tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-505305336149923032024-03-05T20:29:39.080-06:00Greg BudigAuthor & IllustratorGreg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-52009865920190983352016-06-14T11:06:00.000-05:002016-06-14T11:06:45.882-05:00Work in Process ... Making Changes.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I went back and made a few color changes to the illustration roughs I have been working on for my latest book in the works.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I felt the original color roughs didn't really depict the feeling of night time that I was envisioning... I felt the moon appeared almost to sun like! Not really what I was trying to show.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b2TEDjvkB6uyVpnbwYWlhf6jONXflJRijV5mwhZ9r_AN6mDNjMYuv8oIlwIBZ1NebjFuFB0rNCkwJDsaY7Ew4azKcxQawJlmssSWJbgc0cTSFPXCTW7G5y-qQ-NSlLf6C55_PcehoiM/s1600/scarecrow+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b2TEDjvkB6uyVpnbwYWlhf6jONXflJRijV5mwhZ9r_AN6mDNjMYuv8oIlwIBZ1NebjFuFB0rNCkwJDsaY7Ew4azKcxQawJlmssSWJbgc0cTSFPXCTW7G5y-qQ-NSlLf6C55_PcehoiM/s400/scarecrow+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original illustration rough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWnX3QlMR8sDUDJDzJAoLozg-Jd0g4Msk2HNKxmUJ0eRPn9l47YjuW0dfWbUvbQkBjkmTiwCJ2_yrVyvUUNFHwF8FJdSrHlDUl9i1jKKrVAk_YIdNPjX1aka1iDFV1oZ4kTasvY41Qjg/s1600/scarecrow+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWnX3QlMR8sDUDJDzJAoLozg-Jd0g4Msk2HNKxmUJ0eRPn9l47YjuW0dfWbUvbQkBjkmTiwCJ2_yrVyvUUNFHwF8FJdSrHlDUl9i1jKKrVAk_YIdNPjX1aka1iDFV1oZ4kTasvY41Qjg/s400/scarecrow+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Revised illustration rough</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The change is maybe subtle but I think I'm getting closer to giving the illustration the night time feel I want to get. I did the same with the illustration below. The moon didn't actually look very moon like...I knew I needed to do something! I may even eliminate the face images directly below the moon as they appear to be to busy for the illustration.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdDU_a6bsz3afb6Fqaj-lxaebsEW0pSQUt-bClyfqNzIIqXYxN8Ju2CkHS163RW_xqsbmNYBjg_-DCn9Sjysa_AwKZ3L_-SlUE-IQTODaQNoRZeILsSLuuNdyl101iWSbbTHIkDjr1IE/s400/scarecrow+1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original illustration rough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKlRlnI6MS3EHyuN3wfZicdUdlKyFsoTzoKersqGfBd1ymPtEigFq2mcnqjG1PEh68u2_hme5pMxToQUDrqHOeajJ6t7ik2At9JS2V5SQe13lL0xZ3tgStlbhoDVHI7XA4bkdIrG6nxE/s1600/scarecrow+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKlRlnI6MS3EHyuN3wfZicdUdlKyFsoTzoKersqGfBd1ymPtEigFq2mcnqjG1PEh68u2_hme5pMxToQUDrqHOeajJ6t7ik2At9JS2V5SQe13lL0xZ3tgStlbhoDVHI7XA4bkdIrG6nxE/s400/scarecrow+15.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Revised illustration rough</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">These roughs will all be rendered in acrylic for the final illustrations. I will be able to get deeper colors and better detail with the acrylic...but I also want to retain some of the earthy charm the color pencils gave the illustrations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I will admit that I am definitely taking my time with these illustrations. I feel no rush to submit this to publishers at the moment...I really want to get this one perfect!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Stay tuned for more updates soon!</span>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-6297877837708726962016-05-23T10:17:00.001-05:002016-05-23T10:17:43.472-05:00A Work in Progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It has been a slow start...but I have been gaining some momentum.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMKeeGwnxiaB_rfI-BRS-SsvaQmswaUTXEd3B1KC4c8IAZZoXxad8V6Qs3zJ2wcd85jbTrpZWM0eFD_YQ55igjvVHTb-YS7h8FULqFmZ3VRAj_i-0y5bAO6dNB7smXmMcVZNtECAWBxs/s1600/scarecrow+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMKeeGwnxiaB_rfI-BRS-SsvaQmswaUTXEd3B1KC4c8IAZZoXxad8V6Qs3zJ2wcd85jbTrpZWM0eFD_YQ55igjvVHTb-YS7h8FULqFmZ3VRAj_i-0y5bAO6dNB7smXmMcVZNtECAWBxs/s320/scarecrow+3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today I would like to share with you some of the work I have done on "The Scarecrow's Halloween".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;">I started with a simple mock up of the book with only the text placed where I wanted it to be. From there I sketched illustration ideas into notebooks...several notebooks... trying to create the best image for each set of words on the page. Sometimes these images came easy, sometimes not so much, a lot of scribbling goes into making a book! </span><br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQf7MuepP6D5vbM8sdDIDSJglI0Crw8Cj0cbiTI-qpwqH7GvjpAKj2ckq-ep2jTiYGF3A7ebOwmCISzgaKH8hNT6qEnIHjhsqzGr4Wi2jRZacMYDXzAg5JCLkEFOcML9GZ5Pm_-wTpMdU/s320/scarecrow+6.jpg" width="240" /></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;">After choosing what I felt were the best images for each page and then drawing each one into the mock up in pencil... I then set about to use color pencils to bring each image to life. This part of the process has been most enjoyable to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I will admit that these illustrations are still quite rough, but they are good guides for me in capturing the color and mood for the book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Once I am satisfied with each rough illustration, I will start to do the final illustrations in acrylic on watercolor paper like I have done with all my book illustrations. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b2TEDjvkB6uyVpnbwYWlhf6jONXflJRijV5mwhZ9r_AN6mDNjMYuv8oIlwIBZ1NebjFuFB0rNCkwJDsaY7Ew4azKcxQawJlmssSWJbgc0cTSFPXCTW7G5y-qQ-NSlLf6C55_PcehoiM/s1600/scarecrow+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b2TEDjvkB6uyVpnbwYWlhf6jONXflJRijV5mwhZ9r_AN6mDNjMYuv8oIlwIBZ1NebjFuFB0rNCkwJDsaY7Ew4azKcxQawJlmssSWJbgc0cTSFPXCTW7G5y-qQ-NSlLf6C55_PcehoiM/s400/scarecrow+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I still have a lot of work and changes to do with this book, but for me... that is where the fun is! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdDU_a6bsz3afb6Fqaj-lxaebsEW0pSQUt-bClyfqNzIIqXYxN8Ju2CkHS163RW_xqsbmNYBjg_-DCn9Sjysa_AwKZ3L_-SlUE-IQTODaQNoRZeILsSLuuNdyl101iWSbbTHIkDjr1IE/s1600/scarecrow+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdDU_a6bsz3afb6Fqaj-lxaebsEW0pSQUt-bClyfqNzIIqXYxN8Ju2CkHS163RW_xqsbmNYBjg_-DCn9Sjysa_AwKZ3L_-SlUE-IQTODaQNoRZeILsSLuuNdyl101iWSbbTHIkDjr1IE/s400/scarecrow+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;">So I would like to thank you for checking in on my progress so far. I have other completed roughs I would like to share later...once I convince my daughter to take some more pictures with her phone!! But rest assure I will try to keep you posted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Will all this work ever get published? I sure hope so! But for now I am just enjoying the creative process and doing my best to bring this story to life!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Take care!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Greg</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<br />Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-12275821354297380132015-11-15T11:23:00.000-06:002015-11-16T05:18:09.961-06:00Starting over...again.<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On July 1st 2013 I wrote a rather dismal yet heartfelt post on this blog...I had lost my passion and my drive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Trying to figure out what went wrong is one thing, trying to get my creative passion back is another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am slowly working on getting some form of ambition back, trying to rework some old projects and ultimately getting published again. This is no small undertaking!!</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9Kidf3Le6bnmp-mnBEKSzZ9GG4SZdB1tQ3wjMq4ptDeMgk-Rx31AeFx5YOpXOui8B7djbdl0n1au8aIvPcp5t81PJyL4k7tgv9tK05-lm0mX06XI744hYFzZ7EtE-BT0q6lBqniOwis/s1600/new+book+cover+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9Kidf3Le6bnmp-mnBEKSzZ9GG4SZdB1tQ3wjMq4ptDeMgk-Rx31AeFx5YOpXOui8B7djbdl0n1au8aIvPcp5t81PJyL4k7tgv9tK05-lm0mX06XI744hYFzZ7EtE-BT0q6lBqniOwis/s400/new+book+cover+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My last book entitled </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/At-End-Day-Greg-Budig/dp/0880450940"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"At the End of the Day"</span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> really didn't go anywhere. That could have been the fault of the publisher, but most likely it was my own fault for not promoting this wonderful book more strongly. I had let my newest creation down!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I started a somewhat ambitious....maybe somewhat lame challenge on my </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Greg-Budig-Author-Illustrator-118881598136477/?ref=hl"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Greg Budig Author & Illustrator Facebook page </span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">to have my friends and followers request a copy of this book at their local library. I received a lot of wonderful responses and hope to see it's circulation grow in the library world. But people won't check it out if they don't know it exists. Is it too late to promote a book that's four years old? Hhhmmmm.....that is the question.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaepEXxPYQ1AUPHjExp8a2uj3NkSPEzfQeyMlwvh0mqH9WZX9ZLL5RqcodZsLcdCgHWPMNS185daHzgwao8qq9Pa-Xkqk_OiwV2EM4IlpsJ23TQqGIt20Fw7b6f9O3DB3Bu4PIsXQdsyc/s1600/halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaepEXxPYQ1AUPHjExp8a2uj3NkSPEzfQeyMlwvh0mqH9WZX9ZLL5RqcodZsLcdCgHWPMNS185daHzgwao8qq9Pa-Xkqk_OiwV2EM4IlpsJ23TQqGIt20Fw7b6f9O3DB3Bu4PIsXQdsyc/s320/halloween.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So my next plan of action is to finish some of the book projects that I had started years ago, some of which are actually quite good. I am currently revisiting and working on a Halloween themed book based on some decorations I made for our front yard, the book is entitled "The Scarecrow's Halloween" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The joy of creating seems to be returning...I'm actually feeling excited about this idea!! It needs to be revamped, reworked and redesigned in places, but over all it has good structure. I just need to get busy with it!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So this is where I am at right now. Hopefully a little more positive and hopefully a lot more ambitious than the last time I posted on here. Will this feeling remain? Like I said last time...I kind of hope so!!</span><br />
