Family Portrait and Roosevlet Island

I've been a busy bee as usual. I just finished a commission piece. I'm not going to post it however till I send it to the owner. I feel it only fair.

Since I finished that piece I decided to do a "quickie" fun painting just for kicks. I call it Family Portrait. The family dynamic is changing these days, so I figured my painting should portray just that.

I got this wonderful baby on our trip to Cold Spring NY a few weeks ago. I knew she'd come in handy!

I even did an under painting for this one. The final results I think were worth it.

Start laying in the colors

Once again the final piece "Family Portrait"

Last Monday I had off (my regular freelance gig) for Dr. Martin Luther King day. AND I took the day off of any art related projects to spend the day with my wonderful husband!

We started our day by hitting up the gym to get our workout on.

Then we headed over to Roosevelt Island NY. Check the link for some fun history about this place.

I've been wanting to ride the sky tram over to check out the views. For the mere price of a subway ride, it was well worth it.

Above are 3 views as we rode over on the sky tram.

Once on Roosevelt Island I heard there is nothing to do. But I guess most people don't find an abandoned Small Pox Hospital wonderful like I do.

I mean who wouldn't want to explore around here and take some photos?!

Here is an old photo I found of it from back in the day. Look how beautiful it is!

We were over here on a quite chilly day so there were not a lot of people out and about which gave the place kind of an eerie feel. Fabulous!

We explored around a bit more and found some wonderful views.

Check out this amazing view back into the city

All in all I really enjoyed my visit to Roosevelt Island. I plan on going back in the warm weather and running the outer pathway that goes around the island. Up north there is an old light house that I'm dying to see.

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Enjoy!

Ringing in the New Year with a Dead Mouse and some Polar Bears

2011 has come and gone. It was a great year and I'm ready to see what 2012 has to offer.

Friends from back home always ask if I'm going to Times Square for New Years. Not a chance! Now granted if somehow I could get in one of the buildings over looking the festivities I'd do that in a heart beat. You know, where there's a rest room and access to some snacks!

So each year we try to find different ways to celebrate.

Two years we did the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park. The first year was fantastic. The second year... not so much. Try negative degrees and running in a puffy coat. Our next New Years was spent in Miami.

This was the warm year.

Lee also enjoyed the run.

I figured a tutu was in order

This year we were invited to go to a big DJ party. A friend of ours does lighting for big events so he hooked us up.

Now I don't know much about DJ music. I like it yes. But I don't know who's who out there right now.

Anyway the whole time I'm there I'm waiting to see Danger Mouse. Who I was a smidge familiar with. But when the main DJ came out he looked nothing like Danger Mouse but I just thought I couldn't see well because of all the Glow Sticks. Come to find out- it was actually DJ Dead Mouse. He was awesome, but sounded a lot like any other DJ to my ears.

All these glow sticks are making me feel crazy

Safe from the party goers in the lighting booth

So after our fill of music and fun we headed back home to get a good nights rest before the POLAR PLUNGE!

This is my third plunge. And I must say I have lucked out with some pretty good weather each time. This year was about 40 degrees. Now don't get me wrong, that Atlantic ocean is still pretty darn cold when it hits ya.

The story goes, this whole thing got started over 100 years ago for health reasons. Somebody thought it was good for the heart and circulation to plunge into icy water. Well if your heart doesn't stop when you hit the water, it probably does get that ticker going pretty good.

This year we met some friends of ours out there to plunge with me. Lee's old bones didn't want to go swimming this year. Party Pooper.

Cari, Solomon, J.J and myself post plunge. Just like a summer day!

My mermaids got to go for a little dip this year.

Ruby's was hopping

Here's to a spectacular 2012 for all of us! Cheers!

Christmas Recap and a new sketch

People often ask why I don't go home for Christmas. The simple reason is it is less stressful to go home at any other time of the year. Also I quite like my quiet low key New York Christmas.

For Christmas Eve we went to Dyker's Heights Brooklyn to see some wild Christmas lights. Thanks to my friend Cari Jackson who wrote the book "The Guide to Odd New York"

Back home in NC we go see Christmas light every year also. I have to say though, walking through the displays versus driving through gives the whole experience a cozier dynamic.

For our Christmas Eve meal we opted for some Peking Duck in China Town. I got this idea from my favorite Christmas movie, "The Christmas Story"

Yummy yummy!

Awwwe who knew he'd grow up to be so CUTE!

Christmas morning we got up to open our presents. And to give the pups their "Santa" gifts thanks to Grandma Luper.

Monster got her favorite gift- a brand new tennis ball!

Elivra has her turn at the tennis ball. Monster is not happy with this.

 The remainder of the day is spent cleaning up this mess, cooking a nice lunch of bracioles, baked potatoes, mac-n-cheese and bacon chocolate cupcakes with maple cream cheese icing. Whew it was mighty yummy.

Don't know what a braciole is? Check out the link. It's good stuff.

We also get to take the girls on a nice long walk down Broadway. Most days of the year it is too crowded for puppies. But today it is rather nice.

Yesterday we decided to take a little day trip up to Cold Spring New York. Yay! Train trip.

I love the train. In the south we don't really ride the train, we take a car trip to most places.

We start our journey in Grand Central Terminal which is just a wonderful place to visit to begin with.

I just love the tiled arches here.

A man grabbing some breakfast before his trip.

Lovely old clock atop the information booth

Frenchie takes a trip too

People hustling and bustling about

The train we rode was called  Ichabod Crane. And yes there really is a Sleepy Hollow in New York.

It doesn't matter how many trips I go on. Whether on the ground or in the air, I still love to look out of the window.

There were some good sites on the way up to Cold Spring.

Sing Sing prison!

Over looking the Hudson River

Cold Springs- for real!

In Cold Spring we have a nice Italian lunch and do some antiquing. I found a couple of lovely creepy babies, that have already ended up in my latest sketch for my next painting. Check her out.

So that recaps my wonderful Christmas week. Tomorrow will be New Years Eve, not sure yet what we'll be getting into for that. I can tell you that I will NOT be in Times Square! Till next year!