Wading a Creek.......

Our ten acre woods has a creek on the back of the property. I got to wade down our creek last week with a biologist. Yeah, my daughter is a biologist. We use to wade this creek when she was a little kid, looking under rocks for crayfish or salamanders. Once she caught a crayfish with big pinchers and it pinched her on the hand, she just cried, but that didn't stop her fro  catching whatever was under a creek rock. 

It's amazing how the impact of wading a creek has on life. She is a third year Phd student in biology at the University of Georgia. 

It's a beautiful little creek with all kinds of life including this salamander. The creek is named the South Fork of Sycamore creek. I can see why they call it Sycamore Creek because of all the sycamore trees that line the banks.

The water is fairly cool on this hot summer day. Check-out the clarity of the water.  She noted that it appears to be a healthy stream. It's cool what you spot while wading. We found this box turtle wandering the woods, probably looking for a mate. 

Lucky for my daughter, she won a National Science Foundation Grant that pays for her Phd schooling.   

I must say, I give thanks to this creek........

Something else, I do beautiful lake maps. Paddle on over to my website to see some great maps of your favorite lake, river, or bay...LeoLakes.com makes great gifts for the Lake Lover, Lake House, or Fishermen.

Lake house fun.......

I decided to add a little lake house fishing humor to the blog. Here's a few oldies but goodies cartoons that I have done in the past. I bet that I've done 300 different cartoons over the last few years. Hope you enjoy! Oh yeah, check-out my treasured lake house maps below. I think they are kind of neat and my customers love them.

Hey, check-out my treasured lake house maps. I got an idea, hang a lake decor map of the lake in the lake house!

Here's what my customers say:
"The  map looks great! Thanks so much.  We are visiting my brother this weekend at Lake Chautauqua and I know it will be a great addition to their new lake house.  Are you able to do waterways that are not listed.  My husband and I own a cottage on a lake in Maine and would love a picture like this."

"Larry, We  hung the map above our bed at the lake house. We absolutely love it.  We have a water ski headboard and the map works perfectly. Plan to enjoy it many years to come!

Anyway, paddle over to my website, LeoLakes.com. I paint beautiful lake, river and bay decor maps. Folks are discovering that these decor maps are wonderfully unique gifts that become family heirlooms. 

Oh yeah, I hide things in the lake waters, such as a tiny mermaid/fish. Folks love to search for them. Also, you can personalize your lake map with a star where your lake house is located.  I call my maps, treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. My treasured maps make a great gift for the fisherman, lake lover, lake house. Add beauty with lake cabin decor, lake decor, lake cottage decor, or buy as a lake gift.  

As you can see, my lake maps make a great gift.  Orders pick-up during the holiday's, so order soon. Click here www.LeoLakes.com for more information.

Remember: "Hanging a Leo Lakes Treasured Map in a lake house, is like christening a boat with a bottle of champagne!" 

I mapped my vacation

A few weeks ago, I went to Nags Head N.C. on vacation. I found that Nags Head was a pretty cool place and enjoyed my visit. In fact, I enjoyed my visit so much that I painted a decor map of Nags Head. Here's a quick step by step guide to a map painting in progress. 

I carefully draw the map on poster board. While I'm drawing the roads, I think back when I was diving down these roads going to the beach, Jockey's Ridge, Duck, Kill Devil Hills etc....

After I complete the map drawing, I start painting the map using watercolors. Believe it or not, I only used blue, brown, and red colors. After I finish the painting the map, it is scanned into the computer and I use a graphic program to add detail, such as lettering, waterfowl, fish, and a tiny mermaid. Check it out!

The finished product! A beautiful canvas map of Nags Head. It turned out great. I like the colors and how it grabs your attention. Most folks are drawn to the map, scanning the map for a familiar places. 

Yes, this is me and my wife at Jockey's Ridge, Nags Head! Now that you have seen how I do maps, check-out my maps. They look great hanging in your home, lake house or office. Makes the best Gift! I have beautiful lake decor map of your favorite lake, which will look perfect above the fireplace. I even do custom maps of your favorite lake, river, or bay. LeoLakes.com

Unlike most maps, There’s a tiny mermaid hidden in the waters which folks love to search for and some say she moves around! You'll love the waterfowl which are hand painted (touched up) on the canvas prints to give that original look and each map is hand signed by Leo. For a personal touch, you can even add a small star to the location of your lake house or special place and add a few words such as "Evan's Lake House, Est. 2014" or be creative. The signatured Ruby Meridian, waterfowl and vintage plane have a story that’s included in the signed Certificate of Authenticity.  Leo Lakes treasured maps will make a cherished gift for that special someone. 

Do you know your waterways?

You may or may not remember the old children's book, "Dick and Jane". Well, I do. I've used the same kind of retro-style for this cartoon. I titled it, " know your waterways". I remember trying to read the Dick and Jane books when I was in the first grade. I was one of those kids that liked the pictures better than the words because I'm a little bit dyslexic, which isn't bad due to the fact that I ended up with a lot of artistic and creative talent. Anyway, did any of my ten permanent follows notice something different about this post? No bobber cartoons!!! That's right, I'm taking a break from bobber cartoons for a while. I think it will be clear what I'm doing with this cartoon when you read it. Know your waterways........Enjoy!   

