Lucy, my childhood dog

While growing up, I had a dog named Lucy. Lucy was a white, long haired mutt that had little black spots sprinkled around her coat. We took her on all our fishing trips. She was a great fishing dog and would watch the bobber for hours. When I would get a bite, she would go "berserk", knowing that a fish was soon to be near. This dog loved the water, she would often jump in the water while we were fishing. Then, come out of the water and shake, shake, shake..... water going all over near by fishermen. 

One time, when I was swimming in the river and Lucy was up on the bank watching. I decide to play a little joke on her to see what she may do. I acted as if I was drowning and called for Lucy to save me. You know what, she jumped in and swam to me. I grabbed her collar and she dog paddled back to shore. Amazing, I was saved by Lucy the water dog.........

One of my favorite things to do with her was toss her a biscuit after she had eaten. She would be too full to eat, but would take the biscuit to a spot and drop it, while sniffing around. She would dig a 1-2 inch hole and place the biscuit in the hole. With her nose, she would push the dirt back over the biscuit until it was completely cover. Funny thing, her white nose tuned dirt brown, so you could always tell that she had buried something.    

In the studio, I have a stuffed dog that I call Lucy that is in honor of my beloved childhood dog. Lucy was a mix breed and loved the water. Whenever we traveled to a river, lake or bay, you could bet that Lucy was in the water. 

Paddle over to my website, LEOLAKES.com. I paint beautiful lake, river and bay maps. They make great Christmas gifts for the lake lover, lake house, or fisherman. Best lake lover gift ever....

My mini vacation to lemon Bay.....

A few weeks ago, I took a mini vacation to one of my favorite places, Manasota Key, which is located near Englewood Florida. I got to do a little kayaking on Lemon Bay and took a few photos. This is a beautiful area, however there has been an outbreak of red tide in the last few months. It has had a major impact with large numbers of fish and waterfowl killed. The area is now slowly recovering and trying to get back to normal. I placed a red circle on this map around the area that I visited.

We stayed at my mother and father-in-law's place, an over 55 retirement community called "Gulf to Bay". It's a pretty cool place. The island is about 800 feet wide at this point and you can walk from the bay to the ocean in about 3-5 minutes. I've visited here for the last 30 years and it doesn't change much.  This photo is looking directly east into Lemon Bay. 

Look how calm the water is while my daughter and her boyfriend paddled a two person kayak in the bay.

My wife and I, paddled over to one of the nearby islands. It was a very enjoyable trip, especially thinking that the temperature back in Nashville, my home was in the thirties. 

I love looking mangroves. The mangrove roots extend directly into the salt water. All kinds of young sea life live in the mangrove swamp. I've seen oysters, sponges, shrimp, and small fish. Sometimes when you quietly paddle next to the mangroves, you can see some amazing sea creatures, but this time I didn't see any. 

The waters here are full of fish. I've caught all kinds of fish over the last thirty years. This year was different, the red tide made catching fish very hard.

Looking out in the bay, I can still smell a slight scent of the red tide, it burns my nose. You must admit, this is a beautiful sunset.  One thing for sure, the red tide hasn't ruined the view.

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

I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com.

Lake decor map idea...

Interestingly, I often get comments about the fish in the waters of all my maps. Folks love to tell me about fishing and love the jumping fish that I show on my maps. Also, they say the children really enjoy hunting for the tiny mermaid and are thrilled when they spot her in the waters. Oh yeah, some folks tell me that mermaid and fish move, but I'm not sure that I believe that. However, if you look closely you may find her and the fish jumping around. 

Most folks add a star to a special place on the lake such as a lake house or where they caught that "Trophy Fish". Check-out below, a customer wanted to add the place, weight and fish type of a trophy that he caught.

I've been doing lake, river and bay maps for approximately eight years. Over the years, I have experimented with different elements of map art in order to provide the best and most unique map on the market. Folks will be drawn to the map like a crackling fire on a cold winter night.  I try very hard to make my maps special by adding interest to the maps. LeoLakes.com

Also, each framed map or map over 16x32, comes with a certificate of authenticity, lake poem, and interesting facts abut the map. 

I have hundreds of maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalized vintage style lake maps, too. Lake maps will add beauty to your Lake House Decor! Find out more interesting facts about my treasured maps by going to LeoLakes.com. 

Leo knows waterways

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

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

I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com.

Magic Lure

Magic lure

When I was a young fisherman about 9 or 10 years old, I had a lucky lure that bordered on magic. When nothing was biting, it was my go to lure because it would always produce a fish, not necessarily a big fish or a prized fish, but a fish every time. This made a kid feel good and feel like a wizard fisherman.

You just don't know how lucky this lure is. Think about this, most kids end up losing their lures to trees, underwater logs or rocks, but not this lure. I still have this lure after 50 years. Do you still have a lure after 50 years? Now that's a lucky lure! In fact, it's such a lucky lure that I had to paint it in one of my fishing art pictures. 

Little did I realized it when I painted this picture, but I painted it as being lost, as shown by it being all tangled up on a stick. I guess the humor in my painting is the loss of my "lucky lure", which is not really lost, but is my most beloved, lucky, magic lure. 

Oh yeah, I do beautiful canvas lake maps of beloved lake LeoLakes.com. I've been doing lake, river and bay maps for approximately seven years.Over the years, I have experimented with different elements of map art in order to provide the best and most unique map on the market. Most folks add a star to a special place on the lake such as a lake house or where they caught that big fish.  

Folks will be drawn to the map like a crackling fire on a cold winter night.  I try very hard to make my maps special by adding interest to the maps. LeoLakes.com

Also, each framed map or map over 16x32, comes with a certificate of authenticity, lake poem, and interesting facts abut the map. 

I have hundreds of maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalized vintage style lake maps, too. Lake maps will add beauty to your Lake House Decor! Find out more interesting facts about my treasured maps by going to LeoLakes.com. 

Beautiful Lake Maps for the Lake House

A beautiful lake map for the lake house of your favorite lake, such as Great Sacandaga Lake, Greers Ferry Lake, Lake Tahoe, Lake Winnipesaukee, Table Rock Lake, or Pickwick Lake, will look great hanging in your home, lake house or office. Makes the best Gift!

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

Visit my website to see more. I have over two hundred lake, river and bay maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalized lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com. 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift. To see more of my work, click here www.LeoLakes.com. 

"As I look over this lake, The most amazing scenes appears in it wake,

The sun arises just above the shore, Giving grace and beauty to this place that I adore." LKO