Scattered Thoughts . . .

I've been exhausted and in significant pain (relentless bone pain and spinal pain) since arriving back home from our Christmas trip but I have a few projects which have been nagging at me. One such project is to create a rendering of Monticello. Actually, I'd like to complete a series of renderings related to this historic property but I need to start with one piece.  I decided to do some drawing and sketching this morning to put some ideas on paper (in my usual notebook where all my thoughts go) but I also created some digital files of my artwork. Below, is one piece of my ideas for this series... I'm still not sure about how I want to put together a Monticello series but this rendering is a start to this series!

This is a view which is seen in countless books and photographs but I felt compelled to shoot this angle too. Sheila and I had an opportunity to visit close friends in Virginia for Christmas so we spent the bulk of our Christmas week in and around Monticello. The weather at Monticello was sunny and in the 70's... flowers were in bloom... the grass was green... the weather was typical beautiful springtime weather! I started studying Thomas Jefferson and his architecture decades ago and had always wanted to walk these hallowed grounds. I have to say that this was an inspiring experience to meander through history.  If there ever was a time in history needing a visit from Thomas Jefferson, it is today. I have always based my beliefs on Jefferson's philosophies and this visit reinforced my convictions even more. It truly was a moving and inspiring experience to see and touch all I had studied for decades.   I shot hundreds of photos and I will probably put together an