Beautiful Florida Keys Map

 Checkout this map of Florida Keys, beautiful blue water with a string of islands and waterfowl flying over. I've been to the Keys many times and it's always a pure vacation. See more maps at LeoLakes.com. 

I try to make the maps interesting by hiding tiny little things in the waters. Folks start looking for them and can't stop. 

Paddle over to my website, LeoLakes.com. I paint beautiful lake, river and bay decor maps. Also, I do custom maps

Folks are discovering that these decor maps are wonderfully unique gifts that become family heirlooms. I call my maps, treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. My treasured maps make a great gift for the fisherman, lake lover, or Lake house. LeoLakes.com

Lake Winnipesaukee Canvas Map

Check out this canvas map of Lake Winnipesaukee that I just finished.  It turned beautiful! If you look closely, you may find the tiny, hidden mermaid in the waters.

I always add the local waterfowl flying over and a few fish jumping in the water, and that little mermaid  They say the children really enjoy hunting for her and are thrilled when they spot her in the waters. Oh yeah, some folks tell me that she moves, but I'm not sure that I believe that. 

Also, I do custom maps too. If you have a body of water that I don't have painted, I can paint it just like the map below.

Most folks add a star to a special place on the lake such as a lake house or where they caught that big fish. I've been doing lake, river and bay maps for over ten 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. Paddle over to my website for more information: LeoLakes.com

A Nags Head Decor Map

A few weeks ago, I went to Nags Head N.C. on vacation. I found that Nags Head was a pretty cool place and enjoyed my visit. In fact, I enjoyed my visit so much that I painted a decor map of Nags Head. Here's a quick step by step guide to a map painting in progress. 

I carefully draw the map on poster board. While I'm drawing the roads, I think back when I was diving down these roads going to the beach, Jockey's Ridge, Duck, Kill Devil Hills etc....

After I complete the map drawing, I start painting the map using watercolors. Believe it or not, I only used blue, brown, and red colors. After I finish the painting the map, it is scanned into the computer and I use a graphic program to add detail, such as lettering, waterfowl, fish, and a tiny mermaid. Check it out!

The finished product! A beautiful canvas map of Nags Head. It turned out great. I like the colors and how it grabs your attention. Most folks are drawn to the map, scanning the map for a familiar places. 

Yes, this is me and my wife at Jockey's Ridge, Nags Head! Now that you have seen how I do maps, check-out my maps. They look great hanging in your home, lake house or office. Makes the best Gift! I have beautiful lake decor map of your favorite lake, which will look perfect above the fireplace. I even do custom maps of your favorite lake, river, or bay. LeoLakes.com

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. 

SouthernTtradition

it was traditional for a father to give his son a pen knife at a young age. The age varied, but somewhere between 9-12 years old. My dad was not unlike other southern fathers and at the age of 9 years old, my dad gave me a beautiful, pen knife with bone sides and was about 2.5" long. He said it would be useful for outdoor stuff such as fishing and was not a toy. He showed me how to use it. I was so proud that he gave me the pen knife, for about three days.

A few days later, I went down to my best friend's house, Rusty. I showed him my new shiny knife and he was amazed. Not to be out done, Rusty brought out his new, gray, plastic, jet airplanes. There was  three of those beautiful jet planes. Ooh, I lit up when I saw these wonderful toys. He suggested that we do a trade. His three jet airplanes for my pen knife. Immediately, I could see myself flying those planes around and they would go great with my little, green, plastic, army men. Sooo, I said lets trade.

I headed home with two planes in my pocket , one plane in my hand, and a big smile on my face. I started flying it up and down with the sound of a jet engine, vroom...... As I entered our yard, my dad was lounging in an aluminum, fold-up lawn chair. He saw me with my new toys. I heard him say, "son come here". As soon as I heard that, I knew that the trade was not a good idea. As I approached him, he said "where did you get those toy planes". At that instant, I realized that I was in big trouble. My little mind raced to come up with an answer. I had two choices, I could say that I traded the knife for them, which would have been true, but a huge disappointed to my dad and likely result in a spanking. The other option was to say that I found them, which he would not believe, but hopefully would not be disappointed, however I would get a spanking because he would think that I stole them. I knew that I had no good choice. So, I didn't do any of those choices, I remained silent, so silent, which was still a bad decision. He accused me of stealing the planes and gave me a big spanking. Then, he took the planes and tossed them in the trash. About that time, my mom yelled out the door and said............."Pie is ready"!

