Merry Christmas!

Have a warm and safe Holiday and a very Happy New Years!

and for the kids, Track Santa with NORAD

Fall Pictures

The burning bush has turned very scarlet this year and really stands out in my front yard. I don't have a lot of fall color compared to the mid west and east coast, but this bush really trys its best.











Every year we get the fall garden spiders building webs everywhere, this one was particularly plump as it waited for its prey near the garden shed.

Pretty in Pink

"Pretty in Pink" Chihuahua portrait done for our friends at "Boutique of Paws". They have some very cute handmade dog sweaters at the web site, please visit them and tell them "Hello from Cleverpup Art!"

Pink pillow and a toy Beaver

thats all I need.......

Talk like a Pirate Day Sept 19

Avast there! It be time for Pirate Talking to all your mates this Wednesday! Grab your skull and crossbones and enjoy the fine booty of fun Pirate videos! Arrrrgh!

You're a Pirate!



Pirate Convention






The Pirate song sung by George Harrison

Good dog!

Grrrrrrrr

Bigfoot Howls it up in Michigan

Believers hear Bigfoot's howl

50 who paid $300 each to prowl U.P. woods for the beast weren't disappointed.

Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- In the middle of the night, a group tried to lure an elusive beast from its lair deep in the woods.

A man banged on a tree with a stick. Another beat his chest, Tarzan-like. Another uttered deep guttural screams.

And then, seconds after the last yell, from the blackness surrounding them, came a low-pitched howl that made the searchers shiver:

"Aaaaiiiieeeeeee."

Bigfoot!

The searchers not only believe the legendary mannish ape is frolicking through the forest east of this Upper Peninsula community, but also captured its mournful yelp on tape Thursday night.

The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, a California group running the search, will add the audio recording to what it said are footprints, sightings and other mounting evidence from past expeditions.

"I'm not a believer. I'm a knower," said the group's president, Matt Moneymaker. "You've had to be in total denial to say that none exist."

At the very least, the big ape is a big draw.

About 50 people from the Midwest gladly forked over $300 to join the four-day Michigan search that ends Sunday. It was sold out, as are expeditions planned for Utah and New Mexico.

The paying investigators say the cost is small compared to the chance of spotting a legend.

They're among the legion of true believers whose views are bolstered by a growing number of Internet sites reporting sightings and some prominent academics who won't rule out the possibility that the beast exists.

Don Young, 43, a hunting and fishing guide from Phillips, Wis., said he has wanted to prove the existence of Bigfoot ever since spotting one near his home a second time in 2004.

"It's a need," he said. "There's a need for me to prove it."

Since the last sighting, he has devoted 60 hours a week looking for the beast.

Why the U.P.?

Why the Upper Peninsula? Why not?

Once relegated to supermarket tabloids and the Pacific Northwest, Bigfoot or Sasquatch has been turning up everywhere lately: the cornfields of the Midwest, the swamps of Florida, the piedmont of North Carolina.

The ultimate loner, it was just a matter of time before it discovered the remote wilds of the U.P., where residents live far from each other and like it that way.

Still, some residents are dubious.

"Bigfoot?" laughed Toni Peake, 34, who lives near the woods being searched by the group. "Is he single?"

Local officials were tickled pink to host the search.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Marquette County, which has been getting calls from out-of-towners about the quest, said the monster could draw tourists to the area.

Director Pat Black said downstate residents probably aren't surprised to learn that Bigfoot toils in the U.P.

"We're the place that has psychic moose," she joked.

According to Moneymaker, who has been studying Bigfoot for decades, Marquette County's newest denizen could be 11 feet tall, weigh 2,000 pounds and have feet that reach 20 inches.

It's shy, nocturnal, eats meat and plants, and makes nests from trees and brush, he said.

He believes there are thousands of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) roaming the Earth.

Other searchers, like Erik Beckjord of Berkeley, Calif., believe it's an extraterrestrial.

"It is more of a space-time creature, ala Einstein and parallel universes, rather than a trappable being," he said.

Whatever its size, number or universe, the primate has held a primal allure that spans oceans and centuries.

Since the 1800s, places as disparate as Australia and Tibet have worried about being attacked by some type of mammoth creature under various rubrics, Yeti, Yowie, the Abominable Snowman.

Even today, a handful of anthropologists and zoologists, such as Jane Goodall, said it's possible such a beast is roaming the Earth.

Preparing to search

Stalking a ghost, even a big, hairy, smelly one, takes preparation.

On Thursday, Moneymaker talked to four residents who claimed to have seen Bigfoot locally over the past 40 years.

"My one brother thinks I'm nuts," said Kathy Morrison, 40, a Big Bay resident who said she saw the creature nearly 30 years ago.

"She believes in ghosts," interrupted her son, Joey.

After learning the locations of the encounters, Moneymaker used a topographical map to figure out the best place to listen to the beast's "echoing vocalizations."

A few searchers ventured into the woods to look for tracks, scat, nests, any signs of what they call Squatch.

