The 2020 Roller-coaster

     Life happens and it seems that 2020 is tossing folks into the biggest test of all. We're already 4 months in and so much has happened on this roller-coaster that it's hard to keep a firm grasp of what's happening. So let me start off with this - You are not alone. 

Riding up the hill

     Personally I have had a handful of high points already since the start of the year. Not only am I making some small improvements with my business which I can tell are making some minor positive impacts on my work but I have been able to participate in a couple of competition shows already. I am also currently working on a handful of projects which include both customer orders and a new competition piece which I hope to enter sometime in the middle of April. Of course I'm not about to let these achievements get to my head. Over the years I have learned that those moments are points where I can use to push myself forward in order to improve in various aspects of my life. 

Holding on for dear life 

     With every rise, there is a fall somewhere. The year so far has not been kind towards those I care about. A friend lost some family members since the start of the year. Financial woes have hit a couple of others hard, causing them to have to scrap through by the skin of their teeth. A divorce here and a separation there. On-the-job related injuries and asshole coworkers. At-home injuries and home improvement aftermaths.Then of course an illness that has the world in a panic. 

    Seeing everything happening to those around me has honestly put my normally positive attitude towards life and issues in general in jeopardy. So many friends have been coming to me for advice or at least an ear where they can vent their worries and anger. I do my best to cheer them up by pointing out the sliver of positive in their situations. Sometimes it works. Lately it's been touch-and-go. I've also seen friends who are normally so close, supportive and loving towards each other being set off in fits of anger or being offended over things that in under normal circumstances would be talked over like adults or moved past. Such outbursts are sadly happening in increased frequency and as of late I get put in a mediator position for a great many. I've observed that the quarantine, on top of nerves being raw from their personal stresses, has caused so many incidents of boiled over emotions. So many times have I've tried to get them to understand what was happening but I can't help but feel that they can't hear me through the thick fog of what is happening. So all I can do is hold onto them and help push them up the next hill saying 'Everything's going to be okay'. 

     

Still on the rails

     Even though I have been seeing what the last few months have been doing to those I hold dear, I feel as if there is a few things that I've learned from it that I wish to share. 

1. Be patient. Everyone handles stress differently and some better then others. Some folks, especially introverts and those with various forms of autism or mental illness (i.e. bipolar, depression, etc.) can not handle large amounts of stress let alone for long periods of time. They may distance themselves as much as they can or may snap out at someone. I'm not saying either reaction is correct but please keep in mind that processing under such conditions are difficult so words may come out harsher then they would under normal circumstances. Extroverts tend to handle stress for prolonged periods of time a little better but even the best of folks will have their nerves become raw. Sometimes when this happens, outbursts of anger and frustration will occur. Again, it's not a reaction I condone but such things happen. Everyone, including yourself, are basically in a pressure cooker. At some point there is is going to be an explosion of raw emotion and though whoever is on the receiving end may not have been the main cause of it, they will feel the impact and in turn be part of a chain reaction. So please, be patient. Take a moment to pause and look at the situation first.
   
2. For every low, there is a high. This one is difficult to really accept let alone remember. It's easy to see the negative and get into the mindset of 'everything's fucked, why bother'. It's harder to find the positive in dark situations. Even more so in forcing yourself to move forward. A small step is still progress.
   
3. Be kind. Everyone is having a rough time right now which means kindness is needed even more then before. Be there for someone who just needs a hug or a positive word (digital communication, phone calls, or even a card totally qualifies in this). This also means to be kind to yourself. Take care of yourself physically and mentally. Tell yourself 'I can try again' and don't apologize to the world when you need to rest. 
   
4. You are not alone. With the 'social distancing' and fear of the unknown along with uncertainty of the immediate future, everyone is on edge. Such a cocktail of stress and frustration makes for a dark cloud that blankets the senses. We become lost in the thought of 'what will become of me?' and end up focusing on the self. However, you are not alone. There's an entire world of people who are in this situation together and they're trying their hardest to lift each other up. So reach out towards those you care about. 