 So, it was a total loss, I received a spanking, the knife was gone, the planes are trashed, and my dad is angry at me. What did I learn? I learned that sometimes in life, you will end up in a "rock and a hard place", meaning there's no good choices, but pie makes things better.................  

Paddle over to my website, LeoLakes.com. I paint beautiful lake, river and bay decor maps. Folks are discovering that these decor maps are wonderfully unique gifts that become family heirlooms. Oh yeah, I hide things in the lake waters, such as a tiny mermaid/fish. Folks love to search for them. I call my maps, treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. My treasured maps make a great gifts for the fisherman, lake lover, or Lake house. 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift.   Click here www.LeoLakes.com for more information.

Just remember: "Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream".

Father's Day Lake Lover Gift

I just completed this 20x40, custom map of Lake Washington located in Minnesota. It's a beautiful lake with lots of wildlife.

Not only are walleyes common, but large and small mouth bass, crappie, blue gill, and northern pike are too. You will find much wildlife/waterfowl around the lake such as eagles, osprey, cranes, otter, beaver and my favorite, loons. In fact, I added a couple of loons on the map along with fish, and Canadian Geese. Interesting, I always hide a tiny mermaid to the waters of all my lake map paintings that folks love to search for. 

Also, you can add a star to your favorite spot. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com.  We have Lake decor maps, and vintage style maps, that make great gifts for the lake house.

Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream.

What stirs on Christmas night, motion camera?

A couple of years ago, I set out to determine what happens in my backyard on Christmas night, would I see reindeer, eves or maybe Santa? The goal was to use my infrared, motion detector, camera and capture a picture of what may be stirring on a cold Christmas night.

11:50 pm - The first picture that critter cam caught was of our cat, Creamy. All looks normal on Christmas night.  (Picture number 52 and temperature of 31)

3:17 am - Then a picture was taken, but I don’t see anything that would have set off the motion detector. Hmm, this seems odd. (Picture number 53 and temperature of 31)

7:14 am – Again our cat is caught walking past the camera. Well, it appears that I was unsuccessful with pictures of just our cat. The more I think about it, the camera should have been on the roof because this is where the reindeer should have been working. However, I have determined that the camera didn't capture any creatures between the hours of 11:50pm and 7:14am, approximately 7-1/2 hours. So, it appears that critters do not stir on Christmas night. Feeling sad that I didn't get a picture of a reindeer, I went outside to see if I could find out what had set the camera off at 3:17 am.

To my surprise, I saw a round object in the snow. 

After a closer inspection, it was a red bell. Wow, could this bell have come off Santa’s sleigh when he was leaving our house?  I believe at 3:17 am, Santa left our home and this red bell fell off his sleigh. The bell must have fallen near the camera and it triggered the motion detector. Wow, I can’t believe it, Santa's sleigh bell. Should I mail the bell back to the North Pole? 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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 LeoMaps.com. 

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

Remember, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

A gift that makes grandpa smile

It seems like I'm an Elf in Santa's workshop with all the Christmas maps that are being worked on. The studio is a little messy, but enjoying it! Check-out the email that I received below. I hope I can put a big smile on grandpa's face!

"This map is for my grandpa. Please work your magic and include all of your amazing art (fish, mermaid, geese, plane, heron and eagle) that would make grandpa smile from ear to ear when he receives this for Christmas.  Also, my brother is an Apache pilot in the US Army, not sure how hard it would be for you to add a small helicopter (it can be a simple model of any kind) somewhere close to the property...if that's too much to ask for I completely understand.  Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Happy holidays to you and your family!"

Oh yeah, this is my studio during this Christmas seasons. Happy Holiday's!

Great Blue Heron Painting

On the header of this blog, I feature a Great Blue Heron. Below is the painting that the Heron came from, which I was painted back in 2007.  I've always enjoyed watching the Great Blue Heron and it is one of my favorite birds. As you can see, there's more to this painting than what's shown on top.