They studied the terrain to learn what type of habitat it most enjoys, but discounted the significance of a nearby casino and golf course.

At night, the searchers broke into groups of three to five at an RV park and campground along Lake Superior.

The 50 attendees are mostly middle-aged men from neighboring states whose jobs range from teachers to computer programmers to a lawyer.

Half are first-timers, while some have gone on a half-dozen expeditions.

Larry Lacke, 53, a chemist for a Milwaukee brewery, said he has been curious about Bigfoot ever since hearing a bizarre howling on a Texas hunting trip seven years ago.

"I've heard a lot of animals but none like this," he said. "I'm trying to keep an open mind."

The smaller groups moved gingerly through the blackness. Approaching a targeted area from different angles, they communicated through walkie-talkies with ear pieces.

They lugged all types of high-tech equipment: night-vision goggles, motion-detective devices, digital audio recorders and a helmet-mounted thermal-imaging camcorder.

Before capturing Sasquatch on tape, however, the searchers needed to lure it toward them.

They banged on trees with sticks and emitted long howls, trying to pique what Moneymaker said is the creature's innate curiosity.

They also spread various types of bait on rocks: apples, sardines, licorice, even gorilla pheromones.

"We've laid out entire banquets before," Moneymaker said.

The searchers seemed eager to believe that any incident was a sign that Bigfoot was among them.

After hearing the low-pitched howl Thursday night, they quickly dismissed the possibility that it came from an owl or coyote.

The next night, a searcher driving to camp said his car was struck by a bitten shrewmouse. When he got out to investigate, he saw the silhouette of something that quickly disappeared.

Bigfoot again!

By 2 a.m., most searchers called it a night and headed back to base camp. But not Don Young. The Wisconsin hunting guide pitched a tent in the middle of the woods to await what he believes will be another encounter with American folklore.

"People laughed at me, called my wife Mrs. Sasquatch," he said. "That's why I want to prove it. Then I can laugh at them."

Happy Fourth of July

Happy Birthday America!

ebay store now closed

I have decided to close the Cleverpup ebay store as it is not worth the costs to keep it going. I will still be listing auctions on ebay though, just not any store inventory. To see/purchase Clever pup original art and prints please visit my Clever pup store at ESTY and my Clever pup store at Cafepress for T-shirts, coffee mugs, and more.

I will be re-designing my Cleverpup website at www.cleverpup.com so you can purchase prints online also.

Happy Fourth of July

Celebrate the Fourth with this Patriotic Pony! Now on Ebay~

Look out Chihuahuas on the Beach

"Wish You Were Here"

4" x 6" postcard size watercolor art on 140 lb paper. On the back is standard postcard backing with address and postage areas for mailing.

Now on ebay

Jail time Chihuahua

Paris Hilton's Chihuahua........we all saw this coming.

now on ebay!

The Diary of a Dog

The Diary of a Dog
8:00am Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30am A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40am A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30am Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00pm Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00pm Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00pm Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00pm Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00pm Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00pm Wow! Watched TV with my family! My favorite thing!

11:00pm sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!





The Diary of a Cat

It is day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and myself are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to

disgust them, I vomit on the floor.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released –and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded! The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. The captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe....... for now.

Esty Store

I have opened a new store on Esty, your place to to buy and sell all things handmade! Here you can find cleverpup artwork for sale , no bidding, the price you see is the price you pay. Please visit and bookmark as I will be adding new art work soon.

CleverPup Esty store (user id nortonfineart)

27 years ago today

Today is the 27th anniversary of the May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Where were you at 8:32 am PDT on that date?

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - "Vancouver, Vancouver, This is it!"

It was 27 years ago today that U.S. Geological Survey vulcanologist David Johnston radioed those words to colleagues in Vancouver as Mount St. Helens erupted.

The anniversary is being marked today at the Johnston Ridge Observatory near the volcano.

Johnston died shortly after his call.

In all, 57 people were killed during the massive eruption that erased 1,300 feet from the summit of the once-symmetrical mountain and turned into one of the most recognized volcanic locations on Earth.

Zoo Page

Click for a larger version!

When I'm not working on my ebay art, I help out with the local paper's page for kids, "The Zone".
We are doing the zoo the whole month of March with lots of cartoon animal opportunities!
Ben does the layout and design and I work on the cartoons.

Is Bigfoot Living In The Forest Above Marysville?

Another story of Bigfoot sightings! Is it real? Then what is making the foot prints?


Feb 26, 2007 8:41 pm US/Pacific


(CBS13) MARYSVILLE, Calif. There's a big mystery in our backyard tonight. Is a Bigfoot living in the forest above Marysville? A local couple has found big prints in those woods and experts are saying it may not be a hoax.

It was just after a rainstorm, a great time for hunting deer. It was a perfect place, high up in the dense woods of the Plumas National Forest.

Chuck and Michelle Padigo had been down the logging road lots of times, including just a few days earlier.

Past two gates, about three miles from the highway, in a recently logged area, Michelle looked down and spotted something very strange.

