Looking back through my little girl eyes into the magical, mystical pond of backyard dreams, I gaze through these waters and I see the reflections of a childhood gone by. I catch glimpses of the fresh citrus colors of life zipping back and forth and rising to the surface to be hand fed by me. I quickly glance and see the images of birthday parties in my mind. I can see the music still imprinted through the swirling of the waters. Like speech bubbles, I freeze the bubbles in time to hold on to the words that were shared as we ran, played, and swung to the treetops. These bubbles hold the magic of a unicorn, a tree named Oswald, and a grouchy tree stump by the name of George as testimony that they were real at one time, and I believe still are... if only in my mind. I capture the sunlight dancing across the surface with hints of gold and orange and a sparkle of new opportunities and adventures just waiting because the days of childhood would surely last forever. Hidden under the surface are hints of the stars at night with the moon peering down telling me it was time to go inside or perhaps back outside to steal a few more moments of the cool, moist wind in my face. The pond was shushing me to go back in and sleep with its rhythmic waterfall splashing me a night time lullaby.

My connecting theme that unites the real and the fantasies of my childhood creations is "veins" throughout my drawing. Veins by their nature connect and intertwine and give us the ability to breathe, be alive, and have human experiences. In this piece, the veins show seamlessly my connection to my childhood backyard and how alive these memories still are for me. Both reality and imagination connected together forever becoming one in my mind. Enjoy!