It's August!

Happy August! Have you ridden your elephant today?

Just remember, not all those who wander are lost. They may just be fulfilling their lifelong dream of traveling to Thailand and riding an elephant.

When I painted this fearless traveler I was in the throes of helping a friend plan her honeymoon to do this very thing.

Don't you like how I say that as if I played a bigger role in this than her now-husband? (I didn't)

But at the time I felt as though I was taking this trip right along with her, I was so emotionally invested in the excitement of planning this elephant-driven quest for the far east. 

It sounded so glamorous, like time travel. I was envisioning it all being very Love In The Time of Cholera, very English Patient. (Were either of these movies filmed in Thailand?)

Imagine my surprise when she returned several months later with her pictures. Turns out, one does not wear a crop-top with exaggerated bow and a hot pink maxi skirt when elephanting. One wears a pair of canvas scrubs in royal blue.

Very different vibe. 

It looked incredible, none the less. She also got to lie down on top of a napping tiger. All about the animals, that one. 

Anyway, cheers to a new month. A month for wanderlust and "going on holiday". The last month before life turns new again in September.