects I would like to have had completed,,72 this year,, you would think a person this old would know that none of the projects even matter in the big picture,,Great Grand child being born to my eldest Granddaughter,, now that is something,,the joy Ashleigh has brought into my life,, as well as my other grandchildren,,to think im having one of them bless me with my 1st Great Granddaughter,,why would you want to be doing anything other than being in presence of that occasion in your life?? so my good friends ,,yes I miss all of you and just maybe I won,t get any of those projects completed,, but I have been blessed by the energy that is everything,, that has directed my life to be were it is I must be at all times,, and doing exactly what it is I must be doing,, and I say,, Thank You God,, Thank you Son of God,, and thank you Holy Spirit,, for you are with me ,, the trinity at all times.

Life is a Very Short Experience

Between the Ego and the confusions of our minds,, life goes by us pretty quickly.Just when we start to really understand and accept that we have it right, we also realize that were 71 years old,,and yes ive heard it all,,your only as old as you feel,,ok,,and then theres that one,,at 60 or whatever,,60 not old,,ya ok,,keep telling yourself that,,the point is,,life is very short and quick,,Pink Floyds line,,ten years have got behind,,no one told me when to run,,i missed the starting gun,,well40 years gets behind that quick as well,,So,,all that said,,don,t. Get caught up by the ego,,that confuses you into thinking your the one,you can win thats never been won,,Dylan,,stop in your life everyday,,seven times and say a prayer in thanks,,for the ,,Gift,, of Life,,you have been given,,make sure your kind to all that you get to meet,,make people smile and laugh,,and when your ego gets you into any kind of negative situation,,Stop,,Reflect,,and then make it Right,,don,t carry anger and negativity,,on your mind,,that tires you and makes live much more difficult. We have all been blessed,,with life,,yes i know also we have our trials,,but,,thats the ego saying,,you should have ,or why not me,,take a breath,,your alive,,just go do or say something nice to someone,,make them have a great day,,do it time and time again,,everyday,,soon,,your everyday will be filled with. Nothing but happiness

Another Reminder

Another year slides by, as i sit in a restaurant that ive sat in for 55 years, looking out at the view,, of the golf course at the galt view,,and run through my mind of what has been,a coffee with Peter Graham, this morning, and a reminder from Bill Kimmel, that lunch with the Preston Boys is on thursday,, the preston boys are 30 or 40 boys that have been hanging out for 60 or more years,, some of what life is,,as well the intimate things we know of each other and have shared. Through are lives,break away from that and magnify this into another couple dozen situations,,key west,, new york,, the family the kids grandkids ,brothers and sister,,the loves, the heart breaks, and the growing that come from each,, when ithink of each and everyone of these and more of what life gives me,, i sit today as usual in awe and wonder,, and thank God,, for all ive been given,to be able at 70 to be in a position to think that i need to make some decisions to what and where life is going to take me,, torn,, can,t  or don,t want to be separated from any aspects of any of it,, then italy,, really need to make a trip back ,, but,, lfe,, it really is very short,, and we really do have so much,, and take such a tiny bit of time to smell the roses,, and speaking of roses,, mother Rose And father Joseph ,,that it another Reminder

Its About Time

It Is about time, about time i wrote something and about the time in my life, months again that i expressed my thought and where i,ve been, how fast did the time go from April and what was it i,ve done in that time,, life times in months,, again, time with my Children and Grand kids, another trip to NYNY, and what a time that was, 31 new drawings, and the deepening of friends and the attaining of so many new friends, the age thing has got me re -evaluating how i see all that i did and do in my life time, from eating to talking about what it is we talk about, the way i draw why i draw what i do,, and how i see my family and friends so much clearer for the value they are in my Life," God is Perfect" words from my good friend Ariel, so True, Life without them would be no life at all,Family and Friends ,, theres never enough you do for them or express the love for them, the gifts were given,, each and everyday,, is a gift and all you receive in the day another lesson and gift, i just want to stop here and express from the bottom of my heart and with every essence of my being ,, a Thank You to everyone Ive ever been in contact with that have made my world and my life the wonderful journey its been,, Nomaste'

Time Keeps on Flowing

April 9th,, Easter in Canada, Missing the Keys and the friends who make my winters sunny, have been in the north all winter and though its been quite a remarkable winter as far as mild goes it was still way to cold for me,, not to mention, even though it was great to be near the kids and watch Laura play her 1st year of university hockey,, i can,t imagine spending another winter in Canada. some for the reason given but i,m really not allowed to live my life as i know it within me,, what do i mean by that,, well,, theres this person that i know when i,m not Dad, Poppa and that Joe that "everyone ",, KNOWs that i,m really not,, and theres this other guy,, who a whole lot of you DO Know that ,, I am,, and i love being,, as they say,, its complicated,, but not really,, cause i know that when i,m that guy,, i,m the happiest,, anyway,, i,m blessed that i,m alive and that i do have these two lives,, and that i was allowed to be a part of my Childrens Life,, for another winter of my Life

CrossRoads

Jan. 1st, 2012, sitting in Cambridge, had departed for the USA on thursday of last week but was turned around at the border,, 25 years of work and hardly any of it completed and maybe will never be,worked all over the place and needs to be collected and brought home, work paid for and not done, waiting,, in a constant state of waiting , printers that are totally not on my page, or seems my side, hitting a brick wall,, by being turned down at the border,, time to call it quits,, just too demanding for ,,, nothing,,sick to my stomach,, hurting inside,, time to make a decision,, 69 years old maybe its time to get a nice little space to live a nice TV and retire,, yep,, made that decision,, thats what i,m going to do,, then a phone call comes in,, you can get an artist visa ,, work in the states,, no problem,, then all those retirment thought go out the window,,, BUT,,, maybe not,, wweeellll see,, is it what i want to do,, yes,, if it doesn,t continue to make me crazy and whatever else it has been doing to me to have to do what i need to do,, wwweeeellll see