Photo. Me. Age 13. Dressed for my first day to be an "official Dreyer's Ice Cream Taster"
My Grandma, Joan, had entered me and herself in a contest. All I recall is her telling me to stuff a blue glove with cotton, write a small postcard using any color of ink I wanted and she would so the rest. Grandma stitched the stuffed glove to look like it could hold a spoon. Added a plastic spoon and thread to connect my handwritten postcard. 
We waited...
Later, my mom, Lynda, told me both my entry and Grandma's entry won a trip to San Francisco to be official Dreyer's Grand Ice cream taste testers! We traveled together, and endured a great trip of a lifetime with my Grandma and my mom. We stayed downtown in a fancy, high rise hotel. We went on every tour imaginable. We spent 2 or 3 days tasting and helping develop new flavors of ice cream. I then invented the flavor "Rocky Road"! 
Just kidding. But that is still my favorite flavor!
Every contest winner proceeded to eat every meal with a guaranteed dessert of ice cream. This included breakfast. Then the moment after you spend a whole day eating nothing but ice cream due to your "official taste tester" new job, they give you a year's supply of ice cream on top of that!
Sounds like heaven, but that. Did. Me. In. 
I ate so much ice cream that I have a hard time wanting or eating it now. 
I also recall that trip to SF with my mom and grandma opened me up to so many things! 
1- ice cream, and a lot of it. 
2- I saw my first gay man who was our waiter one evening. I recall being so curious about him and how cool and interesting I thought he was. 
3- The sea air became a love of mine. I recall the first time I licked my lips and tasted salt when we rode on the ferry boat to Alcatraz. 
4- I got to meet a guy named John, whose tongue was insured for a million dollars and how he could taste any funk, weirdness or Goldilocks recipe in the ice cream. It's like every day of his life was a taste testing dare! I recall him always wearing a red bow-tie and white lab coat, and how he would always take time out to joke along with me. 
5- My ATF memory. Taking a trip to Sausalito. I recalled thinking "holy shit! (I've been cussing since the 4th grade) I would hate to be a kid learning how to ride a bike in this town." It's insanely hilly! Which now after this trip, staying and driving around, seems like an understatement. And then I fell in love with Shrimp Scampi and the delicious garlic butteriness of fresh shrimp. 
6- How much I miss my grandma, yet am thankful I have this wonderful memory because of her.
This is my 3rd trip back, and tonight I ordered ice cream for the first time back in San Francisco. Rocky Road, of course. I ate it recalling that amazing trip and thought of my beloved and deceased grandma. Then I realized that even 26 years later, I ate all the ice cream I could eat back when I was in 8th grade. I guess that means there is more for all of you. 
❤️
#wewerealldorkyin8thgrade #noshame

I made the Fe Gallery a stop on my California vacation to see my yetis in the "Tiny Monster" national juried art show. I was surprised to see my piece "Camouflage" will soon have a new home. I'm glad I got bid him goodbye in person. ​

Night Owl Confession Cat Edition #8.3.17- My name is Gobi. My mom calls me "Gobi Kitten" we have a new baby cat in the house. She's super annoying and bugs me all the time. I play nice because I'm a good boy. When I get upset, I make sure everyone knows that my mom is "MY MOM" Like...no one else's. Just my mom. Like a fuzzier version of territorial pissings, but different. #neenerneener #canhegetanycloser #readyformycloseup

​Night Owl Confession #7.18.17-
FOUND!
"Cousin Yeti" (right)
Good Grief! You ever make something so tiny that you lost it? 
Many of you know his face from last year's Xmas card. When I finished him, I put him somewhere and completely forgot his exact location. 
Months ago, I entered him and his Yetiesque friend in the Tiny Monster national juried show where both were accepted... yet 1 was MIA. 
I am proud to announce that I found Yeti on Monday in a place I've looked a hundred times and now here he is! Tonight, he got all gussied up with varnish and hanging materials and is ready to go to the show with his friend! 
My monsters are all grown up and moving to California, and hopefully I'll get a chance to go see them in their glory with all their monster friends. I'm so excited! What a relief! #2monsters1papertowel #CaliforniaorBust

Night Owl Confession 7.14.17-
I'm exhausted, and crispy from a long day of traveling around downtown Loveland with my little red wagon.
I made some creations for very lovely and appreciative people. I also made some for less than enthusiastic people, too.
I sat on a street corner while a homeless man asked if he could sit with me while I worked and we chatted about his excitement of getting his dog back and his good fortune on finding some event tokens for a good meal at Loveland Loves BBQ.
Just when I was going to give up after the long day, I pushed for one more quick piece. I pulled my wagon to the corner of 4th and Railroad and wrote "stand here and think about someone you love." Just as I was finishing up, a couple came by and the man stopped and said "You know just as I read that, I immediately thought of a whole bunch of people that I love. Thank you for reminding me to think of those people." And then he gave me a high five.
Not everyone will verbalize their thoughts with you, and you can't get too caught up in those who don't share. But it sure makes my day when people like that share little gems with me that prove to me that what I'm doing helps make the world a little brighter. ❤️

im really proud to be included in the Tiny Monster show at the age Gallery in Sacramento, California. I'm still trying to swing going out to see the show in person. I feel being present would bring great inspiration, and I'm looking forward to meeting some of the Monster artists. There's got to be an underlaying fun element as to why we choose to paint monsters vs. boring landscapes and flowers. Fingers crossed I can make it out there!

I had a great time creating more mini chalk art pieces for Downtown Loveland's Night on the Town event. My friend Bhanu's birthday was just around the corner, so I created this little giraffe as a birthday surprise for her.
​

Night Owl Confession #6.7.17-
I ordered my lunch in the rear of the Black Steer( it's a thing, trust me), and I sat next to this colorful character. As I waited for my to-go order, I pulled my phone out just as this gentleman started to chat me up. I chose to put my phone away.
"My name is Bud." The then whispers "really its Warren, but I like Bud better." He told me he plays Pokémon Go on his flip phone and he caught so many Pokémon that they all follow him around now. This made me smile. I knew his flip phone wasn't capable, and he was now just trying to relate.
He would get excited each time he saw someone in the restaurant take out their cell phone because he makes "400% each time someone uses their phone or debit card"
Bud also "owns 7,000 acres around the Great Western Sugar Factory which is now shopping malls instead of farmland because no one farms sugar beets anymore."
Our conversation looped all around a couple of different topics, and then he told me "people think I have dementia or Alzheimer's, but I'm not crazy."
This was no surprise to me, and later it hit... Chasing Pokémon was a bit like chasing conversations with people with dementia. It's something I am very familiar with.
I only spent a few minutes chatting with Bud, yet it was a delightful time. It reminded me of when I would chat with my beloved G-Pa Sewolt, who also had dementia. Bud even dressed like him, too! Funny t-shirt, shirts showing off white, knobby knees and a hat.
Whatever it is, I'll take it as a little sign from my G-pa telling me he's still around. It was also a sweet reminder of how choosing conversations with strangers over hiding in your phone can be a positive thing. ❤️