Custom Vintage style Lake Maps

Here's a custom lake map that I did for a customer in Minnesota. This map turned out great and is now hanging in a lake house over looking Meadow Lake. I sometimes place a star at the location of the lake house which folks really enjoy. Also, I have had folks request this poem that my wife dreamed up. I place it around the map or insert it in the map somewhere. They love the poem.

"I Love this lake, The most amazing scenes appear in its wake, The sun arises just above the shore, Giving grace and beauty to this place I adore." LKO

I hide a tiny mermaid/fish in the waters of all my lake map paintings that folks love to search for. I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com. 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift. To see more of my work click 

See more at www.LeoLakes.com

Night Fishing !

It's raining worms!

I bet if you are a fisherman, you've dumped your worms or bait overboard, haven't you? I know that I have. It's feeding the fish to make them become a trophy, however I wonder if this is littering and against the law? Anyway, the fish may think it's raining worms.

Check Out my vintage style Lake, River and Bay Maps! They make really cool gifts.

The Fountain of Youth!

My first cartoon of 2015, the "Fountain of Youth." I hope you find your Fountain of Youth!

Check Out my vintage style Lake, River and Bay Maps! They make really cool gifts.

Happy New years

Out Foxed?

A few years ago, I wanted to find out if foxes were roaming in our woods, "the ten acre woods" as we call it. It's named from the Winnie the Pooh story, "hundred acre woods." Anyway, here's what happened, enjoy!

Yesterday, I took my bottle of Fox urine and motion detection camera 
'Critter Cam" to the ten acre woods with the goal of photographing a Red Fox. I found an ideal spot with tracks in the snow about 20 feet from a tree that would be a great place to attach Critter Cam. I placed Critter Cam on the tree, pointing to the trail. 

Thinking like a Fox, I found a small shrub that's a perfect spot for a Red Fox to hike or squat. My thinking is that Mr. Fox will be sniffing out the fake trespasser and will zero in to the shrub while Critter Cam takes the perfect photo. I very carefully took out my bottle of Fox urine also known as Fox valentine perfume, which has a handy dandy spray nozzle on top. I sprayed the small shrub like you would if you had a can of bathroom deodorizer and just finished letting off a stink bomb in your first dates, bathroom.  

Unfortunately for me, I had gloves on and some of the spray ran down the bottle. I guess you could say I Fox Peed on myself, Dang it! Well anyway, all is set, so I hiked back home. Arriving home, I open the door and was attacked by Creamy, Gray, Stormy, and Kibble our cats. Dang Fox urine! In the next few days I will check back to see if I met my goal, Red Fox photo. Cross your fingers! 

At 6:30 this morning, I awoke and took off to the woods to check Critter Cam, my motion detection camera. I have it placed on a tree near an animal trail, which I have sprayed Fox urine around with the goal of photographing a Red Fox. For EIGHT day’s I have checked critter cam. Each day nothing, except for a squirrel coming near. But today, I think, I believe, it appears, I have a photo of the critter. Not out foxed, It does look like a fox? 

I call this goal accomplished. Now for a photo of a Bobcat, do they make Bobcat pee? Also, as in earlier posts about this subject, I have learned a bunch. One, I found Fox urine to be difficult to get off, I spilled a little on me, which Ajax and Bounty wouldn't even get off. Two, it attracts cats. Our cats Gray, Smokey, Creamy and Kibble smell this stuff out no matter where I put it and go after it. Here is Creamy out in the woods smelling fox pee and interfering in my Operation Fox Photo.

Mmmm, feels good to accomplish a goal! Do you know "What's in your woods".

Do creatures stir on Christmas night?

A couple of years ago, I set out to determine what happens in my backyard on Christmas night, would I see reindeer, eves or maybe Santa? The goal was to use my infrared, motion detector, camera and capture a picture of what may be stirring on a cold Christmas night.

11:50 pm - The first picture that critter cam caught was of our cat, Creamy. All looks normal on Christmas night.  (Picture number 52 and temperature of 31)

3:17 am - Then a picture was taken, but I don’t see anything that would have set off the motion detector. Hmm, this seems odd. (Picture number 53 and temperature of 31)

7:14 am – Again our cat is caught walking past the camera. Well, it appears that I was unsuccessful with pictures of just our cat. The more I think about it, the camera should have been on the roof because this is where the reindeer should have been working. However, I have determined that the camera didn't capture any creatures between the hours of 11:50pm and 7:14am, approximately 7-1/2 hours. So, it appears that critters do not stir on Christmas night. Feeling sad that I didn't get a picture of a reindeer, I went outside to see if I could find out what had set the camera off at 3:17 am.

To my surprise, I saw a round object in the snow. 

After a closer inspection, it was a red bell. Wow, could this bell have come off Santa’s sleigh when he was leaving our house?  I believe at 3:17 am, Santa left our home and this red bell fell off his sleigh. The bell must have fallen near the camera and it triggered the motion detector. Wow, I can’t believe it, Santa's sleigh bell. Should I mail the bell back to the North Pole? 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Visit my website to see more. I have over two hundred lake, river and bay maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalized lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoMaps.com. 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift. To see more of my work, click here www.LeoLakes.com. 

Remember, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Not a fish was stirring!!

I went fishing last year near Christmas and here's what happened.

Last weekend I went to one of my favorite lakes to fish and kayak. This particular lake was stocked with Rainbow Trout the day before and my goal was to catch few. This poem tells you how well the fishing trip went.

Not a fish was stirring not even a carp!

T’was the night after the Rainbows had been stocked at the lake, I went fishing to see what I might take,

The flys were hung in the tackle box with care, in hopes that a big rainbow would soon be there.

When out on the lake there arose such a splatter, I sprang up in my kayak to see what was the matter.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, a just fallen tree near a old whitetail deer.

I found not a fish was stirring, not even a carp, so I paddled my Kayak back to the park.

When I arrived home, fun was had by all, as my wife had just arrived from the mall.

That pretty much sums up my fishing trip. Apparently the trout, being new to the lake had pissed off everyone and nothing was biting.

Visit my website to see more. I have over two hundred lake, river and bay maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalized lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoMaps.com. 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift. To see more of my work, click here www.LeoLakes.com. 

Remember, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!