For me every sketch is a step closer to expertise. When I choose a sketch, it seems very hard(almost impossible to draw) to me and I have that feeling that I can’t do justice with it. But once it is finished, it comes up with the feeling of surprise, wonder and happiness.
Each artwork I take up, as amateur and that keeps my hunger alive to learn and to be better.
I was drawing this sketch from past 3 weeks (not all days but 1 or 2 times a week) and finally got it complete in my recent local meet-up (its an app where like minded people can meet and do things together).
Here is the whole process of it’s development during course of weeks :-
Week 1 :-
Initial phase – 2/2
Week 2 :-
Shaping up – 2/16
Outline – 2/16
Week 3 :-
At the finish line – 2/23
Final Sketch – 2/23
You might be thinking why I take that much time for a sketch , but I love the detailing and drawing the image in form of lines, dots and patches so every work is like creating a sculpture for me.
Tell me if you liked the sketch and what are the improvement areas ?
Today is Maha- Shivratri, an auspicious day for Lord Shiva devotees. On this day Hindu God Shiva got married to Goddess Parvati, which was the first love marriage in Hindu mythology .
There are 12 shiv-ratris (Shiva Night) in a year but this one is the most important due to it significance in Lord Shiva’s life. Lord Shiva is the destroyer, wanderer, Yogi, god of gods and sanyasi (Hermit).
I am offering tribute to the Lord with my drawing skills 🙂
I was in Miami recently and I was really very excited for this trip, Firstly because it was going to be my first vacation of this year and secondly due to photography opportunities.
As I always say, travelling experience comes with so many things altogether- mental peace, relaxation, knowing yourself, understanding of a place and it’s culture, collecting memories in from of photographs, spending time with family and many more.
A beautiful Wall painting
I went to Miami with my sisters (No, that’s not strange ) for 4 days and we decided to make it a total relaxing trip (No museums, aquarium or gator parks ), to just chill on South beach, lots of talking, book reading and roaming around the beach. This experience was unique for me since I am kind of guy who wants to see everything in the visiting city and utilize each moment, so less relax more work.
How happy they are 🙂
3 days passed just like we wished, on 4th day we went to Little Havana (On sister’s recommendation) , a neighborhood full of colors, graffiti and Cuban culture. It is home to many Cuban exiles and immigrants thus named little Havana (capital of Cuba). This place is paradise for photographers, unfortunately I noticed only one guy (with big camera) and his partner (as his model) on the streets other than me. It’s a beautiful place that offers live music, entertainment and local shopping to the tourists.
My sisters went inside a shopping store which was having handmade paintings (really beautiful unlike modern art ;)), jewelry, stones, clothes and many more and I stayed outside taking photographs (couldn’t miss the opportunity), backgrounds were so bright and beautiful that subject of your photo will stand out. Below are some photos taken :-
Colorful neighborhood
Area was full of Graffiti , I captured many of those through my Sony A6500 mirrorless camera. Sisters were also very happy as I included them as subjects in my photos (I don’t generally do that), below are some of the Graffiti I found interesting :-
Graffiti – Cuban culture and Paintings
Roaming in the streets, we came across an alley (That photographer was also there) which was very colorful, in the closing section of it, there were beautiful and bright wall paintings. We spend 15-20 mins there admiring the work and taking photographs. Here are some of the photos taken :-
Beautiful Paintings
Night was close and I had the return flight of the same day, so we decided to return to our Hotel so as to avoid any adventure 😀 (Can’t miss the flight), in between the time our Uber came, took few more shots and then rode back to Hotel. Last shots of that day :-
Last pics of the day
In the above pictures, you might notice guys playing chess, this was the famous “Máximo Gómez Park” – a gathering place for Domino and chess players. They were very much involved in the game, I took couple of pictures.
So if you are in Miami or planning to go, this pace must be in your list. You will definitely enjoy your time here.
Tell me any specific photo you liked in this post. Also share you favorite places and their specialty. Let me know what makes them unique.
This year has been very productive so far, I am covering state parks (Depending on weather) , read 6 books already , planned few trips ( surprise ! ) for coming months and recently draw my first sketch of the year. Here we go …..