     I apologize for my little tangent but I thought that I would share things from another point of view. Even with the lows I've bared witness to, I have seen some positive things come out of them. These moments I'm holding on to and making sure they aren't lost. Call it what you will but I believe that my friends and loved ones will make it through these times. 

From Beginning to End and Back Again

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to guest on a creative Twitch stream with the wonderful Stacy J. Garrett. How did this happen? What started out as a joke while she was live streaming one day, she had commented to her audience that if a certain donation goal was met, that she would get me as a guest for a future stream. Off camera, she sends me a private message if I was alright with even guesting. Of course, I said yes then through out the question of if she would like me in some sort of Steampunk costume for the hell of it. Like a great many times where I randomly say something and people take and run with it, this was no different. It was in several short moments that we agreed to a Steampunk themed art stream. 

Rough concepts for painting

Alas, what to create? I put it out to her community to choose one of three possibilities so I had some kind of direction of what they would like me to do. Of the selection (Steampunk environment, Cthulhu/Dark Steampunk, Other [suggest] ), a Cthulhu or dark Steampunk themed piece ended up with the most votes. Now that I had my direction, it was time to get sketching on rough drafts. I ended up coming up with 2 possibilities and both concepts made me think that they should be covers for a book or showing scenes from an appropriately themed mystery novel. Once again, I left it up to Stacy's community to place a vote on which one they would like to see me work on during the stream. Though many let me know that they loved both concepts, they knew that they needed to pick just one. The winning concept? Option 1 - A young man carefully wading through trash in what possibly could be sewer or filthy waterway. 

Painting at end of stream

On stream, I was able to get started on many of the base colors and block in the heavy use of shadow this piece was going to have. Of course, by the end of the stream, I had let everyone know that I would be finishing the piece in the following days then share the end results. What I didn't tell them was that I was going to take progress shots as I went along so that I could share the images with them so that they could follow along. Another little something I had never mentioned to them was that I have never done a piece with this kind of lighting/dark shadows before in my life. In all honesty, most of it I was winging. Compared to so many of my earlier pieces, where the lighting was gentle and had a good balance of shadows. Even with the classic vehicles I've done, there seems to be a balance. This piece is the first where the shadows were giving the sense of anxiety or impending danger. Considering the setting of the piece, It was perfect. 

As I started getting closer to completion of the piece, an interesting suggestion came up in conversation. Since the setting was inspiring several in the community, why not set up a writing prompt? What Stacy and I had explained to her community is that I'm not much of a story teller in the traditional beginning-to-end sense. I am much more the type who can create an entire world, environments and give glimpses of the happenings via character journals. Of course this made folks even more encouraging over the whole situation. What kind of journal entry would this young man have? What was his world like? Where would they take the answers to those questions with their own stories? I found myself pondering the possibilities and found myself entertained.  So I made the decision to actually do a 'journal entry' to be with this piece. Of course this also came with me doing a rather quick set of notes to myself of what the calendar system of this possible world would be like and a rough idea of the world layout. So, quickly grabbing the nearest piece of paper, I scribbled down notes and figured out a few things:

Winter - King of Sleep (64 days)
Spring - Queen of Awakening (120 days)
Summer - Lord of Insight (90 days) 
Fall - Lady of Preparation (93 days)

A. The Kingdom of Onyxia 
(mountains, temperate rain forests) 
B. Undivided States of Melckorr
(temperate rain forests, valleys, river ways) 
C. Isles of Fonseca
(woodlands, shrublands) 
D. Raliuga
(woodlands, shrublands, mountains) 
E. Dolosais Empire
(forests, mountains, tundra)

So I present to you the finished painting and its companion journal entry! 