Now, you know your waterways...........Do you need a great gift for the lake house, lake lover, or fisherman? If you do, check-out my treasured decor maps ay LeoLakes.com. 

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.

Beautiful St George Island Treasure Map

I love lakes. rivers and bays, So much that I do maps of these beautiful places. Check-out my map of St George Island. Here's an email that I received from a recent customer who had ordered the St George Island Decor Map.

"Hi Larry,

Received my map & absolutely LOVE it!! It will be a treasured gift forever! The quality surpasses what I expected & I'm so happy I ran across your website on a search. Good luck to you & please know I will share your info & website with others." 

My maps make a great gifts, check-out these other comments from our customers. Oh yeah, you can star your beach house location and don't forget to look for the hidden mermaid in the waters of your favorite waters!

The map arrived right on time and it was a sensational hit.  Thanks so much, this was exactly what I was looking for and was even better than anticipated. Nate

I just received the map, it looks beautiful! Thank you for helping me put together such a spectacular gift and I will definitely keep you in mind for future gift ideas. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Arrived safe and sound this afternoon and looks great!  I can't wait to give it to my parents for xmas for their new lake house.  Thank you!

Go to www.Leolakes.com to see if we have your map. We have many popular lake maps such as the Lake Winnipesaukee map, Great Sacandaga Lake map, Lewis Smith Lake map, Pickwick Lake map, Greer's Ferry Lake map, Lake Sidney Lanier map, Lake Sinclair map, Table Rock Lake map, and Lake Wallenpaupack map. Also, we paint custom maps and have personalized maps for that special someone. 

Random fishing humor

Most may not know, but I do fistnig cartoons on occasion. Basically, I try to make bobbers fun again, like when you were a kid. Here's a few old, a few new, some good, some bad, but all in good taste..... sort of.   "Make Bobbers Fun, Again". 

This Bobber is for you.............enjoy.

Also, I paint beautiful lake, river and bay decor maps. Folks are discovering that these decor maps are wonderfully unique gifts that become family heirlooms. Oh yeah, I hide things in the lake waters, such as a tiny mermaid/fish. Folks love to search for them. I call my maps, treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. My treasured maps makes the best gift for the fisherman, lake lover, or Lake house. Check my website out: LEOLAKES.COM

Percy Priest Lake Memory

It was Saturday morning in 1967, I was a child, maybe about eight years old. My mom told me that it was going to be an exciting day. We were going to where they were building the new lake and we would be driving under the water where the lake would be. Boy did that excite me! I couldn't wait to get in our yellow 1965 Mustang and drive underwater, yes underwater. It would be just like the song " The Yellow Submarine". Well, not really, because that song wasn't released until 1969. A better visual is like the book "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". I dreamed of seeing huge bass swimming around and monster size turtles the size of Volkswagens paddling near, even better, ancient looking paddle fish with their long snout. My third grade buddies were going to be so impressed.

My dreaming came to an end as we loaded up the car and head toward the lake. The lake was to be named J. Percy Priest after a Tennessee Congressman. We didn't go near the dam for some reason. We headed to the back side of the dam were the deep water was. As we neared the lake, you could see some construction going on, mainly bulldozers with trees being pushed down. I remember seeing lots of open fields, but no water.

Finally, after an hour, I asked "when will we be going under the water?" My mom busted out laughing, she said "we aren't actually going under the water silly, we are going where the water will be in a few months, not under the water." I suddenly realized that I would see no huge bass swimming around or monster size turtles the size of a Volkswagen Beetle paddling near or ancient looking paddle fish with their long snout. It was a great misunderstanding and my third grade buddies where not going to be impressed. I was sad.   

Paddle over to my website, LeoLakes.com. I paint beautiful lake, river and bay decor maps. Ain't she pretty! She's all dressed up in a beautiful frame and ready to go to that "lake house warming party". you will be so proud when you walk in with the prettiest gift at the party..........LeoLakes.com

Folks are discovering that these decor maps are wonderfully unique gifts that become family heirlooms. Oh yeah, I hide things in the lake waters, such as a tiny mermaid/fish. Folks love to search for them. Also, you can personalize your lake map with a star where your lake house is located.  I call my maps, treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. My treasured maps make a great gifts for the fisherman, lake lover, or Lake house. Order soon to avoid the rush!

As you can see, my maps make a great gift.  Orders pick-up during the holiday's, so order soon. Click here www.LeoLakes.com for more information.

"Hanging a Leo Lakes Treasured Map in a lake house, is like christening a boat with a bottle of champagne!" 

Beautiful Lake maps for the lake house

Folks love their lakes! Here's the proof. Believe it or not, I have a lot of customers that send me photos of their maps hanging in their lake or beach house. I have added a few to my blog. 

They are beautiful! Hey, paddle over to my website, LeoLakes.com for a beautiful lake, river, or bay map by me. Folks are discovering that these decor maps are wonderfully unique gifts that become family heirlooms. Oh yeah, I hide things in the lake waters, such as a tiny mermaid/fish. Folks love to search for them. I call my maps, treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. My treasured maps make a great gifts for the fisherman, lake lover, or Lake house. 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift.  Click here www.LeoLakes.com for more information.