day 6

We got up early to beat the crowds hiking to Delicate Arch in  Arches National Park, Utah.
Again, my fear of heights almost had me quitting. And the drive through the park up the side of a cliff was scary enough for BigBig that he stayed in the car the whole time instead of hiking. As i was driving up the cliffside my daughter, Jesse, started singing 'little boxes' and for some odd reason that seemed to help me from panicking too much.

"little boxes, on the hillside, little boxes, made of ticky tack. there are red ones, there are blue ones, there are yellow ones, made of ticky tack."

The hike is labeled as difficult but my daughter said she didn't realize that when she planned it. It's only 3 miles but quite steep and there is much of it that's along a ledge (no barriers) with a drop off of 460 feet,(I think it said).
It was scary but worth it at the end. I am glad we did it.
Such a stunning spot.!

I have a postcard of the arch framed at my work desk now. And BigBig's sketchbook as well....
After our hike we went back to Moab for lunch at Milts. i got a buffalo burger.
Then we drove all the way to Arizona and found the apartment where my daughter will be living. we also stopped at a very photographed loop in the river, about a mile hike to it but i couldn't get close enough to the ledge to get a good photo,but Brandy got one.

5 things

As i said last week or so....

I spend too much time on the internet,

there's always so much more to see.

So i thought i would stop when i have found 5 things.

And once in a while I will post what I find.....

If you click on the colored word it will take you to the original site..


1. This week I saw... and loved the wonderful colors in this art...






2. I found this recipe and made 6 jars of strawberry jam following it. Yum!

3.  I have been making my own drinks like these infused waters from pinterest...

4. I bought.... this set of 18 artists colours in gouache and I can't wait to try them out. I just want to wait till i am done with the mandala art for my future book, since i can't try something new when i have the pressure of a deadline. I should be able to give you a link to it soon!

5. This map art site was so inspiring! So many maps to looks at, get ideas from, or order. And you can upload your own as well, and since i have been thinking maps lately it was a great site to find now.

My oldest daughter is moving to Arizona next week for a new teaching job so i am driving with her across the country so she doesn't have to go alone (my other daughter is coming along as well) and then the two of us will fly back after a week of driving and sightseeing. She has all sorts of things lined up for us to see each day after our driving is done for the day. I am excited and nervous. I have never driven this far or through cities, i have never been out west, i have never flown, and i have never left my son for this long either. So much to worry about. But i plan on sketching my trip, drawing maps and sketching food and sights we see. If i can figure out how, i will try to post a bit from the road...