-------



56 of our Lady of Preparation

I have followed the trail to the older section of the Onyxian capital proper. What few rumors I've been able to keep my ears open to has lead me to take a look at the catacombs on this part of the city. Why steal an ancient relic from the university then

dump it in a place like this? The logic completely eludes me. The catacombs is nothing more then the remains of the old city which was converted to be part of the waterways once the expansion of the capital occurred. Now it is nothing more then then flooded hallways that some of the citizens here had been using as a dump. Attempting to find anything in this place will be next to impossible. 

Even as I stand at the entry way into this place, I can smell the sickening sweet smell of decay and rot. I know that the putrid rancid aroma will only get thicker the further I go in. My only hope is if the relic was tossed in here, that I am able to locate it quickly. If not, I fear that I may suffocate in this stench or loose my way. I have been warned by some of the older inhabitants of this area that there are rather sizable vermin and water serpents that I need to be cautious of if I was fool enough to enter this place. May the gods grant me guidance. I am certainly going to need any assistance I can get at this point. 

`Changes for the better (I hope)

I've realized that it has been quite a while since I had last posted updates of the happenings on my end. Well there's a very good reason for that! The last several months have been a whirlwind of madness, with the last month or so just a blinding kaleidoscope of movement, colors, and conversation. So let me break it down for you all so these cliff notes can catch you up on what all is happening. 

'Enter the Dungeon' design by Dawn Star Wood

Experimenting with something new

I had already had the mind set that this year would be the year I would try new things and perhaps practice in genres or mediums that that aren't exactly my strong point Among these is doing a cohesive series of images. One that is currently in progress is what I was calling The Queens of the 4 clans - My interpretation of the queens of the 4 suits in a deck of playing cards. With everything that has been going on, my work on the series has been rather erratic but I have been enjoying seeing the slow outcome of the images. A few friends have suggested that I write a short story of the images, which I am very tempted to do but we shall see. 

'Cockatrice Roasted Coffee' design by
Dawn Star Wood

Well it finally happened. After years of debating it with myself, I have started a little online shop via Redbubble. Making sure that I have pieces that translate properly into a digital format then get transferred onto an item has been a bit of an adventure and surprisingly challenging. So at the moment, I only have two designs available and both being Dungeons & Dragons related. The fist design was appropriately titled Enter the Dungeon, which shows a few common enemies that some players of D&D would face in a campaign. The second it titled Cockatrice Roasted Coffee. This design stemmed from from a conversation I had with friends over coffee about D&D creatures. Both designs were hand done in ink on Bristol paper. I do have plans on making more illustrations (and paintings if things will allow) available on items. So feel free to check those out and stay tuned to new stuff in the near future. 


Another new adventure is that on Monday, May 6th at 3:30pm PST I will be guesting on my dear friend Stacy J Garrett's Twitch Channel. We will be doing a Steampunk themed art stream. What started out as a joke suggestion of her reaching a particular donation goal on her stream, she would have me on stream painting something for her viewers, has snowballed into awesomeness. Her goal was surprisingly met and I have been hard at work preparing for this. Want to come and be part of the shenanigans while supporting another fellow maker? Then I invite you to tune into the stream!
Twitch.tv/stacyjgarrett




Ducktape fixes most everything

On the personal life part of things, it's been a bit of a roller coaster. Most things for the positive, thankfully. It's just everything that has been happening has not allowed for a full on acceptance of some things so it's been a lot of 'Yeah, everything's fine' kind of mantra happening. Of course, as I typed this, I was finding myself welling up with tears even though I was smiling. This was an indication to me that though I know logically that everything is fine or at least everything will be okay, the heavy impacts of this whirlwind I'm in is still not fully absorbed. So yes, there is a little version of myself inside of me screaming and scared but I'm pushing through the storm going 'I've got this'. With this said, I feel the need to apologize if the following batches of rambling makes no sense or feels unorganized.

