Featuring colorist Ronda Francis

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Creepy Honeymoon Drive and How to Draw a Big-Eyed Frog

My parents celebrated their 55th anniversary this week. When asked about their most fond memories, the first thing they talked about was their drive from New Jersey to Florida. 

They were going to stay at a friend's hotel for their honeymoon, and they decided to drive the whole way. 

First of all, the bridge going through Savannah was covered in ice, and they were one of the last vehicles allowed through. The policeman directing traffic saw their Jersey plates and assumed they could handle it. 

As it got darker, they entered the Okefenokee swamp. They told me they were surrounded by moss covered trees, swamp grass, and the roads were covered with over a foot of water in some places. By the time it was completely dark they were so into the swamp that there were no street lights. 

They kept going anyway. 




After driving for what seemed to be forever, and listening to unusual night noises including what sounded like a very large frog, they saw a light in the distance. 

When they got close enough they could see it was one light bulb hanging from a wire, illuminating a toll booth.



They paid their dime, found out they were indeed going in the right direction, and found the next creepy little roadside inn. They spend the night, woke to see a giant swamp behind the motel, and continued on their journey.

Happily, when they finally got to their honeymoon destination the lodging was lovely and they had a wonderful time.

So in honor of their great adventure I decided this week to draw the Okefenokee frog.

Hope you have fun drawing him.

Don't forget to enter the JETPENS brush pen giveaway! It ends this Sunday. You can sign up HERE to win. Frogs were drawn with the TOMBOW brush pen from the set.

xo

This week learn to draw a Big Eyed Frog. Have fun!




Here is another image from The Open Pillow.



78 comments:

  1. I LOVE your frog, and had to laugh over the fun story - what a way to begin a honeymoon! And the marriage has lasted long! Thanks for sharing, hugs, Valerie

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    1. Thank you and yes--they are the perfect couple. :) It was so much fun hearing them tell about their trip--they laughed like it was yesterday. xo

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  2. I always wonder how people got through long road trips before GPS. Interstate travel is simple enough, but little roads can be confusing.

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    1. Truly Adam! And the water on the road at night it downright scary! But they made it and lived to tell the tale. Thanks so much for stopping by. xo

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  3. Congratulations to your parents!

    Quite a journey for them to have made.

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    1. Yes thank you William. They remember it fondly. They also lived in a boarding house for a while and have great stories about that too. :)

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  4. Such a sweet story and your frogs are amazing!

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    1. Thank you Lynn! Happy to say they are still going strong! xo

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  5. Congrats on being featured at PPF, hugs, Valerie

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  6. Love the frogs, both the children's version and the beautifully sketched adult one. Neat honeymoon story. We locked ourselves out of the car with our luggage inside when we arrived at our honeymoon location. This was in 1957 in the days before remote entry cars.

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    1. Oh no! What a way to start! I love these honeymoon adventure stories. Maybe that would be a good blog post for the future! P.S. Love the cars from that era. My parents had a turquoise Thunderbird. Cool. xo

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    2. That is a crazy way to begin a Honeymoon!! My dad yould have LOVED a Turquoise Thunderbird!!

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    3. I agree! Creepy stuff--they would have had a FIT if I told them I did that on my honeymoon Dia! xo

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  7. Your animal friends are adorable and so well done.
    Have a nice time and happy PPF xx

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    1. Thank you so much! I love all animals and wish I could save them all too. Happy PPF to you too--and have a lovely weekend. xo

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  8. That is quite a story ! Thanks for sharing and also for the fun video!

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    1. Thank you Ayala Art! And thanks for the comment on the video too. I saw some of your vids too--very lovely. Have a great weekend. xo

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  9. Hi, Dea/Dia, congrads on being this week's PPF featured artist!
    This is a great story - sounds like your parents have had some lovely adventures! I can imagine the creepy swamp song my dad & I used to sing echoing through the swamp - 'Chloe' (dum da dum, da dum, da dum, da da Ch-lo-eee, .....)
    What a fun blog you have
    xxxx
    Dia

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    1. How fun!! I love the creepy/fun song--wish I could hear the tune! Yes! Being featured was a lovely surprise and much appreciated. Have a lovely weekend Dia! (Love having a Dia/Dea buddy) xo

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  10. Oh Dea what a story! I was so glad to see your happy frog as a reprieve while reading the story which I was worried might not have such a happy ending!! Such a sweet memory and what a metaphor for marriage too!! Love your frog and CONGRATULATIONS being featured on Paint party Friday this week!!

    Hugs Giggles

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    1. Thank you Giggles! I wrote the story so it (hopefully) had a bit of fun tension. My father's version was much longer, but you get the idea. It sounded very scary--but like you said the outcome was good--worth the tension. Hope you have a great weekend. xo

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  11. what a great story! It sounds like the plot to a horror movie! I'm glad they got there eventually and what an adventure to remember 55 years later - congratulations on such a long happy marriage to your parents! Both frogs are great.Congrats on being the featured artist this week too!

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    1. Thank you thank you Nic! When he was telling the story it was actually scary. To drive in the middle of nowhere with only your headlights as a guide--shudder. Yes--it would be the perfect start to a horror movie! Have a lovely weekend! xo

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  12. Lovely little frog, and what a sweet story.

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  13. Huge congratulations to your parents!!!

    I loved that story and that frog is so awwwww!