What the Padigo's say they encountered was more than three dozen huge footprints spread out over a hundred yards or more.
“I swear the hair on my arms stood up,” says Michelle.

The couple recorded their discovery with photographs and returned to take more pictures.

Joining the Padigos now was Scot Woodland, a Nevada County search and rescue team member and a certified expert tracker.

Scot says he's got an open mind but when he first saw the tracks he figured here's another hoax.

"The closer I got and looked at the prints, the more I could see the detail and the movement in the foot. As a tracker you see how things move the weight and all that stuff. The complexity of the footprint made me go whoa!” he says.

What really impressed Scot was the force of the Bigfoot print which rippled the ground around it. Scot's footprint next to it hardly moved the earth.

“If it's a hoax, somebody really did a good job, if it's not, then there's a big creature that lives among us," says Woodland.

All the prints appear to be from one animal walking slowly but with a stride twice that of a human.

“We measured from heel of the left foot to heel of left foot, 56 inches," says Scott.

The footprint was gigantic. It was seven-and-a-half inches wide. The tape measure shows the impression is nearly double the length of an adult human foot.

In Humboldt County, in the tiny town of Willow Creek, there's a Bigfoot museum run by Al Hodgson. Decades ago, he had a similar experience when he found what he believed were the footprints of a mother and child Bigfoot.

Ever since the scratchy film of an alleged Bigfoot spotting was taken in 1963, a growing amount of potential evidence has been reported.

From a distant picture of a possible big foot, to plaster impressions of some very big feet. Compare them with the plaster cast Chuck Padigo made and you’ll see the same basic shape, same size. Almost square toes with little or no arching.

If there is a big foot living in the woods, it wouldn't be the first time somebody has reported the evidence. CBS13 checked the records over the past decade.

In both 1997 and 1998, a science researcher found possible Bigfoot tracks and feces in the same Plumas Forest Area.

And again in 1998, a veteran forest service employee found footprints fourteen inches long by six inches wide.

CBS13 checked with residents of the small towns near where Michelle and Chuck found their footprints. Store owner Peggy Pope says she's a believer.

“I've never heard of anybody up here saying they've seen one, or any evidence? Or any evidence, but I believe there is such a thing," says Pope.

Other locals say they have either heard or smelled what might be a Bigfoot, but they also tell of some big bears living in these woods.

But pictures of bear paws, while certainly very large, clearly show big claws.

The footprints Chuck and Michelle found show no sign of any claws, just clean imprints of five toes.

The Padigos found the footprints four months ago and didn't publicize it until now.

They do not seem to seek notoriety and appear to be genuinely and deeply affected by the incident but still, we had to ask if they were playing a hoax on us.

“No sir, I wouldn't do that, I'm not that smart, I couldn't make something like that," says Chuck.

Photos and measurements of those big footprints have been sent to a renowned scientist who is researching Bigfoot sightings. No word yet on whether he thinks those prints are made by man or by a lot bigger and more secretive creature.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

March comes in like a ...what?

...like a walrus?














..a frozen shih tzu?














...nope, March comes in like Al Gore on a Global Warming speaking tour.

bingo!

Angel or Little Devil?

Which is your dog?













now on ebay~

Visit my new blog

Take a gander at my new blog "Start Digging", devoted to the sport of metal detecting, coin, and relic hunting. Its brand spankin' new so its a little lean right now in the posting department, but I plan on adding all my finds and treasures in future posts. I ended up with a White's MXT metal detector for Christmas and have just started using it, so the blog is definitely a learning experience. So take a peek if you want.

Happy Birthday

Happy big 5-0 Ben! Many, many more!

Valentines Day Snow

While we ( in the Seattle area) are basking in 55 degree temps today, back in Chardon, Ohio they are having a tough time just getting out the back door!
Where did I put that snow plow?
















And this snow storm is just a baby compared to Chardon's previous Winter storms!















Ahh, looks like they found one of the cars.....
All I can say is the ground hog was dead wrong this year~

Happy Ground Hog Day

As our furry friend squints into the bright light, his rambunctious shadow is ready to party under the hot sun!

now on ebay
Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring


PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) - A new pair of hands pulled Punxsutawney Phil from his stump this year, so it was only fitting that the groundhog offered a new prediction.

Phil did not see his shadow on Friday, which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.

Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 15 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999.

Barbaro Noble Horse

Like most of the country I followed Barbaro's story of his amazing struggle for survival after his terrible leg injury at the start of the Preakness Stakes. Barbaro was euthanized on January 29, 2007, I wanted to do a small painting in remembrance of this magnificent Horse with a heart of gold.

on ebay

Valentine Secret Admirer

Yes I know its Pink fluffy and cute! Hey, it's a Valentine!
new on ebay!~

More Valentine Fun

New for Wednesday, a 4 x 6 original watercolor. The scan blew out the lighter tones in the artwork, the brushwork is more soft and subtle in person. Bid on ebay.

Recent Watercolors

One minute its New Years Eve, and then you turn around and Valentine's Day is coming up!

Just listed on Ebay some 4 x 6 original watercolors.





















More to come.