Be it my friends or my family, I want the people around me to be happy or at least know that they aren't having to face the negativity being tossed at them alone. In the case of my friends, there's several that I know battle various forms of depression or anxiety which is just amplified with the things they're going through. I may not be able to put an end to what they're dealing with but I do try to give them an ear and a shoulder. Sometimes this comes in the form of helping figure out where miscommunication might be involved. There's always tension there but sometimes things work themselves out and hearing them laugh always makes my day. I wish there is more I can do to help but I have to remind myself that I also have myself to think about.

I also have a dear friend who has happily found the love of her life and they've been making plans for their future together, which makes me absolutely thrilled for her. Of course, with how everything's been moving, there has been that little version of me who's been scared. It's not a feeling of 'I've been replaced' but more of a feeling of 'I'm going to be forgotten'. Of course I know for a fact that this isn't true and that my friend will remain my friend, but this is one of those incidents I was mentioning where I have to repeatedly tell myself that everything is going to be alright. 

Recently, about a month ago, I received a call from one of my uncles that my cousin's mother had passed away. Taken by surprise, in the same call I learned that we had almost lost another one of my (from a completely different situation). Being the person that I've grown to be, I forced my feelings over the situation aside and made sure that everyone else was alright. Knowing that my cousin needed time to mourn, I held back commentary (knowing from personal experience when my mother passed that getting condolence messages compounded the emotions I was feeling). It wasn't until just recently, my cousin contacted me to let me know the news and apologized. I told her that she had nothing to apologize for since she literally didn't. I explained to her that our uncle had let me know and that I kept my silence because I knew that she needed to mourn and spend some much needed time with her husband and children. I let her know that she had the love and support of her friends and family so even with all of our schedules being absolute disasters, if she needed to talk that we would be there for her. 

On the At-Home front, the past month has been hectic. It started off with us getting a notice in the mail from our city that we were being warned of a violation - for parking one of our vehicles on our front lawn. We already had plans of expanding our driveway so that we could park both of our trucks there but the notice kind of kicked things into overdrive. So began the start of clearing out a section of the lawn, moving the soil into the backyard so that I can use it for my planter boxes, and trying to figure out how much materials we'll need to make the expansion. While we have this going on, we also decided to get started on other improvements our home has desperately needed. This has come in the form of new duct work, insulation (since, surprise, our attic barely had any), and getting measured for new windows. With the previous two finished last week, we are scheduled for the instillation of the windows here in another week or so. Of course this does not include having to schedule final inspection, not from the company we're working with, but our city itself since it would seem their requirements are just slightly different enough from the company's inspection where we have to have them come through to do a double check.

I think what what I might be getting at is more of a conformation to myself that even with all of the insanity that's happening on so many fronts of my life, that things will indeed be alright. May not feel that way sometimes and helplessly wanting to reassure my friends and family that it'll be alright for them as well, but I'm sure things will be. I also need to remind myself that I need to take time for myself and not take on everything alone. That aside, I will keep everyone updated on future events and shenanigans that I have going on in the background so stay tuned!

Instagram: OnePartPaint2PartsCoffee
Facebook: DawnStarWoodArt
deviantART: DawnstarW

Small Treasures

'Star Gazer' by Dawn Star Wood

So many of those who are following me on Facebook or Instagram have been noticing that I have been posting on a series of pieces that I'm doing on wood and may be a bit puzzled over what I have going on. Let me go ahead and explain what I have going on to clear up any confusion. 

In the beginning

At the start of the year, I participated in Elk Grove Fine Art Center's juried Fine Art Competition with my piece titled Star Gazer (which has been recently auctioned off at Pence Gallery's 2018 Art Auction, so thank you very much to whoever the lucky bidder was). During the announcements and award ceremony during the competition's artist reception, it was announced that those who there would be given the opportunity to also be a part of EGFAC's Small Treasures show which was being set later in the year. I agreed and things were set into motion. 

For the Small Treasures show, each participating artist is given a set of 5 wood panels and are asked to create a series that has a theme suitable for family viewing. The panels themselves can be decorated in media of all kinds from paint and photography to pencil, collage, mosaic and mixed media.This particular show has been an annual event for a few years now and is quite popular within the community. It's probably due to seeing how different artists from various medias and styles tackle basically the same format. 

