New Prints added to my Shop!

I'm thoroughly enjoying this New England summer- county fairs, climbing the Pilgrim Monument (ok, I really did not enjoy climbing 150 steps but the view of Provincetown and Cape Cod was amazing! Plus, they give you a little sticker so you can brag about having done it!) So I have added some new items to my shop lately, some from my summer exploits...

From the Barnstable County Fair in Falmouth, Mass. The museum showing the history of the fair was quite impressive, and I endured the 90-degree heat in this fanless room to learn about churning butter and reading old fair posters from the 1920's. This print was also featured on Crabtastic's blog.

I'm normally not one for rides either but as long as they don't go upside down or anything I can handle it. Anyway, the wind whipping past my face was really the ONLY way to beat the ridiculous heat from the fair days!  LEFT:  ride from the Hot Air Balloon festival,  and RIGHT: ferris wheel from Barnstable County Fair.

Meet my little friend, the Eurasian Eagle Owl from the fair. He was livin' the good life, he gets to travel the country and show off with his friends- more injured or rescued birds of prey. A family owns and runs this show, which is the BEST raptor show I have ever seen. The kids were loving it. I have tons more pics from the show which I'll upload sometime this coming week. They were all amazing! I'll have to find their business card....
This guy was the most spoiled though, he got fed water from a squirt bottle and pet all day!

Finally- the fun part, food. I just love retro, colorful words and signs so I made these into 4x6 prints and listed them as a set on Etsy. If I had a little girl I would make her bedroom or playroom all fun prints like this. But alas, I have only cats and they don't appreciate decorating- just food.

I was also contacted by Erin to say that I was featured in her Nifty Gifty guide for Beach Weddings!
Happy Summer!

All prints available on my shop maryvican.etsy.com  :)

Owls and more Owls!

I love owls, and I collect them (but that's for another day), but the most exciting thing is always seeing them live! Unfortunately I am not very successful at doing this myself, so I've sought out shows, zoos and bird rescues to be able to see different types of owls. I just returned from Sarasota, Florida where I was able to visit the local Jungle Gardens as well as the Bird Rescue/ Sanctuary across from the Mote Aquarium on Longboat Key.

So, here are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy!

 

These barred owls were so cute...there was a little family. The one above was staring at me. I love their two-toed little stance.

 

The great  horned owl. Note the damaged wing. He is a rescue at the sanctuary.

I love this "smiling" barn owl! He looks so cute! I'm amazed by their perfect heart-shaped faces.