Snow impression

Snow squalls

Airbrush the pine trees,

Frosting the surfaces 

with sugar dust.

Florida in January

Okay, to be honest, there are nice things about Florida, there, I said it. So recognizing my general reluctance to pontificate the pleasures of the Sunshine State I will talk about some of the things that I enjoyed.

When we left Maine on Wednesday morning we walked through the snow with Yaktrax  on our shoes to keep us from slipping to the car which I had parked at the neighbors in case of great snow drop. Luckily it was not so bad and although it was 4:30 in the morning when we got the car on the road no other mishaps were in store.

When we get to Florida, the tropical breezes are pushing a soft 77 degrees across my face. Not a bad way to live I thought, suddenly catching myself with the horror of what I had said. (I have vowed to never live there as I slip solidly into senior-hood) The grass was green the flowers bloom, although you can see that the cold snap from a couple weeks ago definitely took it’s toll. The banana trees and the birds of paradise took a beating. Recovery looks good. Birds abound in all shapes and sizes. Double knits and golf courses glow with radiant health. Lizards scuttle from sun to bush.

We cross a bridge and there is the blue that I love so well- that Caribbean Sea of white sand and turquoise allure. Hard to argue with the pleasure that gives me. 

Our trip was punctuated by a number of events, one I share here is our casual dive, Dune Dog, that serves, of course, a number of hot dogs, but also cold beers and crispy fish sandwiches or grilled dolphin sandwiches (the fish not the mammal). So good, so easy to eat, I long to order another for the joy of wrapping my big mouth around it. I exercise reluctant restraint. They have other stuff too and I enclose a little slide show as I haven’t done that in a while.

We had a drive to Gulfport to visit with college friend, Jacquie.  On the way I saw armadillos munching by the side of the road (Do armadillos munch? Seemed so) and lots of birds of prey and herons of many sizes and colors. The town of Gulfport is a laid back place just between St. Petersburg and Tampa. It’s like Rehobeth with a beach bum air, nowhere near as pretentious. Trees drip with spanish moss. Houses are small bungalows with an eclectic air of Craftsmanship style, or spanish or southern shotgun. Many cute, highly livable, places. Porches for watching neighbors, sides of chimneys painted with seascapes to liven up the adjacent patios. 

It was a great place to pull the plug on activities for a couple days and I would recommend it for an alternative to East Coast frenzies. John Prine apparently has a home here and we heard some great music in nearby Treasure Island on Saturday night. Champagne on the pier at sunset is also a worthwhile pastime. 
A short ride takes us to St. Petersburg for a morning look see. We wander through the Saturday market, enjoy gelato and St. Pete neighborhoods. Playing southern tourist has its merits in a northern winter.

This Sunday morning, up at 5 AM, catch the plane back with each plane stop walkway increasing in chill factor until we reached Portland, land of good food and white ground. It is plowed. It is pleasant. The dogs are glad to see us and the memory of those azure breezes is tucked away to help me through the winter

Dogs- the here and now

Walking the dogs is a transcendental thing. Most of the time I don’t want to take the time to do it but once I am out I am almost always happy. There are a lot of different places to take them besides right around the house. WIll and I went to Dodge Point near Damariscotta a couple days ago which is a lovely walk but long (2.5 miles) In the snow that is a good workout.
Yesterday we were walking at Skofield Preserve which is a nice wooded hilly area near Brunswick adjacent to the ocean. Cassie was on her habitual hunt. In the snow I did not worry too much. We have flushed deer there and of course squirrels.  She stuck her big face in a hole at the base of a tree and was barking and barking. I knew there was a critter in there and hoped it wasn’t a porcupine. They are expensive and upsetting. I yelled at her and yelled and she finally heard me through her blood lust and did come, somewhat embarrassed that she was so excited. After a minute or two on her leash I let her off and she was off on another scent that was intriguing. In the spring, at this site, the dogs often come back from their mini adventures elbow deep in fine and fishy mud. In the winter there is no such problem and there are few people around, generally none so that is a good thing. On the loop back Cassie pealed off into the woods and I did not realize it until I heard her really frantic barking. I had to hoof it through the woods hoping it wasn’t a porcupine and then Cassie finally came towards me with her tongue far our her mouth. Luckily it wasn’t a porcupine this time.
 I put her on the leash and we walked  on following the ridge only to see the object of her frenzy.  She had found a raccoon. At least a 35 pounder. It was ever so slowly trying to make it up a tree that wasn’t really conducive for climbing with all the small branches. Needless to say, Cassie still wanted to help it along. I admonished her and was glad it had not rearranged her face. I think the thing that saved it was the fact that it was so darn big. No harm done except for the harmony of the raccoon. Do they semi-hibernate? I think so. Cassie was quite rude to jostle it out of it’s sleep so loudly.