Ponder, plot, eh let's go for it

Sister #1 of 'I am Beautiful' series
By Dawn Star Wood

Sister #2 of 'I am Beautiful' series
By Dawn Star Wood

Once I received my blocks, I found my mind blank. It's not that I didn't have a plan. In fact, I actually did have an idea of what I wanted to do but all of those thoughts went to the wayside when I found myself realizing that they would be better put to a different project. So I sat at my desk trying to come up with a Plan B. It may come as a surprise but I've never been very good with doing an entire series of images for the simple fact I find trying to get them to feel to be one cohesive collection yet able to stand strong as a solo piece rather difficult and challenging. There was a voice in my head just freaking out going "What have you done to us?!". Yeah, that was an interesting moment of self realization of having a fight or flight reaction to a project that I said yes to several months prior. What did I do? Basically took the challenge by the horns and went "Let's do this shit". As you can tell, my inner monologue has no censor bar. 

Like I mentioned to my followers on Instagram and Facebook:

As I prepared to rummage through my various reference folders for inspiration, I found myself hitting a wall. For a while I had the thought of doing the elements or even different types of priestesses but as I looked through my collection of image references, something else came to mind. A series of images of various women and the series simply being titled "I am beautiful". It's certainly something that could spur on an entire collection but I think this is a nice start. Amazing what a little brainstorming can do.

What I wanted to do was create a series which pieces, each having a different ethnicity presented. The 'sisters' of the series are based off of photo references that I've collected over the years online of women from around the world. Each time I finish a piece for the collection, I find myself welcoming her to the 'family'. I know, I know. It sounds odd but I can't help the amount of joy I feel with how they're coming out. I'm currently 3 panels in

Sister #3 of 'I am Beautiful' series
By Dawn Star Wood

so have 2 more left to go but I'm quickly finding that each one goes so well together but are able to stand strong on their own. 


Come and see Small Treasures
Will you be in the Greater Sacramento area in November? Want to see and perhaps claim a small treasure of your own? Then I invite you to see the show! 

Small Treasures Group Show & Sale
November 3rd - December 1st, 2018

Elk Grove Fine Art Center
9080 Elk Grove Blvd. 

Elk Grove, CA 95624
p. (916) 685-5992
Wed. - Sat. 11am - 4pm

From Concepts to Beyond

As I had mentioned in Getting Back on Schedule, August has basically been my busy work month so far. Of course I also mentioned that if I had any updates to what I had listed at the time, that I would make the necessary announcements. Well you're in luck because man, it may only be the second week into the month but I already have so much to share. 

Business Logo.. It's about F-ing time! 

Rough Drafts & Notes about possible designs

Yup, that's right. After nearly 12 years of having my little business, I'm finally creating myself a business logo. The entire situation came up sometime last month while chatting online with one of my best friends, discussing work and upcoming projects, when it suddenly occurred to me. I did not have a logo of my own. It was such a huge hit that I found myself completely stunned. Discussing the situation with her and with much playful scolding from her, I made it my mission for to have a logo to call my own by the end of the month. I'm happy to say that after several rough ideas and many long hours of contemplation (along with banging my head against my desk but we won't get into that), that I've finally come up with a design that I'm quite satisfied with. Now to just get it finalized and make sure that it's in a format that I can use in various sizes. 

'Star Gazer' by Dawn Star Wood

Pence Gallery Art Auction 2018

I have been busy working with the those in charge of putting on the upcoming art auction for Pence Gallery, making sure they have my information and the information on my entry Star Gazer for the bid sheets. They do have information on how to purchase tickets to the Art Auction event on their website so I encourage you to check it out and if you have any questions about this event to contact them with your inquiries. Later this month I will be heading to Davis to hand over the painting so that it can be put up for the show. 

