Childhood dog memories...

While growing up, I had a dog named Lucy. Lucy was a white, long haired mutt that had little black spots sprinkled around her coat. We took her on all our fishing trips. She was a great fishing dog and would watch the bobber for hours. When I would get a bite, she would go "berserk", knowing that a fish was soon to be near. This dog loved the water, she would often jump in the water while we were fishing. Then, come out of the water and shake, shake, shake..... water going all over near by fishermen. 

One time, when I was swimming in the river and Lucy was up on the bank watching. I decide to play a little joke on her to see what she may do. I acted as if I was drowning and called for Lucy to save me. You know what, she jumped in and swam to me. I grabbed her collar and she dog paddled back to shore. Amazing, I was saved by Lucy the water dog.........

One of my favorite things to do with her was toss her a biscuit after she had eaten. She would be too full to eat, but would take the biscuit to a spot and drop it, while sniffing around. She would dig a 1-2 inch hole and place the biscuit in the hole. With her nose, she would push the dirt back over the biscuit until it was completely cover. Funny thing, her white nose tuned dirt brown, so you could always tell that she had buried something.    

In the studio, I have a stuffed dog that I call Lucy that is in honor of my beloved childhood dog. Lucy was a mix breed and loved the water. Whenever we traveled to a river, lake or bay, you could bet that Lucy was in the water. 

Paddle over to my website, LEOLAKES.com. I paint beautiful lake, river and bay maps. They make great Christmas gifts for the lake lover, lake house, or fisherman. Best lake lover gift ever....

Surprise! Bald Faced Hornet

I was out doing some odd jobs around the house and for some reason, I looked up at the eave of the house and to my surprise spotted this hornets nest on our house. It looks like it has been there for most of the summer. In fact, I feel very lucky because not long ago, I installed a new light fixture about 15 feet below the nest while on a ladder. I am highly allergic to bee stings and it could have been deadly. Apparently, the hornets are use to me being near their nest.  

I researched the hornets and discovered that they are Bald Faced Hornets. They live in paper nest and are "not too aggressive" unless you disturb their nest. They will give you a nasty sting multiple times.  

The bald faced hornets often builds nest in trees and house eaves. All of the worker hornet will die when it gets cold (November/December). The queen will fly off and hibernate over the winter. 

I zoomed in and spotted this hornet ready to attack anything that disturbs the nest. I have left the nest alone for now. They don't seem to be a problem at present. I plan on removing the nest later in the year. Interestingly, I looked on the internet and people are selling these nests for a couple hundred bucks on Ebay. I will keep the nest....... 

Oh yeah, I do decor maps! I have hundreds of lake, river, & bay maps that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalized vintage style lake maps, too. Lake maps will add beauty to your Lake House Decor! Find out more interesting facts about my treasured maps by going to LeoLakes.com. 

LeoLakes.com

Most folks add a star to a special place on the lake such as a lake house or where they caught that "Trophy Fish". I've been doing lake, river and bay maps for approximately seven years. Over the years, I have experimented with different elements of map art in order to provide the best and most unique map on the market. Folks will be drawn to the map like a crackling fire on a cold winter night.  I try very hard to make my maps special by adding interest to the maps. LeoLakes.com

Also, each framed map or map over 16x32, comes with a certificate of authenticity, lake poem, and interesting facts abut the map. 

 LeoLakes.com