Along With The Weekend, Came The Heat!
It was in the 90's (F) all weekend, and we tried to escape it the best we could. For part of the weekend we retreated into the indoor air conditioning, and then took a small trip to Cape May (the beach), where it is usually 10 degrees cooler. When Sunday came, we set up a small inflatable pool on the back patio, and enjoyed the shade, water, drinks and each other's company.. OH YEAH.. And it would be wrong of me not to mention the reggae tropical vibes being spewed from our speaker (it really felt like the tropics). I suppose we did our best in trying to make the best of a hot situation.
Don't Judge Us.. We needed a little something to cool off in, and didn't want to invest thousands and thousands into a full sized legit backyard pool, nor does either of us feel like taking the time maintaining one. So this little guy is just perfect. Takes a few minutes to fill and then when we are done we just empty it out and store it away for the next time. Big pools are like boats; It's better to enjoy one when it's not yours to maintain. hahaha.
Molly before the plunge. Sort of chill and happy with her ice water at hand.
Molly also enjoys (Not Really).. taking a dip to cool off. She likes hanging out with us, rather than being stuck inside looking out the door at us, but would more like it if we didn't put her into the water. Oh well.. She needed a little cool down! Every time she begins to pant, we just give her a quick dip. After the traumatic event, she'll just sort of chill on her outdoor bed. She's got her ice water and we keep a close eye on her the whole time. We don't want her getting over heated or sunburnt.
Now for her after the plunge into the pool...
Yeah..... NOT as happy now.
Now For The Art!!!
My Inspiration ..
I would like to think that my inspiration for the piece came as recently as this past weekend, when we met a pair of good friends in Cape May, NJ. But it was not. The breeze was cool and the air heavy with humidity. It's what we have grown to expect out of these early summer nights. Regardless of the humidity, it still felt good to be out of the inland heat. It's amazing, but one only has to drive about 1 or 2 miles inland before they feel the temperature change.
Although the sunset was a pretty one.. My inspiration for the piece came from a more tropical location; Bloody Bay, Negril, Jamaica. We have taken several trips to this particular area of Negril, and I have gathered inspiration from these trips many times. It's nice to be able to browse photos and gather the inspiration needed for ones art.
Not long ago.. or maybe longer than I think.. I painted this watercolor below, given the inspiration gathered from a trip to the same area of Negril.
This Newer Piece Is A Little Different ..
It's a watercolor of a boat at sunset. The sun has set and the colors of the night sky are rich with shades of pink. The overall tone of the piece is quite dark, but the lighter touches of pink and blue help balance everything out. I set out to paint it just as it came out to appear. I wanted to paint a silhouette of something against a rich colorful Caribbean sunset. But what kind of silhouette??
I came across this photo below, which became my inspiration for the painting.
I decided to change up the look of the boat, the color of the sunset, and a few other things, but hey.. The photo was only inspiration, not used to paint an exact replica.
Here is the finished watercolor painting, which I have still not named. I painted this a few months ago, and still have no name. Is that a bad thing?
I took a few process photos, but not as many as I usually do. I'm sorry :( I sort of got caught up in the creative flow and forgot to pause. Next time! hehe. I still managed to get a few. You'll see the overall progression from dark to light. I took my time and let the layers of paint dry before trying to apply more. What I didn't want, using such dark colors, was a muddy brown mess of paint. Luckily I managed to avoid that.
So The We Have It!
A painting inspired by the beautiful sights of Negril, Jamaica, and a brief glimpse into our HOT weekend.. Which really was inspiration in itself. Without it, I may not have felt the need to share this one with everyone. I suppose you could say it reminded me that life is short and we need to take the time to just chill once in a while.
Just a few more sunset photo's from that trip. Enjoy and thanks for taking the time to read my blog post!!!
“I call it the Margarita Road. It's the course your heart sets when you want to leave the past behind and start over someplace new and warm. Usually the path heads south to blue water and white sand, with any bumps along the way smoothed over by rum and tequila. It's not for everyone. This is a highway traveled mostly by runaways and drifters. I know, because I'm one of them.”
― Anthony Lee Head, Driftwood: Stories from the Margarita Road
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All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.
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Hey @bdmillergallery
Nice post!
You're making me homesick though 😆
I love Negril, BUT I hate the harassment from everyone on the beach.
The last time my husband and I walked along the beach, he said that if we had said yes to everyone who offered us something, we would have been on the back of a jet ski, high as a kite, eating a patty, with a coconut and sugarcane; Braids in hair, just in time to get back for ice cream, and a "rent-a-dread" for however long our hearts desired. 😲
It's been a few years since I have been to Negril, but bwoy I do hope the beach is better policed now.
AAhhhh... I didn't think about the homesick part. I'm sorry :(
I love that part of Jamaica but not the roads getting to it. Tight and in bad repair. Our driver handled it well and was crazy too. I think you have to be when driving there. I never would rent a car and try it myself!
It probably didn't get any better. I was rolling when I read your message. Sounds like your husband hit the nail on the head with that statement! I couldn't of said it better myself 😆. It is annoying when one just wants to take that romantic chill walk along the water, but has to say no thanks a million times.
These are the two guys I remember the most.. Donnovan and the cigarette guy!
OMG! You had me ROTFL... even musicians now?! How can you not help but laugh when you get a performance like that! "Pure Comedy Gold"... even a swirl 🤣
Oh, the roads in Jamaica are like nowhere else. You have to know how to maneuver or else you could expose yourself to danger.