Pence Gallery

212 D Street     Davis, CA     95616

Hours: Tues. - Sun.     11:30am - 5pm

Art Auction Exhibit: September 1st - 15th

Art Auction: September 15th     6:30pm - 9:30pm

KVIE Art Auction 2018 

'Secret Garden' by Dawn Star Wood

Previously I had announced that in October, you will have a chance to bid on my piece titled Secret Garden. The piece was accepted into the show this year back in April but I had been patiently waiting on hearing anything about the results of the judging which didn't occur until sometime in July. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm thrilled to say that the painting has received a Jurors Choice award. KVIE announced on their website that First Place and Best of Show winners for the various categories will be announced during the award ceremony at the gala event. However I should be find out around that time which bidding slot (day & time bracket) that Secret Garden will be in. So until then, I will have to bide my time on any further possible announcements.

KVIE Public Television

2030 W. El Camino Ave. 

Sacramento, CA     95833

Preview Gala: October 1st     6pm - 8pm

Live On-Air & Online Auction: 

     October 5th     7pm - 10pm

     October 6th     Noon - 10pm

     October 7th     Noon - 10pm

Dark Green Man concept by Dawn Star Wood

Something Wicked (Group Show) 2018

I have been debating for some time what I should do for this particular show. Something Wicked is a group show which is being put on by Pence Gallery. Curator Eileen Hendren described the theme of the show being almost Tim Burtonish and would be featuring all things wicked. Originally I was leaning towards doing something more towards Eastern mythology (Chinese/Japanese demons or ghosts), but after doing some rough concepts in both just sketches and color study paintings I found myself not being drawn to any of them. It wasn't until earlier this week during a brainstorming session where I was doodling for the sake of doing so that I believe that I found what I am going to do. The image seemed to be a mix of Green Man and a Pan, giving almost a sense of a dark forest spirit. Not necessary evil but dark due to the secrets and magic it keeps from the world. This then spurred me to do a couple of secondary sketches based off of some dead bugs that I've collected from my garden over the past couple of years. Of course the sketches along almost make me feel as if I should just do an entire series and make them into an art book of sorts but I suppose that is a line of thought for a later day. Until then, I like the plan that I've come up with for the show and am looking forward to painting the strange being I've created. 

Dead Bug concepts by Dawn Star Wood
(Left) Stripes & Dots, (Right) Reflection of Actions

Pence Gallery

212 D Street     Davis, CA     95616

Hours: Tues. - Sun.     11:30am - 5pm

Something Wicked Group Show: October 5th - 28th

Getting back on schedule

Having been home for a couple of says now from the road trip, I have not been just sitting idly. Actually, I have been busy keeping my schedule organized so I know what's in store for the rest of the year on top of finishing projects that I had started before the adventure that I had gone on. Wondering what I have going on? Well here is what I am aware of at this moment in time. Of course things may be added later but oh well, I shall update as I go. 

August
The month of August seems to be more turning in things and deadlines for the moment along with catching up on up on projects that I had started before hand and start the prep for things I want to make available before the holiday season really kicks into gear. Things that I'm playing around with in the back of my head is finally creating a business logo (which after so many years I have actually yet to do), making some possibly darker themed work to made available for October, and also some seasonal pieces for November and December. There is also the idea of having small drawing or painting challenges to do through out the next few months to help keep me active and possibly used as inspiration for later pieces. 

'Star Gazer' by Dawn Star Wood

September
September has an interesting start for me as far as events and shows. I have been invited to participate in Pence Gallery's 2018 Art Auction so I decided to submit Star Gazer as my entry. Some of you may remember that I had Star Gazer in the Elk Grove Fine Art Center's 6th Annual Fine Art Competition back in January. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to let it be seen in a new environment and by new people.

Pence Gallery
212 D Street     Davis, CA     95616
Hours: Tue. - Sun.  11:30am - 5pm
Art Auction Exhibit: September 1st - 15th
Art Auction: September 15th  6:30 - 9:30pm


October
This is where I have a couple of things going on. First off I have the KVIE 2018 Art Aution quickly followed by a group show at Pence Gallery. The Art Auction this year is set for the start of the month, having the Preview Gala on the first while having the 3 day televised event later that week. This year my piece Secret Garden was accepted. Once I find out which day and time slot it will be a part of, I will be updating the information of the event in a later post. 