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<br />Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-545052846513182072013-07-01T00:00:00.000-05:002013-07-01T00:00:19.261-05:00"Whatever Happened to....Oh Yeah... That Guy!!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Seems not that long ago I was full of ideas and optimism about writing and illustrating, somewhere along the line that passion seems to have died.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">How do these things happen? How do we allow ourselves to suddenly seem to give up? I guess that after my last book more or less tanked before it left the publisher...I suddenly realized that maybe my whole "career</span></span> <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"</span></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">was pretty much a fluke.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">When I got the call from Stemmer House Publishers back in 2004 about publishing my first book, I felt that the sky was the limit!! Feelings of excitement</span></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">and endless possibilities raced through my mind...I had Caldecott dreams and visions of starred reviews in my head!</span></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then the realities of the book business floated to the surface of my tranquil, little, children's book pond.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Due to circumstances beyond my control, the book was released nearly a year and a half late and in paperback...not the hardcover version with dust jacket as I was promised.</span></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Apparently big name book reviewers, libraries and the Caldecott award committee aren't that interested in soft cover books...in fact soft cover books aren't even eligible for the Caldecott. Suddenly all my dreams of overnight</span></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">success and glory started to get a little hazy. I was still proud of my accomplishment, but I also felt a little disappointed. Where were all the reviews and promotional help I expected from my publisher? Nowhere to be found it seemed...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Granted I had moments of praise for my books over the years. I deeply appreciated the kind words I received from people around the world about them, but it was during the production of my last book that I suddenly stopped enjoying what I was doing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The editor selected to work with me on this book seemed disinterested, like she really didn't understand my lyrical style of writing. She seemed to be spending more time dissecting each word instead of grasping the message I was trying to convey. The whole process seemed to destroy what little passion I had left for writing... I really didn't feel it anymore.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I suppose I could list for you the many personal reasons for why I just seemed to suddenly stop writing and painting, but that would be nothing but mindless chatter and complaining,<i> nobody wants to hear that!</i> I guess it all boils down to one simple thing...I just didn't feel inspired anymore.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">So consider this as a sort of feeble attempt at sorting it all out, trying to figure out the reasons for giving up on something that was truly important to me... trying to make sense of what went wrong. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Maybe someday I'll be back... I kind of hope so! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">take care...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<br />Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-10416996561448820152012-02-18T17:33:00.001-06:002012-02-19T01:16:57.868-06:00"Oh The Places I Go!"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ctjWS3C3keX4kIr600PZgmrR810hUEBIT_nMfxTw5x4wyNbrNx-0irABSxZnhEfpc-OI_xZulyGNCXOYY_61FwS7zRj5hhvU1rjZnfcWYpyg9NJ2d4qPMmfktJVqVFSzwoCcdgxlsP8/s1600/Monticello+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ctjWS3C3keX4kIr600PZgmrR810hUEBIT_nMfxTw5x4wyNbrNx-0irABSxZnhEfpc-OI_xZulyGNCXOYY_61FwS7zRj5hhvU1rjZnfcWYpyg9NJ2d4qPMmfktJVqVFSzwoCcdgxlsP8/s320/Monticello+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working with the young artists.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I recently had the good fortune of being invited to Pinewood Elementary School in Monticello, MN. In life, sometimes one thing leads to another, and that's pretty much how this whole visit started. During school conferences last fall, my niece Tammy gave her daughters teacher Mrs. Stoick, a <i>"glowing"</i> review about me and my books. Her teacher was intrigued and decided to contact me about doing something at the school.</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUifT-B1yBWuIKsJqNLFS1I5RIBSo0ZJSW0gYPNWtLs9Q_6KHPUoPaxxOiYCzPAb0CrYMt1F5Gv_UycrvC2SySIt87aIDyYFTSfRiGcffdthBFfrRS5XRRMq0wh4XqaHVGReKVRTL_U28/s1600/Monticello+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUifT-B1yBWuIKsJqNLFS1I5RIBSo0ZJSW0gYPNWtLs9Q_6KHPUoPaxxOiYCzPAb0CrYMt1F5Gv_UycrvC2SySIt87aIDyYFTSfRiGcffdthBFfrRS5XRRMq0wh4XqaHVGReKVRTL_U28/s320/Monticello+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> I painted these canvasback ducks back in 1986!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Her class </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">would be involved in submitting designs for the Federal Jr. Duck Stamp program. This program is based off the prestigious Federal Duck Stamp competition that is held every year here in the United States. Artists from across the country are invited to send in their designs</span></span>. <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">From these designs, a panel of judges will select a winner which will be turned into a stamp. These stamps are then sold to hunters, conservationists and anyone else</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">interested in helping environmental programs in the U.S.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Jr. Duck Stamp program was started to let school age children get involved in the arts as well as a conservation based program. Mrs. Stoick thought I would be the perfect person to help inspire and teach her students a little bit about waterfowl and design.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM8MbGGMGQr9R2Vwlj_AZDYWAm7c256RpFWKSaPR_9-7v5K_uF7TuqClTm3x4tLo27jinGHkzdOmXGFcvscNd8dixQZrjjct8vpy563zS7iqGkdyf_2Hvz8bIHefpOLOPML6cvz4WkYI/s1600/Moniticello+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM8MbGGMGQr9R2Vwlj_AZDYWAm7c256RpFWKSaPR_9-7v5K_uF7TuqClTm3x4tLo27jinGHkzdOmXGFcvscNd8dixQZrjjct8vpy563zS7iqGkdyf_2Hvz8bIHefpOLOPML6cvz4WkYI/s320/Moniticello+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing some examples of duck bills.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I must admit my wildlife art skills felt a little rusty at first. All the paintings I brought were from the 1980's! Seems I've spent the last few years working mainly on artwork for book projects</span></span>. <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But once I started doing a few simple drawings for them, it all seemed to fall back in place</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">for me artistically.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-Rb1s0PeMLvtgs4tGorLbV7FcSmDCkN-9dS1S3hFoMu_vxwnZBfti9Gb1-vuGvUAoVKCZy84Zb0zNnjum9Pk68O-bWBj8JRF6wYsu490-jFLFvBNHJ5SVHDDLAMgHAHtFzRLYh9eaLs/s1600/Monticello+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-Rb1s0PeMLvtgs4tGorLbV7FcSmDCkN-9dS1S3hFoMu_vxwnZBfti9Gb1-vuGvUAoVKCZy84Zb0zNnjum9Pk68O-bWBj8JRF6wYsu490-jFLFvBNHJ5SVHDDLAMgHAHtFzRLYh9eaLs/s320/Monticello+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my great niece Savannah.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The kids were great! They seemed genuinely interested in my work and what I had to say. I explained a little bit about design</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">and the differences between different species of waterfowl. They then worked on their own designs while I went around the room and gave them some help.</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I even got to sign some books for my great niece </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Savannah</span></span>. <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">All in all...it was a wonderful day!!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-41344907361519651072012-01-21T16:25:00.000-06:002012-01-21T16:25:44.662-06:00"Lentil" by Robert McCloskey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWW878Q15JdHrj8YpHxP7xpTRMSaffFGmw6Seu5sZGSPsraVeh7R9GsUIxLtHPozhOhNOIAB7voZa1kFPsyWPo9hgKOXXe2Ypx4KML9UvX9sJKi-fbqXsMjjU_OqR59rRVLFsB-_OOeA/s1600/Lentil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWW878Q15JdHrj8YpHxP7xpTRMSaffFGmw6Seu5sZGSPsraVeh7R9GsUIxLtHPozhOhNOIAB7voZa1kFPsyWPo9hgKOXXe2Ypx4KML9UvX9sJKi-fbqXsMjjU_OqR59rRVLFsB-_OOeA/s320/Lentil.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> This is the third in my series of children's books that inspired me...</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Robert McCloskey was born on September 15, 1914 in Hamiltion, Ohio. He is best known for creating such children's masterpieces as <i>"Make Way for Ducklings"</i> and<i> "Blueberries For Sal"</i>. But it was this</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> book <i>"Lentil"</i></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, his first book as author and illustrator, that first caught my attention as a youngster.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnB-sbdeZ5Qrl5eZby_f_EGkUoHELqt0KaJd_k5RV_tfIEDdWi3kYLJgNsBc60n7L1Iin9UKklQjEyYM9CFYd1XHbzVYljHruotxmqyK2IKdQUP2cUsE5Q4pTxVHL-g7ELsN5z88DTJ4/s1600/lentil-illustration1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnB-sbdeZ5Qrl5eZby_f_EGkUoHELqt0KaJd_k5RV_tfIEDdWi3kYLJgNsBc60n7L1Iin9UKklQjEyYM9CFYd1XHbzVYljHruotxmqyK2IKdQUP2cUsE5Q4pTxVHL-g7ELsN5z88DTJ4/s1600/lentil-illustration1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> McCloskey had such command of his artistry, his pen and ink work was remarkable! There was no need for color with pen skills like this. As a child, I was drawn to the exaggerated expressions shown on the faces and in the body language of his characters, they nearly <i>jumped</i> from the pages of his books. There was such fluidity to his drawings, they had a rhythm and motion all there own...I found them to be utterly fascinating. There is a certain sense of timelessness that black and white illustrations can evoke, a feeling I tried to capture in my first book <i>"I Hear the Wind". </i>I wasn't sure if I had the patience to do all the illustrations in pen and ink like I first envisioned, so I rendered them in black and white acrylic paints. I was happy with the results!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHT0kLB6KT-0urCEzxkH44Rs10jrCfnam8ybEbBed61oQOboRNzJkjk6aD2hyJ_P89_kJukv9_vmLdg6hInD9ke_HKAla2uO65wlT7_bw89CFSLFIHEhSTuPJPEZQstqMVUxNSrzowW8/s1600/Lentil+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHT0kLB6KT-0urCEzxkH44Rs10jrCfnam8ybEbBed61oQOboRNzJkjk6aD2hyJ_P89_kJukv9_vmLdg6hInD9ke_HKAla2uO65wlT7_bw89CFSLFIHEhSTuPJPEZQstqMVUxNSrzowW8/s400/Lentil+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"LENTIL" is set in the fictional small town of Alto, Ohio. </span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">(Which was loosely based on McCloskey's own hometown) </span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The story involves a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> boy named Lentil who, because he could not</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> sing or whistle, learns to play the harmonica.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> One day the town started to buzz with word</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> that Colonel Carter, the town’s most famous former </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">citizen, would be returning. Everyone was happy</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> about this except Old </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sneep, who was a very</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> bitter and despicable sort of character.</span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBehaa_1EdAc6TlcgWgYLiUyESBNnRYYpyj-TJ3j3pCy001V-W21PIwhOaJkdskCV1OLVBSAyQVQxAJsVeZB2D9Ha2QBqsPUMeqJv7q6XYlBNa-208w65mMXxxyvWp2ObZmUiOVmUOB8/s1600/Lentil+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBehaa_1EdAc6TlcgWgYLiUyESBNnRYYpyj-TJ3j3pCy001V-W21PIwhOaJkdskCV1OLVBSAyQVQxAJsVeZB2D9Ha2QBqsPUMeqJv7q6XYlBNa-208w65mMXxxyvWp2ObZmUiOVmUOB8/s400/Lentil+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">All kinds of festivities were planned</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> to welcome Colonel Carter home, including a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> brass band which would greet him at the train.