Deep down
Sketching for me is not a thing which can be complete in a day, i take 2-3 days and sometimes a week to achieve what i desired for. If I have to define sketching – “It’s an art of seeing between the lines and drawing them”
My family encouraged me to take up the tools, last year was dry in terms of sketching. Right now I am more into 3D sketches. Already started my second sketch which is 20% complete, hope that will live up to the expectations.
Do you also like sketching ? or painting ? What you love to do in your free time ?
As the temperature continues to fall , sadness and laziness creeps in my house. Regularly checking weekly temperature and then bookmarking sunny days has become a habit now. I love winter especially the time when Mother Nature wraps herself in white blanket of snow but this comes with limitations of being trap in the house.
But finally I got what I wished ! Perfect Sunny Day 🙂
It was nice weather today with sun glowing sharp so I decided to visit Manawa State Park , Iowa. Omaha city shares the border with Iowa state, so Manawa park is approx 20 min drive from my place. I left for the park at around 3 o’clock so as not to miss sun warmth and enjoy the sunset.
Park is vast spanning 1500 acres, so it was quiet difficult to find the main entrance and parking lot (there are so may paid parking, i was looking for free) and as usual GPS sucked . After roaming from one place to other in the park finding for suitable place, found some cars parked at Manawa Beach and children playing in the play area. While parking my Subaru Legacy, I noticed a beautiful dear few yards away.
WOW ! I became still, foot on break, slowly picked my camera from passenger seat, framed the deer and VOILA !!
Calm and peaceful deer in wild
I put my camera back on seat only when deer went back to woods 🙂 . Parked the car, grabbed my backpack & camera, I was ready for the hike. I started towards the lake which was completely frozen and was giving complement to blue sky. I took multiple shots and even shoot few videos of the surrounding. Atmosphere was so good that trees were kind of illuminated and were reminding me of posters on Window 10.
Dry Season
Frozen Manawa Lake
It was basically a Photographer’s delight. I hiked across the lake but was careful enough not to walk on the frozen lake, didn’t want to perform any action stunt :P. Ground was damp and muddy at few places, I had to be careful enough not to slip. I spent long time near the lake enjoying the beauty of our Mother Nature. Soon I noticed birds returning home and Sun going down, so went towards the beach end to enjoy the sun set.
Bird flock returning to nestBiding Good-bye to camera
It was going to be dark, so I started walking towards my car, taking many shots on the way. While at the exit of the park, again notice a beautiful deer trying to drink from the Frozen water, not sure how easy that would be. Life in wild is really very challenging not like ours sitting in heated rooms, drinking filtered water and asking Alexa/Google home to do almost everything for us.
Deer drinking from the frozen lake
I didn’t want to leave honestly, I really love to be in nature but need to wait for another such beautiful shiny day. Hoping that will come soon. I need a long trip desperately.
What is your favorite place in your local city ? How you like to spend days in Winter especially if you are travalcoholic ?
Last Saturday it was good sunny day as opposed to harsh winter of OMAHA, so I planned to go Zorinsky lake park to spend some time in nature alone. I wanted to see sunset behind the lake and what’s best place than Zorinsky.
Zorinski lake park is 15-20 mins drive from my house and to take advantage of sunny day I left at 4 PM, ready for sun warmth. How can I leave my camera for capturing the beautiful scenes during the hike on lake trail.
Beautiful Zorinsky Lake at Golden Hour
I reached there at around 4:20 and saw many cars parked, more than I expected. I put my gloves and cap on, camera in neck and backpack filled with protein bars, water and other necessary items. Lake loop trail is about 7 miles with beautiful views and rich wildlife. Most of the guys were hiking or running, some with dogs too. Below are few pictures I took at the start of trail.
A couple jogging across lake
Running in the woods
It was really beautiful out there, thank god it was a perfect sunny day. Even though there was chill in the surrounding, but still manageable. I decided to cover the loop trail but spent most of the time taking shots, so was moving with very slow pace 🙂 . To avoid the distraction, I put my cellphone on Airplane mode and started towards the lake. There was a bench just at the bank of lake, where I spent few minutes.
Trail through the neighborhood
Lake shore
After spending time across the lake, I moved forward towards the trail passing through the neighborhood. That area was perfect for bird watching, since sun was already going down the horizon, got some beautiful pictures. If you love photography, you might know Golden hour and Blue Hour are the best times for pictures.
