Do fish have high Cholesterol?

Here's a few more of my cartoons, however I do have a question... do fish have high cholestrol? Enjoy!

 

Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, or at least put one on the wall!

 Frame your favorite lake, river, or bay!

www.leolakes.com

This goose is headed in...

This goose is headed in for a landing! I took this photo of a goose that I painted on one of my maps. I add waterfowl to most of my decor maps pointed in the direction of the water. Normally, I place three Canadian geese somewhere cruising to the water, low and preparing to land.

My objective is to have them almost seem to float over the terrain. I also add other waterfowl like Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Sea Gulls, Pelicans etc... depending on the location of the body of water. My worst fear is placing a bird in a location that it doesn't belong, but I do research to help ensure this doesn't happen. 

On canvas maps, after printing, I actually (touch-up) hand paint the waterfowl on to the canvas to make them pop and give the map an original painting feel. These details help sets Leo Lake maps apart from others and give that personal touch. My ultimate goal is to provide a decor map that will become a treasured map. Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, or at least put one on the wall!



Click Here to see more decor maps.

Beautiful Lake Charlevoix

What is the third largest lake in Michigan? Lake Charlevoix, a beautiful clear blue lake located on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan near Charlevoix and Boyne City. The lake is over 17,000 acres and has 56 miles of shoreline, which much of it is lined with some of the most gorgeous, multi-million dollar homes around. Lake Charlevoix is often listed as one of America’s best lake. The lake is ideal for relaxation with great sunsets, sandy beaches, and wonderful restaurants. There are several great towns to explore or you could kayak, canoe, fish or take a sailboat cruise. Did you know that Ernest Hemingway was married on Lake Charlevoix? Interestingly, you may see a small kayak or the largest luxury yacht cruising the blue waters. I can understand why Lake Charlevoix is one of America’s best lakes, the folks living on or near this lake are truly blessed.

Here’s a vintage style map that I just completed of Lake Charlevoix. I added a small loon to the waters and hide a tiny mermaid somewhere near the shore. Also, you can add a small star to the location on your Lake House or special area, even add a few words like… Johnson's Lake house, Est. 2001 or be creative with the title. See a better view and learn more about the lake at my website www.LeoLakes.com    

Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

LeoLakes.com

Thank You, Veterans!

Floated, Pumpkin Stew, Bruised Banana...What is fall fishing!

About two weeks ago, my buddy's and I floated the Duck River. You may ask, what is floated? Well around here the technical definition is...to float down the river, in a boat while fishing from one destination to another, float. The crew included Buttermilk (Jeff Loudermilk) and Duck Master (Tim Oldfield). Duck Master knows this river like bananas know yellow. The weather was a typical fall day with the wind blowing lightly and about 60 degrees. Lucky for us, the leaves were just starting to fall from the trees, which was good because we didn't have to worry about leaves getting tangled in our lines. We actually paddled up stream and floated back down.

 

Here we have Buttermilk giving Duck Master, in his banana boat, a shove off to start the adventure. The water was amazingly clear for this river. Our plan was to fish for about four hours and catch a few bass or anything that would bite and paddle back to camp for a hot bowl of Buttermilk's Pumpkin Stew. More about Pumpkin Stew later! 

Right off the bat, Duck Master catches a small largemouth bass on a silver artificial minnow crank bait. Notice that smile, even catching small fish makes people gitty.   

 

Duck Master relaxing in his kayak. What a great day to be on the water with friends! As I always say..."Life is short, Get away from the big screen and get on a big stream." If more folks would do this, then there would be a lot more happiness!  

 

While paddling over to a nice spot to cast, I heard a loud sound. It actually sounded like my neighbor raking leaves at 6:00 am in the morning, next to my bedroom window. I looked up the steep bank and spotted a very chubby animal. It even looks like my neighbor. It was a woodchuck, also known as a groundhog or land-beaver. Luckily he was only foraging in the leaves and not chucking wood. 

Fishing was a little slow, but we did manage to catch a few more small bass. Here comes "Fancy Paddle" also known as Buttermilk. The reason I call him fancy paddle is because his paddles cost more than my Kayak. No kidding, they're a piece of art.   

Well, there is always an adventure on the Duck River and Duck Master found it. While paddling up fairly swift water he turned sideways and the banana boat leaned into the water and capsized. Not only did Duck Master get wet, he has a bruised banana (boat). We did find his fishing pole, bait box, etc... I'm sure glad it wasn't 30 degrees!

Do you feel the warmth? After the Duck Master incident we hurried back to base camp. Checkout our fire! There is nothing like a warm fire on a cool fall day, especially if someone is wet. Notice that large back log. Perfect for radiating the heat, in fact it was so hot I had to rotisserate to keep from getting burned. Stay tuned because we are fixing to eat. I know, you may ask what is fixing? Fixing, a southern term which means "ready to do something."

The perfect end of a fishing trip, Halloween Stew. Before we left, Buttermilk had prepared a pot of Halloween stew, dutch oven style. I asked Buttermilk what is Halloween stew and he said that he carved the carrots like little pumpkins. Hmmm....I'm not sure about that. Anyway, why does food taste better near the water after a full day's adventure?

Amazing, check-out those little carved pumpkin carrots! Hope you enjoyed the post.

 

Have a Happy Halloween!

It Was a Wild Halloween Party at the Old Field Studio. The characters from my other blogs stopped by for some fun. Boy, did things get out of hand. The folks from the "River of Oz", "The Worm Hole" and "Bait Dynasty" are a wild bunch. You may be able to figure out who's who from below.

 

 

Mr. Wiggles

Here's a few more of my silly cartoons.

 

 

Water Safety

It's not a winter coat, blazer, tweed jacket, nor leisure suit. It's not bright orange and doesn't feel like two pillows tied to your chest. You don't sweat like a pig in warm weather while wearing it and you can actually move around comfortably. What is it? It's a new Automatic Inflatable Life Jacket that my wonderful wife purchased for me on our anniversary. Oh yeah, it's our twenty-something...

It's made by Onyx and she purchased it at Sports Academy for $79.99. I was able to use it last weekend on a kayak fishing trip.

Interestingly, the left side opens via Velcro to reveal the value, auto water sensor, Co2 air cylinder and manual inflate handle. You must change the air cylinder every 3 years.

I have standards that are important to me in life jacket design. One, they work and save my life, two the comfort level while wearing them.

Now, I have not water tested the vest, so I am taking a leap of faith that it will perform when I fall in the water, but it is U.S. Coast Guard Approval and a lot of folks are using them. So, I think it will work, but I wonder at what point does it inflate, before or after your head goes under? I will let you know about this at a later date.

I have tested the comfort level during a 4 hour kayak trip and I must say that it was the most comfortable vest that I have ever used. In fact, I actually forgot that I had the vest on. Now that is a comfortable vest! If you are around the water a lot, then you may want to purchase an auto inflatable vest, too. Ladies, it would make a great gift for the man that loves the water!