' Secret Garden ' by Dawn Star Wood

KVIE Public Television
2030 W. El Camino Ave.     Sacramento, CA     95833
Preview Gala: October 1st
Art Auction: October 5th - 7th

As I mentioned before, I will also be part of a group show put on by Pence Gallery which they will be calling 'Something Wicked'. Speaking with one of the curators of the gallery whom I've become friends with, she's hoping to bring forth a Tim Burton type of vibe to the show but has left this spooky October show up to interpretation so that the participating artists have some creative room to work with. I have yet to do a final piece for this show but have made several rough sketches of possible ideas along with a color test piece of one such idea. 

Something Wicked Group Show: October 5th - 28th


November
It would seem that I had one event sneak up on me that I'm a part of. Originally thinking that it was happening in December, I had to check the paperwork that I had received. Nope! It's actually set for November! So I will be part of this year's Small Treasures Show being put on by the Elk Grove Fine Art Center. Each participating artist in the show is given 5 pieces of wood with the same dimensions and have to keep the series as a single theme (landscapes, still life, etc.). This allows people the chance to purchase either one of the pieces or the entire grouping within the series. 

Elk Grove Fine Art Center
9080 Elk Grove Blvd.     Elk Grove, CA    95624
Hours: Wed. - Sat. 11am - 4pm
Small Treasures Show & Sale: November 3rd - December 1st

A Wandering Artist - Days 6 & 7

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the mayhem. I do apologize for the delay on sharing the last leg of the journey but between spotting/non-existent internet and the traveling, I've only now been able to sit down and transcribe the shenanigans that had ensued. So without further to do, here is how my adventure concluded. 

Starting point: Hill City, South Dakota
The day finally arrived for the reunion! The morning was absolutely perfect with warm sunlight, mostly clear skies and flowers blooming in the various gardens. Meeting my boyfriend's mother and younger sister at his grandfather's place, we were met by his older sister and her family. Sharing a few laughs before we got into our respective vehicles and caravan-ed our way to the meeting where the rest of the family was located. The meeting location itself was at a ranch called Compton Canyon which is a sizable piece of property in the back country owned by the family which they allow to be rented by hunters in the winter.

Following Mr. Compton along the route to the ranch, we made our way out of town and onto a gravel road through the forests and meadows. Remember in Day 3 when I mentioned that my car is able to handle being off road if completely necessary but it isn't advisable? Yup!

This is one of those moments. Though the environment was absolutely beautiful, dotted with wild flowers for splashes of color, we were bounced around as we traversed the gravel road which ribboned its way through the trees. Eventually we reached our destination and spent several hours with my boyfriend's family listening to stories while enjoying some delicious home made food. After a while, we bid our good byes as we gathered ourselves and headed off back onto the road. The route we decided on would take us down into Nebraska then back into Wyoming. With what remaining hours of daylight we had left, we wanted to make as much distance as we could. 

Wyoming, why must you torment me?
Traveling south into Nebraska, we made wonderful time. Clouds began to roll in from the storm front that was moving into the area since the area we were going through are in their monsoon season at the moment. Of course this opened itself for some amazing cloud photo

opportunities. As the sun began to slowly move lower in the sky, we came to the border of

