Today is my dad’s birthday… a super cool dad. I am so blessed. He is fun, creative, wise and all and all a good time! I wish my parents lived closer. But it makes you enjoy your time with them that much more. This photo was taken at a cottage we rented in Port Clyde, ME. What a wonderful week it was!
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y D A D !
Hope you have the best birthday ever!
xoxo, me
And… just had to share a few of his sketch pad paintings… I have this book full of wonderful paintings mostly of Maine… it is more valuable to me than gold! You can see a few more on the past posts I’ve shared (below)… Hey dad, I think you should keep at this… you need a website… or a blog! I might know someone who could help you with that ;)
Port Clyde Fish House by Joe Fidler
One year we rented a different cottage, and with it came a fish house that was quite amazing. We sat in the fish house each night and watched the sun set… What memories!
Port Clyde General Store by Joe Fidler
I could look at this forever! One of my favorite places, Port Clyde General Store. I think this would make a great postcard! It’s quirky, fun and what it really looks like!
Thanks Dad!! I will be calling to sing you happy birthday soon… this is your warning ;)
This recipe has been a family favorite for as far back as I can remember. My mom and dad are both excellent in the kitchen, and this is one of those soup’s you can throw together with whatever sounds good at the time, which is convenient. Add vegetables that take the longest to cook earlier in the recipe, and others that cook quickly (spinach), towards the end. Any spices that you enjoy will work well. I can remember having this with amazing French bread growing up! Hope you enjoy one of my staple recipes… click HERE to print this recipe without photos…
To recap…
Set out your ingredients, wash potatoes, greens, etc. if using…
Brown the short ribs in a little olive oil – use a heavy bottom pan if possible…
Chop, chop, chop… Sometimes I sauté the carrots with the onion/celery, sometimes I don’t… whatever… easy peasy, no worries!
This time I browned the short ribs and got nice crusties on the bottom of the pan, and THEN I sautéed the onion and celery… Last time I did it all together. No rules… do what you like!
Saute veggies…
Add short ribs back to the pot… when this soup is done the meat will fall off the bone… heavenly!
Add that biggee can of tomatoes and juice, as well as at least one big can of water (or more)…
Add the beef consommé…. this gives it a nice rich flavor…
Add the big carton of beef broth… as the soup cooks down add more broth/water…
And any spices you like…
The secret is the center of the celery stalk with the leaves, throw it in whole… this will give the soup an amazing flavor!
Now, take the meat off the bone and fat – toss it back in the pan… yum!
Now… a story about the photo… if that baguette looks frozen, it’s because it is! I made soup yesterday for dinner with a hot, crusty baguette. I took photos along the way, but then we were hungry… so we ate. Once the soup was in the fridge… Dang it! I realized I had forgotten to take a photo… so I just had lunch, and snapped a photo… baguette was frozen to use at a later date, but it looks nice, huh? Hee….
Anyone who has lived where there is snow admires a snowy painting. The dark tracks in this painting against the pinky glow in the snow is just incredible to me. It makes me think of Michigan. And after just visiting there, as beautiful as the snow is… I’m kind of glad the snow is there and not here ;) – I do love to visit it though! There is just nothing like snow!
What a fabulous sunset painting! Every element works so nicely together…
If you’re in the Newton, KS area… you might want to check this out, this looks like a great show by Carriage Factory Art Gallery (in cooperation with Strecker-Nelson Gallery)!
Read a blip about Joseph from his website, and check out his paintings – his subject is diverse, and I think you will really enjoy his work!
“Some of my earliest memories have to do with the joy of drawing. Sketching became a natural friend and outlet for my ideas in the imaginary and tangible world of my youth. Pulled to draw and depict things – I took every art class I could in high school and spent time with my sketchpad trying out new ideas. After majoring in art studies at Bethel College, I spent evenings taking classes in multiple media at the Wichita Center for the Arts.
When I realized that painting would become my passion, I pursued artist’s workshops whose work I greatly admired. To Ray Roberts, Joseph Lorusso, Sherrie McGraw, David Leffel, Jeff Legg, and Kim Casebeer; I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude for their generosity of spirit and keen insights.
Over the past ten years I have dedicated myself to oil painting. In addition to the teachers I mentioned above, countless trials of plein air (outdoor painting) experience have been my other best ‘teacher’. I love painting outdoors; being in nature and trying to capture the fleeting light/beauty of a unique space. Continuing to find challenge and beauty in depicting a variety of subjects is important to me in my development as an artist. I hope to share with you the dignity and grandeur of both the noble and the ‘forgotten’ people and places I have been so blessed to witness.”
