Thanksgiving  was a great time.We went to Cincinnati to visit with my wife's family. Her grandmother hosted Thanksgiving dinner and the food was delicious. We also enjoyed the presence of a new family friend - 2 year old Miguel, and his contagious laughter. He took the job of entertaining everyone very seriously, and I think even Molly, our dog got a couple of kisses.

Just before dinner, I had the chance to take a couple of pictures of a painting I did two years ago for my wife's grandfather, Ted. He had asked me to paint one of his favorite horses. For some reason, I never took a picture, but I'm happy to post it now.

It was great to be back in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. We got to visit with some friends, eat Skyline Chili, do some shopping and recharge our batteries before heading back to good old Atlanta. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I find the soft and delicate color of this kind of pumpkin to be very beautiful, I first saw these pumpkins 3 years ago when I was living in Kentucky. In Nicaragua we have the ayote (squash), which is very similar in shape but has a dark green color.

Squash is used in the US and in Nicaragua during holidays that involve going door to door and asking for treats, just in different ways. Here in the US it's used as a decorative piece during Halloween. In Nicaragua during La Purisima, the ayote is cooked with sugar cane and eaten as a dessert. During La Purisima, adults and children go door to door to houses celebrating la Purisima yelling out, "Who causes so much happiness?" Treat givers respond, "The Conception of Mary!" and then hand out candies or brindis. 

La Purisima is celebrated the 8th of December culminating nine days of prayer. It's one of my favorite Nicaraguan holidays and something that I really miss from back home.

Today is my wife's 30th birthday. She wanted a portrait of our dog, Molly. I've done a few pet portraits in the past and I love trying to capture a pet's personality. If you're interested in having a pet portrait painted, contact me at toledo.mel [at] gmail.com.