Wyoming and automatically were welcomed with rough roads. That's right folks- just after the 'Welcome to Wyoming' sign as you get  into the state, we were greeted by close to 12 miles of road that no longer had asphalt due to being under construction. So once again we were jostled and shimmied in my tiny vehicle. What added to the difficulty was that ever so often a large truck would be coming in the opposite direction which caused a cloud of dust and gravel to obscure our vision which was already being tested by the glare of the slowly setting sun. Hearing tiny rocks ping and ricochet off of the windshield while we're blindly driving through a glowing cloud of brown is a test on the nerves. Once out of the construction zone, we were thrilled to be on solid ground once more. Of course this celebration was short lived as we found ourselves having to go through at least 3 more zones before we finally made it to the town of Douglas where we decide to stop for the night. By then, the grey clouds overhead were heavy with rain and occasionally sparked with lightening that would touch the ground from time to time. At this point, we were just happy to find an available room to pass out in. Thankfully the room was comfortable but

attempting to connect to the hotel's internet so it was basically a no go on getting on to update folks of where I was in the country and such. After a good hour or so, I ended up giving up and decided it would be best to get some much needed sleep.

Let the insanity begin
Waking up early in the morning, we packed our bags and over breakfast made our plans. We were ambitious and probably a bit delirious when we agreed to see if we could make it from Douglas, Wyoming all of the way home in California. For those who are curious, from point A to point B is about 1115 miles. It meant that we would be driving through the rest of Wyoming then through Utah and Nevada before going into California and heading down past the Sacramento area. It was certainly an ambitious plan but one we wanted to see if we could do it. Getting the car loaded up with our things and getting it fueled up for the first leg of the trip home. We couldn't help but joke as we headed out into the morning rain that we were going to find all of the other road construction along the way as we headed out of the state. We just didn't realize how true that was going to be. Traversing through the rest of Wyoming, we had to go through a small handful of zones before entering Utah. 

Surprisingly, Utah barely had any zones where there was road work happening and the weather in the area had cleared up for the most part. Traveling through the salt flats was relatively entertaining since there had been some art installations put up by folks with amazing senses of humor. There was an abstract tree, a shark, and even a miniature of the Loche Ness Monster emerging from the white crusted desert near the highway to entertain and make travelers have a chuckle. It was a wonderful way to break up the long stretch of nothingness that motorists were commuting through. They were certainly not there the last time we had gone through, or if they were, I don't remember them. The clouds didn't start making an appearance again until we got closer towards the mountains as we made our way towards Nevada, signalling that we would possibly be driving into another bit of storms. The clouds made for an interesting pairing with the flat salt covered terrain and dark mountains emerging from them, that's for sure. 

By Nevada, the storm clouds had gathered and were occasionally letting loose rain. Ever so often there were lightening strikes along with gusts of strong wind that tossed the dry dirt up into the air causing miniature sand storms. If it wasn't raining or windy, sunlight fought its way through the clouds. It was such a mixture of weather and elemental forces that we were amazed by things. Of course with the gusts of wind, I could feel the car get pushed around on the highway. At one point, I was able to catch a glimpse of a triple rainbow just peeking out of the clouds. It was so vibrant and you could see the clear division between the colors. Now remember how I mentioned that there had been lightening strikes? Well we didn't think much of them on our journey towards California. That was until we started going down a hill and noticed that there was a highway patrol vehicle in the right lane at a full stop with his lights on. As we passed the officer, the man signaled for us to slow down. Not knowing what was going on, we complied and were careful as we made the turn in the road only to see a cluster of fire fighting vehicles and a couple more officers. At first, we thought that perhaps that there was an accident. Nope! What we say was actually the result of a lightening strike that caused a grass fire next to the highway. With the ground still smoking and spots showing glowing embers, it was obvious that it was fairly recent. 

It was about a little after 9pm when we crossed into California and the storm clouds that we were experiencing in Nevada had parted to give us clear skies. I watched as the last bits of light dropped below the tree line, giving way to a clear starry sky. We didn't finally get back to our home until well past 11 in the evening and by then we were all too tired to celebrate. Instead, we trudged inside with our bags with plans on quickly falling asleep in our own beds. Out of curiosity, we calculated how long it actually make it home and discovered that the trip would normally take 16 hours and 38 minutes according to Google but somehow we managed to make it (including stopping for gas, changing drivers and spots of road construction) just a little over 15 hours.