This photo was taken years ago back when our dog Reggie was still with us… See that white slipcovered sofa he is on? (I emphasis the word “white”). Well, it is no longer… Long story short… Fred was cleaning the house before I got back from Michigan (bless his heart!), and thought he would go that extra step and wash the slipcover as well. First he washed the pillow and cushion covers, they came out of the washer/dryer beautifully. Next… the love seat slipcover… in the wash it went, like it has many times before… only this time… this is what he saw when he opened the washer:
The loveseat… AFTER…
Looks like ink has been splattered all over. Sigh. Not his fault, not at all. The washer just decided to croak at that very moment and spew oil everywhere… hey, at least it wasn’t good clothes, sigh (again)… and it only costs $700 to replace this slip cover… well… Fred took it to the dry cleaner and they’re going to try to get the oil out of it. They’ve seen this before. Might be able to get it out. Might not. We’ll see… it’ll take about five days to try… Hey, I’m not getting upset about it… what good does that do? So when my plane landed, we went to Zia and grabbed a fish taco and then went and bought another washing machine. For those of you who are wondering WHAT KIND OF WASHER DID YOU HAVE? It was a GE, top loader. After speaking with many people about GE washers, I would not buy another… (Google it). I am not an appliance expert by any means.
Love seat “before” – in its better days! Painting by Sandra Baggette!
You know how when you get home from being away you have mountains of clothes to wash… well, yep, that’s me… new washer gets delivered today! I’ve never been so excited, ha ha… it’s the little things that make us happy!
Enjoy your day and try to find the best in whatever happens ;) – I’ll keep you posted on what happened!
Connie Hayes, Mullions in June, Oil on canvas, 36″ x 36″
Stunning! Connie Hayes is an all time favorite of mine. Her use of color is intriguing and draws the viewer in. She’s versatile in her subjects, but one of my favorites are her interiors, they just blow me away! Her paintings make me want to be right there… in that sun filled room, looking out at the water. This painting is still available… I can’t imagine it will be for long! If you’re interested, contact Dowling Walsh at 207.596.0084 or email info@dowlingwalsh.com!
Painting Maine: The Borrowed Views of Connie Hayes
I received her book, Painting Maine: The Borrowed Views of Connie Hayes, as a gift one year. I treasure that book. It is full of amazing paintings. It’s now out of print, but you can still get it online at a few places (Amazon being one)… More about the Borrowed Views concept below…
“In all respects, Connie Hayes is a fearless, intuitive painter. Her highly colorful, strongly stroked canvases look like the result of an orderly process of sketches, underdrawing and application of paint. In reality, although she sometimes uses such aids before she approaches the easel in her capacious studio, most of the time she starts work on a blank canvas, wielding a 3 to 4-inch wide brush to get going. Then, as she says, she “dives in,” composing the rest of the picture, much of which she may have thought out in her head, balancing images and colors to achieve a satisfactorily aesthetic final result. On some occasions, she says, “the paint speaks to me and I go off in unexpected directions. I like surprises.” This is an extremely intense exercise; Hayes says she gets into a “zone” until the work is finished or set aside for future amendments.
Her subjects range from boats and water to communities viewed from ships or roads, to backyards, house interiors and floral still lifes. “I like not being pigeon-holed, Hayes says.
Her brightly hued colors, which often have nothing to do with the actual look of the original building or boat, are chosen with deliberation, depending on what role she wants the painted object to play in the overall composition. Her radiant blues, blazing reds, and sunny yellows make ordinary scenes come alive and help draw viewers into the painting. Often of late she has utilized more muted colors to achieve the results she seeks.
After a long stint as a teacher and administrator at the Maine College of Art, Hayes has worked at the top of her game since moving from Portland to Rockland in 2005, about half the period covered by this exhibition. Much of her art results from her “Borrowed Views” project, in which she spends up to a week painting in and around the homes of friends all over Maine.
Ever trying new approaches to her art, mindful of art historical precedents and armed with a spirit of adventure, Connie Hayes has many interesting paintings ahead of her. Whether borrowing views or moving about on her own, it will be interesting to see what this thoughtful, gifted painter achieves in the years ahead.”
– written by Stephen May for “A Decade of Views” exhibition, Dowling Walsh Gallery, September 2009
Sweet, huh? I love this photo… I remember this day vividly, because I dressed nice. I had a cute skirt and matching shirt, but then had to put those big leggings on (that’s what they were called way back when). Oh the stress of being young, ha ha… wouldn’t it be nice to only worry about little things that don’t matter? Most of us probably still do… I need to get better about not worrying about the little stuff… join me in my crusade, ha ha…
This photo was taken several years ago… at Christmas time… the grass was beautifully blanketed with snow just in time for the arrival of my in laws. I was thrilled that they would see the beauty that I spoke of. They did great driving around in it. We had a wonderful time. It seems like during the winter you cook… and eat… and cook… and eat… Whew! My parents live on a big river, and across the river is Canada. Big hunks of ice float by, sometimes getting jammed. The river is entertainment all year around!
By the time you read this I am headed back from this magical place. Back to the sunny south. That same sun that I curse in the summer I adore in the winter months. When you live in Charleston, you really shouldn’t complain about the winter, ha ha… I’ll be back to my normal posts next week!
