A Sincere Thanks To A Friend

I did something really cool for my wife on our 12th wedding anniversary.

But before I get to all that, I want to mention a really great and awesome thing that was all brought about by this blogging thing we do.

Meeting virtual people is not as weird as some would have you believe. Conversing and interacting on the Internet has been a lot of fun and very educational since I started blogging. I have met numerous people online, both courtesy of the A-Z Challenge and through the odd traveler who happens to land at my site and stick around for a while.

Alex Cavanaugh and Pat Tillett have been staunch followers almost since the beginning and I am sure a great time would be had should we ever chance to get together. Robyn's adventure with chocolate and pizza?? hey whoever thought those two would go together? So I don't slight the many I could name by leaving anyone out, I will stop there. Suffice to say the list is fairly long and diverse and the blogs I enjoy reading are a truly worth my time and effort to keep up with. Even when I miss a few days I try to at least go back and catch up reading (even if I don't have the time to always comment). So to summarize this point, you people in MY blogosphere are great!!

Now to the point of this post and its title...

After participating again in this years A-Z Challenge (and it WAS a challenge towards the end), I was particularly taken with what appeared to me to be a monumental task of one blogger...painting one picture a day to represent an animal for that days letter. These were not stick figures, these were high quality paintings...and not done a year in advance. Hell, I could barely write a post a day. I cannot imagine painting a picture from start to finish in a day. (Partly because I have no skill whatsoever when it comes to painting.)

I am of course referring to the wonderful work of Mary Montague Sikes!

I was excited each day to open up my site and see her latest work waiting in my reader for the unveiling. I would marvel at her ability to capture the essence of each animal she painted...their eyes, or pose, or color scheme...it was too cool.

During the challenge and while I was on vacation in Roatan, I took the opportunity to post a great picture my wife had taken of a sea turtle. Some of you may remember it but if, not then fear not...it is shown again here...



Enlarge for full effect...seriously

 Well...one of the comments I received on that post was from Mary (an accomplished photographer herself) saying how much she liked the picture. So apparently a seed was planted deep in my brain...deep enough that it nurtured for a couple weeks after the A-Z was over.

Come mid-May and realizing my wedding anniversary was a month away, I suddenly got the great idea to send this picture to Mary in an email with a request to paint a 16 x 20 canvas of this shot. Giving my wife an artist's rendering of one of her photos was going to be just too cool.

When Mary replied that she would be glad to paint this for me and quoted me her more than reasonable price...I was immediately excited for her to begin! We discussed framing and border color, of course I knew almost nothing about that stuff. By the end of May it was ready. She sent me a photo of the painting that I must have stared at transfixed, for 10 minutes. A real hand-to-my-mouth moment. I was stunned by how awesome it looked. Then I wanted it right now and to see my wife's face when I gave it to her. My birthday was the next Monday and I knew it was going to arrive a couple days later than that but this was an early anniversary present...and my birthday present would be the look on her face when she opened it!

Wednesday the 5th arrived and so did the package. Handled of course by the old Samsonite gorilla from the long ago TV commercial. The box had been through the mill. I had to wait a half hour to open it because if the painting had been damaged I would have been destroyed. Thank God for bubble wrap packing material! The painting was unhurt and looked even better in my hands.

And now for your viewing pleasure, I present the fantastic work of art created by Mary Montague Sikes....

 

When I tell you that as great as this looks it does not do justice to the actual painting hanging on my wall. It is nothing short of Spectacular! Mary, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time from your busy schedule to complete this work as fast as you did. I had no doubt it was going to be awesome and you did not disappoint.

Having this in my house makes you more than a virtual friend...

I knew immediately after I hung it that it would need a companion on the wall. My wife will help pick out that photo!

Stop by and visit Mary's site and view her incredible art whenever you can.

Sincere thanks MMS...I'll be in touch.