This painting is a commission I painted for a wonderful couple near Doctor Lake in Siren, WI only a few minutes from where Marge and I live in Webster, WI. We met Tom and Grace Haines at the Main Street Café, owned by Connie and if you come to our area you’ll be so happy to enjoy breakfast here. Tom and Grace are horse people too and love visiting TED Roosevelt National Park too and we have a lot in common and they appreciate the arts and I have helped them restore beautiful prints and to do this commission of this trumpeter swan family feeding and swimming on Doctor Lake in Siren, WI. Tom and Grace took this image and gave me a 4 x 6 print to study and then I used a True Gesso from Santa Fe NM, with my special coating and painted this autumn painting. Note the lead adult swan is the female(yep) and in the rear the adult father, with three grown cygnets in-between for protection. The cygnets at this point in  October can fly really well so the swans are prepared to migrate. I have observed the swans for a long time and from what I see they teach their young cygnets by example not by dictating and with people I find setting a god example and going softly with love is the best way.Everything the Lord created is love centered everything that Is Jesus cornerstone, love, not dictating.We might need to relearn this and soon, so our children are being cared for more with love and honor than by authority. When using a love based way to teach the child is open and can learn the fastest and the learning process is made more fun and the children excel and thrive in love compared to authority.

Thank you Tom and Grace for sharing an image that I so love to paint for you and I feel so blessed to have the honor to paint for my friends.

I’d like to say hi to the Hueper family, David and Ann of Blue Earth,MN. David you are a wonderful father, grandfather and husband, and my close friend. We visited today in your quiet slumber as God is putting his love to work and helping to heal your body. Our VA Hospital in Minneapolis is a very loving body of people doing God’s work here on earth and faithfully helping many of our veterans and I visited with Tim, your nurse David, and he is an awesome man doing a very honorable job for a very honorable man, you David. Peace be yours and rest, and this weekend celebrate with your family now is the time you are not in the grave, and Stacey says Ann is bringing some of your favorite food, yummy. I am going to travel to Theodore Roosevelt National park for a few days and when I get back, David I am coming to see you and your whole family, I am bringing something special for you, but rest now and start eating.

Before I finish my post today, I want to Praise God for all his love and faithfulness to our people, we the people here In America and all around the earth.

When I got to the VA Hospital I had written David Rueper, and the Visitors Desk said there is no one here by that name so I called his family, his daughter Stacey and I goofed his name is Hueper, and then I made my way to his room. I was impressed, and very aware of the nature of this healing place and the people who dedicate their lives sometimes 24/7 to save a veteran. God loves his people and they are following his mandate to love one another. Wonderful.

I think this gentleman from Birmingham,AL who wrote this just might be a father like David,Craig and Me, and there is a good possibility he is a veteran too. Here is his Story ,Titled ” Our Soldier” and goes something like this,:

” Out of the family, only one stood up, and raised his hand,To protect the weak, the poor, and the rest of us across this land.

Searching for discipline and trust,he works to learn,what the rest of the world, Expects from us.

Scared he goes, where he’s ordered to, each day he prepares to see the mission through.

We pray for him, because he’s Blood, Family, and Friends, Together forever,WE send him our Love.” His name is Donald Carrie(thank you Sir, Yes Sir Thank You)

David and Ann, enjoy your celebration this weekend, and just know that our loving God is caring for each of us and you are a favorite son, peace and ” Mankato” we will visit in a few days. God loves you, peace, with love and honor sir,

Jimmy Springett-wildlife painter