Chief

10 feet by 10 feet. 
On the asphalt street. 
In Chalk Pastels.
In Marietta, Georgia.

Oh, with a broken, displaced rib.
And several rain delays, over two days.


Indeed, this was not the easiest chalking I have ever done, but it was fun. It feels wonderful to be creative and I needed this little vacation.

Motivation: I have a lot of relatives in the greater Atlanta area and sometimes it is just a lot of fun to see family, get those wonderful hugs, and just reminisce. 

That is what got me in the car in the first place, because I really don't like driving more than an hour at a time.  But chalking friends - yes, that too. They are a fun group of people.  All that creativity in one place...just wow! 

Roger encouraged me to go last year, August 2013, but it was just too hot. I decided then that chalking a body outline on the pavement was probably not a good idea, so I passed.  I endured the Florida heat instead - indoors. 

Marietta was beautiful. The festival was great. 
Halloween was their theme and we were challenged to incorporate the sponsor logo into the design. 
I had two. Hilton Conference Center (Wow - comped rooms!) and the historic Strand Theatre. 
I promised Emily that I would chalk her - huge and in living color, no less!  She decided to be a Fire Chief for their halloween fun. Roger would have gotten a great kick out of it too!

With her fire bucket, there should be lots of sugar to put out those tummy fires, right? 

Between the rain, the broken rib, and some unplanned design edits, it came off ok. The proportion was off, but hey, call it a cartoon. Ribs are more painful than one might think! But it is bright!

And the man in the moon? That is Mr. Hilton.  
My first thought was to put Roger there...but it was too soon....I knew I would cry too much. Maybe one day.... He would like the humor. 

I even had a few tickets dropped in my bucket for 'People's Choice" - well, how about that?!

And people always ask - 
"How long does it stay here?"
It is a road. Till they move the barricades and the cars roll through.
Actually the street sweeper came through after dark.

"How can you stand to have it just erased like that?
Well, just like life, it is temporary.  
You do your best for today and keep your eye on the end of the journey.
You have to let go of perfectionism because when time is up, you can't do any more.

And when I think about it...

Roger's Lesson:
That is exactly what Roger would say about this journey we call life.
Temporary - eyes on the end of the journey - use time wisely, do your best and don't focus on what you can not change. Keep looking forward - the reward is great if you head to the right destination.   (Which is Heaven, of course - and the Way - well, that's in Jesus!)

The morning after drive-by...
not much more than a shadow, a memory.

I'm glad my memories last longer than chalk.