The summer of '97 was the beginning of many more adventures for the Bleich Boys. The first one they took was no small journey. The traveling Bleichs painted in Australia where they also got to meet some of the local kangaroos and koalas. Bali was next on their list and all three of them fell in love with it. They decided that Bali would definitely have a place on a future travel itinerary.

Egypt was very interesting, with so much history having taken place there. Painting the pyramids was like being in a Disney movie. While painting along the Nile, the Bleichs were able to witness what an ancient village must have looked like, and they also met the villagers who were curious as to what they were doing.

Chris and Jonathon
meeting Kangaroos in Australia

Then they were off to Petra, where an Indiana Jones movie was filmed. If you've watched any of those movies you will realize that Petra must have a great historical value, and a beauty that can only be found in ancient architecture.

The beautiful colors of Greece were next for the Bleichs, with most of their time spent in Corfu. This was one of their favorite places due to the beautiful color of the Mediterranean and the Greek ambiance of the towns they visited. Before leaving Greece the Bleichs stopped off at Cape Sounion, where the remains of Poseidon's Temple stare out over the sea.

Paris and Giverny were the last before heading back to the States. While at Monet's in Giverny, Mr. Vahe, George Bleich's friend, and the Head Gardener who restored Monet's Gardens, made arrangements for George and his two sons, seven-year-old Jonathan and Christopher to paint at Monet's in privacy when it was closed to the public. Mr. Vahe later brought the Bleichs to his home for a wonderful seven course dinner, served outside in his own beautiful garden. After Champagne and Green Pernod with appetizers, a different bottle of fine French wine graced each course. Then it was back to the States, stopping off in New England to see their relatives before heading back to California.

Stay tuned for further adventures of the painting Bleichs.

This trip was put together and we were in flight in two weeks time. My wife Kathy's mother, Jean, was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. There was a question of what to do with Jonathan when Kathy went back East as a care giver. Chris suggested, "Why not go around the world now instead of later in the year." The three boys sat around the kitchen table and voiced their preferences. Jonathan piped up with, "I want to paint the pyramids in Egypt and go to Antarctica to paint penguins." Chris, an avid surfer wanted the trip to be based on the surfing movie, "Endless Summer 2." That was among the reasons we went to Australia and Bali.

Dad wanted to visit Carly Metcalfe in Australia, explore Greece and circle the globe with his sons, sharing some of the places with them that were inspiring in his development. Magical places like Paris and Giverny were important to share. For years I have traveled throughout the world on the quest of my mastery of light, color and harmony. Until the summer of '97, I had never quite made it around the globe. To share the realization of the dream of painting around the world with my two sons made it that more special. To watch their natural talent flow on to canvases in dynamic works of art was a joy for an artist father to behold.

There were adventures and first time experiences: riding camels in the Sahara to the pyramids, riding horses to where they filmed Indiana Jones movies in Jordan, Chris riding the big waves of Australia's Sunshine Coast and the great waves of Kuta and Bali, Kayaking in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Corfu in Greece, riding the giant Ferris- wheel in Paris, feeling the cool night wind blowing while we were at the top of the Eiffel tower. These were some of the highlights. Hanging out and hanging loose, just having some extensive time to kick back with my boys was neat.

We did have one major loss along the way that we should try to recover. We lost a day when we crossed the International Date line traveling East to West. Jonathan, Christopher and I have been talking about getting back the day we lost. All we have to do is go around the world the other way from West to East.