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> When the train finally arrived, the only sound</span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">heard in the town <i>was the sound of Old Sneep</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> sucking on a lemon! </i><b><i> </i></b>The old man knew this</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> would make the musicians pucker up and be</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> unable to play their instruments. A very</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> confused and disappointed Colonel Carter stepped off the</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> train, where was the great fanfare he expected? Not effected by the sound of the slurping Sneep, Lentil puckered up,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> blew on his harmonica, and filled the air with</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> lively music! The story ends with Colonel Carter</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> and the rest of the town continuing the celebration...</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> even to the delight of Old Sneep!</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind3V565jS49mujxjzjK2V1O3wDh0FuPJ78_tzLVX9ml9ygie5j7uslPmxRh3ygv2YgLIXUknCTek3fYMos7RqpA9WvDO0Cq0Qc9q5l7xgM56OEcwxxcmnGQYZQyUvZIpmVzZ4ScQGksA/s1600/McCloskey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind3V565jS49mujxjzjK2V1O3wDh0FuPJ78_tzLVX9ml9ygie5j7uslPmxRh3ygv2YgLIXUknCTek3fYMos7RqpA9WvDO0Cq0Qc9q5l7xgM56OEcwxxcmnGQYZQyUvZIpmVzZ4ScQGksA/s320/McCloskey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Robert McCloskey died on June 30, 2003. He was a master of illustration. I will forever be inspired by his work and his contribution to the world of children's literature. </span></span>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-44135725885564643202012-01-13T19:31:00.000-06:002012-01-13T19:31:14.500-06:00"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHA0zsWAOJdF26ShyphenhyphenVmVA8EOGRE2byt68jGn5Ttv3yEr76OwvnYI0d23JqBPrX9vBg6sm-2oiuCTg5VQFmiH8L4njGqGgtKx8RAWw9Zi-2HRiuErYvHxg7I7PPnYEilFr7mNaEP4BJo34/s1600/where-the-wild-things-are.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHA0zsWAOJdF26ShyphenhyphenVmVA8EOGRE2byt68jGn5Ttv3yEr76OwvnYI0d23JqBPrX9vBg6sm-2oiuCTg5VQFmiH8L4njGqGgtKx8RAWw9Zi-2HRiuErYvHxg7I7PPnYEilFr7mNaEP4BJo34/s320/where-the-wild-things-are.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ah yes...books that inspired me, part 2. This one is pretty obvious, in fact, I'm sure 99.9% of all the folks of my age group will list this one somewhere on their all time list of favorites. <i>Hey, what's not to like?! </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oEZY6FUkKeZS9E1CgcDymRpjra3uj5EW9aaKp7ZpfV8MSSZTgEFqyFQUR29jgtqE81aEINs6vYiRXzfWUOJayjEKtWiXilkKoXkoaI-A7wSWS2esFkCdBTclAUQ7jIFgmmLEOKclAnk/s1600/where-the-wild-things-are+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oEZY6FUkKeZS9E1CgcDymRpjra3uj5EW9aaKp7ZpfV8MSSZTgEFqyFQUR29jgtqE81aEINs6vYiRXzfWUOJayjEKtWiXilkKoXkoaI-A7wSWS2esFkCdBTclAUQ7jIFgmmLEOKclAnk/s400/where-the-wild-things-are+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Released in 1963, this book revolutionized children's picture books. But the literary establishment of the day was not quite ready for <i>this</i> revolution it seems...the book was banned by many school libraries and at first dismissed by the critics. But somewhere along the line, someone in the establishment realized, <i>"Wow! The kids really seem to like this funny little book about monsters."</i> Apparently opinions changed in the literary world..."Where the Wild Things Are" was awarded the Caldecott Award for the best illustrated children's book for 1964 and has gone on to be one of the most popular and iconic children's books of all time.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOcrABXMtvRUHSJJzMwDGxeLfJjplaP-CJD2w45yGY-hEY4mAS_AV1jCxRQnLTY-mOvGfiJLhF_QiwqGxdViatuBN7koB4o8lce97BwsX97dLxNXviwccMcxnV8cJW3eZ7VgY91kqIxk/s1600/where-the-wild-things-are+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOcrABXMtvRUHSJJzMwDGxeLfJjplaP-CJD2w45yGY-hEY4mAS_AV1jCxRQnLTY-mOvGfiJLhF_QiwqGxdViatuBN7koB4o8lce97BwsX97dLxNXviwccMcxnV8cJW3eZ7VgY91kqIxk/s400/where-the-wild-things-are+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> As a child, I was mesmerized by this book. Maurice Sendak's illustrative style was so original and amazing. His use of line is so lyrical as it flows effortlessly across the page. I remember being impressed by his use of pen and ink, of how he as able to achieve such depth and fullness in his characters using a simple art pen and watercolors. His intricate use of detail is what inspired me to draw, his vivid imagination inspired me to see things in a different way.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Most children can see a little of themselves in Max, the main character in this book. Sometimes our playfulness could get a little out of hand, sometimes we needed a time out to settle us down...but what happens during that time out is left up to our imaginations. But in the end, after all our bad behavior, we would still be welcomed back home with our supper waiting for us...and it will still be hot.</span></span><br />
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</span></span>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-31200327927129095632012-01-08T11:45:00.003-06:002012-01-09T19:56:48.814-06:00"So What the Hell am I REALLY Doing?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjAA05QuscYN-Wnp1ayy93rutyJdj29j9lvrB90Z4lSCV2p2eQP6apDWcKlX0CguXNmjlpK-rvTTD7XaQ4r-9N08IwVbOu6aoHKumWjxB1IwOfp5dtYNQcTjPfAj84glLSXb9T6CkywpA/s1600/P1110192050006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjAA05QuscYN-Wnp1ayy93rutyJdj29j9lvrB90Z4lSCV2p2eQP6apDWcKlX0CguXNmjlpK-rvTTD7XaQ4r-9N08IwVbOu6aoHKumWjxB1IwOfp5dtYNQcTjPfAj84glLSXb9T6CkywpA/s320/P1110192050006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So here we are...starting a whole new year! Full of new energy and positive ideals, ready to make a change for the better!!!!!!!!!!</span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Yeah really.....</span></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So what the hell am I really trying to do? What am I trying to accomplish with my small time book career? Why do I keep doing what I do? Obviously it's not the money. God <i>KNOWS </i>it's not the money. One of the first things I ever learned about children's book publishing is that if you're doing it for the money...<i>DON'T DO IT!!</i></span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My third book was released last fall to not a whole lot of pomp and circumstance. No release parties, no book signings, not a whole lot of anything. Truth is, I really am tired of trying to be my own publicist. My publishing company really doesn't do much in terms of advertising or promotion, they never really have, most of the time I'm just happy that they want to publish my stuff. But after years of trying to chase down reviews for my books and trying to get some book signings going, I've realized it's just a bunch of hard work...and I'm just feeling tired. What ever happened to the joy of creating? What ever happened to having time to do it? Why did I get into this in the first place?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">...and so I've started working on a new book. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have no idea of whether or not my current publisher is even going to continue releasing new material or is even interested in this book. I'm not all that sure of what their business plan is since one of the owners passed away last summer. His wife is continuing with the business, but I'm not really sure if her heart is into it anymore. I'm really not at liberty to be making a lot of assumptions on this situation I suppose, I just have this gut feeling that a change is in the works...and I may not be included in this change.</span></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I guess I'm just doing it because I want to.</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The story itself has been written and revised a couple times, fact is, I wrote this little ditty several years ago. I've always liked this story and decided to bring it back to life, it seemed like the right time to do it. I have no deadline this time, I have no expectations of what it should or shouldn't be...I'm just trying to make the most of what I have to work with. </span></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now I'm into the illustration mode. I'm dusting off an old, incomplete dummy I made of this book and am reinventing my vision of this story. The dummy I made was pretty limited, but it did have some good illustration ideas that I am now expanding on. I've decided to try to be more inventive with this story, and I've decided to be more patient. I must admit that my artistic skills are quite good, but must also admit that as an artist I'm rather lazy. Sometimes getting from the inspiration stage to the completion stage can be a struggle...who am I kidding..<i>.it's always a struggle!! </i>The urge to get it over with is overwhelming when you have limited time to begin with. Sometimes I feel that if I don't get it done within a certain amount of time, it will never get done. So I slap dash everything together at the last minute or go the easy route illustration wise. Being an artist doesn't give you the magical power to simply create perfection at the snap of your fingers, it's mostly a lot of time consuming work. Not that I don't enjoy it mind you, it just takes time, time that you sometimes don't have. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So that is why I'm closing, because I've spent way too much time on this here blog thing today. Too much time venting about things most people could really give a damn about...too much time wasted on being noticed.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sorry if this wasn't the optimistic message you expected. I guess I could whip up some satisfying and uplifting ending to this post...<i>but I don't think I have time for that.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-13039859860431238572011-12-31T13:00:00.001-06:002011-12-31T13:03:10.517-06:00"A New Years Wish"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc91vjTvgTC22DCrZvo4WSkYwFWZrMoA65nHLdvcf1wrkKhbPmY3KxWbwhAuemudZG4QCCltMW33wDa_rhejlu-EBsJV1ras2RlVLv0PrVXVD6J_FvyVP6lnEN09kjt5Mq0ApRE6IJ2G0/s1600/happy+new+year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span></span><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc91vjTvgTC22DCrZvo4WSkYwFWZrMoA65nHLdvcf1wrkKhbPmY3KxWbwhAuemudZG4QCCltMW33wDa_rhejlu-EBsJV1ras2RlVLv0PrVXVD6J_FvyVP6lnEN09kjt5Mq0ApRE6IJ2G0/s400/happy+new+year.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Wishing you and yours a healthy and prosperous New Year!!!</span> </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-37515449427150097142011-12-30T21:42:00.000-06:002011-12-30T21:42:27.540-06:00"The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOTgnJwA6l4Wo5_fV2TJpOmz-KhiwEN7MxMdDtq8YSouGNwDLDkwotisOyxSSZxPG_XtQ0wd-6OgHYp5UFUA_a9tdRUDUoGLk1tRcP1CrKyhW7IUM5rzNPCFrmnYp74gHsAWDkYHAzcc/s1600/snowy+day+cover.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOTgnJwA6l4Wo5_fV2TJpOmz-KhiwEN7MxMdDtq8YSouGNwDLDkwotisOyxSSZxPG_XtQ0wd-6OgHYp5UFUA_a9tdRUDUoGLk1tRcP1CrKyhW7IUM5rzNPCFrmnYp74gHsAWDkYHAzcc/s320/snowy+day+cover.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> I've been thinking a lot lately about inspiration, things that left an indelible mark on my memories, things that inspired me to create. I really hadn't realized it until after my second book, "Still (A Winter's Journey)", was in print as to how much it parallels this book..."The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats.