Daddy, Tell Me a Story -Paint Party Friday

I posted this once before, back in 2009.  I have been so busy, I just haven't had time to do much art, so hence this post.

This Cloud Painting takes me back to when my children were small. Every night when we'd tuck them into their beds inevitably one of the kids would say, "Daddy, tell me a story..."
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My Beloved was a wonderful storyteller.  Over the years--since they were tiny babies--Alan would tell them fantastical bedtime stories about a mysterious Sea Captain. The Sea Captain became so real the kids once stopped a man in Oregon's coastal town of Lincoln City, to ask if HE was the Sea Captain.
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Each of the Sea Captain stories had a theme.

One evening the story he told was to teach the children to call upon God in times of trouble. The lights were were low. Alan lay on his back on the old waterbed, the girls perched on his outstretched arms. They were on a boat in the open sea.
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Suddenly a storm blew up out of nowhere! The wind was ferocious, the ship began to rock. I provided the "sound effects for the wind."

Alarmed the Sea Captain began to shout orders. Alan's up-flung arm became the mast, as our youngest daughter began to pull in the sails. On the other side, the eldest was ordered to "frappe" the boat as the waves of the sea grew higher and higher. Our young son, the official thundercloud, began to bounce up and down on Dad's feet. The lightning flashed! I flickered the overhead lights. And the thunder grew louder and louder!
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The boat began to bounce and rock dangerously from side to side! The thunder growled and the clouds grew darker and darker. I switched off the bedside lamp. It began to rain furiously. The deck was so slippery no one could walk without being swept out to sea! Giant waves were splashing clear up over the ship!
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"Nothing more can be done!" cried the Sea Captain. "What should we do?"
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But all that rocking had put one little sailor nearly to sleep. She opened one eye, and with a huge yawn she replied, "Call 911!"

Alan was a great Dad.  We all miss his stories and wonderful jokes.  Sunday afternoon, the kids and I sat around the fire pit playing music and sharing stories and laughter, as we often did when Alan was here.  We will miss Alan for the rest of our lives.  He was such a wonderful man.  He filled our world with color, laughter and song.  What a blessing for those precious memories.

Here are the original clouds I photographed for the cloud painting Daddy, Tell Me a Story.  God bless you, dear ones.  Have a lovely week and Happy Paint Party Friday!