Day Six, To Atlanta and Greenville SC

Rained out.

We wanted to go to Pensacola Beach, at Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Headed up from Mobile AL to Atlanta.

Went to see my favorite rooms at the High Museum.

Kelly, Katz and Kiefer.


See them on my Museum site:

http://bottsmuseum2.blogspot.com

Day Five Houston to Gulfport, Miss., in the Rain

Drove into Houston to the Rothko Chapel but were too early.

Decided to push on into the rain. Louisiana rain.

I wondered if the Spoonbills I saw in the spring would be there at Lake Martin.

It was more Winter than I'd remembered. Not much but White Herons around.

Lots of guys with guns shooting I'm not sure what.

Day Four, Christmas at Padre Island TX

We made it to Padre Island National Seashore.

Christmas morning. Cold and we planned a fire on the beach. We had broken some dead mesquite tree for fire wood smelled great on the beach. Made coffee, and a painting.

Across Texas

Across Texas,  from Big Bend to Langtry where the "Pretty Horses" of Cormac McCarthy is set.

Through Del Rio, Mexican towns and long, long stretches of road to Corpus Christie, TX, today.

Big Bend Ranch State Park

Not the weather we expected, Big Bend was predicted to be 27' tonight so we could not camp or paint.

Marfa seems kind of over. The Judd part still good-- well I remember it when it was still unknown. I usually hurry off to Big Bend to see some of the most spectacular Mountain imagery with all the desert plants silhouetted there.

This is one of my favorite places. But way too cold and windy to paint.

Some times it just doesn't work out though still very beautiful.

We joked we were "angry beautiful tumbleweeds." A line for my poem somehow?

We opted out of going through the National Park part of Big Bend as we were staying in Alpine. 

Being Christmas all the hotels are booked.

Just a horse on side of the road.

Stage set for Streets of Laredo

Day Two/ Marfa to Big Bend

We spent the night in Las Cruces and went to Saddle blanket place in El Paso at 9 am.

It a gross tourist place but if one has eyes one can find a good blanket with a good design.

We were off to Marfa which seems out of the way but I find I can travel through the south and it adds only a day or so to the journey.

Its way more interesting.

Ive made paintings now for many years and know where to go, especially where the birds are. Usually a good place to paint.

So on way to Marfa we run into a snow storm.

Back to New York City 2014 through Southern Route

We took off on Monday headed south to El Paso.

We have a car full of paintings for a  show in Nashville of paintings I've made on this trip many times before,  going back and forth to New Mexico.

There is unsettled weather making spectacular clouds not as common in the winter sky.

Amazing skies as we left New Mexico.

Bosque del Apache Bird Refuge.

IThe cranes and snow geese are her till March and I try to see them when I can they are spectacular arriving each day back to water where they are safer from coyotes that prey on them.

Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese

Good first day.

Exclaimed to Jenny-- "that's what they mean by the spectacle of Nature!"