What's the story behind the painting? First, I called the painting "Blue Monday Heron" to reflect the mood in the painting. Can you feel the mood... windy, storms on the way, and a fisherman lost his lucky lure? The old Heron is hunkered down and doesn't look none too happy with his feathers being blown around.  

The lure was lost by some fisherman who was casting for that trophy. Actually, that lure was my lucky lure as a  child. I dug it out of an old tackle box and used it as a prop for this painting. The painting was painted 7 years ago and the original has been sold, but it is still one of my favorite painting.  

Here's a picture of the lure, it certainly has seen better days. I don't fish with it anymore, but I might get another painting out of it. I have a 20"x24" canvas print of this painting hanging in my studio. It interesting how a favorite painting seems to warm a room with fond memories.

If you like my painting, then you may want to visit my website. 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 LeoMaps.com. 

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

Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, or at least enjoy one on your wall.

Russian River Decor Map

Often, I have folks order and receive one of my maps only to re-order other maps for friends or family as gifts. This is just what happened not long ago. I had a nice lady order a map of Lake Tahoe. She liked the map so well, she ordered a custom map of the Russian River, which is located in California, for her parents whom have a summer cottage on the banks of the river. 

The Russian River is a beautiful river. It's 110 miles long and is north of San Francisco, running through Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. This area is very fertile and has many wineries along the river, including Kobel Champagne Winery. This map runs from the mouth of the river to about Forestville. 

I always try to add as many names of towns, bends, points, creeks etc... to the maps for interest. In fact, most folks don't even know that there're names for most features along a river or lake that go back to when the area was first settled.  When I complete a map, I look for the most interesting element. On this map of the Russian River, there are many. One such name that stands out the most is Slaughterhouse Creek. Just what took place here? I'm sure there's a story in this name, but I couldn't find any information about it on the net. Anyway, here's what make my maps so unique!

I hide a few fish and even a tiny mermaid in the waters of my lakes. Yep, but they're very shy and don't like to be found. Folks just love'm, especially the kids. You might even think they move around overtime.

You will find no road names, county, or state lines on my maps. I have found that folks enjoy traveling the roads with their eyes, while trying to get their bearing. I call this the "Leo Lakes gaze."

I call my maps Treasured Maps because every treasure has a Ruby and so do my maps, each have a Red Ruby Meridian.

I add a vintage plane flying over my maps to signify an adventure to your treasured lake, river, or bay.

You will find wildlife in all my maps. These signify the natural beauty of your treasured lake, river or bay. I use wildlife that is common to the subject lake, such as Canadian Geese, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagles and others.

You can add a star or symbol with a few words to mark that special place, it maybe the location of the lake house, the spot where you caught that trophy fish or some grand view. This will make a very special gift for the lake lover. 

Did you know that you can always tell if its morning or evening on a Leo Lakes map? Just look at the shadows cast by the wildlife, is the shadow on the east or west? If it's on the west, then it’s morning time. Oh yeah, I have had folks tell me that they change through the day, but don't believe them.

If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com. 

Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, or at least enjoy one on the wall.

Greers Ferry Lake Map

I get a lot of enjoyment out of doing maps. Probably because I have the artistic and technical ability, along with the love for the lake, river and bay life style. Here's a map that I enjoyed doing, Greers Ferry Lake, located in Arkansas. This is a very popular and beloved lake. I'm not sure what makes this lake so loved, but you can feel it from the folks who order maps of Greers Ferry. In fact, I keep a list of what is the most popular and beloved lakes from the information that I gather. I would put Greers Ferry in the top five most beloved and popular lakes in the U.S. 

I just finished this 2ft x 4ft decor map of Greers Ferry. I've been doing lake, river and bay maps for over four years now and have complied a lot of information. I think that in a future blog, I might write about the "top ten most popular and beloved lakes in U.S."  

I've been doing lake, river and bay maps for over four years now and have complied a lot of information. I think that in a future blog, I might write about the "top ten most popular and beloved lakes in U.S."  

