Trees and Things

                                                              Looks like a deserted island.
 Hi there,

       Another day along the river. Can anyone ever have too many of those? 

                      

                                                 Wonderful old trees along the Parkway. 

 If you been reading this blog for awhile, you will know that I love trees. Unfortunately, the nasty Gypsy moth caterpillars find them attractive and tasty too. When I was out at the Parkway recently, sitting at a picnic table under a tree, the caterpillars were falling on my head. I ran to better accommodations by the water's edge. 

In towns further down the highway the caterpillars have completely denuded and killed trees and are so busy munching others that the trees have lost the top quarter or more of leaves. Apparently, one adult caterpillar can chomp down one square foot of leaves a day. Parks Canada has decided to allow nature to take its course. I don't like spraying, but something should be done. It will take a really cold winter with temps to -20 to knock them back. One wonders when it will end. 

Such a beautiful tree.

 

First wildflower or a weed a Wild Pea, I think. Second one? Last picture Spatterdock, or yellow pond lily.

 Peonies ~ I can't resist buying a bunch.

* * * 

From the easel...

Nearly there.

Pastel on Pastelmat paper ~  Ribbons of Light 9 x 12"

Near the end of this painting I thought about adding a boat. But once the tooth of the paper is full, it's nearly impossible to add anything. Plans must be made early, I reckon.

An update on Terry Ludwig's pastels. I originally said I thought that his pastels were non toxic. I ordered a small box of his best loved colours and they did arrive with a warning.

I seem to be very partial to mountains and lakes and the sea, so I do have a few forest scenes in mind. Luckily, someone sent me several pictures that I can paint from.

For those looking for pictures to paint from. Here are two sites that provide free images:

Pixabay

Free Images

Lately my main computer requires at least three re-boots before it works. My son, Jesse, just built a whole new computer from parts he ordered, (he's obsessed :) and, luckily, he hands down the parts from his old computer to me. He also bought me a new hard drive so I am hoping for great results.

Since Blogger no longer sends email notifications, I exported my email followers to a new feed. For those following by email you will receive notifications of my new posts from Follow.it. You will receive an email to confirm your subscription. Thank you for following. I hope all runs smoothly. 

Late to the party, but I just finished setting up a Pinterest account with a few boards. I be pleased if you followed me, and, of course, I will follow back.

 I generally take a July and August blog break. I will be posting on Instagram. I hope to see you there.

Be safe, well, and enjoy the summer, or the winter too!

Cultivate Your Dreams

Leaving you with a real oldie today. 

 

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Do drop by for a visit; you will be glad you did.

  Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

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Idyllic Days

Hi there, 

Nearing the end of one of my favourite months. Beautiful June.

Now and then, I sit at the picnic table to the right and watch the boats cruise along the river.

              Doesn't this look like a lovely summer day.  Sunny, warm, clouds puffing by. Perfect.

You may, if you squint your eyes, or locate a magnifying glass, be able to see the Heron over there on the other side of the river fishing. (My kingdom for a telephoto lens.) I haven't noticed that many Herons around this year.  I enjoyed watching this one fish. They are intent and so still. Amazing.  I wonder from standing so still if they stiffen up like humans? Inquiring minds.

                                       I wish you could all smell the roses. So lovely!

A colourful spot with a stone inukshuk. The Inuit build these in the Arctic. They are used for navigation, hunting, messages etc. 

You may have seen this picture on my Instagram. I named this little Mallard "Capability." Eleven, yes 11 ducklings. And she does it all on her own. As you can see the well-behaved ducklings were swimming and feeding ahead of her near the rivers edge. I was setting on a dock. When she noticed me she reared up a little. I have seen other Mallard mothers attack other ducks that ventured too close to their ducklings. They can be fierce.

I had plans to go kayaking this weekend near this spot, but I hurt my foot on a walk. So I reckon I better sit still until it's better. Humbug!

* * *

    Pastel

I recently unearthed this happy little watercolour painting, and I have listed as a digital download in my shop.

                                                                       Until next time...