Bird watching
To get some beautiful sun set pictures I returned to the way I came through and was literally running so as not to miss the chance. Moon was also visible in the sky. When I reached in the open space again, WOW that was beautiful, amazing and indescribable. I took numerous shots, wasn’t able to resist myself.
It was getting late and park was almost empty so I started moving towards my car. But as I said, it was so beautiful, that I was still taking photos while turning back. Somehow I reached my Car 🙂 . Even though wanted to sit and enjoy few more moments but couldn’t do due to the cold. I will revisit the place soon on some other sunny day.
Do you also like spending time in nature and taking photographs ? Do you prefer Golden Hour or Blue Hour ?
Travel and reading comes together, it’s fun reading in the dim light of flight with excitement of the trip in the head. I never travel without book whether I get chance to read or not, that’s different thing.
I am quiet active on Goodreads, (many of you might be aware), for those who don’t know, it’s a kind of social network of Readers and Authors. My last year goal was 40 books but could complete only 25.
I started the year with Grisham’s “The Firm” and ended with his “The Runaway Jury”. If I categorize the books, I read few classics, thrillers, biographies, (walking dead) series and fictions. Here is my top 5 pick from the year :-.
1. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell :- I started this book back in 2018 but it remained unfinished due to higher demand of it in Library . So I completed this in 2019 and wow I feel lucky to just read it. If I need to describe in one word, that would be brilliant. This is the kind of book one would like to have in personal shelf. Story is about a society where everything is controlled by Government called Big Brother and citizens are with literally no rights of their own. In such conditions a couple tries to revolt and what happens in that horrific world is the book all about. It points out the ill effects of dictatorship in a society and how opposition is required for balance of power. This artwork is inspired from Hitler and Stalin’s reign in Germany and Soviet.
2. The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel :- This book is a biography of genius mathematician Ramanujan who arose from the streets of India to Trinity college of Cambridge, England where he faced numerous challenges related to racism, non-acceptance, cultural differences and ego clashes but found his true mentor Hardy who shows him path and provide him what he deserved “fellowship of Royal society “. Till date his various algorithms are under research and proven to be pioneer in various fields. There is also a movie on this book with the same name which is a good watch too.
3. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach :- it’s a short story about a seagull who tries to find purpose of his life as opposed to his flock and finally attains illumination. What happens thereafter is typically the face of our society as his follower seagulls create a shrine for him rather than seeking their own path and treat him like god. This story hits hard on many point such as soul searching, purpose of life, endless circle of birth & death and how should we break it. Overall It’s a wonderful spiritual journey for the reader.
4. A State of Freedom by Neel Mukherjee :- This book talks about the difficulty and hardship of life. Book unfolds five stories each one with unique and emotional touch. First story is about a rich person who comes to India from America to visit Agra (He was born there) with his son and couldn’t cop with the reality, Second about a maid in Mumbai who wants her nephew to be highly educated and saves each penny for him, Third story is about a Naxalite girl who wants the freedom from the atrocities on poor from government, Fourth one also my favorite is about a man who found bear cub, trains him and go to big city for fortune of his family and Last story connects all stories together. Ending is very sad as life is not always what we expect.
5. Amerika: The Man Who Disappeared by Franz Kafka :- I can’t imagine any list without Kafka (My Favorite Author), I put this book at last mainly because it’s unfinished story. But still a masterpiece from Master itself. Story talks about an immigrant named Karl who comes to America with big dreams but finds out it’s not easy to survive in this great nation and go through various obstacles and adventures. This book highlights comic shade of Kafka’s writing which is not so common in his work. Reader will be amused by the situations and adventures of Karl. It’s really sad that story remains incomplete.
This year I set the goal for 45 books and already completed one, Let’s see how this year goes. What’s your target and you favorite books ? Leave your comments.
Today is the last day of this year and 2020 is waiting for a warm welcome from us. So I was thinking How was 2019 for us (Me & My wife) as far as our Travel desires were concerned.
Last year was very much productive in terms of Travel. We covered 4 national parks, 1 national monument, 1 tiger sanctuary, 8 US states and collected beautiful memories. All were road trips excluding just one for which we had to do Air travel which we are not very fond of.
