Getting ready for a baby doesn’t always conjure up images of the birds and the bees these days, but let’s face it, that’s where baby’s come from, right? My younger sister and her husband are expecting their first baby. That baby will be our first nephew to us siblings, will make my parents into grandparents, … More The Birds and the Bees

Steel girders thrust out of the ground more and more each day as BHS and Hutton construct the New Immaculata in St. Marys, Kansas. These girders are building a magnificent Romanesque church which has now taken form in the Kansan Flint Hills, right off Highway 24. The building is happening so quickly, every time I … More Steel Rises

This old midwest water tower and a historic gazebo are two things that are nearly as old as our town. This water tower can be seen along Highway 24 long before you enter St. Mary’s. When we used to come to town to visit our grandparents as little children 25 years ago, the sight of … More 2 Things on Campus

It’s summer here in the northern hemisphere, but a few months ago this scene was occurring in my aunt’s backyard in New York. It’s called Sheep TV because every morning the sheep line up along the fence near the house and look into the windows of the house. My aunt said the way they line … More Sheep TV and Tyrants

June in our family is filled with birthdays. And many of our neighbors’ gardens are filled with cheery poppies. While planning out my summer, I decided to illuminate my calendar with poppies. Today, I’ll show you the fruit of that, which in turn was the fruit of observing both some good friends’ poppies and my … More Poppies and Birthdays

Last weekend after a hike in the great outdoors, I met up with a friend at a local brewery in Manhattan. We ended up being the last two people under the umbrellas, chatting with the waiter while he locked up. The week before I had been at the brewery to test it out, and that’s … More A Minute at a Brewery

Driving through the midwest on a summer road trip, you might get a glimpse of a church rising above our small town. If you keep reading, I’ll tell you where I glimpsed this scene, and show you a few other shots of the picture.

We productive people write down our to do list each day, and from time to time look at a calender. I discovered that writing out the daily plan and checking the calendar is always better when it looks nice. Painted nice. Having an esthetically pleasing calendar or planner really increases the quality of your life. … More Watercolor your Planner

This Memorial Day, you may find yourself out on the road. It’s nearly summer, the time for graduations, cookouts, traveling to lakes, or visiting loved ones. If you’re traveling through St. Marys, KS on Highway 24, in the Flint Hills of Eastern Kansas, you’d be passing this arch. It’s tall, imposing, but solid, still and … More How to Remember the Fallen

“Traveling” on local errands and pausing to capture some particular spots of beauty can make you look at your home in a whole new light. While running an errand in Downtown Topeka, I made time to go walking around and to paint my favorite piece of architecture there: The Capitol. In this post I’ll share … More Capturing Urban Adventures