Do You Call them Rain Boots or Galoshes?

 

Do you remember wearing galoshes as a child?  Maybe you call them rain boots, mud boots or rubber boots.  I have a strong memory of me wearing mine.  I was maybe in the 1st grade and it was actually a whole set.  There was the boots, a rain coat and an umbrella.  They were all matching, red with little yellow flowers.  I wish I had a picture of me wearing it.  My brother had a yellow set and we would have to wear them to keep us dry on what I remember was a long walk to school in Richland, Missouri.  

No real need for any rain gear here in Las Vegas.  If it is actually raining outside you can't find your umbrella if you own one because it was so many months ago that you last used it you will have forgotten where you put it.  I also don't own a winter coat.  Sweaters and jackets are usually enough to just go from the car to where ever it is you are going.  

I looked this up the other night and wasn't really surprised to learn that Las Vegas is the driest city in America.  It makes sense because It hardly ever rains here.  The weather forecast is always "HOT AND SUNNY".  The statistics I saw said that it rains on an average of 26 days per year.   They must be counting every sprinkle that falls on the west side of the valley.  Did you know that our average rainfall per year is only 4.2 inches?  The Las Vegas valley is home to over over 2 million residents and let's not forget the 42 million tourists that drop in each year. Water is a pretty big deal. 

Oh and did I mention we are in a horrible drought?  It's been going on for over 10 years and the west is in trouble.  The rivers and lakes are drying up.  Our own Lake Mead is at it's lowest level since it was created.  So many states depend on Lake Mead it is scary.  I think about this every time I turn my faucet on.

I've lived here for 44 years and have seen lots of flooding and desert rainstorms during that time.  Many summers we would have what they call monsoon weather and you would see the rain clouds rolling into the valley every afternoon.  The funny thing is that it can be washing cars away on one side of the valley and be as dry as a bone on the other.  The streets are covered in months of oil residue and so when you add a little water to that watch out.  Driving here in Las Vegas in the rain is a real hazard.  No one slows down and there are just tons of accidents.

The flooding used to be so bad back in the 80's.  We might get just a fraction of an inch of rain fall but the streets would have rivers flowing down them.  The local governments have done a really good job creating detention basins to hold the flood water and a vast network of flood channels so that water runs underground until it gets to the washes and on to Lake Mead.  

Mud isn't much of an issue either like I remember growing up in Missouri.  The ground is so dry that it soaks it up immediately.  Not to mention that everywhere you might need to go is paved in cement or asphalt.

It has only snowed a handful of times in all the years I have lived here.  It is truly an event when it does.  The town comes to a halt and everyone is outside trying to make a snowman in the skiff of snow that has fallen in their yards.  

All this to segue into writing about my newest art series.  I'm calling it "Rainy Day Critters" and so far I've just got one piece finished but because I had so much fun drawing this one I'm calling it a collection.  I already have the idea in my head for my next drawing.  

Isn't this cow just the cutest thing ever?  I'm so happy how she turned out.  I drew this digitally using my iPad, Apple pencil and the drawing app Procreate.  

If you would like a print or a note card of this piece, it is now available for purchase on my website store - Cow in Galoshes

Gardens, Galoshes and Gravy

"Fence Post Rendezvous"

I am FINISHED!!!! And I finished this piece just in time to enter it in the Elks Helldorado Art Show today.  It was close, down to the wire actually, but I made it and am very pleased with the final results.

  I can say that with each painting I do, I learn so much.  This piece contained several difficult elements in the composition.  The children for one and the horse for two. This is the 5th painting in a series of pieces that I have titled "Down Country Roads".  Painting these pieces has provided such therapy to me as I recall little moments in my childhood growing up in the Ozarks of Central Missouri.

It has been my desire, with each piece I paint, to capture your imagination, strike a sweet chord with your own childhood memories or tell an interesting visual story that grabs your attention.

My mother always had a large garden plot that she put out vegetables in each spring and then we would reap the benefits come summer as we would start the harvesting the best tasting produce you can imagine.  The memory of the taste of fresh snapped green beans and tiny new potatoes cooked up with a piece of ham in mom's old cast iron skillet still makes my mouth water today.  I've made that comfort dish numerous times for my family but it has just never been the same.  Mom would tell us kids to go out to the garden and pick green beans, radishes, cucumbers, squash or tomatoes to add to our dinner that most often consisted of a fried meat of some kind, mashed potatoes and gravy.

I can also remember that I always had a pair of rubber boots to wear to protect my shoes from the snow, slush and deep mud.  For the area to be so green there must be lots of rain.  Way more rain that we have here in Las Vegas.  Most of us can barely justify owning an umbrella let alone buying full on rain gear for our children.  We also called those rubber boots "galoshes" and I remember having red ones that matched a red raincoat and hat with little yellow daisies printed on it.  I was quite stylish as I made my way to school in the rain.

In keeping with my other pieces in the series, I added the blue morning glories and tall grass along with several hidden creatures.  See if you can find two tiny baby cotton tail rabbits, a fat toad and a nest of quail eggs.  They are there, I promise.

On a personal note this piece is really special for me because I used my own grandson as model for the toddler reach in the basket to get a second carrot for the interested palomino.

I hope you enjoyed this little labor of my love and I invite you to check out the "Down Country Roads" series on my website and leave me a comment letting me know what you think.