My 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. Oh yeah, I hide a tiny mermaid in the waters of all my maps that folks love to search for. Find out more interesting facts about my treasured maps by going to LeoLakes.com. 

Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Empty nester syndrome?

Our youngest daughter is off to college! Last weekend we moved her in to her dorm at Sewanee. The college is located on a 13,000 acres domain that has lakes, creeks, caves, mountains, and woods. Believe it or not, but her sister is a senior at Sewanee studying Biology. Sarah's not sure what to major in yet.

Her dorm was built in 1929 and has been renovated. It's like Goldilocks, not too big and not too small. 

It has been reported that a ghost occupies the room that she will be staying in. Luckily, she doesn't believe in ghosts.  

I snapped this picture of the campus. Sewanee is often in the top five of the most beautiful college campuses. 

It's Official, we are now empty nesters!

I paint lake, river and bay maps. 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 LeoMaps.com. 

Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Vintage Style Maps

I talk with a lot folks who have fallen in love with the body of water they live on, grew up on, visit or have family history with. My wife came up with this poem, which puts in words, how folks feel about there special lake, river, or bay.

"As I look over this waterscape, The most amazing scenes appears in its wake, The sun arises just above the shore, Giving grace and beauty to this place that I adore." LKO

I started out creating a map of a beloved river that I adore. This small beginning has developed into a fun business. I understand how folks feel about there lake, river, or bay and am lucky to create treasured maps for folks that have treasured memories of there special places. Below I wanted to share a few emails that I receive from these water lovers when they receive one of my treasured maps. 

Customer Email 8/1/14: Larry, I am practically speechless.........when my husband opened the carton and that amazingly beautiful map lay inside we were both overcome.  He could not believe that he had received such an amazing gift and I was just beside myself as this had far exceeded my expectations.  I was so very worried that this would be a product that looks really good on line but when you get it, the product is a disappointment.  What we found was an amazing piece that is truly a "treasured map". Thanks again for all your help, but most of all thank you for sharing your talent! 

Customer Email 7/23/14:Hi Larry, Another satisfied customer! The map arrived today (stuck in Nashville for 2 days; go figure). She LOVES it! Opened it while I listened. You included such a wonderful note! That makes it even more special and I appreciate it all the more. We have websites here for the island and for the Lakes Region. I'm planning to tell everyone about my map and give them directions to the website, so be ready! Thanks again for a truly unique product. PS.... Don't be surprised if you hear from my other daughter and son-in-law. They will be green with envy when they see this map! 

Customer Email 7/15/14: Thank you Larry!  Fantastic.....The map is beautiful and I can't wait to hang it in how lake cabin. I will be ordering more for some of my lake friends.

Customer Email 6/13/14: Larry, our map arrived yesterday and we love it!  It is beautiful and we can't wait to frame it and hang it on our wall so all our friends and family can see it.  I would highly recommend you to anyone wanting a lake map for their home too, it is really beautiful and I consider it a piece of artwork too. Thank you so much! 

I hide a tiny mermaid/fish in the waters of all my lake map paintings that folks love to search for. 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 LeoMaps.com. 

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

Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream.

Lake Alligators!

Here's an interesting sign combination. When fishing in Florida, you often come across signs like this one below, but I have never seen one with a "Pet Walking Area" sign attached. What is the message here?

Anyway, I will say that you must be careful when fishing in Florida because that may not be a log that you are fishing near.

Check-out my vintage style Lake, River, and Bay maps! Makes a great gift!!!!

Leo Humor

Okay, this is not décor maps, but sometimes I blow off a little creativity by drawing cartoons. Here's a few that I thought I would share. I called them Leo Humor. Enjoy!

This cartoon may be my favorite of the bunch. Looks like the guy has found a major fishing breakthrough, however I'm not sure that I would ever dress like bait. Also, this could be called Zen fishing.

I just can't come up with a way that Bob would have ever managed to get his fishing line down his pants. You know, I bet some fisherman has done this  before, because there are some crazy people out there.

After Harold somehow hooked his butt, it's clear that poor Marge is going to have a tough few weeks ahead. Don't you think?

Don't Forget to be one with your bait. Ommmm!

Check out my decor maps, try to find the hidden fish and mermaid!