Remembering all those beautiful trips and memories here as a tribute to 2019 🙂
Branson, Missouri – After spending New year’s eve of 2018 in Puerto Rico, we came back to home in January first week and spent whole month with office work and thinking about beautiful time spent in Puerto Rico (roughly 10 days) until Travel craving started. So we visited Branson, a beautiful town of Missouri in Feb mid, which was first road trip of the year. Branson was not that crowded during this time due to cold and most of the outdoor attractions were closed but still we managed to have great time there with indoor activities, yes they have so many of them. We visited Hollywood Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe it of not, Titanic Museum, Butterfly Palace and famous Branson Landing (uff that was so cold). It was a short trip of 3 days but with sweet memories.
Branson Landing & King Kong at Hollywood Wax Museum Building
South Dakota – I invited my sister in March end to accompany us for a trip to SD which was in our Bucket list for a long time. I wanted to see Mount Rushmore in real as opposed to movies 🙂 . We put our small world inside car and started journey from Omaha to SD and first point was Badlands National Park (first park of the year), still can’t forget the natural beauty of those rocks. We halted for nearly 2-3 hours in Wall Drug store (Very famous in Wall) and then drove to Mount Rushmore. Due to shortage of time, could cover only Rushmore and Reptile Garden. We need one more trip to the place as there are still so many attractions to see there, hopefully that will happen soon 🙂
Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park
Colorado – This name itself brings smile on our faces. I just love this place, if you are nature lover, this is the perfect place. We been there last year too, this year we covered 2 national parks and 1 National Natural Landmark. It was a long trip of 5-6 days in May end, again road trip. We halted at Denver and visited Black Canyon National park in Montrose which was our first Canyon, experience was amazing, never saw such narrow cliffs before. From there we went to Great sand Dunes National Park which was also one of the Nature’s wonder. I never found trekking so hard but on the dunes i was walking dead. Our Last halt was in Colorado Springs in which we covered Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and Seven Falls, each one of them truly amazing and mesmerizing. At Pikes peak we had to wear Jackets and Gloves and it was snow everywhere in the month of May, while Garden of the Gods was little hot with good hiking and Segway experience. Overall it was unforgettable trip and as I said Colorado never disappoints.
Black Canyon National Park & Garden of the Gods
Chicago, Illinois – I have been to Chicago 2 times before but my wife never been there. Also I got 3 week forced leaves in June Mid, so as you might have already guessed, I decided to use these leaves for Travel. We planned to go for road trip from Omaha to New Jersey via Chicago to meet our family. We spent 4 days in Chicago and covered the core of the city along with spending time with few friends there. Millennium Park, Bean, Linkoln Park Zoo and Bicycle City tour just to name few. Skydeck couldn’t cover due to low visibility caused by Fog. It was a relaxing trip overall.
Sky Deck in Fog & Famous Bean
Niagara Falls, New York – After spending time with Family, We drove directly to Niagara Falls in June end and stayed there for 2 days. We have been there earlier too, but this this time crowd was less somehow so we got chance to enjoy each attraction like Cave of the Winds, Maid of the Mist, Discovery center, Aquarium etc. Hiking in the state park was also fun and who can forget delicious authentic Indian food in the vicinity. After this we headed back to our home town.
Beautiful Niagara Falls & View from Boat for Maid of the Mist
Branson, Missouri – Yes, I already covered Branson before, but this one was our second trip to the place and this time being there in Summer(August) gave us too much to do. This was also a road trip but with family (We two and my parents), this time Branson was very crowded and there were so many attractions there. We covered museums again for parents along with White Tiger Sanctuary, Promised Land Zoo, Ferries Wheel, White Water and played 3D game, go karting, bumper car and lot many. Branson is totally different in Summer and is heaven for Kids :). For entertainment and relax, this is the best place to visit.
Ripley’s Believe it or not & Hollywood Wax Museum
Montana – So this one was the biggest trip of the year and was actually a whole family trip (We, my parents and both sisters). Trip was of 6 days(in September start) and we all met at Cody airport, took rental car and started for Gardiner, Montana to visit Yellowstone National Park which was on our list for couple of years. This trip was truly amazing and full of Nature’s Wonders. We stayed in a big Cabin, watched geysers, volcanic eruptions, mud pots and hiked in the park. Who can forgot beautiful sky filled with stars in the night and the moments we shared sitting around the grill. This experience was kind of spiritual for me and I never felt so close to beautiful nature before. We will definitely visit again Yellowstone.