</i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I really don't remember how old I was when I first got this book. I do remember being in grade school at St. Mary's in Morris, MN when I got it, and I remember getting it through Scholastic Books. Getting the flimsy, tissue paper thin Scholastic Books order form in school was a monumental moment for me as a child. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Being able to pick out a new book was something magical and rare..<i>.there weren't exactly a ton of book stores out there on the windswept prairie back in the late 1960's! </i>But I remember what caught my attention from all the other tiny little book pictures in that circular was the cover. There was something about that little boy in the red snowsuit that peaked my interest.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VW9REJ3Ojv7scpMKp9FoLRQDleP1vozfw-dFlyR06dNNt6G_YUHgANeIvLM1ph_1EA18lyH6vZn1qLY_Mburksbgt1Z-gnoDzQdOUb8DHYrTe3V5VoNTMpgCdbsQXcNRMckFxPdZIFM/s1600/snowy+day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VW9REJ3Ojv7scpMKp9FoLRQDleP1vozfw-dFlyR06dNNt6G_YUHgANeIvLM1ph_1EA18lyH6vZn1qLY_Mburksbgt1Z-gnoDzQdOUb8DHYrTe3V5VoNTMpgCdbsQXcNRMckFxPdZIFM/s320/snowy+day+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The story centers around a little boy named Peter who wakes up one morning to find that it has snowed overnight! His normally dirty inner city world has turned into a winter wonderland and he sets out to explore and have an adventure. First he builds a snowman, then makes snow angels, climbs a snow mountain, makes patterns in the snow with a stick...he generally makes the most of this snowy day. Later that night, he dreams that the sun has come out and melted all the wonderful snow! But much to his relief it was only a dream and a fresh layer of snow greets him the next morning!</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwn3WCNxLOEDG0OspGYDPEyEtYmNyhh1ALcrolnShviAJ-fZB-VvTMWA1JvGYFfnX1OiV8jLT3RWAnugxEWNO-OPkaJKD4SOVmy4FcuVY92_ZsnOT25l800VijjKn6Mvv0a74eywZgNM/s1600/snowy+day+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwn3WCNxLOEDG0OspGYDPEyEtYmNyhh1ALcrolnShviAJ-fZB-VvTMWA1JvGYFfnX1OiV8jLT3RWAnugxEWNO-OPkaJKD4SOVmy4FcuVY92_ZsnOT25l800VijjKn6Mvv0a74eywZgNM/s400/snowy+day+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Ezra Jack Keats used a technique of mixing opaque watercolor with paper collage to create incredibly expressive yet simple illustrations. His use of color was remarkable! The vibrant red of Peter's snowsuit against the wintry landscape and the crystal clear blue sky is so striking. And the snow was <i>not white... </i>it was a kaleidoscope of muted blues, purples and pinks. </span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fJSgda_iunX_-J7OsiV23iOGKd9j6Hfq6SX51pM9sxyzwubf8j_quW3DROaLSiEkVAu-kwUKx73uVBJso68XMo6peE6njbTvJq7X3EcVOcGW-IaMwD2w7w352uaSY-tSpg4rde1-AhA/s1600/snowy+day+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fJSgda_iunX_-J7OsiV23iOGKd9j6Hfq6SX51pM9sxyzwubf8j_quW3DROaLSiEkVAu-kwUKx73uVBJso68XMo6peE6njbTvJq7X3EcVOcGW-IaMwD2w7w352uaSY-tSpg4rde1-AhA/s400/snowy+day+2.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This deceptively simple story has a lot to say. It does what every good picture book should do, it transports the reader and listener into a special world created by the author and once there, he lets you follow Peter through his snowy adventure. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This book reminds me that I have much to learn about story telling and illustrating, sometimes I need to learn when to stop telling and start showing. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So that is the story of Ezra Jack Keats "The Snowy Day". If you haven't already enjoyed this book, I urge you to go out and purchase a copy for yourself to share with a special child in your life. And while you're at it...purchase a copy of one of my books as well!!!<i> Just kidding!...but seriously if you feel compelled to do so, it would be greatly appreciated!! No pressure...really.</i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Take care</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Greg</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-60854827430281998642011-12-28T20:03:00.000-06:002011-12-28T20:03:55.564-06:00"Reflections on a Brown Christmas"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4O2wQDAdYSIj0F41qbPl_gohVPfgp-tWxvLBkPEfQ4nMPPN8gBvHmW8nOWHAnQE0CUGmPUpH5XhblZhGuWgibXOH2szHoOXvTgY1wQtC-EuS6edbHnO_9bU2kNsMs-ZWy7UKHujuNwO4/s1600/illustration+d.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4O2wQDAdYSIj0F41qbPl_gohVPfgp-tWxvLBkPEfQ4nMPPN8gBvHmW8nOWHAnQE0CUGmPUpH5XhblZhGuWgibXOH2szHoOXvTgY1wQtC-EuS6edbHnO_9bU2kNsMs-ZWy7UKHujuNwO4/s400/illustration+d.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">An illustration from "Still (A Winter's Journey)"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is as close to a wintry scene as we have had here in the upper Midwest...not exactly the stuff of Bing Crosby</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">legend!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A part of me, the sentimental, romantic side of me, missed the atmospheric wonder and soft holiday glow that the snow provided as a backdrop to the season. The other part of me, the jaded, realistic side, thoroughly enjoyed not having to shovel it or drive through it every morning on the way to work. <i>I was in heaven!!</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It seems the artist and writer in me, the part of me most connected to the carefree days of childhood, yearned for the snow. Visions of frosted window panes and snowflakes like goose down ran endlessly through my mind. That part of me wanted to be immersed in the solitude of the new fallen snow...but it seems that part of me doesn't reside within me like it used to.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Blame it on age, life, lack of free time...well, free time away from dozing in the recliner. Sometimes what ambition and energy I do muster, I need to focus on trying to accomplish all the other endless chores I've let pile up around here. I seem to no longer have time to be childlike anymore, and that's rather sad to admit.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> And so we embrace our brown Christmas, we take it for all it's worth and enjoy the fact that our outdoor decorations won't be frozen into the ground until sometime in March. And besides...we can always dream for next year!</span></span><br />
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</div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-62928486044188832532011-12-24T11:14:00.000-06:002011-12-24T11:14:12.909-06:00"At Christmas Time"<div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry"><div class="post-header"> </div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-4642378256377426450"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKL8G4eFuE6ynHMXuIVpIPhTX_AX4zwCSbynYR7ZKOyDSM1UcLIeaDWOCTZLDn5eqktNCk-rVe-fynV0FgACUZHNrX7vWOt9v4Efz4VblitkL8-4YnrvAbO4IoSZRN4cd5kXJ1Krq0wk/s1600-h/P1010325.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="265" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279823791645032242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKL8G4eFuE6ynHMXuIVpIPhTX_AX4zwCSbynYR7ZKOyDSM1UcLIeaDWOCTZLDn5eqktNCk-rVe-fynV0FgACUZHNrX7vWOt9v4Efz4VblitkL8-4YnrvAbO4IoSZRN4cd5kXJ1Krq0wk/s400/P1010325.JPG" style="float: left; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="400" /></a> <span style="font-size: large;"><em style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As a child, before the world became complicated, I remember Christmas as a season of lights in the darkness.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I woke up early that morning tucked deeply beneath the warm familiar </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">blankets on my bed, I was lost in a world of half dreams. I could see the warm glow of Christmas lights reflecting through the lacy patterns of frost on my bedroom window, I thought of everything and nothing all at the same time. </span><em style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was six years old and it was the morning of Christmas Eve Day!</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If I close my eyes now as a worn and somewhat jaded adult, I can still see and feel those images of Christmas. The warm and magical glow of colored lights against the cold, empty darkness of December. As I lay there, I remember hearing the soft sounds of holiday music as it crackled through the speakers of the old AM radio down in the kitchen. The tune was so sweet and familiar...but now has been lost to my memory. I stepped from my bedroom and into the hallway, up the stairwell the soft radiance of red and green shimmered from the lighted tree down in the living room, my mom always made sure that the Christmas tree was lit first thing in the morning. Framed against the grey blue morning outside, the tree was a beacon of Christmas! It was a symphony of red, green, blue and gold as the strands of long silvery tinsel reflected and danced with the colors of the lights. Time worn glass blown ornaments gleamed like priceless trophies against the needles of the majestic evergreen. I could scarcely speak as I was mezmerized by the all encompassing, Christmas celebrating beauty of it all.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As the years passed and the magic of Santa sadly faded away, I remember going for walks in the muted blue grey shadows of dusk to see the neighborhood lights. I saw rows and rows of lighted roof lines and scattered illuminated trees, plastic Santa's and snowmen seemed to march through the yards, each one calling out "Merry Christmas!" I could see the trees inside the houses glowing warmly and brightly, wreaths and bells and candles and holly...the air itself seemed to glow with the colors of Christmas. And then I would pass a lighted nativity, the solemn silent figures stood in reverence through the dark and lonely night...waiting for the star to shine again.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now as I am older, I still look for the lights of Christmas. We take our children out for rides to see the magic and listen to the music, each of us remembering these things in our own different ways. Sometimes we run so fast at this time of year we forget to look, we forget to dream, we forget to remember. We forget the magic we once all had inside us...and we forget to look for the lights of Christmas.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><em style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">See the lights? There are always lights at Christmas. Shining through the windows, there above the stable. Silent Night. The dreams we have at Christmas will always shine within us like lights against the darkness...at Christmas time.</em></span> </div></div></div></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-84322334581578439352011-12-19T16:31:00.000-06:002011-12-19T16:31:59.717-06:00"Now is the Time!"<div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry"><div class="post-header"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH5B8B-1F806hSC8CkWjhRGcj26m_2tv9q1WXiYhuoGG84Po_dEgvr-iRXF_GW9YgDlqxZXCePbbzLZOgioiq0e-kMMhrpCINZHJcjIl4kriRx3uDIxw7ZUXLiJx0DWlL3mzVHoIjR7M/s1600-h/lights.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="237" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416587443558357378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH5B8B-1F806hSC8CkWjhRGcj26m_2tv9q1WXiYhuoGG84Po_dEgvr-iRXF_GW9YgDlqxZXCePbbzLZOgioiq0e-kMMhrpCINZHJcjIl4kriRx3uDIxw7ZUXLiJx0DWlL3mzVHoIjR7M/s320/lights.bmp" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2232167031806196103"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I should really make this quick, as now is the time to get ready for Christmas. I know I have a number of things I should do today, always something left to buy, or bake, or see, or make...