I prefer painting gourds over traditional canvas, but I give it the old college try every once and awhile, including murals. Bert's Wall, below, was built for privacy between narrow yards in Puerto Rico. Great friends spent tropical summers comfortably in Maine, allowing me the use of their home; always a nice change of pace. Neighbor Billy worked on the wall one year, and I painted the scene the next. Only thing missing were two feet in the sand. Collie Czar, with his sensible lion's haircut, usually watched. My brand of paints, Jo Sonja, held up to the tropical sun better than anyone expected. Oh, and Pink Dolphins are real, so why not Mermaids?