Five minutes later all was well. Dogs off the leash, not a care in the world although Zoe has a way of making it clear that she had not been a part of the bad dog-gedness of her sister. They are like that- all or nothing. Gotta eat right now, starving to death, okay think I’ll sleep for a while. But I will get up in a second if I think you will take me where you are going. Well, time to stretch out and watch everything. 
Perhaps this what makes dogs such friendly spirits. They take everything at face value without judgement. I can go? Great! you won’t regret this, I really appreciate it. Oh, I have to stay home? bummer. I guess I’ll take a nap.

People should be more like dogs. Everything does not need to be such a big deal. 

Remembering how to see

There is something about winter that is so suited to making art. Or attempting to. I got a lot of jewelry done for Christmas and am starting up the carving class again. We talk at the art office about how people fall into a winter period, where life can be slower and more self dedicated without guilt. Perhaps because when you deal with the weather it can be such a challenge. We have been lucky so far this year.

 I have started taking a life drawing session on Wednesdays and am finding that I still sort of know how to do it  although I had to back track a bit and employ techniques that I had my students do. The exercises still work so that was good to know.

I am always challenged with proportion and forcing myself to draw what I see. It is a humbling thing to draw what you see. And a good way to practice your willingness to take criticism. We are going to incorporate a critique/class one of our sessions per month. I think that will be a good thing. Have someone else’s eyes help you see. I am still challenged especially by hands and feet so will probably work on that for a while.

In the meantime I am cooking up ideas and vow to produce in my sketchbook. Here is one of the poses that we had. I like the model, she’s very angular and at 60 + years very patient and pleasant. They had a show all about her a few months back. That would be a neat thing.

There are interesting artist in the class and it is a revitalizing thing to do. Got a studio? Have a regular group in. Share the creative flow.
Drawing assignment: an umbrella- as accurate as possible. Open or closed.
check the angles with your pencil

What is a Maine Winter?

I would like to offer a picture of my environment. I was driving home and saw a bunch of teenage boys playing hockey on the ball field. You see, what they do is scrape the snow away to form a little arena. Then a guy comes out in the morning with a water truck and floods the area. After a couple of days-voila, a skating rink. Down the street at the park nearby there are two skate fields. On the smaller one a lot of little kids come and skate and are out there with their Mom and Dad’s, which is really convenient as right next to the skating flat-pond-field there is a big sledding hill. During the day it is pretty quiet, unless school is cancelled and then there are always people. After school there are often kids of various ages there. Boys come at night to the skating field adjacent to the basketball court as it has lights for their hockey game. There are a couple of good sized snowmen now on the baseball diamond. Sentries for the sledders.

When I walk the dogs (there are at least ten different places of various degrees of wildness nearby) in Brunswick’s Town Commons I often come across students and retirees out with their dogs on cross country skis. There are also paths for snowshoeing. It is poor etiquette for the snowshoers to walk on the cross country ski trails-just so you know.

At night there are lots of things going on. The local college, Bowdoin (www.bowdoin.edu) is a music school so there are concerts frequently, especially during the holiday season. They also have interesting lectures, usually free, that are well publicized. There are indy movie theaters, and art lectures and classes and of course, the great restaurants that support local farmers-even in the winter. Brunswick also makes their town green into a skating field since the farmers markets have all moved indoors for the season. That is a subsequent blog.

But the day to day living is a matter to itself. I was especially thinking of these things as I heard about the weather farther south. When it snows here- lately, in total to date, we have gotten less snow than Washington,DC but, here’s the kicker- they plow the snow away. In addition there are machines that do the sidewalks so people can get out with their dogs. A lot of people walk places because the houses are close to town. In town, merchants shovel the sidewalks in front of their stores, often stopping to talk to each other in the process. Business carries on quite normally. It is true that prior to a storm everyone will rush to the store for milk and toilet paper. Just what are they making anyway?

So you can see that life is active, even rather cheerful in the winter. That doesn’t mean that people don’t complain about the cold, or head out of town during school’s winter break in February but they don’t sit around crying about it. It gets below zero sometimes but not usually. I am talking about the Midcoast region above Portland, below Boothbay. Inland it gets colder and more snow and that’s where the big skiing is and dog sledding and winter carnivals.

I heard a pack of coyotes going down the road the other night and have had a lot of interesting visitors at the bird feeder. There is a lot going on up here.