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thing is... Christmas will come no matter what we do... </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">or don't do. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Such is the season I'm afraid, we have been warned since damn near Halloween, so why do we </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">now</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> seem to run out of time. I can't really say what we expect though, all these time restrictions are more or less self imposed, it is by choice that we stress ourselves out over this. So what's the point you might ask?</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I suppose this is just a personal note to myself, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">and to whoever else might be reading this</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, to just stop for a moment and breath. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay...feel better now? Great, now just relax and have a Happy Holiday Season and a wondrous New Year!!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I knew we could do it!!!!</span></span> </div></div></div></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-74078596688418091722011-12-08T20:37:00.000-06:002011-12-08T20:37:44.551-06:00"The Music of Christmas"<div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry"><div class="post-header"> </div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7627693253727643435"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOD9aUapl_gAHcRSzGqk56eG_GJvsVGap2ieYbwurlajePgyDaNmpJrulHHtPEZapu0fzuYW-KGJ1LQ2G7wB5LvfWv5VzbGmDV6gQ0H1YR4eUMBxB1mB1F3vbkJhShq6EWHMQQz7cOQqA/s1600-h/perry+como+christmas.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414210252238414114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOD9aUapl_gAHcRSzGqk56eG_GJvsVGap2ieYbwurlajePgyDaNmpJrulHHtPEZapu0fzuYW-KGJ1LQ2G7wB5LvfWv5VzbGmDV6gQ0H1YR4eUMBxB1mB1F3vbkJhShq6EWHMQQz7cOQqA/s200/perry+como+christmas.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This album, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">"The Perry Como Christmas Album"</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, is forever etched into my memory. I consider it a recording masterpiece.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now I know there are those naysayers who don't necessarily think of this as a good thing. In fact they would probably presume that this would be a sign of a deeper more troubling mental condition...the condition known as </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">chronic lameness.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But who am I trying to kid...I just love Christmas music! From the day after Thanksgiving to midnight on December 25th, I'm going to be listening to the stuff and enjoying every sappy frickin' minute of it!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I think it all goes back to a ritual my family used to do during the Christmas season, </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXQknTwVHeKxFtQOX6WBnXP4G8itVK3Wt1j4PLxL-a0zAamxBCDS9P6Fwt8XRUUKCnwIOptQJYgrhQ7xQ3YNXLQa1DwtcWKMo5hTuMzxMfTj9Qa-xDKGpdgPtYGP5CwWskjbugiHT9iM/s1600-h/album-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414220302341460274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXQknTwVHeKxFtQOX6WBnXP4G8itVK3Wt1j4PLxL-a0zAamxBCDS9P6Fwt8XRUUKCnwIOptQJYgrhQ7xQ3YNXLQa1DwtcWKMo5hTuMzxMfTj9Qa-xDKGpdgPtYGP5CwWskjbugiHT9iM/s200/album-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I don't really remember </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">how it started, but I remember these moments as being some of my fondest memories of childhood. I remember how we would turn off all the lights in the house, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">well, all the lights except for those that pertained to Christmas</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, and we would then bask in the glow of the multi-colored, tinsel laden, ornament covered, star topped Christmas tree! And our soundtrack?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Why our beloved collection of Christmas albums!</span></span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perry Como, Gene Autry, Bing Crosby...nothing but the classics! We would heap these treasures onto the old turntable, sit back and let the music take over. Typically there would be some conversation of course, usually between my older sisters and my mom, but usually it was nothing too overly pressing. Of course various snacks would appear, my mom would bring out cookies or candies, there was no lack of feasting for us at this time of year!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9UYKk9miFTGBG2IoCtJmkNm_xxaQ2XKvXlJuyt9BuVbfXGljrW_DzaP4othz5ArqYYoxbajhzNGQfXX-jr3o0Ez7tXXWYiV-vTC1B5qVyg0po-5z4OIVKsY7gcjEdqM12CjU2_iV4nc/s1600-h/album+bing.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414227674037128786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9UYKk9miFTGBG2IoCtJmkNm_xxaQ2XKvXlJuyt9BuVbfXGljrW_DzaP4othz5ArqYYoxbajhzNGQfXX-jr3o0Ez7tXXWYiV-vTC1B5qVyg0po-5z4OIVKsY7gcjEdqM12CjU2_iV4nc/s200/album+bing.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But mostly, it was about the lights and the music. Our tree, typically a live tree, was wired with the largest, most heat emitting bulbs on the market. The fresh smell of pine in our house was also a by-product of the sap in the tree being super heated to nearly the boiling point...I'm surprised the whole thing didn't spontaneously erupt into flames! Our music was recorded on vinyl, non of this digitally remastered, compact disc, high definition crap...we reveled in the warmth of their imperfections!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was at this time that I would truly be immersed in the sights and sounds around me. Watching the snow falling gently outside the window, it danced passed the colored lights above the front door, and then slowly dissolving into the darkness of the night. Listening to Perry Como singing </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">"Ave Maria"</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> and realising that this was the most beautiful thing that you had ever, or maybe </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">would </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">ever, hear in your life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was a magical time to be sure, a time to gather as a family and listen to the sounds of the season, a time to</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">simply enjoy the simple </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">beauty of Christmas. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm92x6KqUn2VrIzwhB4uSFpAMjQQY_2hnzGogB2W2cpumXAEi5HaE_A4lXikpgMCtycB1BiNW9upbqR7jqJ5hbQrI87p5nKnI2zgAZ2GgNT3uzmzNu6-l-3lhaUL8wsDWZ5apwg_ckeU/s1600-h/frank-sinatra-a-jolly-christmas-from-frank-sinatra.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414240507977700178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm92x6KqUn2VrIzwhB4uSFpAMjQQY_2hnzGogB2W2cpumXAEi5HaE_A4lXikpgMCtycB1BiNW9upbqR7jqJ5hbQrI87p5nKnI2zgAZ2GgNT3uzmzNu6-l-3lhaUL8wsDWZ5apwg_ckeU/s200/frank-sinatra-a-jolly-christmas-from-frank-sinatra.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was then at that moment, when we were all lulled into the sweet transcendence of Christmas bliss, that my dad would flip on the kitchen lights as he came into the house after work saying,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;"> "Hey, who turned all the lights off!"</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> The cold slap of fluorescent light shook us all out of our trance, but only for a moment...</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">"Turn that light off and come into the living room!"</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> we would all yell.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Soon we would all be gathered together again in the colored darkness, my dad would hungrily cut up cheddar cheese and summer sausage to eat with crackers... and the happy sounds of Gene Autry would once again fill the air!</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Merry Christmas!</span></span><br />
</span></span></div></div></div></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-20119818426858648782011-12-04T00:49:00.001-06:002011-12-04T00:51:15.663-06:00"And so this is Christmas..."<div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry"><div class="post-header"></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6350450353894310909"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM-miBlcyjY8k_VUSZ8agKNYT9RRA6yA4vnmDQU6TluMDyFUzZ2AIV-vSilhRZuYgcKE9w3AWd2xrTOQSickOoN5mAO8RcYoiI09M2h-ngHPXmpPuowK_Zja1B4Ar3MbWmDDdNDxt_IE/s1600-h/Christmas+Illustration.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411491776753965522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM-miBlcyjY8k_VUSZ8agKNYT9RRA6yA4vnmDQU6TluMDyFUzZ2AIV-vSilhRZuYgcKE9w3AWd2xrTOQSickOoN5mAO8RcYoiI09M2h-ngHPXmpPuowK_Zja1B4Ar3MbWmDDdNDxt_IE/s400/Christmas+Illustration.bmp" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And so it begins...another holiday season. Creeping upon us like a sack carrying, soot covered figure in the middle of the night, it seems to catch us while we are sleeping. There is so much about the Christmas season that is artificial, cliche and overtly commercialized, but there is also so much that is personally original and g</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">enuinely real.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Christmas is about memories, either real or imagined, memories that often times define us as human beings. As a child, Christmas was a time of </span><a href="http://gregbudig.blogspot.com/2008/12/at-christmas-time.html" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">light in the darkness</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> to me, it was the quiet times I remember the most. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Christmas is also about traditions, a link to where we come from. From the foods we eat to when we opened our presents. Oddly enough, my mother always made that fine German staple of</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;"> lasagna</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> every Christmas Eve. She wasn't a woman stuck on ethnic tradition I suppose, rather she made something we all liked instead of the traditional German potato salad and carp. So lasagna became our traditional Christmas Eve meal! </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">"Buon Natale!!!!"</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every year we strive to make this </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">"The Best Christmas Ever!!"</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">...a Christmas to end all Christmases. But why? Maybe it's the desire to recreate an ideal that we've been grooming in our minds for years, trying to bring back a bit of our childhood, the reasons are many.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb2YSAVHmIE" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"And so this is Christmas</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">...as John Lennon once wrote, ...and what have we done?" "Another year over, and a new one just begun." The message is simple and so should be the holiday, I myself hope to follow this example...for once. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">"And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun. The near and the dear one, the old and the young."</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Merry Christmas!!!!