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    1. They read the blog and are touched by everyone's comments. Thank you so much Susu. Hope you have a lovely weekend. xo

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  14. great story and that is a cute frog... and congratulations to your parents on 55 years... quite the achievement...xx

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    1. Thank you Tracey--I feel it is quite an achievement too. They are still going strong, inseparable. Too cute. xo

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  15. Sounds like quite an adventure at the start of their marriage, and see: they're still going strong! Love your frogs, especially the second one. Congrats on being the featured artist at PPF this week!

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    1. Yes they are Denthe! And still ready for any adventure that comes down the pike. xo

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  16. You are inspiring! Thank you!
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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    1. Thank you so much for saying that Jennifer--it makes everything even more worth it. Hope you have a lovely weekend. xo

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  17. First-congrats on being featured this week on the PPF home page! LOVE your 'Open Pillow' frog! And thanks for sharing that sweet story about your parents-a very happy anniversary to them. Happy PPF!

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    1. Thank you thank you Linda. Open Pillow was my first job illustrating a book for an author other than myself. After MANY tries he finally settled on that style. And my parents are thrilled at the response to their story. Happy PPF to you too! xo

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  18. Loved the honeymoon story!! :) Very cute little frog ... happy PPF!

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    1. Thank you alarmcat! And happy PPF to you too! xo

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  19. Cute frog you did! Glad your parents are safe, happy anniversary to them wow 55 years.

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    1. Yes--safe for now, but ready to get themselves into another fix anytime soon. Thank you Christine! xo

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  20. Your drawings are enchanting and that frog is great.
    Thanks for sharing that memorable honeymoon story too :-)
    Happy PPF
    oxo Patty #47

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    1. Thank you so much Patty! And happy PPF to you too!! xo

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  21. That's quite a honeymoon story! Love the frog you drew. I'm terrible at drawing animals...maybe I should practice more. Happy PPF!

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    1. There was no place for them to go but UP. :) Thank you Janet--I am terrible at drawing perspective--oy. Well just keep it up! xo

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  22. How fun and lovely! What a lovely video also. Truly wonderful! Happy PPF!

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  23. Great video! You make it look so easy. Your frogs have personality!

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    1. Thank you Tammy! I thought it might inspire a few kids--I hope. xo

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  24. 55 years is a massive achievement congratulations to your parents. Your little frog is a great way to remember such a sweet story.

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    1. I agree! 55 years and they are still nuts about each other. And thanks! xo

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  25. Great story, Dea, and what a good inspiration idea for your happy frog.
    Again, thanks for your great video, the next time I want to draw a frog I'll know where to look.
    I love your illustration from the book, it is just magical.

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    1. Thank you very much. I loved doing those illustrations--and loved showing them off at the Carle museum. Huge honor. xo

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    1. Thank you Natasha! I just love that name BTW. I hope they catch on and help kids get into art. xo

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  27. Great story. Started my day with a laugh. Love the frogs.

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  28. I LOVE your parent's honeymoon anecdote, and the sweet tribute you illustrated about it. Blessings!

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    1. Thank you so much Arnoldo. So glad I found this group and all you nice people. xo

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    1. Thank you thank you! And Happy PPF to you as well!xo

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  30. Such a sweet story and your frog illustrations are adorable!

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    1. Thank you so much Abigail! So glad you stopped by. xo

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  31. Absolutely wonderful frogs! What a great honeymoon story! Congrats to your parents and to your family.

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    1. Thank you so much Gloria! I saw them this weekend and they get such a kick out of reading lovely comments like yours. Have a great week! xo

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  32. I really like your drawing style, cute frog.
    Have a good week!

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  33. The way you tell a story get you hooked in and the frog drawing midway through it gave it a nice touch. Love, love, LOVE your video! I will use it at the ALFs where I do activities with the Seniors, thank you! They will LOVE drawing their own frogs. :)

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    1. I am so happy to hear that you will use the videos for such a nice thing. If you end up doing it I would LOVE to see the pics and would feature them in a future blog--then you can show them. :) You made my day Ileana. Thanks so much. xo

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  34. Happy anniversary to your parents! And what a story! Absolutely love your frogs, especially the second one, I just love that style of yours!

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  35. What a great story. We had ice in the alleys in Central IL the year in June we got married. Yep, those were bad winters back then. The frog picture is awesome artwork. Blessings, Janet PPF

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    1. Oh wow!! In June!! Crazy. Thank you so much for your kind words… Have a lovely week. XO

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  36. Thank you Nordijus! They are a wealth of fun and stories. They love reading everyone's nice comments. Have a great day. XO

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  37. What a wonderful story! Only someone young and in love could have braved and lived to tell the adventure.

    Cute frog and so expressive!

    Thanks for visiting my blog and for the lovely comment.

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    1. So true! So funny to me because they are both conservative now. :) Thank you so much Indira--glad to hear they are expressive. xo (And you are welcome)

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  38. What a fun story!! Living in Savannah, an icy bridge is truly a rare thing. It's only happened a couple of time since we moved here. Unfortunate timing. And the way to the Okefenokee Swamp truly takes a good long time. We've been there a few times, camping and canoeing with the alligators. I'm glad they got to their destination fine!! And I'm sure it all looks a good bit different so many years later... Love the cute frog!! xoxo Silke

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    1. Thank you Silke! Yes they said never in a million years did they think the bad weather up north would continue to trouble them so far south. Oh alligators!! Yikes--wonder if they would have continued if they knew about them. xo

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