We've been gearing up for Safety Week by rounding up transportation for everyone to and from all the exciting events.  It's gonna be a fun-filled and informative week and we aim to get you there safely, on time and in style.  Be sure to visit Sarge for all the details and updates on Safety Week and for more exciting Blogville events!

A few safety guidelines before we emBARK:

PLEASE - no pushing or shoving.  There are plenty of vehicles for everyone and we don't want to have to send tiny pups like Amber to the Bang-Aid Tent before the first session.  If you don't get to ride in your favorite wheels the first time, there will be plenty of other opportunities throughout the week!

REMEMBER to fasten your safety harnesses.  All transportation is equipped with a variety of sizes to fit anypup. 

There are a few safety seats for you extra-small pups so you can enjoy the view as you travel from event to event.

We need to make sure weight is evenly distributed throughout the vehicles, SO -

BIG DOGS (over 50 lbs.) please take a seat toward the MIDDLE of the vehicle of your choice..

LITTLE DOGS (under 50 lbs.) please sit toward the BACK or FRONT of the vehicle of your choice.

We don't want any of this -

Feel free to help yourself to any of the tasty beverages aboard your transport.  Just make sure your driver sticks to water while driving.  REMEMBER - SAFETY FIRST!

The Road Dogs (for all your transportation needs)

ARTSY FARTSY FRIDAY - SPECIAL EDITION

We are especially excited about today's edition of Artsy Fartsy Friday because we're featuring a fabulous artist whose work you already know and adore and some of you are even lucky enough to own!  Can you guess who it is?  Here's a little hint . . . 

That's right!  The lovely Asta has graciously agreed to help us get up close and fursonal with her very talented Artsy Mom today - Amarillis Kroon.  Not only are we sharing some of her awesome art here, but thanks to Asta's role as a Most Excellent Assistant, we're gonna give you a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into her artistic process.  So grab a cup of coffee or a biscuit and enjoy!


Now, we have got to admit that we've wanted to do this interview for some time now - ever since we first saw this painting on Asta's blog sidebar -

  
- but we were kind of nervous about asking.  After all, Asta and her Mom live in the very sophisticated, cultural mecca that is NEW YORK --

 

-- and we live in South Carolina, a place whose favorite pasttime is slurping down a bucket of oysters with a keg of beer while watching football on the big screen at the local watering hole and where shoes are optional - year round!  So we were thrilled when Asta wrote back that her Mom would be glad to be featured in Artsy Fartsy Friday and even answer some our nosy in-depth questions!  So without further ado, we present a sampling of our favorite artworks by Asta's Mom - Amarillis Kroon - and interview with Asta.

RD: Are the pet portraits painted exactly from photos or is the photo just an inspiration and starting point? For example, in Michael's Buddy - did he really have on the hat or was that something she added? We love it!

Asta: All the paintings have been done fwom photogwaphs..some awe litewal twanslations fwom the owiginal photo, some Mommi play wif..it depends on what the client wequests..some hoomans want vewy twaditional paintings, othews let us use ouw imagination. When we can do whatevew we want, sometimes they awe mowe abstwact, and incloode some collage elements as well as paint. Michaels Buddy, ackshooly had that hat on, his Dad loved to take him on a boat..and a fwiend comissioned it as a gift.

RD: How long does it usually take to paint a pet portrait?
Asta: It usually takes about two weeks fow hew to do a pawtwait..

RD: We really love the Carneval paintings with the pups in the harlequin masks?   Are both paintings the same pup?  What was the inspiration for the harlequin mask? 

  

Asta: hehehe, bof of those paintings wewe of my angel sissie Nowa..mommi wanted to see if she could do two of them facing each othew..one of them was bought at a show, we still have the othew and don't want to pawt wif it..nowa wowe the mask fow the photogwaph..Mommi and Daddi wewe having a dwess up pawty and she always wanted to pawticipate in any social occasion..she would sit on a dining woom chaiw waiting fow dinnew guests and behave impeccably like the most civilized woggie-pawson evew.  The painting shows hew wondewfully happy and silly side and we love it too!

 

RD: Your Mom paints such a variety of subjects - which is her favorite subject to paint? (You don't have to say dogs!)
Asta: Mommi fiwst stawted off painting Women and loves doing them . .