Bison near Lamar valley on Road & Old faithful Geyser
Chicago , Illinois – So year’s last trip ended in Chicago in Mid September and as we already covered this before in June, this time we visited the same places again along with Skydeck, Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium. We also did City Architecture tour which is highly recommended, due to rain we couldn’t do much in this trip and also duration was short, just 2 days. Overall it was good experience and my parents liked the place, that’s all what mattered 😉
Art & Field Museum of Chicago
Remaining 3 months we traveled locally only and tried to complete our Book reading goals. She completed hers and I did more than 50%. Now 2020 is here, We hope to have a great year, full of travel and trips and lot many memories to collect. We wish same to you. Have a year full of trips.
Relaxing at home on comfy couch with mobile in hand and Green tea on table, sometimes I think why to bother to go somewhere and plan a trip that will include either long drives or flights with usual delays . Also travel means more expense so is it really worth spending money ?
I have been travelling for a long time (close to 8-9 years) and all I see is tons of benefits that come directly/indirectly with Travel. So here are 5 reasons you should stop thinking about expenses and Time and start packing your bags for next trip :-
1. Recharge, Refresh and Refuel – Just like we go to Gym or indulge in physical activities for our body recharge, mind also needs the same. Working 5 times a week for 8-9 hours and then following the same routine daily, we need a break. During travel when we leave behind office/personal issues, and spend time with family or solo in nature, it recharges our mind, body and soul and gives us some memorable happy moments.
My last trip was of Yellowstone and that was really rejuvenating. We had some kind of special connect with beautiful nature of Yellowstone and felt at ease.
Yellowstone Grand Prismatic Spring
2. Social connect – We are social animals and beside our limited personal and professional contacts ( few forced too), We possesses strong desire to make connection with others sharing our interests and goals. During travel we find other travelers with common interests that sometimes become our long time friends.
Personally I love meeting new people, communicating and sharing space with them. I had great experiences with nice People in Colorado, Yellowstone, Puerto Rico, South Dakota and many such places during my recent visits.
Bean in Chicago
3. Cultural Know How – If you move from one state to another in my Home Country India, you will find so much cultural differences in language, food, dressing and nature that you will be amazed. It feels good to understand other cultures and be part of them temporarily. Visiting any different country or any home state give you chance to know the local culture. Like I loved the European culture in Switzerland during my visit, their signature dish Racllete loaded with cheese and Mulled wine can’t be forgotten.
Even We felt amazed in Puerto Rico, I would say city of happiness. We felt like home there and my wife got annoyed by my daily consumption of Pina Colada 🙂
Cowboy shop in South Dakota
4. Knowledge – From my personal experiences, Knowledge always comes in handy whenever needed. Travel gives frog-out-of-well kind of feeling and when we are out of our tiny well and see the beautiful big world around us. We get insights and knowledge of surrounding.
We weren’t aware of Geo thermal points before Yellowstone, Spanish colonies, Christopher Columbus or Pina Coloada before Puerto Rico, Garden of Gods or Pikes peak before Colorado, Beautiful patterns of Badlands or Bio-luminescent bay before our trips. There is so much around us which we don’t know, Travel gives that opportunity to learn and know those things.
Badlands beautiful patterns
5. Entertainment – Whether you are in Branson, Missouri or Chicago, Yellowstone or RMNP, Niagra falls or Luray Caverns, enjoyment, fun, entertainment quotient can’t be less. I love Photography and wait for my trips as they provide more opportunity and atmosphere for great shots. If you like hiking, biking, eating or just roaming in the streets with camera in hand, Travel will give you those moments to enjoy what you love.
I took Photography serious 2 years back and whatever I learned, all credit goes to my trips. Shooting nature’s wonders, Capturing wildlife in habitat or Taking photos of busy city life give happiness to soul and improves my skills.
Trekking on Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
What you think about Travelling ? Share your experiences and learning from Travelling. Those who are still at home reading this blog, go plan a trip and fresh you mind.
HarPiyTravel 