</span></span> </div></div></div></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-50931523163253529722011-11-21T21:32:00.000-06:002011-11-21T21:32:39.474-06:00"A Celebration of Food!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3eKUpktCXf9St8B_UPNMB6z0_mDpeE0lIXSoy52bSRqdW5YSoQSBnLVHTXNdOcUnW7-jSrhG011yQe_J1WN8iTixUYMGKHgsethhJ5C6E49F_YcoryZEODDae4P6zJnnUmPr5gMtALg/s1600/thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3eKUpktCXf9St8B_UPNMB6z0_mDpeE0lIXSoy52bSRqdW5YSoQSBnLVHTXNdOcUnW7-jSrhG011yQe_J1WN8iTixUYMGKHgsethhJ5C6E49F_YcoryZEODDae4P6zJnnUmPr5gMtALg/s1600/thanksgiving.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The turkey sits in the fridge, slowly thawing, getting ready for the food frenzy that is in two days...the feast of Thanksgiving! Everyone seems to love this holiday, a day to overeat, watch television and sleep...sounds like heaven to me!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I personally enjoy the planning and preparation of the meal. There's something so basic and traditional about simmering the nasty bits, <i>(the heart, liver, gizzard and turkey neck)</i>,</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">in water, onion, celery and garlic</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">the evening before to make stock</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">for the stuffing. Oh sure...<i>you can buy chicken stock</i>, but why let those perfectly good organ meats go to waste?</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stew those bad boys up! Let them simmer for hours until the entire house is filled with the savory aroma of Thanksgiving!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I love getting up early Thanksgiving morning to start cooking, seasoning the bird and getting the sausage and mushrooms ready for the stuffing. Having a couple cups of freshly brewed coffee with my lovely wife is also part of the morning celebration...which eventually turns into a couple glasses of wine as the feast begins to take shape. Having a glass of crisp white zinfandel at 10:00 a.m. makes the holidays even <i>more</i> special!</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You can't cook gourmet without wine. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Turkey, sausage and mushroom dressing, Yukon gold mashed potatoes with homemade turkey gravy, acorn squash, brussel sprouts, buttered corn and soft dinner buns...oh heavens yes!! Cranberry sauce? Of that I am unsure. I have never really been a fan, though I do enjoy a cold glass of cranberry juice cocktail...maybe this year he will give cranberry sauce a try. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Afterwords we will all gather for pumpkin pie with whipped cream...as is the American thing to do! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So enjoy your Thanksgiving anyway you want to. Watch the parades, have a little wine, sleep all afternoon...oh yeah, I guess there's football on somewhere. Enjoy!</span></span></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-88216062333178235942011-11-11T22:25:00.000-06:002011-11-11T22:25:00.195-06:00"And the Winner is....."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHClfiizEXf7fucl43clpG6EoHBNjIJBpwjT-FrVT-0TN_QbsmW7X1AnGLPRSGwud4k4H1UUMzzoLAmhfdspLUnl9P7X8vSq66_uXExjI-aIWxbXNyRlzW8U0Xc9q2Q1uXKGU2xEvDi3I/s1600/mn+book+awards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHClfiizEXf7fucl43clpG6EoHBNjIJBpwjT-FrVT-0TN_QbsmW7X1AnGLPRSGwud4k4H1UUMzzoLAmhfdspLUnl9P7X8vSq66_uXExjI-aIWxbXNyRlzW8U0Xc9q2Q1uXKGU2xEvDi3I/s320/mn+book+awards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I recently submitted my newest book entitled<i> "At the End of the Day"</i> for nomination to The Minnesota Book Awards. I haven't received my official e-mail confirmation yet, but I'm fairly confident that my package of five books with nomination form and entry fee have made it safely to St. Paul, MN</span></span>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I go into this</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">with the full realization</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">that I haven't got the slightest chance in hell of ever winning this thing, but I figure that at least it will get some good exposure</span></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">for my new book. I'm not trying to be overly modest or anything here, I'm just being realistic. Who knows, maybe I'll be surprised...<i>but don't count on it.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We all like to be recognized for our talents. Most artist, whether they admit to it or not, can trace their passion for what they do back to a need to be noticed. I can trace my own identity as an artist back to kindergarten when my teacher gathered the entire class around me during art period and proclaimed <i>"Looks like we have quite the little artist here!" </i>I had found my purpose.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV4gCPrgEpencBKIfrjsfi72_DTkxniYOuJz4T1JUwKRCne0JtPFcJDktLP-7fALcL8dZg4BRcVj-S3UbxsETMtL6OV6VUX33w0OP7lVtlN7nCwFkQ7GjMoMCy_RxP3TWANh6tQvtVbE/s320/caldecott_award.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption">Randolph Caldecott</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the world of children's book illustration, the <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal">Randolph Caldecott Medal</a> is as good as it gets. Winning the Caldecott gives an illustrator instant recognition</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, countless new admirers and a whole lot of reasons to be noticed! When my first book <i>"I Hear the Wind"</i> was in production, I dreamed about it somehow beating the odds and winning the Caldecott! My rise to the top of the literary world would be the stuff of legend! My name would suddenly be mentioned in the same context as Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">or David Wiesner. I would be immortal! I then read the submission guidelines</span>... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Only hardcover books were eligible for consideration. My book had been hastily released in softcover after being delayed for almost two years, I was in fact, ineligible. I was crushed. It was eligible for The Minnesota Book Awards, much to my relief, and so I sent it in hoping for the best. And guess what? It didn't win a thing! Not even honorable mention!! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And so again I will try for literary immortality and hope the judges decide in my favor. This book was released in hardcover, so I may even submit it for the Caldecott Medal this year. Keep your fingers crossed...but don't hold your breath!</span></span><br />
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</div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-71432637957078183642011-11-06T12:15:00.000-06:002011-11-06T12:15:21.199-06:00"My Little Corner of the World"<div id="main-wrapper"> <div class="main section" id="main"> <div class="widget Blog" id="Blog1"> <div class="blog-posts hfeed"> <div class="date-outer"> <div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry"><div class="post-header"> </div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-537951962244327481"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFTdGjVqSuAwPJWAUbJ2QNn7-4aPeSM5i93B5NhPfFdpX-f3HyTUPrGioJGMVo3RmsCD_JTmFS5ufH4wI5F3l-8_XiaQ-YkB954iGvoCrfZWD6EW2SRB6iuMqNheGvJqLYD0yYQk3-EQ/s1600-h/my+little+studio.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403808167748978754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFTdGjVqSuAwPJWAUbJ2QNn7-4aPeSM5i93B5NhPfFdpX-f3HyTUPrGioJGMVo3RmsCD_JTmFS5ufH4wI5F3l-8_XiaQ-YkB954iGvoCrfZWD6EW2SRB6iuMqNheGvJqLYD0yYQk3-EQ/s400/my+little+studio.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is what I call my creative place, my atelier...</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">my studio.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In this little 5 x 6 ft. space, tucked neatly between the upstairs railing and the wall, I sit and create artwork for my various book projects. The space itself could be considered wasted space by most people, I suppose one could shove a dresser or bookcase back there, but it just seems a little, oh I don't know...</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">out of the way.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My drafting table was a cast off from my wife's workplace, no one else wanted it, so she brought it home. It fits perfectly between the railing and the wall! My cheap, imitation wood, three drawer filing cabinet, (I've had that thing for</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;"> years</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, I think I bought it at Shopko) also fit like a glove. Even the office chair was a freebie...my entire studio just sort of fell together, a bunch of rejects that fit perfectly in a wasted space, just wonderful!</span></span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have a little radio/cd player tucked under the drafting table for music, though I usually hear every sound that goes on downstairs from the open stairwell directly to my right anyways, I've dropped more than a few paintbrushes and pencils down those stairs. I have a window a little off to the right as well, we had to put a tiny jog in the railing to compensate for it, otherwise the railing would have ended up in the middle of said window. But that's okay! That tiny jog allowed the perfect spot for my cheap, imitation wood, Shopko filing cabinet. Things <i>do</i> happen for a reason.</span></span><br />
<br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And so there I sit, wedged in the corner between the stairway and an over sized dresser at the end of our upstairs bedroom. It is rather cozy I must say, sometimes a bit of a squeeze to maneuver around in that tiny space, considering that I am </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">not</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> the most compact person on the face of the earth. But it's my space, my place to create, to paint, to think...to dream. I should really go there more often, but sometimes the ambition to get up there needs a little prodding.</span></span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I sorely realize that I would be a much better artist if I would only sit down and sketch once in awhile, just do a painting for God's sake!! I seem to be a binge artist... I can spend months away from my drawing board, but once I get in the groove of doing some illustrations I can spend countless hours involved in my work. I feel a little rusty at first, but as soon as I get back into the swing of things I seem to make some artistic progress. But once the project it complete, I'll be gone for another couple months, that just seems to be my way of doing things.</span></span><br />