   

but once she stawted painting Doggies, they became hew favowite..she loves theiw pawsonalities and theiw vawiety and theiw love shining thwoo

3 Puppies on a Trip

I think she will always paint all the othew things, but will wetuwn to fuwwkids ovew and ovew. Also, I think the fuwwkids bwing most joy to the hoomans who buy them, and that is a Hoooge bonus!

 

RD:  Our Mom & Dad love to go to Art Walks and openings in Charleston, but have never been to galleries in New York. Can you give us a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it's like for an artist to prepare for a show?  For example, in her current show - was there a specific theme set by the gallery or did you create your own theme?
Asta: Thewe was no specific theme fow this one, but most shows do have a theme.

 

RD: How long did it take to paint all the works in the show? 
Asta: It took Mommi about six momfs to pwepawe fow this show, about half the paintings wewe aweady done befowe.

 

RD: Who are all the exotic, sophisticated women in the paintings? 

CEO

Asta: The women in the paintings awe usually a mix of women Mommi knows ow admiwes..many of them look a bit like mommi's Mommi, but mostly they awe all stwong and not bimbos.

RD: What is opening night like for your Mom, as an artist?
Asta: Opening night is exciting and tewwifying. Finally having many momfs of wowk all togethew, well lit and up on the walls is gweat to see, and hoping that people will enjoy looking at them and maybe wanting to own one and seeing something that speaks to them is a wondewful feeling.  Seeing old fwiends and making new ones, having someone who has bought befowe and comes and says they still love theiws and want mowe is the best. It's also emotionally and physically exhausting.

RD: How would you describe her style of painting?
Asta: Hmmmm, I think it's figoowative but somewhat abstwact wif the paintings of people like Egon Shiele and Gustav Klimt being inflooences..thewe is a lot of gold leaf and silvew in many of them, but the fuwwkids paintings awe mowe all ovew the place.  Twying to pin down painting in wowds is vewy hawd fow Mommi..she's not as good at talking as painting.  The funniest thing is when someone at an exhibit says " I know just what you wewe thinking when you painted this" (Mommi is thinking meanwhile.."no you don't, I was thinking what to cook tonight, hehehehehe")

Heat

Birches in Snow

This next painting of someone so adorable that we know you're going to fall in love immediately - just like we did . . .

FuFu the Hammie

RD: Did you know Fufu fursonally, or was he someone's pet you painted from a photo?
Asta: Fufu was a dawling Hammie wif a blog fwom Sing a Powe when I fiwst joined DWB..he was chawming and pawticipated in all the adventoowes we had in those days, he came awound in his Fufu mobile to give evewyone a wide to the fiwst Chwissmuss pawty we had and we all love him.He was the fiwst fwiend who cwossed the bwidge and made Mommi sob and make all ouw non-bloggie fwiends think she had lost hew mind cwying ovew a hammie we nevew met, acwoss the wowld, but he touched ouw heawts and also made us wealise how much we could love a fwiend we had met on line.. The painting was comissioned by all his fwiends who asked her to do it and send it to his family. Sadly since then faw too many fwiends had to leave us, it huwts evewy time, but the love and time we shawe is wowf the pain.

RD: Now, for our most important, revealing question - What is her favorite color?
Asta: Of couwse MY favowite colow is OWANGE, hehehehe
  

Orange Nora

but Mommi's is a mix of stwong colows on a soft backgwound..(ochre and teal, ow puwple and owange ow wed, ow just a stwong black ow white line on a silver ow gold backgwound)

Nora Lady

When Mommi paints something, she becomes obsessed wif it and stawes at it all the time..she gets up in middle of the night wif an idea how to change something and cawwies the painting into diffewent pawts of the apawtment to stawe at it.  It's by the bed at night and even doowing watching TV ow something it's thewe to look at and see what she wants to change.

Overblown Tulips

Nikki walking with Mommi in Manhattan

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Artsy Fartsy Friday and we want to thank Asta and her Mom for making it super special!  See more of her paintings HERE . . .  And speaking of super special - Asta is having a BIRTHDAY tomorrow!  Happy Birthday ASTA!

