Joy

My mother sent me this lovely picture of the Mississippi River from their back yard. While it is very pretty, all it did was remind me of "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross.

When we lived in Wesleyville, we didn't have cable. On weekend mornings when I didn't have an activity to do, I would sometimes sit on the couch and tune into PBS for a little Bob Ross fix. I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad never understood this, but I know I'm not alone. The painter's voice was so soothing and his paintings so tranquil, it was like a dream to watch. He'd make "happy clouds" and "give a lonely tree a friend" using colors that didn't make any sense until he was done.

I ran into Bob Ross fans when I lived in Greece. My friends and I had one particular bar we really liked, Yasoo, and when we would stay late and be the only ones left, the owners would turn on "The Joy of Painting". The first time it happened, I couldn't believe it! I hadn't seen the show in years. They were just as surprised that I knew who he was. We sat in awe watching him paint a wooded lake, shouted our protests when he painted a large black line right through the middle of it all, then nodded in approval when that line turned into an evergreen tree to complete the work.

This is how I picture that photo with Bob Ross

But wait! what's he doing? Noooooo!

I guess we will just have to trust that it comes out all right in the end!