<br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Typically I get back into the mood to paint at this time of year, which seems to be happening now, I've got a number of illustrative ideas running around in my head </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: italic;">right at this very instant!!</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I hope to tackle an older story this winter, I created a number of illustrations for this story in the past...most of which don't impress me anymore. I thought I was done with this story a couple years back, but now I know I can do better...it's time to get back into that wasted space and start working again!!</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-22781190901280478672011-11-03T20:52:00.000-05:002011-11-03T20:52:20.926-05:00"November"<div class="date-posts"> <div class="post-outer"> <div class="post hentry"><a href="" name="8112645398381425750"></a> <h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><div class="post-header"> </div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8112645398381425750"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcCE2Q9SEcl8DYrDBRQfRkWh1M9xl41LjxoQMnZwCp_C4ne8esOGxAL7fbhDhWFCrdjXtzaZCwh_QA2DbA-ZYi5CVhICa8oDH3dYrXf1_QudVVFwjIJ40_6ZBwGXmvhH8eu-saHW2DpE/s1600-h/november.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399265936355785714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcCE2Q9SEcl8DYrDBRQfRkWh1M9xl41LjxoQMnZwCp_C4ne8esOGxAL7fbhDhWFCrdjXtzaZCwh_QA2DbA-ZYi5CVhICa8oDH3dYrXf1_QudVVFwjIJ40_6ZBwGXmvhH8eu-saHW2DpE/s400/november.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I had forgotten about November, with her lonely grey eyes, she waits in silence for her time to begin. She has always been known as a rather quiet child, so somber, so patient, so glum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who can compare to October and the splendor of fall or the spectacle we call Halloween. November has charms, though they are earthy and quiet, more of a feeling than things that are seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I had forgotten about November, with her soft cloudy hair, it covered the sun like a shroud. She speaks in a voice that is often times mute, but some times it rumbles and howls!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So we welcome November as she slowly glides in, like a fog or a mist or a rain. For the time of November is a time to reflect... a time to remember again.</span><br />
</span></span></div></div></div></div></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-88508586405529870642011-10-20T20:04:00.001-05:002011-10-21T00:53:01.460-05:00"My New Book Has Arrived!!!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfXvZmtq_ferDbPvZm7H7hxYbbMeNcljLwbukF0T7lmnj_3CEpj5Uquo6uy1XhiC2JscCQylaVK-bJ7SmcEF-8bcni7kITHSpiu3Mo6mymujCGorBG3R60yiZOXK1_wlp52x1uonkG0w/s1600/P1110192050006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfXvZmtq_ferDbPvZm7H7hxYbbMeNcljLwbukF0T7lmnj_3CEpj5Uquo6uy1XhiC2JscCQylaVK-bJ7SmcEF-8bcni7kITHSpiu3Mo6mymujCGorBG3R60yiZOXK1_wlp52x1uonkG0w/s320/P1110192050006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well...here it is!!!</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fresh from the printer and ready for the best seller list! Well at least hopefully to a bookstore near you.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was a long wait, but I'm thrilled with how well it turned out, the colors are fantastic! My next plan of action is to send it out for hopefully some good reviews and to submit it to the Minnesota Book Awards and hope they see some merit in it. Would be a nice honor to win, can't say my chances are all that great, but you never know unless you try.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This book was originally slated for release last spring, but due to circumstances beyond our control, it was delayed until late October. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So to all my loyal fans out there, here it is...enjoy!!!! </span></span></div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-68734952814991510762011-09-24T02:23:00.002-05:002011-09-24T02:30:52.668-05:00"Lives Well Spent"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1224048060" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmTLLrDYRxaqMmj9sFd3izb5ARNE-8ic_ivBY-72oO6ibger8gHvzfvFEqG8A32sZWbb_5qLBuDf37CSZJc1zsFYCeOIQ6vhb5C8v7CMkFU2AueQHqUkbzFXlQ1vXuSVlAlXJ0U-eaS0/s1600/Ernest.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ernest Peter</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was saddened to hear the news of the death of <a href="http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Ernest-Peter&lc=6762&pid=153644830&mid=4815029&locale=en-US">Mr. Ernest Peter</a> last week. Ernest left this earth after 93 well spent years, quite an envious accomplishment in my book.<i> </i> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ernest, along with his wife Judith, have been the driving force behind Stemmer House Publishers since 2003. It was also that same year that Stemmer House agreed to publish my first book entitled <i>"I Hear the Wind"</i>, it would be the first book for the new ownership. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1224048055" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXe6T8k86C4Wh0ihAZQIy456ypjfKEsTTERUtjyaXVgb7DQAR1oqX_4bYfZJRa5yUH0xkrFh0qgxDozO_WgyOXNgzHJwqahAOwwDzUutbJV79TYWYc9R630T7Ax_i3i5KL2_MQjckMUg/s320/craig.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig Thorn IV</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The editor-in-chief at that time was <a href="http://www.andover.edu/About/Newsroom/Pages/CraigThornIVBelovedTeacherDiesatAge47.aspx">Mr. Craig Thorn IV</a>. It was Craig who first showed interest in my work. Every other publishing house I submitted <i>"I Hear the Wind"</i> to sent me rejection letters, but Craig saw something in those black and white illustrations that he liked.</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not only was he the acting editor at Stemmer House, he was also a member of the English department at Phillips Academy in Andover. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The e-mails and phone conversations we shared while editing this book were an exciting learning experience for me. He made me feel like my words were actually worth reading. He made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I could be a writer. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was after the editing process was finished and the book was in production that Craig informed me that due to health issues he wouldn't be active in the day to day operations anymore, that was in late April...he died of cancer in June.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Both these men gave me an opportunity at something I had only dreamed of, a chance to be published and a chance to share my words and pictures with the world. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After Craig died, Ernest believed enough in my work to publish two more of my books, with the prospect of doing a fourth. Now with his passing, his wife Judith seems poised to carry on. I haven't heard any definite plans, but they are moving forward with my newest book entitled <i>"At the End of the Day"</i>. Time will tell as to what will be the future of Stemmer House, I can always speculate...but that would be a waste of time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For now, I take time to salute these two men who believed in me and decided to give me a chance. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For this...I am forever grateful. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thank you.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-49468457695661465872011-09-03T23:51:00.000-05:002011-09-03T23:51:21.462-05:00"So When Is This New Book Coming Out?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9Kidf3Le6bnmp-mnBEKSzZ9GG4SZdB1tQ3wjMq4ptDeMgk-Rx31AeFx5YOpXOui8B7djbdl0n1au8aIvPcp5t81PJyL4k7tgv9tK05-lm0mX06XI744hYFzZ7EtE-BT0q6lBqniOwis/s1600/new+book+cover+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9Kidf3Le6bnmp-mnBEKSzZ9GG4SZdB1tQ3wjMq4ptDeMgk-Rx31AeFx5YOpXOui8B7djbdl0n1au8aIvPcp5t81PJyL4k7tgv9tK05-lm0mX06XI744hYFzZ7EtE-BT0q6lBqniOwis/s320/new+book+cover+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Okay...so I lied. The new book didn't come out in late spring like I promised, it didn't come out in early summer, <i>or even mid summer!</i> And the way things look, late summer is looking pretty frickin' shaky as well. Let's face it, I have no idea when this thing is going to see the light of day!!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well that's not exactly true. I was informed by my wonderful compositor Michel Newkirk that it was indeed either going to or is at a printer somewhere in the U.S.A. That much I know is true.</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So I will sit and wait with the rest of the world until that fateful day when my twelve author copies (as stipulated in my contract mind you!) arrive on my doorstep. Michel has been a wonder through this whole project, my lifeline to the status of my book. She has supplied me with countless e-mails that have led me through the entire lay-out process for the book, for that I am forever grateful!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The proofs she sent me were amazing! I'm really excited to see this thing become real and not just a PDF file on my computer. My only hope is that the printer is able to do justice to the full, deep color of the original artwork, something I was not totally over joyed with on my last book entitled "Still (A Winter's Journey)". "Still" looked okay...sort of like old sepia tone photographs. But when I realized how much of the varied blues tones didn't come through in the final printing, I was a little heart broken.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But I've come to realize, unfortunately, that sometimes things don't work out they way you would like them to. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>I wish</i></b> my first book entitled "I Hear the Wind" would have been released in hardcover as originally planned. Even my publisher has agreed to that fact, he now admits that not releasing that book in hardcover was a mistake. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>I wish</i></b> that at least <b><i>one </i></b>of my books would have been included in the Library of Congress catalog, all the other books released by Stemmer House at the same time were, but not mine. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>I wish</i></b> my publisher would be a little more motivated on my newest book. They haven't even submitted an image to Amazon yet for the books page, and the book description from the publisher states...<i> "Reflections on the passing of summer's day."</i> REALLY?!! That's the best you could come up with?!! I was <i>extremely underwhelmed </i>with that lack of effort. They even had the title of the book listed wrong...it's called "<b>AT</b> the End of the Day" not "The End of the Day".</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>I wish</i></b> my books could have had more national exposure and been sent to Publisher's Weekly or Booklist for review. I am eternally grateful to the smaller <i>yet just as important</i> book review sites that have reviewed my books, but getting a starred review from Booklist can have libraries all over the country buying your books. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm sorry for coming off as a bit of a sour puss on this subject, I guess I've dealt with and accepted these realities over the last five years, I should keep listening to those inner voices that tell me...<i>"You should consider yourself lucky and be grateful for all the success you've had... at least you've been able to get published!!!!" </i>But sometimes isn't it nice to maybe, <i>just maybe</i>, get what you really want instead of settling with what you're given? Maybe on the next book...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So when is the new book coming out? Hopefully soon...I'll try to keep you posted!!! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Take care</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Greg </span></span> <br />
