For several years I had the good fortune to travel throughout Bhutan training teachers in remote areas with my dear friend and fellow educator, Shirley-Dale Easley, training teachers in remote areas. Many adventures were had hiking between villages in the Himalayas in the north to the deep jungle near the plains of India in the south. I did a lot of writing, recording the stories I would later tell (with some embellishment lol), never imagining that I would discover painting. I am now 73 years strong and find myself longing to paint a series representing our travels in that secret and sacred place. This painting is the first in that series. Yak cheese is everywhere in Bhutan... a staple. The curd is literally made from the milk of yaks, cut into squares and hung to dry over a smokey fire. When it is literally as hard as a rock the squares are strung together and stored for consumption. Larger squares are used in cooking and smaller ones are tucked inside the cheek, dissolving slowly. Foot travellers often set out on a journey with a good supply of small pieces for a constant supply of protein.   One can find yak cheese hanging on strings in windows of shops or at one of the numerous outdoor Saturday markets. Thimphu, the capital city, has a wonderful market where all manner of edibles, spices, clothing, wood carvings etc. are on display and one can wander through the wafts of smells and sounds like nothing else I have ever experienced before or after. Yak cheese abounds... hanging everywhere you look.  This painting is of an old man I spotted sitting on his tarp, while he focussed on his task of stringing his cheese.