Update… today, 12.14.13 – funny that I chose this photo for today… over a week ago I wrote this post. Today, as I get ready to pack up and head to the airport it will be the snowiest day of the year 4-6″ expected by tonight! Windy and snow… absolutely beautiful, but…
Catch you back here tomorrow! I’ll be back to my normal posts next week!
Warm golden light. That gorgeous light that makes you look healthy and tan (ha ha)… it gives you a glow. Well, it does the same thing for the buildings. Charleston, SC is such a beautiful city. The history, architecture, food, and art galleries are beyond compare. Everywhere you look you see gorgeous settings just like this one! If you aren’t from this area, stop by, check it out… visit the restaurants, stores and galleries. You’ll be coming back year after year!
Truly, one of the best places to walk around – Especially with a camera! This golden light is incredible, just as it is in a painting, to see it in real life, well, it just makes everything look so much better!
The Dock Street Theater is a beautiful building with quite a bit of history! Did you know that this was “America’s First Theater”? Wow… It’s one of my favorites to photograph… check it out next time you’re in town! They have a wonderful lineup of shows, we’re very fortunate to have them in our city!
Here’s a blip from their website (click the link to read more!):
America’s First Theatre
On February 12, 1736 the Dock Street Theatre opened with a performance of The Recruiting Officer. Built on the corner of Church Street and Dock Street (now known as Queen Street), the Historic Dock Street Theatre was the first building in America built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances. Flora, the first opera performance in America, took place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre.
Philadelphia Alley (nicknamed “Dueling Alley”)… located between Cumberland and Queen Street in the French Quarter of Charleston, SC, this is one historic alley. Read more about it HERE. Fascinating, isn’t it??
This is also Charlie’s favorite little walk downtown… gotta keep the puppy happy, right? If you get a chance, check it out… too cool for words!
A friend of ours came to town for a visit… I made lasagna… we were starving… *DING*ahhhh, time to take it out of the oven, woohoo!! It smelled wonderful… I reached into the drawer and grabbed a few hot pads, opened the oven door, reached in and grabbed each handle with a hot pad and WHOOSH! What??!!!!!! The handle from the lasagna pan broke and it spilled down the front of the door of the oven (inside)… Immediately Ken DeWaard (what a guy) said, IT’S FINE, JUST SCOOP IT BACK IN THE PAN… Fred was wonderful… If it were anyone but those two I probably would have had at least a brief, ahhhh, “moment”, but Ken’s next words were… POUR HER A GLASS OF WINE… that was funny to me. Really, I don’t get that worked up. But, I WAS hungry… I scooped it back in and we ate out of the side that didn’t break… then tossed the rest. I should probably always have a pizza in the freezer or something… what else would I say? Can I offer you a bowl of Raisin Bran? ha… If you own a Giada lasagna pan from Target – there is a RECALL! Take it back…. No one got hurt or burned, the stove is just a disaster…
This is why you always fill out a registration card (if there is one… there wasn’t for this):
Broken handle… pan used three times…
The result… (this is after a few cleanings, yes, really!)… this looks better than real life… believe me!
Ahhh, I get a little homesick for Maine each year. No, it’s not my home, but it feels like it should be. It’s a wonderful place, with people who are so genuine. I absolutely love that. They are hard working and honest (honor system to buy flowers, vegetables along roadside stands… and it WORKS!). I’m happy when I’m in Maine… no worries… of course I am on vacation, ha ha… which is so much different than real life!
For such a small island there is something to be seen no matter where you are! This photo is of White Head on Monhegan. To get to it, you can walk down through town, turn at the Monhegan House, walk past the Novelty (if you can keep walking past the best pizza and ice cream on earth), up to Horn’s Hill, past Don Stone’s studio, and follow the path to this gorgeous setting!
To sit on the ledge and listen to the ocean, watch for whales and just be… in silence… it’s a treat beyond measure. Sometimes the best gifts are the most simple. Quiet. Peace. Beauty.
For the next week, I’m going to keep the posts short… I’ll be back to regular posting the following week! Hang in there with me! I appreciate you visiting, stop by and see what tomorrow brings! Ooooh, I like that, might change my “catch you back here tomorrow”… ha ha…
This is the fourth year that Randy Higbee is hosting a Six Inch Squared show at the Randy Higbee Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA. The opening reception is tomorrow, December 7th, from 6-9PM. Not in Costa Mesa? It’s OK! You can still see the show as well as purchase online! And… you don’t even have to wait until tomorrow! See/Shop the 6 Inch Squared show today! There are thousand artists submit their paintings to be accepted into this show each year. There are many great paintings… at great prices… in beautiful frames (for those of you who aren’t familiar with Randy Higbee, he owns KING OF FRAME. Great frames, great prices! If you’re looking for a frame, check them out!
I look forward to checking out Randy’s gallery on year… 23,000 square feet of art, framing and just jaw dropping beauty!
You see how much work goes into hanging a show like this? There are over 600 paintings in this show! The show runs through DECEMBER 23, 2013. Hey, makes good Christmas gifts!
Here is a photo right before the show was hung… Whew, can you imaging? You see the end result above. What an exciting show! Check out the work…
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