Wedding Wishes

This week, we flew to the Seattle-Tacoma area to gather with friends and family for the wedding of Paul’s great-nephew, Derek, and his bride, Heidi. In addition to the wedding celebration, we went out a few days ahead to spend time with our life-long friends, Pat and Steve, from Bismarck, ND. They had driven to Seattle and then planned to take the long and scenic trip home via the Canadian Rockies. We took the hydrofoil, Victoria Clipper, across the Straits of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, British Columbia. The weather was perfect and from the ferry, we traveled by bus to The Butchart Gardens. I had dreamed of visiting these gardens for almost 20 years but was totally unprepared for the beauty and sheer magnitude of Jenni Butchart’s gardens. Constructed over 11 years as a reclaiming of their limestone gravel pit, the grounds encompass a total of 10 magnificent gardens, including the three we were able to see in our 4-hour time limit: the Rose, Japanese and Sunken Gardens. The incredible variety of flora was overwhelming and smell of roses and blooming flowers was everywhere. We stayed overnight at the Fairmont Empress hotel, opened in 1907 under the guidance of Queen Victoria, and of course, participated in their famous High Tea event.

Saying goodbye to dear friends, we drove to Tacoma to be with the Kinsley-Hirsh families and help prepare for the big event. After a week of sunshine, we had our first drizzle of rain as we walked across the lawn at Hillside Farms for the outdoor ceremony! The rain didn’t last long, though, and it turned out to be a glorious evening in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains near Olympia, WA. For the special event, I painted a picture as a gift for the couple. The painting, Hillside Barn, 7”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features an evening – quite like the one when we were there – with the wedding pagoda and barn lights beaming on a special occasion.

 

 

Agate Bay Light

Even with record high temps this week in our area, I must have cooler weather on the brain. We can't compete with folks who live in Arizona, but this past weekend the temperatures here reached about 100 degrees. Coupled with high humidity, the result was several torrential rainstorms and devastating flooding on many of the northern rivers.

This week’s painting is one of our favorite places on the North Shore – the lighthouse overlooking Agate Bay in Two Harbors. Now a fully operational bed and breakfast, the lighthouse still serves as a working beacon and stands as a sentinel on one of the most dangerous sections of the Lake Superior shoreline. In the foreground of the painting is the remnant of the track that served to transport iron ore from the train cars to the large cargo ships docked in the harbor. Agate Bay Light is a 7” x 10” painting on 300 lb. watercolor paper and features the iconic lighthouse in winter.

Balsam Arts exhibit - July 2018

I've been accepted as one of the guest artists at the Balsam Arts Gallery: Family, Friends & Neighbors exhibit, running July 1-31, 2018. Two of my paintings will be on display: "Secluded Bay" and "Gunflint." Both feature favorite scenes of northern landscapes. Balsam Arts is a fabulous new gallery on Main Street in Balsam Lake, WI. Plan to attend the Opening Reception and visit with the artists on Saturday, July 7, from 6-9 p.m.

Summer vacation and llamas!

Today marked the last day of school for two of our grandsons. Each year, their school celebrates the end of the year with a Shakespeare Festival, and it is quite the event. At 3^rd and 1^st grade, the boys continually astound us with their ability to memorize and deliver complicated stories and sonnets with confidence and the appropriate inflexion! The performances are followed by a medieval fair in the “meadow” across the street. Even though it’s a piece of city-owned land adjacent to a freeway wall, for this fair, it is transformed into a magical place of music, face painting, juggling, maypole dancing, archery contests, dunking tanks and food trucks. And so begins . . . summer vacation! Yay!

And once again, I’m captured by llamas – this time it’s a special herd belonging to friends in the area. The painting, Reflecting on Llamas, 8”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features a wonderful group (including a new baby cria) enjoying the warmth of spring sunshine.

Rest Stop

For as long as I can remember, being by water has been good for my soul. And one of my favorite places is to be near Lake Superior. There is something magical about it – Paul says I breathe better the minute I catch sight of the lake. It is an inspiring sight, but perhaps it is more.  In our efforts to control everything about our daily world, Lake Superior totally defies the rules. The sheer magnitude and statistics of the lake effectively take it outside of the realm of human control. With 2, 980 miles of shoreline, a maximum depth of 1,333 feet and an average water temperature of 40° F, the lake commands respect from even the most experienced navigators. The wind and waves can vary dramatically from one bay to another, making it nearly impossible to accurately predict weather patterns.

In our journeys along the beautiful North Shore, we are amazed at this continually changing seascape. On our recent trip to Port Wing, we bore witness to the power and destruction of the wind and waves. During a fierce three-day storm earlier this spring, the lake literally pushed hundreds of mature trees – roots and branches – into the Port Wing harbor, completely destroying docks and capsizing several large boats. Easily dismantling a recently community-built boardwalk, the force of the waves also obliterated a two-block section of paved road and carved a steep cliff from what had been a fairly protected beach area. The strength of water is astonishing.

This week’s painting, Rest Stop, 8”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, calls the viewer to pause and take in the view. Whether relaxing from a long hike in the surrounding forests with a faithful friend or a leisurely stroll along the rocky shore, Lake Superior is an incredible place to be.

 

 

Gunflint

In the Grand Marais area of northern Minnesota, one of our favorite things to do is drive the Gunflint Trail. It’s a narrow, winding road with miles of deep forest on both sides and small access points to Superior National Hiking Trail, moose sighting areas and glimpses of the many lakes, wetlands and rivers that run through the landscape. It is also one of the gateways to the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCAW) and the myriad of protected lakes and lands in that region.

I’m getting ready for the Family Friends and Neighbors exhibit to be held in July at the wonderful Balsam Arts Gallery in Balsam Lake, WI. It will be a display of a variety of art by local artists. This week’s painting is titled Gunflint, 7”x15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, and features one of the many picturesque lakes along this scenic road.

 

 

How can it be Memorial weekend already?!

We have had an unusually cool May. With nighttime temps in the 40 to 50-degree range, plants are growing in the gardens, but they’re surely not thriving. And some of the roses refuse to even make an appearance! Yet, here we are at the end of May - the dock is in and the boat should be in the water by the weekend. And we're preparing to gather as a family this weekend and celebrate memories - of dear loved ones and brave hearts who died serving our country. We have much to be thankful for.

This past weekend, Paul and I had a wonderful daytrip to the Big Lake. Dressed for summer but armed with sweatshirts and hats, we drove north, along with Maddie, to Port Wing, WI, for the day. And sure enough – with a cold wind blowing off the lake, we quickly pulled on warmer clothes! I’ve registered for the 4-day Port Wing Plein Air event to be held in August 2018, and we wanted to make sure that there was lodging available. It’s a wonderful village right on the shore of Lake Superior and filled with kind-hearted, creative folks. We reserved the last cabin in town and so glad that they'll let us bring Maddie, too!

This week’s painting, Secluded Bay, 7”x 9” painting on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features a retreat in the woods with a wonderful view of a northern lake.