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Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-87355542501718993442011-04-12T16:09:00.000-05:002011-04-12T16:09:50.520-05:00"Where Has The Time Gone!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1aqt4cuO50xBJQA9kasGcrfEaXeGwPrwTPCJuDVphuWTL-YgE8ct22qfx-m3aAV22Np6x96a98IVGU_jY4PEsjWvmS0SQrq1Wu1EJk41xuzlg3T4lyhAmWnbAH5g7113ns5DhtkPMLc/s1600/dandelion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1aqt4cuO50xBJQA9kasGcrfEaXeGwPrwTPCJuDVphuWTL-YgE8ct22qfx-m3aAV22Np6x96a98IVGU_jY4PEsjWvmS0SQrq1Wu1EJk41xuzlg3T4lyhAmWnbAH5g7113ns5DhtkPMLc/s320/dandelion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It suddenly dawned on me one day..</span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.don't I have a blog or something like that out there? </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">I seemed to have woefully forgotten about this whole blog thing I started. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So I decided I'd better revisit this thing and see if I even remember how to post on here. Obviously I did, so here goes nothing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am currently wrapping up work on my newest book entitled "<i>At The End Of The Day" </i>which will tentatively be released some time this spring...most likely late spring, say like sometime in June. The editing process went on a little longer than I'd like, a lot of major changes where made, but I think we finally reached an agreement on the text. I then set about the task of doing the illustrations, which included rethinking some of the already completed illustrations. I needed to see if they still fit into the revamped manuscript.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Being able to work on this full time would have been wonderful, but since I'm restricted to working on this in the evening and on weekends, my time is somewhat limited. The process went well and I am now working on the final illustration, I'm thinking it will involve fireflies, something magical and captivating I hope.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have posted above a close-up from one of the newest illustrations. It involves dandelions as you can see and it really turned out well in my opinion. So I hope to finish up soon and get this all off to my publisher so they can get this book going. </span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, I'd best close here, but I promise to keep all of my loyal blog fans up to date with all things <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greg-Budig-Author-Illustrator/118881598136477">Greg Budig!!</a> You are eight of the greatest blog followers around!!!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">take care</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Greg</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-35882767594156080542010-11-12T15:44:00.002-06:002010-11-12T16:42:05.017-06:00"Book Signing in New Ulm"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMIbysGW_tgr3IrejImr3Q7ljTh-GXw_jB34zGDUudoeNpsSVCzAoed_I3N3hKHhzfKPmczg9xJspxy_kr2UwCguA0OPJ_y1PpUrygVo6s1LUGaF8yFVO8JHXJkf20YCRA2A2CIkB4cw/s1600/new+ulm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMIbysGW_tgr3IrejImr3Q7ljTh-GXw_jB34zGDUudoeNpsSVCzAoed_I3N3hKHhzfKPmczg9xJspxy_kr2UwCguA0OPJ_y1PpUrygVo6s1LUGaF8yFVO8JHXJkf20YCRA2A2CIkB4cw/s320/new+ulm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On November 6th, me, my wife Cindy and our girls Emily and Anna traveled to beautiful New Ulm Minnesota to sign books at the Woman's Expo and Craft Sale. Well...I was the only one in the family actually signing books, but we all did go, and had a blast!!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tspsngDC71m2mGSqJIuK7_qd3jAfo4_QcaMFbbY2Cr3NRlXn5c-wc2xcLgMjNMebaBO0rSvyPE7Awllnv9dBIhgDYbYHuYZX660RUBZ828mbWrrsioM58jIOEYqADQCTSkUr4KyDJfk/s1600/country+loft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tspsngDC71m2mGSqJIuK7_qd3jAfo4_QcaMFbbY2Cr3NRlXn5c-wc2xcLgMjNMebaBO0rSvyPE7Awllnv9dBIhgDYbYHuYZX660RUBZ828mbWrrsioM58jIOEYqADQCTSkUr4KyDJfk/s1600/country+loft.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was invited by the wonderful Nancy Kokesch, owner of <a href="http://www.thecountryloftdolls.com/1/index.html">The Country Loft</a> in New Ulm, to participate in this signing event. She had four regional authors present there and we were all treated royally! The expo was held at Jefferson Elementary School. The halls, gymnasium and cafeteria were packed with vendors and crafters from all over south central Minnesota. My wife and daughters had a good time sampling goodies and looking over all that was to be seen. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iSymgcPX82IKLUaQHTMxCnrIMfmtaYbhcBbbonUsIE8TBfPv0ovjQOdmShe88r6JQLyAY-09WA2908ddmlaeNIdD43M8n5GK41m3uEQe4OCsHTnpAY26Z7rY5k2lgkWRv8sRztKPrCs/s1600/new+ulm+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iSymgcPX82IKLUaQHTMxCnrIMfmtaYbhcBbbonUsIE8TBfPv0ovjQOdmShe88r6JQLyAY-09WA2908ddmlaeNIdD43M8n5GK41m3uEQe4OCsHTnpAY26Z7rY5k2lgkWRv8sRztKPrCs/s320/new+ulm+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nancy ordered a large number of my books, which I wish I could have sold more of at the expo, but she had me sign each and every one of the unsold books for sale in her store. I asked, "Are you sure you want me to do this?" to which she replied..."Oh I'll sell them! Don't worry about that!" She is one spunky lady!!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmED1pQs9d5eImxAtbNIU2ZuJnBpYBKISr_QtoiMyK4gmrGaaQcBTxt4zu0sJvEeEeCoDvK7I-n9yGjkxWDm3y9EsseFCMS-yMVy7HkwHdhTdgL1YiGFfawlhPcHwhYG-zOKcXqZl0owE/s1600/new+ulm+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmED1pQs9d5eImxAtbNIU2ZuJnBpYBKISr_QtoiMyK4gmrGaaQcBTxt4zu0sJvEeEeCoDvK7I-n9yGjkxWDm3y9EsseFCMS-yMVy7HkwHdhTdgL1YiGFfawlhPcHwhYG-zOKcXqZl0owE/s320/new+ulm+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our nephew Jeff and his lovely wife Mel stopped by. She's a native of New Ulm and were in town for her baby shower. They brought Mel's mom along who bought both my books for me to sign, we also had a nice chat about inspiration and other artistic things. We asked them where a good place to eat in New Ulm was, they suggested...</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSFLbwRIbnR0FMP8yH8AFcaOislKqspsnVteOv6sLX-cbLtIYspaLDu6XfuYdYvYWiSK5rd3ybhXJzxSL4-Qzra6Blh8Ozvu9m0JSgxNrsbyxAAjhbfMHmpd3Fx2BWp3xkhjg3nDitjM/s1600/keiserhoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSFLbwRIbnR0FMP8yH8AFcaOislKqspsnVteOv6sLX-cbLtIYspaLDu6XfuYdYvYWiSK5rd3ybhXJzxSL4-Qzra6Blh8Ozvu9m0JSgxNrsbyxAAjhbfMHmpd3Fx2BWp3xkhjg3nDitjM/s320/keiserhoff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> Veigel's Kaiserhoff!!!!!</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was great! An ice cold Schell's beer and jager schnitzel made my day! My wife had the sour kraut & bratwurst with German potato salad dinner, she's a sucker for good sour kraut. The girls...one had a cheeseburger and the other had the pulled pork sandwich special, their German roots don't impress them much! But they were impressed with New Ulm, a very historic and charming city. I hope to be invited back next year, or better yet, maybe I can set up a book signing for my newest book this summer at the Country Loft! This time we can make it a weekend!! Schell's Brewery here I come!!!<b> </b></span></span><br />
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</span></span>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530533614992303.post-23560615164142971802010-10-17T01:34:00.001-05:002010-10-17T01:42:23.346-05:00"A Haunting We Will Go!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSpWnluIsolWg4W9jOuLNroQzig6xnd4VVKJts9-tf953xnyNz0y6VZ2_EgDhOrvre2muPt0qXM_sa1vgSO7F5i_kBMma4EU_RyH317dUsjjHvb7iwTWyCp0ur_XRKiTS2V3OOZFzpgI/s1600/halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSpWnluIsolWg4W9jOuLNroQzig6xnd4VVKJts9-tf953xnyNz0y6VZ2_EgDhOrvre2muPt0qXM_sa1vgSO7F5i_kBMma4EU_RyH317dUsjjHvb7iwTWyCp0ur_XRKiTS2V3OOZFzpgI/s320/halloween.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There is something magical about an eerie autumns night...</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The air is crisp and cold, ghostly cold! The moon shines it's silvery light on the world below, casting strange shadows</span></span> <span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">across the October landscape. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You pause to listen, hearing only the sound of the autumn leaves as the tumble to the ground. Out of the corner of your eye something moves, your heart quickens..."What was that?!!"</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Such is the magic of Halloween, that mystical time of year when the ghouls and goblins of your imagination can run free. </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's a holiday rooted in ancient pagan rituals, transformed into a celebration of childhood and imagination</span>,<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> a time for everyone to be childlike again.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For me, I've always had strong memories of Halloween from my childhood. The vibrant and slightly sinister decorations that would adorn our home at that time always sparked my imagination. One was a large, jointed, cardboard </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">skeleton that would grace our living room wall, we also had a cardboard witch with the most sinister smile! We had various cut outs of Jack-o-lanterns that we would tape up on the windows, the graphics were so sharp and detailed, stark images in black and orange. I remember the joy of creating Halloween decorations in school, bright orange pumpkin headed creatures with crinkly black arms and legs...oh the joys of construction paper, safety scissors and paste!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The carving of the jack-o-lantern is a yearly ritual that <i>cannot </i>be neglected!! I dare say I haven't missed a carving for as long as I can remember. Even as a young eligible bachelor, carving a pumpkin for my own enjoyment was a secret indulgence of mine. <i>You can't celebrate Halloween without a jack-o-lantern!!! </i>The smell of the freshly cut pumpkin, the feel of it's inner goo...it's the stuff of memory! You would then simply light the candle, turn off all the lights, and bask in it's hallowed, orange glow. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are so many fond memories of this ghostly season, memories of watching your children go trick or treating for the first time, of seeing through them what having a real excitement for life is all about. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I created the characters pictured above as decorations for the outside of our home, some of them are over twelve years old, but they are still going strong today. My wife told me I should write a story about them way back then, and so I did, it was called <i>"The Scarecrows Halloween"</i>. The story centers around a forgotten scarecrow who, now get this...comes to life on Halloween night!! Okay, not real original, but it's a time honored story line in children's literature and by God I was a gonna use it! The main focus of the story though was that the scarecrow and all the decorations of Halloween who came to life on that magical night, realized that they needed to live for that moment, because by morning the magic would be over and they would go back to being lifeless again. <i>"The time is quickly fleeting! The time to live is now!"</i> That was their battle cry, their mantra so to speak, so they partied like nobodies business until dawn. That's when the Halloween spirits left them and they returned to their lifeless forms, but for that one shining moment, they were truly alive.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I guess that was the message I tried to convey in this story, that the time to live is now. And that's the beauty of this Halloween season, to run with your imagination and experience the wonderment of life as a child again...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>"For the time is quickly fleeting!!! The time to live is now!!!"</i></span></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Happy Halloween everybody...and don't try to steal my idea, I've already copyrighted it!!!!</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">hee hee hee!!!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Greg Budighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15073526654197020918noreply@blogger.com3