Stick to that decision. It's the best thing... It's a shame though, but Jamaica is not properly sign-posted anyhow, so it's always best to have a registered taxi driver take you around.
I haven't been back in 8 years; the longest that I have been away from home. It's gonna be a culture shock in some way, but I'll know immediately that "I am home".
In Jamaica, there's always some comedy act awaiting every where you go 😆
It was lovely to see the sea. Negril has the best beach on the island - seven miles of white sand 😍
Home will always be home. You can always go home and home will always be there waiting for you with open arms. Jamaica is a beautiful country (well most of it) especially in the highlands. So pretty up there and the people are different then the people who live in the cities and at the beach. They have a hard life but are such a proud people willing to just sit and chat. I have a special place in my heart for Jamaica that's for sure! 😊
I am happy to hear how you feel about Jamaica 😁. I'm from Petersfield in Westmoreland. Not so far from Negril, and close enough to Montego Bay. I spent most of my childhood weekends in Negril, but most of my early adult years working in Montego Bay. There are some beautiful spots on the South Coast, and Ocho Rios. Montego Bay is not the prettiest of cities, but some great restaurants.
I hope next time I will be able to visit Blue Mountain. I've only been to Port Land once or twice. There really is the unspoilt part of Jamaica.
You seem to be very familiar with the country and understand the people.
I am a fairly patient person, but I don't deal with harassment very well. Things can turn ugly very fast. Many of those beach guys can be aggressive because "NO" is not in their vocabulary.😏😅
Awesome photos and artwork! You never disappoint! :) I hear you about the heat. We were in the Upper Peninsula where it is usually a bit cooler and it hit 105 one day with the humidity. We came down the hill to one of the bays and it was instantly 30 degrees cooler. Unfortunately, the wind shifted and the hot air made it into the basin. We survived though!
Ain't that the truth!
You're too kind Bozz Man! So you hear me about the wind direction making a big difference. I hate going down to the beach on a day the wind is coming out of the west.. That means hotter than normal temps (Land heat blowing toward the ocean and NO cooling affect). ALSO the damn biting flies are bad when the wind is blowing out of the west. I take a look at the trees behind our house and if the wind is blowing the wrong way, heck with it. I'm not going! lol.
Sounds like you had a nice trip!
Haha, yeah totally. Living in Michigan it is almost like we have our own little country. The pacific on one side and the atlantic on the other!
Just about! "Pure Michigan" I see the adds on TV all of the time. 😊
For real? All the way over in Jersey? That is pretty awesome!
I can totally see you lolling around in that pool! When it's hot one must cool down and sometimes a little creativity wins the day. So, legit pool. The good thing about back yard pools is, no sand. I don't like sand. 😳
I had a pool at my last house, an in-ground concrete one. I can attest to your comment about it being better to be using someone else's than have one of your own. I ended up having it smashed up and filled in to be honest as I found a better use for the space. Doomsday bunker. (Just kidding, or am I) Lol.
For some reason I believe you (the yes part) about the bunker.. It's hard not to imagine that! haha. My cousin had one of those at one of their old houses. It was not like the modern day ones, nice and clean, nope! It was wet and full of spiders. Oh yeah.. Old rusty can goods too! hehe. They called it a fall out shelter here. Build during times of nuclear war concerns. Soooo.. Maybe not a bad idea to have one.
I dislike the sand too, but just bring some water along in the jeep and a good hand broom to rid it off my feet and legs. I usually can't wait for a nice shower after the beach. Our sand here in New Jersey is pretty fine.. almost dusty is some respects. Beautiful and easy on the feet, but does tend to stick to the skin rather easily.
I feel better about our small inflatable pool now. Oh yeah almost forgot! You'll probably get a kick out of this... I had a moment. The last several times I inflated the pool, I used the air compressor. This time I tried the blowout from a small shop vacuum I have. The difference in time... 15 minutes down to about 15 seconds! WHAT WAS I THINKING ever using the air compressor??? Sometimes I could just punch myself in the arm 😒
If I have a doomsday shelter, and that's an if, it wouldn't have any spiders, I had those little buggers; they creep me out. 🙄
It seems you're well and truly sand-sorted mate: Water, little broom. Clearly I'm dealing with an expert. I donthe water thing also, now I want me a broom too!
I hope you're enjoying that pool man. I'm not a big fan of hot weather, it gets supwr-hot here in summer and I wilt somewhat. Maybe I need a blow up pool! If I get one I'll not use a compressor to pump it either, just another life-hack I learned from you. ✅
That little hand broom has come in very useful. It's the soft bristle kind so not to rough up and scratch my tender albino like leg and foot skin! 😆 Yeah.. Something other than the compressor was the way to go. I guess that sometimes I am still thinking INSIDE the box. lol
There's nothing wrong with soft, luxurious sand brooms. One must maintain and care for one's skin...we only have one skin after all. 😉
It's so nice to be able to relax by the pool. And even molly is enjoying it. The photo of the sunset is beautiful !
Awwww.. Thank you! It is nice and for very little money, a small bit of paradise was ours. I mean if we closed our eyes and dreamt of the tropics! lol.
Molly look enjoyable🥳 and the art is soo beautiful 😍👌
She had a great day! Thank you for the compliment on my art too 😁
Woao, it looks like you had a great time, especially Molly who looks very relaxed, that's what it's all about, enjoying yourselves peacefully 🤗🤗🌹🌹🌹🤗🤗🤗
Amen to that! We needed that day of nothing and relaxing. 😁
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