I always thought Google Maps was pretty cool.  And now it’s even cooler when I heard about what artist Bill Guffey was able to do with them.

Some of Bill Guffey’s artwork is inspired by by screengrab of Google Maps street view.  He is a self-taught artist from Kentucky.  He has done some traveling, but have now found Google street view to be less expensive way to be inspired. And with only the click of a mouse he could be just about anywhere in the world.

Some of my favorite paintings by Bill are shown here.

This painting was done with a screen grab from Google Streetview Italy.  I’ve always loved looking at photos of Italian balconies, especially ones filled with blooming geraniums.

“Currently, Guffey’s portfolio includes 100 images inspired by Google Maps street view. In April, he finished painting images from each of the 50 states, subbing in Washington DC for Hawaii, which is not yet available on Google Maps. Last week, Guffey painted a few scenes from Eastport, Maine. This week, his blog displays paintings of Angwin Vineyards in Angwin, Calif., and the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colo.” - CS Monitor.

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Lemons are neat since they have so many versatile uses, from making natural household cleaners to cooking.  And the smell of citrus blossoms are also very inviting.

Beautiful view of the blue ocean mixed with some yellow lemons and green grass.  Lovely photo from Amalfi Coast.

There is one place in the world that loves it’s lemon, and it is located in the beautiful Amalfi Coast of Italy. I first saw scenes of this place from Rick Steve’s Travels on PBS. The views are amazing and the place is very colorful. A great mix of the blue ocean and yellow lemons.

There are actually many varieties of lemons grown in this part of Italy, especially in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. The big and bumpy ones are actually citron and are popular in making jams or desserts. The ones grown in Sorrento are smaller but very aromatic. These two types of lemon are made into granita (or Italian shaved ice mixed with lemonade). The classic summer drink of fresh squeezed lemon juice is a favorite. As well as gelato (it’s like sorbet or “sorbetto alla limone”).

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My body cream review today is Elarila - San Pellegrino Shea Butter Body Cream made with sweet almond milk.  This cream felt more like a salve as it was not soft or buttery, but much denser in texture.  The good part is that it does melt easily right into your skin and does not leave a greasy feeling either.

There are so many good ingredients put into this body cream that you can’t really go wrong.  The only thing I didn’t like was the fragrance.  It’s reminds me of some kind of powdery floral scent.  But it’s not too bad and not too strong either.

This body cream is made with 85% shea butter cocoa butter, as well as almond and avocado oil.  The cream can be applied to your face too.  But that’s probably better in the wintertime when your skin can be extra dry.  I have used it on skin rashes and find they work just as well too.

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If I could pick a city to travel to in Europe, I would first chose to go to Portofino, Italy.  Even more so then Paris, France!  Portofino, Italy is is a small fishing village located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. It is considered to be among the most beautiful Mediterranean ports.  I think it would be a simply cheerful and relaxing place to visit.

So in the meantime, I wanted to collect some nice photos or paintings of the place.  Then I came across a painting of Portofino by John Ruth.  He did a beautiful job of capturing the colorful harbor in Portofino.  John Ruth is an artist who lives and works in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

You can visit his gallery here and see more of his lovely paintings.  There are more paintings of other charming European towns from Portugal to Amsterdam.

A little bit more about John Ruth:

“Most of my paintings are landscapes, but other themes have been family, figure studies, portraits, domestic interiors and fantasy. I strive to convey my sense of wonder at the world around me through my art and to bring out the magic of commonplace things and ‘the everyday.  I paint mainly in acrylic on board, using the versatility of the paint to create delicate watercolour effects and overlay with stronger pigments. I like to use repetition and rhythm of line to suggest the rhythms and oneness of life.”

Here is another photo of Portofino, Italy from Wikipedia.  Interesting steps leading up to the homes via the ocean.

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