Friday, June 22, 2012
Pure Michigan, as Always, 2012
Are we ever blessed to have relatives in Michigan, so that we can visit with family AND enjoy one of the most spectacular states in our nation. We had an easy, interesting drive to Bruce's sister's in Lewiston, near Gaylord, then took off the next day for the Soo Locks.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Oconee Weekend 2012
I am so fortunate that my family loves the outdoors, and we all love Oconee State Park, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. This is where the boundaries of Georgia, North and South Carolina come together. In the midst of the Great Depression, South Carolina had the good fortune to donate land for the Civilian Conservation Corps to live there, reforest the area, and build a recreational camp for the public to enjoy.
The girls gave us our reservation for our Christmas present, and we had three cabins on the point of the lake. I've posted some photos on Facebook, but have reserved these photos of more architectural, historical, and picturesque interest for the blog.
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Our sweet cabin, with wide pine plank flooring and original features. Fortunately the bathroom and kitchen are somewhat updated. The girls' cabins were on either side of us. |
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This is Julia's cabin, seen from my back door. In the morning the kids could run right over to our cabin. |
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Paul rented a rowboat for the weekend, and took the kids out on the lake to fish. Need I add that he could get his cell phone to connect when out in the open. |
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Chris's cabin is on the other side of ours, which is on the point. There is one cabin between ours, but we can run back and forth fairly easily. |
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This is one of the fantastic structures crafted by the CCC. There is seating built into the supporting exterior, and a gorgeous rock fireplace on the left. |
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View from my kitchen window. |
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Our grandkids having old-fashioned fun on the Chatooga River, bordering GA and SC. |
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Winter Painting
When we're not traveling, I while away the gray, damp winter days painting downstairs in the basement. I crank up my boom box or listen to NPR, then am totally surprised when 2-3 hours have passed. My greatest pleasure comes from painting landscapes, particularly from my favorite snapshots of Camp Colegate. How delighted I was when Julia asked me to paint her favorite view of Lake Rabun. It now is hanging over their bed in Greenville, SC.
I had snapped an adorable photo of Bruce's niece and nephew, Addy and Colin, at The Garland Country Club outside of Lewiston, Michigan. We had gone there last summer to have a family dinner and bless them, celebrate my birthday. We had such a wonderful time, and the children just looked so cute. I know, I have some issues with proportion, color, and heaviness of the paint. I was talking with David Mays this morning, and the recurring theme in our conversation was, "I learned so much from this painting." I hope Addy and Collin's parents enjoy this painting, because I had so much fun and challenge with it - my first human figures in painting.
While we were in Michigan last summer, we visited Jamie and Amanda up in the Upper Peninsula, in Escanaba. We were particularly taken with their Montgomery Ward catalogue home. This is the bungalow of the '40's, maybe, that I adored as a child in Middletown. My friend, Pam Sloan, lived in one, and I loved to go there and sit on her porch. Jamie and Amanda are planning on repainting thier home, so I painted it in the colors that they picked out. Amanda was so gracious as to mail me her paint chips, and after several phone calls and emails, I hope I got the colors and combinations correct. I took artistic license with their landscaping. This is the first structure I have painted, other than the boat houses in the Lake Rabun picture.
I have held back on painting from this photo for several years, but finally felt that I could paint the vibrant rays of the sun. Oh, no. This painting started out great, but try as I might, I could not quite get the vibrancy. I tried yellow, orange, then white, and every time I added white my colors simply went flat. This painting is all snow and ice, not blooming flowers. I was so frustrated at the end, that I used my palette knife to indicate the shimmer of the weeds in the foreground. Maybe one should stick to what one feels one does best?
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Dobb's Point, Lake Rabun, GA |
I had snapped an adorable photo of Bruce's niece and nephew, Addy and Colin, at The Garland Country Club outside of Lewiston, Michigan. We had gone there last summer to have a family dinner and bless them, celebrate my birthday. We had such a wonderful time, and the children just looked so cute. I know, I have some issues with proportion, color, and heaviness of the paint. I was talking with David Mays this morning, and the recurring theme in our conversation was, "I learned so much from this painting." I hope Addy and Collin's parents enjoy this painting, because I had so much fun and challenge with it - my first human figures in painting.
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Addy and Colin at The Garland |
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Escanaba Bungalow |
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Winter Dawn at Camp Colegate |
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