"Art-Mileage"

It's August already...What's your total "art-mileage" so far this Summer?

My summer is just flying by and before it vaporizes all together I'm going to take this opportunity to stop a few moments, literally...my grandboys are content and playing this moment...and think about what my intentions were for painting this summer.  What were yours?  

We traveled to the mountains for our yearly family time the first of August and I did get the opportunity to paint one morning at Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) near Estes Park, CO for a couple of hours--thanks to an exploring son and reading husband!  Of course, it was beautiful, but having just one morning there felt like I had a ticking count-down clock right behind me.  I could just feel the apprehension building to the point when I would be jolted back to reality by that alarming bell and have to call it a day!  Do we ever get enough time to paint?  Never, I would say!

So the next logical question is how do I make more time for painting?  I have tried various ideas in answering this question throughout my life...some have worked better than others depending on my circumstances.  First, I never leave home without my "art bag."  Depending on where I'm going, the contents vary from a the simple art book or magazine of what I am currently reading, notebook and pen, to a mini-sized watercolor painting setup.  With this art bag, I have traveled to hundreds of baseball games (three boys explains it all), taken a few airplane rides, waited for a few appointments or people or rain delays, even driven a harvest grain cart, etc. all very contentedly with my art bag.  This art bag definitely does not make up for a few hours in RMNP, but looking back at all those "waiting" minutes, they have added up and have taken me further down the "art-mileage road" than without it.  So maybe, I'm doing OK...getting where I want to go.  What ideas have worked for you?