The Road Dogs

MAGIC BUS

Every day we get in the queue
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
To get on the bus that takes us to Safety Week
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
We're so excited, we just sit and smile
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
The next event is only another mile
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Thank you, driver, for getting us here
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
You'll be a Rock Star, have no fear
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
We don't want to cause no fuss
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
But can we buy your Magic Bus?
(Too much, the Magic Bus)

HOT PINK PEPTO BUS

OPEN AIR FUN BUS

TRIPLE-DECKER SKYSCRAPER CAN'T TOP THIS HOPE YOU'RE NOT AFRAID OF HEIGHTS BUS

RED WHITE & BLUE PATRIOTIC BUS

FASHIONISTA BUS

BACK TO BASICS DOUBLE DECKER

PARTY BUS

V DUB LIMO

FOR YOU MOTORCYCLE MAMAS & PAPAS

THE LOVE BUG BUS

Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus
We want it, We want it, We want it...
(You can't have it!)
Think how much you'll save...
(You can't have it!)
We want it, We want it, We want it,  We want it ...
(You can't have it!)

Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus...
We want the Magic Bus, We want the Magic Bus, We want the Magic Bus...

By: Sarge

A Super "Thanks" to Sarge for the awesome cool badge he made us for Safety Week!

The Road Dogs Professional Transportation

BEARS - Oh, my!

Occasionally, Dad needs our expert help on a project he's working on in North Carolina.  We try to work in a little fun and culture between the work - like our exciting whitewater adventures.  Today, we're going to show you a little bit of art and culture in the area. 

Now, we know there are lots of these statues around the country of various animals and whatnot - we've seen Moose in Utah and Trout in Montana and we know there's cows somewhere and lots of others.  But in Cherokee, they have BEARS!  Although these bears were not nearly as intimidating as the Grizzly that Dad tried to chase down with a camera, Cooper was still a little apprehensive.  Here are just a few of the 25 bears that we've captured with the camera.

Um, is that a BEAR behind me?!

I'm outta here!

FROG butt :)

Pottery Bear

Dude, don't you know smoking isn't good for you?

Sequoyah "Syllabeary" featuring the Cherokee Syllabary and Sequoyah's familiar headdress and pipe.

Now, we're not that great with history - all those dates are a little strenuous on our mentals - but Mom's always been kinda fascinated with Native American culture so we decided to take in a little history here.  We were curious about the origins of the names of the Clans around the base of the Sequoyah statue.  So we looked it up and made notes about the Seven Clans.  Obviously, we belong to the "Wolf" Clan!  Cool!

Sequoyah - inventor of the Cherokee  Syllabary

That's one BIG statue - 20 feet of California redwood! 

(Make this BIG to read about the Sequoyah statue)

The Seven Clans are also represented on stones around the base of the statue.

Deer (A NI KA WI), were historically known as fast runners and hunters. Even though they hunted game for subsistence, they respected and cared for the animals while they were living among them. They were also known as messengers on an earthly level, delivering messengers from village to village, or person to person.

Bird (A NI TSI S KWA), were historically known as messengers. The belief that birds are messengers between earth and heaven, or the People and Creator, gave the members of this clan the responsibility of caring for the birds.

Long Hair (A NI GI LO HI), are also known as The Twister, Hair Hanging Down or Wind Clan. They wore elaborate hairdos and walked with a proud, twisting gait. Clan members are regarded as peacemakers and Peace Chiefs would often be from this clan. Prisoners of war, orphans of other tribes, and others with no Cherokee tribe were often adopted into this clan, thus a common interpretation of the name 'Strangers.'

Blue (A NI SA HO NI), historically this clan made medicine from a blue-colored plant to keep the children well. They are also known as the Panther or Wild Cat Clan.

Paint (A NI WO DI), were historically known as a prominent healers medicine people. Medicine is often 'painted' on a patient after harvesting, mixing and performing other aspects of the ceremony. They made red paint and prepared teas for vapor therapy specific to each ailment.

Wild Potato (A NI GA TO GE WI) historically, members of this clan were known to be 'keepers of the land' and gatherers of the wild potato in swamps along streams. They are also known as the Bear, Raccoon, or Blind Savannah Clan.

Wolf (A NI WA YAH), is the largest and most prominent clan throughout time. During the time of the Peace Chief and War Chief government setting, the War Chief would come from this clan. Wolves are known as protectors.

Oh, yeah, the WOLF Clan - that's me!

Hey, this history stuff is kinda interesting.  Maybe we'll check out some more! 
The Road Wolves, um, Dogs