yellowstone diary...and beyond

gorgeous sunset taken by Flora who especially liked the juxtaposition of the Amish hay mounds and the electric wires.    This blog starts off with a picture just to get your attention. Flora was quick on the camera button, once again. I'm having issues thinking of different names for the blog title. I seem to be in a rut. but then again, perhaps I am. The art classes are great.  As much as I enjoyed watercolor at Yellowstone. it was only a tiny taste of how satisfying it is.  Joan and I are both surprised and quite pleased with the results we have. We both feel like we discovered something important to us, to our souls, or our spirits.  Anyway, all the pictures are mine, but you get to meet Joan and Jane and a glimpse of Susan. I have some descriptions on each one to let you get the feel of it.  I wish I could explain the  joy painting these pictures gives me.  I had no idea I could actually do something like this, but then again -- it is...

Good Morning, I wanted to post a few more watercolors before today's class.  I will never be Grandma Moses, but I will be pleased with my efforts.  As Jane, my teacher, explains and demonstrates more techniques, the more I want to try them.  I went through my YNP photos thinking I would choose a few for painting inspiration.  I ended up with 78, and that is no people or places.  And then of course, I have a river at my feet, both figuratively and literally.  Here are the latest ones.  I'm going to start dating them, too. Flowers from U Tube.  Not as easy as the artist say they are.  Practice, practice, practice.  

Monday is the day Joan and I go to art lessons in Sunbury.  I am so glad I was curious one day at Yellowstone and decided to take a watercolor class.  It opened me to a whole new world-a different way of seeing things.  My instructor is a woman named Jane Albin, interesting enough in herself, even if she weren't teaching me some really neat technique. My favorite is birch trees, as you will see in the following pictures.  I still didn't get photos of any of Joan's, or even her.  Next week for sure. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Anyone who lives in this section of Pennsylvania is well aware of the deer population and are on the lookout for deer while driving. Especially bad this time of year because of rutting season. We are all told to be very careful. We probably all have neat pictures, or at least thought of what would have been neat if we actually had a camera handy.  My friend recently took these pictures, allowing me to post them here.  Enjoy. they look like they are posing Just watching the world go by... We are told to watch out for rutting deer, No one ever thought to say watch out for deer rutting.

    One of the many things I did while living in Yellowstone was take a few watercolor painting classes. I really enjoyed the instructor Jesse, and the projects were short and sweet.  We discussed a little technique and basically how to get paint on paper, using craft grade materials.  But that was enough to whet my appetite.  When I came home, my buddy Joan and I signed up for a watercolor painting class at The Art Center  {of the Greater Susquehanna Valley} in Sunbury, a town less than 10 miles away.  I'll chart my progress on this blog.  This is sort of like my refrigerator where I can pin up my art work. If Joan agrees, I'll include hers.      Joan is known to be somewhat loud sometimes, I think she speaks perfectly.  We laugh that the hearing/loudness thing is why were friends.  Actually, I met Joan in the late 80’s when we both worked at the Bloomsburg hospital laboratory; drifted apart for about 10-15 years and...

During my Halloween camping weekend, Trish and Kirk arranged for the whole group to go on a train ride on a 1/12 scale track through Art D's land in Shermans Dale.  Art D is an 84 year old gentleman who started this project when he was 62.  It's like a hobby on steroids gone wild.  He has miles and miles of  tracks through his land.  He built trestle bridges, tunnels, covered bridges, standard bridges and more. He also adorned the trees with various outdoor themed characters. The train itself consists of two engines, the conductors car, three passenger cars, each holding two or three people straddling a center bench, two cute cars, a tanker and a yellow caboose, and the last car, the presidents car, that held Marina and her dad, Ben, used for a fun journey. Art was not the conductor.  The ride took about 30 minutes and cover a little over 1 - 1/2 miles of track.  I thought this trip was unique enough to warrant its own blog, not sharing it with any...