The best scenery, ah!

     It happened again. The time got away from me and I did not sit down and write what was going on. I took photos and got them off the camera, but no writing. Sigh.
     August started with our annual Adirondack (ADK) family adventure week. The night before we left, we were all packed and my husband bit into a cracker and half his front tooth cracked off on a diagonal. After the initial freak out, I remembered, when I was going somewhere, seeing a sign for an Urgent Dental Care office. I looked it up and they actually took him at 7:30 pm on a Friday and fixed it up great so we could leave the next morning. Otherwise, he would have had to wait until Tuesday and drive back to our regular dentist. Don't ask what it cost. I suggest you look up and see if you have one in your area and make a note of it. When you have a dental emergency, you are usually too worked up to think of it.
    We rent a big house on First Lake near Old Forge, NY and just enjoy the week with all the grandkids. Debby made an appearance on Friday and washed things out, but it was still gorgeous.

My favorite: waterlilies!

Early morning fog, so lovely

Valentines- They're late but coming...

     This past weekend, I taught a watercolor workshop in Old Forge, NY. I had nine very interested students who worked real hard and made loads of progress. Because of this, my annual Valentine card creation and mailing did not happen. I do not multi-task well. I had to plan, prep and pack for the trip and have everything the beginning students needed. I wrote a handout and made kits for each one.
     I could not even think about making cards. I started Tuesday and will have them done by tomorrow morning. I make about 75. So if you normally receive one from me, you will get one. February is heart month and Feb. 7th is the 6th anniversary of surviving a heart attack that stopped it. So, I look at it like this- I get grace by getting the cards out in February celebrating heart month and six bonus years.

Gathering stuff

Packing van

Entering Park

Kurt's gallery as painting studio for the weekend

     All possible because Kurt, with his first painting, opened his gallery to the workshop and handled all the promotion and logistics. Please check out his excellent work. https://www.kurtgardnerphotography.com/  He ships his work packed very well. I have lots of his photos in my home and most were shipped. What makes his work unique, is that the photos are printed on aluminum sheets which makes them vivid with no frame needed, hook built into aluminum.

My easel with demo

     Iconic view of The Pond in Old Forge- the yellow boathouse. Unfortunately the warm weather is killing the Old Forge economy as it is the snowmobile capitol of NYS and no one can do it with no snow and melted lakes.

Taking a big chance out of the comfort zone

     It is no secret that my favorite place on earth is the Adirondacks, especially the Old Forge-Fulton Lakes area. We rent a place for a week in August with all the family, and 4 days in October for just the two of us. I shot many photos of the landscape for painting reference. Over the years, we bought photos and made friends with an extraordinary photographer, Kurt Gardner https://www.kurtgardnerphotography.com/. He has a gallery in Old Forge and I have taken a few photography classes with him shooting early morning landscapes.  In October, he asked me if I would teach a beginner watercolor class in his gallery as it is closed in February. I have never been to the ADK in winter. I live in Buffalo, NY which can have scary snow enough. Old Forge is looked at as the snowmobile capital of NYS, which is a reason I never went in winter. I did not really think people would want to go to Old Forge in February to take a watercolor class from some unknown artist. However, Kurt posted the class on his Facebook page, and what do you know, people have signed up. I am not on Facebook, so here is the link to see what I will be up to in Feb.: https://www.facebook.com/events/808432141293827/?ref=newsfeed 
     I have been pretty busy trying to prep the class, gather/buy supplies, and pull it together. I still think it is pretty funny some people are willing to go to the ADK in winter to learn watercolor painting. There are some sturdy people out there I guess.
     This is the painting we will do all together that I have sketched out for them. This photo does not show the colors as well as I hoped. The original photo we will work from is Kurt's that I cannot reproduce as it is his. All the paintings are quarter sheet Arches Cold Press 140 lb.which is about 10.5" x 14".

     Then after we work all together, they get to choose one of these three. The three paintings are mine from Kurt's photos.

Oh the wonders of Fall colors!

 At the first of October, we were finishing five days in the Old Forge area of the Adirondacks. This was particularily good because we had no water in our kitchen due to remodeling. This has to be my favorite area in the world. The weather was fantastic and the color was at peak. Hike, kayak, photograph, drink coffee on othe porch...The photos will enable me to keep painting the gorgeous landscape all year.

Full moon while we were there

McCauley Mt. from the cottage

On McCauley Mt.

From rooftop of Tony Harper's restaurant

Inspiration from the ADK

    Every August for the past 28 years, we have visited the Adirondacks for a week. Sometimes, it was abbreviated or crazy with family situations, but we manage to pull it off. This year, my daughter and her family, my son and some of his family and my husband's sister spent a wonderful week there. It did rain for 3 days and there things we did not get to do, but it was beautiful and inspirational none the less. The water lilies (my personal favorite) were buried under too much water runoff when we were there. I find the scenery and the air invigorating and it feeds my inner self to be in it.

Granddaughter and husband in the chair atop McCauley Mt courtesy of the chairlift access

View from the chair at the top

The dam this year was overflowing, no drop off after dam. I have never seen this in all the years we have hiked this trail.

You can see how the water lily leaves were all below the water, so no flowers

Submerged water lilies

Usually the channel meanders, but is all flooded wide at the Green Bridge I am standing on to take these photos

Truly magical time

     One of my favorite spots on the planet is the Adirondack area  near Old Forge, NY. We have traveled there every summer for a week in August for over 25 years. In the past 5 years, we have spent 3-4 days in September there also. It is about a 5 hour drive from home in Buffalo, NY. The past couple of years, in fall, we stayed in a tiny cottage on 1st Lake. This year, it was golden- I was able to take over 200 photos that I use as reference for my paintings. Waiting for them to come back from Snapfish.
    One of the best places is the cottage's porch where we eat and drink coffee and just stare at the lake. Every moment, the light changes and enthralls. I can't believe I actually am so blessed to be there.

    The lake has so many faces and nuances depending on the sun, the time of the day, the wind, and so on. Campfires are phenomenal by the lake.

    Nearby, the Moose River as it meanders through the area, has gorgeous marshes and views. Saving those photos for another day. The other lakes in the Fulton Chain (8) are all beautiful as well as Raquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake where the Adirondack Experience (museum) is. Fall was evident everywhere.

Adirondack Experience (museum)