Be well and safe and stay huggable.

Huggable times are near.

Cultivate Your Dreams

 Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Do drop by for a visit; you will be glad you did.

  Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

Bright Spots

Across the river the beautiful Adirondack Mountains.

May 12, 2020

Hi there,

How's the lock down going? Over this way, luckily, we are not totally confined to quarters, so most days I strive to get out there to recharge.  But I know many people are confined, and, if you are, I hope you will be free to roam very soon.

I like the shape of this sumac. In the fall, when the seeds turn a deep maroon, I may paint this scene with a bit of artistic license thrown in.

 I've been scrutinizing the trees for signs life. As a species, they do not give up their secrets too quickly.  But it seems as soon as I turn my back, the leaves pop out.

Tiny promises of spring peek out as soon as the earth shakes off the cold. I love the reflections and the green shoots around the edges of the water.

* * *

Paintings

 Yupo paper and water colours.

         
             And recently, I was delighted to send a print of my pastel painting: "Fall In The Yukon" off to a new home.

 Thank you for your company!

  Be well and be safe!

Cultivate your dreams.

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Do drop in for a visit. Thank you ladies for hosting.

Maple Taps

Today, mostly a quiet post with pictures from a recent trip to the Maple Farm and a few more.
If you've been reading along, you may remember that I went to the sugar camp last year only to find it closed. (Apparently, I don't agree with reading fine print on websites.) But this year, all systems: go. Just look at that delightful open sign. A great breakfast was had. For me, pancakes with A lot of maple syrup. So tasty!

 Breakfast by the fire. Love those old skis.

The sap is clear until it is rendered down.

Maple Taffy on the snow. Just roll it up on a stick and viola!

In my element. After a hearty breakfast, time to hike the trails.  Just look at the colour of the sky!

Sap line running.

Along the river. The ice melts nicely. The ships will soon sail the seaway again.

The geese have returned.

I have left comments for those who left one for me on my last post. I hope to continue to do so going forward.

* * *

* A note to let my followers on instagram know that I have closed my original account. (dixie.l) It was compromised; a site was using my pictures to run ads. I could, of course, have asked instagram to remove it, but from the comments I read, it seems that site just kept rearing its ugly head like a Hydra. (Some of my pictures and artwork still appear in as a image search; I do hope they disappear.) So if I've lost you in the shuffle and I have lost many followers, please re-follow at dixielee.k @ instagram. Thank you so much, lovelies!

Wishing you peace, joy and loads of fun.

 ' Til next time...

Cultivate Your Dreams.

What a Difference...

                      What a difference a very hot week makes. (Above 30C or 86F.) Look at those trees!

When I took this picture, it was blowing a whole-sail breeze as my Mother would say (we are Maritime folks),  so the pic looks a little fuzzy because I forgot to tun up the shutter speed.

In the woods, a trillium carpet.

I am working on two courses, plus a seascape painting for someone and two of birds, so it's mostly a picture post day.

But before I go I'd like to shout out a hearty welcome to my new followers. A big thank you for following along via Google friend connect and email, etc.

Do have a lovely week!

Still Green

Although I thought the snow was here to stay it disappeared. Great. Why? Because if the snow stays on the ground late in December, spring generally comes early. Predictive? No.  Just an observation, but I've been wrong before. Time will tell. 

I finally toured this old house. It looks bleak/spooky with the black roof and front door.  If you look closely, you will notice a rocking chair in the upstairs window, which adds another layer of spookiness to the place. But the only spooky thing I found in the house was a well in the middle of the kitchen floor. (That's enough, I reckon.) In the late 1800's, I'm sure, an inside well was convenient because no one ( generally the lady of the house) had to brave the elements to haul water from the well, but I couldn't help but think how dangerous a convenience it must have been, especially with a house full of curious children.

My Christmas preparations are coming along. I have a few items out, but only a few and they all seem to be green..

I'm searching for a container for my frosty fern.

Never one to frequent Boxing Day sales, last year I finally went shopping and bought  this cute linen tea towel for a song.

Enjoy...