The Season Is Almost Over

For the next three weekends, I'll be exhibiting my work at The Rocks, a Christmas tree farm in Bethlehem, NH which is part of the Society For The Protection Of NH Forests lands. It's a beautiful place with hundreds of acres to roam in all seasons and I do hope you can come by and visit with me. You can also see my work in Lancaster, NH on November 29th and in St. Johnsbury,VT at the Green Mountain Mall on December 20th-22nd.

Blessings Of The Season

Today is Thanksgiving, a day when we should be reflecting on how fortunate we are and giving praise to the Lord for what we have been given. This is not a sermon and while I consider myself a person of belief, I have many faults which are not the purpose behind this post. So today, before I began to enjoy my buffet dinner prepared by Warner's Gallery in Wells River, Vt. with my husband and mother, instead of being sad because I was not able to be with my children or other members of my family, I thought about what makes this day special for me. I have my health, plenty to eat and the love of family and friends around me. I have been blessed with a talent that I use to allow people to view nature the way I've been able to experience it and I enjoy listening to people say how beautiful my images are. Of course, filled with self doubt the way I am, I look at the work of others and feel so inadequate. This day, I am thankful for my children and their health and the blessings of grandchildren is no small thing either. So, when you read this post, even long after Thanksgiving, please take a moment, close your eyes and give thanks for the things that you have. Try not to dwell on what you are lacking. My guess is your life is full and rich and you aren't even aware of it.

It Was Inevitable

The weather has been too mild to be considered the beginning of the holiday season but there it is right there on my calendar. I tried to begin my Christmas shopping yesterday and wasn't in the mood. I even walked by an azalea bush with a few blossoms on it. talk about being confused. But, there was something different about the air when I left the mall. Call it a hunch or whatever but I could smell the snow coming. The air had a crisp almost fresh quality about it. It was like being out in the middle of the wilderness, miles from any road or factory, at dawn. The air becomes clean, unspoiled, almost new, as if all of the pollution had been filtered out overnight. It's hard to explain exactly what that type of air smells like and my family has, in the past, thought me nuts when I've mentioned that I could smell rain coming. They are always surprised when the rain begins to fall a few minutes later. So, I don't know why I found myself in that same condition when the flakes began to filter down from the heavens. The wind picked up with a fresh earnest and suddenly it was winter. Well, almost. The traffic slowed and everyone became cautious of the way they walked down the sidewalk. And so the transformation from late autumn to early winter had become complete. And i was dressed for late autumn.

A Note About Sun Dogs

Today, I had a small amount of vindication. My husband and I were headed down Rte 91 towards Lebanon, NH when I spotted a "sun dog". It may be called something else in other parts of the country but there it was, as plain as day, encircling the late afternoon sun. It wasn't as well defined as the one I had seen in Jackson, NH last year but, hey, a natural phenomenon is never the same twice. Each event is unique. Now, I'm not sure exactly what it is that causes the circular rainbow but I suspect it's ice crystals that are suspended high up in the atmosphere which the sunlight refracts through. If anyone knows the real deal, please leave a comment. Now I started this post with a mention about vindication. When I arrived at the Lebanon Art and Crafts Association Holiday Store to set up my exhibit, I asked another photographer if he had seen... Well, you know the rest of the story, right?

Does This Happen To You?

Have you ever been chatting with friends when the conversation swings around to a question being asked such as " Did you see that sunset last night?" or "How about those northern lights last evening?" ? If you've been in a situation like this, no matter what the question was, you have to wonder about these friends of yours. Did any of them call you, knowing that sunset would have been picture perfect? Did just one of them give you a call or drop an e-mail to let you know about those spectacular lights in the night sky that you've been dying to capture for years? The answer is always "NO". This happens to me quite frequently. And each time I ask the inevitable, "So, why didn't you give me a call?" The answer is always inevitable, as well. They didn't think about it until long after. Then, I ask where their photos are of the event in question and again I get a predictable answer that they didn't have their camera handy. I'm not sure which causes more frustration for me, being told about that incredible event or not being able to confront the hard evidence. In any case, let this post be a wake up call to all of you out there. The next time you witness something breathtaking, call a friend or even me, whoever is closest so they can enjoy nature's spectacular variety. We'll be in Lincoln, NH this weekend for a two day event so come on by and see some of my latest work.

What A Weekend And More Coming

I don't get much sleep from September through Christmas because I'm a huge Red Sox fan and because of my show schedule. And this year is no exception. With the national television coverage of the world series games starting an hour later than normal east coast broadcasts, it made the ending of these games that much later. So, I sat like much of "Red Sox Nation", sleep deprived and deliriously happy about Sunday night's outcome. The celebration was much deserved. The team set records and showed America that 2004 was no fluke. They are a team to be reckoned with. Now, I can get back to other matters such as dentist appointments and gallery staffing. Today is one of those days. But tomorrow I'll be a starving artist once more, working in the studio to prepare for this weekend's shows at the Littleton, NH Elks Club and the Concord, VT High School. These are two small community shows which have excellent town response, especially in Concord where everyone participates by either baking or cooking or just coming out to the show to spend money on the Scholastic Book Sale, vendor's items or the Chinese Raffle. We are between the seasons that most of the country recognises, autumn and winter. We, here in the North Country of New Hampshire have an in between season called "mud" where it rains all the time and the ground just can't absorb any more water. Everything is brown and depressing because the leaves have fallen and snow hasn't arrived to cover up the gloom. This season occurs twice, blessing us with despair again between winter and spring. Aren't we lucky?

Go, Sox !!!!!!!

Congratulations to my Red Sox for the manner in which they have carried themselves. Never once has their success caused them to be anything less than cautiously optimistic about their progress or gracious when talking about their opponents with the media. And as a lifelong devout fan, I 'm beside myself with every pitch that takes us deeper into the post season. My faith in their abilities never wavered even when they were down 3 games to 1 with Cleveland. Now, I'm not saying that I believe in curses or even the proverbial "Gowdy" when talking about some one's hitting streak or the tossing of the all too rare no hitter, but I'm just superstitious enough not to say the words... What I will say is that I have really enjoyed the first two games of the World Series and will be sitting next to the radio in our camper on Saturday night to listen to game three. The pop up will be at the Friendly Beaver Campground in New Boston because we'll be doing a show at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester on Saturday. It's the last "away game" of the season for us and the last camping expedition for the season, as well. Play well, Guys!!