| David and Bonnie's T r a v e l P l a n s |
| 2000 During the 60's and thru the 90's Bonnie and I Exhabited our Paintings and Sculpture in Galleries and some 20 to 30 Art Shows per year across the US. Spending four or five days with each art show in areas like Santa Fe, Taos, Dallas, Denver, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Chicago Door County Wisconsin, Rockport Massachusetts, areas in Maine, Boston, New York and as far south as Charleston, Savannah and Miami, With all the traveling, one developes a love for motion. Traveling and Painting on location become a passion. I decided to let the GALLERIES, and the WEB SITEs, take care of the business of selling paintings. In the spring of 2000 Bonnie and I acquired an Avon Travel Trailer loaded it and our van with paints, brushes, paper and canvis and hit the road, or as the book says " The blue highways." After a short visit with the folks in Joplin and Neosho,we headed east. I tried to locate the CLOW FOREST in eastern Missouri, but couldn't find it. And couldn't find anyone that even knew anything about it. I know it's there because I have a photo of my Dad standing in front of the Clow Forest Conservation sign taken a few years ago. Later I found that the State of Missouri had sold the Clow Forest. It's now under a different name... How can they do that??? From Missouri we went to Illinois and Kentucky stayed a week at The LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES area. Next we traveled to TOWNSEND, TN. Painted the mountains and fished the streams. Everyday was a new and different Landscape, the Mountains all seemed to disappear into the fog and smoke behind the one in front forming gorgeous blue shapes sometimes four and five deep. Next to ASHEVILLE, NC. Asheville was too much a city. From Asheville to the WAYNESVILLE and MAGGIE VALLEY area. This was a very good place to paint, the mountains were just incredible. From Maggie Valley to Franklin, NC. area. The summer was unbelievable, temperatures in the 85 degree range for daytime highs and nights in the 60's. It was so good we had to move south into Georiga, staying still in the Smokey Mountains. Here the days were 90 degrees. The last of Aug. we moved on down to the coast spending most of the time around the DESTIN, FL area We finally found the hot weather, but Destin has beautiful white beaches. We were here about 3 weeks. From Destin we moved west to PENSCOLA, and then on to GULF PORT, BILOXI, and then spent a week in NEW ORLEANS. The last week of September brought us back to KANSAS CITY for a Workshop I gave in Blue Springs. After a couple of weeks fishing at Bennett Springs, Missouri The Studio was moved to BELLA VISTA, ARKANSAS.. The fall was wet and cold, very few paintings were finished. Spent Christmas and New Years with our parents in southern Missouri.. |
2001 January 2001 we headed for the PHOENIX area Lived in the Casa Grande area during the Winter and Spring of 2001. Working with a totally different landscape, no pine trees, but great sunsets. Back to Kansas and Missouri in May Spent June on the east coast Working on Genealogy in Virginia and Deleware. July, rented a place in Maggie Valley near Waynesville NC.. Plans are to paint everyday on location. First of October we're back in Missouri and Kansas. |
2002 With the purchase of a new truck and fifth wheel trailer we returned to the road again with Arizona and California in mind for Christmas. Most of the winter was spent in Arizona and Texas, then in March and April we headed east, Louisana and Mississippi,,Gulfport, Biloxi, Natchez and Vickburg. May was spent in in Natchitoches, Louisiana and Mountain Home, Arkansas area. Fishing was cut short by the spring rains so it was back to painting the landscapes,we returned to Missouri the last of May. June we left on a trip to northern Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Jackson Hole, the Tetons and Yellowstone. Great landscapes many many places to paint and to fish. The painting was a lot better than the fishing. Montana found us on the Yellowstone river and in the little town of Livingston, I liked this little town very much.. Made several paintings, stayed a couple of weeks here and then headed for Helena, or north of Helena around Wolf Creek and Craig, Montana. The Wolf Creek area and the Missouri River was our best fishing all summer, and finished several small paintings. The next jump was north of Missoula and south of Kalispell on Flathead Lake. We were here about a month and caught several Art Shows and a couple on Indian Pow wows. From Montana we traveled west into Idaho through Sandpoint, Coeur d' Alene south to Banks, just north of Boise, and then headed east to Ketchum and Sun Valley, spending about three weeks in Idaho. From Idaho we headed back east to Colorado, Rocky Mountain Park and Estes Park, south to Georgetown and Idaho Springs. Staying in Idaho Springs for a couple of weeks and then to Colorado Springs for two more weeks before heading back to Missouri. October 2002 found us on the road again with Flordia as a goal for the winter. We made our way through Arkansas and Mississippi spending the month of October in Bay of St Louis, Mississippi. November was spent slowly traveling highway 90 and 98 along the Gulf Coast through Gulfport, Biloxi, through Alabama and finished the month in Fort Walton, Florida. The next RV Resort was near Homosassa, Florida for a couple of weeks and then finished the year near Tarpon Springs. |
| 2003 January and February found us in Punta Gorda across the bridge from Port Charlotte, Florida paintings of boats and harbor scenes were the order of the day March 2003 we plan to leave Florida, make our way back through Alabama and Mississippi, up through Arkansas to try our luck at more trout fishing, getting back to Missouri and Kansas the middle of May For the summer this year we headed north through Hermann and Hannibal Missouri, through Iowa. Our plan, to follow the Mississippi River into Minnesota. We explored lakes and rivers in northern Minnesota and from Duluth drove east across Wisconsin into Michigan, following Lake Superior to Marquette, Sault St. Marie and Mackinac Island. South we found a great little village, Harbor Springs. From Harbor Springs we headed back west along the shores of Lake Michigan and spent the last weeks of summer in Wisconsin, Door County is great this time of year. Fall plans for 2003 include Texas, New Mexico, and thru Arizona, a week or two for my annual visit to the Scottsdale Galleries. With the idea of spending the winter in Palm Springs. |
 |
| Even after building a new home in Leawood, Kansas in 1991 Bonnie and I decided to sell the home in 2000 and try traveling for a few years. |
 |
 |
 |
| 2004 January 2004 found us in Palm Springs, Ca. By the end of the month, we'll be back in the Phoenix area. Working our way back to New Mexico and Texas during February and March. For the 3 months in California and Arizona, I averaged a painting a day, not to bad.. Most of March was spent in the Corpus Christi, and Rockport, Texas area. Several canvases were painted off the flats of Port Aransas. April and May we'll again be in the lake country of northern Texas and the mountains of Arkansas, near Hot Springs. June, two or three weeks with the folks in Joplin and Neosho, and then off to the Blue Ridge Mountains during July and August. An area called Maggie Valley, in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, is where we'll probably spend most of the summer, the Ashville area. The last of September, rain rain rain, the reminisce from the hurricanes in Florida, pushed us out of North Carolina and then proceeded to follow us into Tennessee. We stayed only afew days, then headed back to Missouri and Kansas. Made plans to go west again for the winter. Our stay in Missouri lasted a little longer than expected, snow begain to fall on the northern highways, so we tossed a coin which sent us back to Texas and the Corpus Christi area again. Plans are to stay in the lower Texas area until March. |
|
2005 Winter of 2004-2005 was spent in southern Texas. Bonnie and I were in the McAllen area on Christmas Day and for the first time in 109 years it snowed. I thought that I had seen the last of winter snows, guess I was wrong. It did make for a nice White Christmas. I had tried my hand at chainsaw carving and carved 9 or 10 bear heads, all attached to a single tree trunk, then donated them to the RV park.. The white snow made us think we were in the north woods, however in Texas the feeling didn't last long and the snow melted in a few hours. We returned to Missouri in May, finished some family business, and plans are to spend the summer in the Rockies. First stop for the summer of 2005 was north of Taos, New Mexico four weeks in Eagle Nest, NM, fishing and painting in the areas of Cimarron, Angel Fire, Red River and Cimarron Canyon. August was spent in Colorado, the Creede area. I met a fellow artist that gave me a few tips on carving cottonwood. With cottonwood trees to paint with fall yellows, and the wood for carving, I'm going to head for Sedona, Arizona in Sept.\ For this years winter we're going to start in Palm Springs, California and just see where we end. Maybe back to Arizona. |
 |
| 2006 Winter was spent in California and Arizona. On the way back to Missouri we spent a month in the pine area of Texas, most around Tyler, Texas. The month of May found us back in Missouri, a week or so fishing at Roaring River near Cassvile and three or four weeks with family. The middle of June we decided to spend the summer again, back in the mountains around Ashville, North Carolina. Spectacular blue mountains, beautiful green pines trees and crystal clear streams. Great for painting, woodcarving, guitar playing and just staying cool. October found us back in Missouri and then to southern Texas just to stay warm for the winter 2006-2007 |
| Bay of Saint Louis 2002 |
| 2007 Winter in southern Texas, Spring was spent around Tyler Texas and Canton. April we moved into Oklahoma and May found us back in Missouri. July we went back to an area in New Mexico called Eagle's Nest close to Taos and Red River, a great area for fishing and the Galleries in Taos are some of the best. After Taos we moved into Colorado for August, back to South Fork, Creede and Durango. Spending days painting, carving, fishing, and just roaming through galleries and antique shops. From there we went to Moab, Ut., Las Vegas, Laughlin, Palms Springs, and then to Yuma, Az. We'll start 2008 in Yuma and then on to Casa Grande. |
 |
| 2008 Winter spent in Las Vegas, Laughlin, Palm Springs, Yuma and of course back to Phoenix and the Galleries in Scottsdale. By April and May, Bonnie and I should be headed back to Missouri. We didn't leave Missouri until July, so we headed back to the mountains of Colorado, Creede, South Fork. A great place to Paint and a good place to stay cool. We spent 6 months roaming around Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Winter again in Arizona . |
| 2009 Winter like I said in Phoenix, and then back to Missouri in April or May. |