Loving on sweet Whitey

We awoke this past Monday morning at my parent’s home, to a sun-filled, blue sky in Okeechobee, Florida. After a breakfast of freshly laid, scrambled eggs and grits, we were soon joined by my brother’s family and little Tyler and Haydyn were as happy to see Aunt No-No and uncle Wes, as we were them. In no time we were playing with monster jam trucks and doll babies, before heading outside to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Out to the beautiful backyard we went, where the pond is located, surrounded by gorgeous oak trees, all graced by tendrils of Spanish Moss hanging from their curving limbs, along with numerous tall, slender Sable Palms scattered throughout the landscape. After a short time spent watching the bass strike occasionally, I decided to give the “yuck bucket” a good stir. The “yuck bucket” is actually my Dad’s compost, which Tyler appropriately named a couple of years ago. As I began stirring, roaches began crawling up and out, and I quickly brought this to the attention of their four precious pet chickens, which they took to immediately and enjoyed as an endless buffet! Before long they were all up and in the large, black bucket, eating roaches as quickly as they could find them! This became a daily ritual with us throughout the rest of the week, until by the end of the week, there were hardly any roaches left for the eating. The chickens are so sweet, and followed us wherever we would go, even slipping into the house a couple of times! The sweetest one is a little Frizzle named Whitey, and I couldn’t get enough of holding and petting her, which she didn’t mind at all!

The chickens eating . . . while I stir!

Haydyn and I on a “bug search” while the chickens wait to see what we find

That evening, neighbor friends joined us for a delicious supper, consisting of many of my mom’s best dishes, including homemade corn bread dressing, where we all shared lots of laughter and conversation. Tuesday, after lunch at Taco Bell, my parents, sister, Wes and I took the kids down to Lake Okeechobee, and we walked out on the pier, looking for waterfowl and alligators. Once at the end of the pier, it was bubble time, so my dad and I were the first ones to start the bubble blowing process while the kids screamed with glee, and ran around saying “Bubbles”! Then Wes took over, and another cute little one joined in on the bubble-chasing journey. It was then time to feed the birds, so after getting our bread, we began feeding the Sea Gulls, and were quickly surrounded by hungry beaks zooming through the air! Tyler and Haydyn both, along with me, had a lot of fun feeding the birds as they would swoop down after the small pieces, at times coming almost close enough to eat from our hands.

With Tyler, Haydyn and Dad on the pier at Lake Okeechobee

Having great fun feeding the Sea Gulls! . . . Notice Haydyn and I got the fashion memo.

After our fun visit to the lake, my sister Hayley and I did a little shopping and then returned home, to enjoy the evening with the rest of the family. Sometime in the next couple of days, we built Tyler a rope swing with a wooden seat and hung it from an oak tree limb, making it low enough that he could get onto it and swing himself. He thought this was just great and took to it immediately! Haydyn was happy to inherit the smaller swing where she had fun swinging with “Gandpa” pushing her, while I pushed Tyler. Of course we had to take breaks from swinging and at times blowing bubbles in the front yard, to go stir the yuck bucket for the chickens, which they greatly appreciated each time we did so! We also went on several walks with Tyler riding his “monster bike”, and Haydyn pushed her little pink stroller, with her baby in it. With all this outdoor activity, it was no time before dad was walking faster and doing so much better than several days before, while still recovering from his injuries. Friday afternoon, we went to the fair for a short time, and the kids rode a ride – a train ride that Aunt No-no rode with them, which they seemed to enjoy. Then it was time for Hayley and I to ride something that moved a bit faster, so we went to load into our car, and as I was sitting down the handle (which we found out a minute later was broken), fell with me holding onto it, causing me to crash down into the seat, banging my elbow on the metal side rail! Even though I was in pain, I was determined to ride anyway, and we did, laughing most of the time. Just for the record, my elbow is still swollen and sore and is turning black and green. Now I have even more compassion for my poor dad, and what he has suffered through the past three weeks!  Leaving the fair, we all enjoyed supper at Pizza Hut, before making a stop by Home Depot, the kids favorite store!

Riding the Choo-choo with the kids

Giving the thumbs up, even though all wasn’t okay!

Saturday morning began early with the arrival of several gracious men from my parent’s church, that along with all of us, helped finish getting their house painted, since not much had gotten done after dad’s accident. It’s amazing how much faster things like that go when there are lots of people, and fast it went. By lunchtime it was pretty much all painted, going much faster than when my mom and I had painted on it the day before. After one more coat in some areas, it will be completely finished! After lunch, a neighbor friend, Diane, brought over her dad’s four person bicycle, and we all had a ball taking turns riding on it, with a few fighting for the middle seat, where there were no pedals! Both dogs, as well as one of the chickens, even enjoyed a ride, but I think the kids enjoyed it the most, and squealed as we went flying along, with us yelling “Lean to the right” when we would make turn-a rounds! We would ride, pedaling like crazy until we wore ourselves out, and had to rest a bit! After returning the bike, we headed over to my cousin’s property, where some of the guys enjoyed fishing. Wes was really excited when he and Tyler caught a little bass just after tossing the bait out, and on Tyler’s little pole even!

Everyone, but the dogs were helping out!

The kids . . . big and small . . . were having a ball!

Wes and Tyler checking out his big catch, while Justin and Hayley fish behind them!

After going to visit some of the resident cows, it was time to leave for my brother Marshall’s home. Before going in, Dad, Tyler and I enjoyed a ride on the tailgate of my brother’s truck while he drove around the freshly hayed pasture behind their house, looking for foxes, as we had seen one run across just minutes earlier. We decided that one hasn’t really lived until riding around in a cow pasture on the tailgate of a truck!  It was then time for supper and we were treated to Alicia’s delicious homemade spaghetti. After a very fun evening together, it was time to say goodbyes to some, as we would be leaving early the next morning for home. Early Sunday morning, a tearful goodbye was said to my parents and sister Hayley, and then we started the long journey home, where we arrived safely later that evening. We were all so very thankful that by the end of the week, my dad had greatly improved and was even able to return to work for part of the day today. Thanks again to my family for a wonderful week and lots of happy memories!!

Sweet Haydyn reads to her baby

Uncle Wes and happy Tyler beside the Home Depot man

Fresh Off the Easel: I did a drawing of Tyler and Haydyn for my parents for a Christmas gift, which I gave to them this past week. It was done from a photo taken at the beach in Ft. Pierce, FL.

~ Upcoming Events and Exhibitions of Our Paintings This Week ~

Our miniature paintings on display at the lovely San Diego Natural History Museum.

~ We are very excited  that our solo exhibition “EXQUISITE MINIATURES BY WES & RACHELLE SIEGRIST” is presently at the beautiful SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM in San Diego, CA, and will be on display there Saturday, January 21 through Wednesday, March 21, 2012.  So if you’re in the area, I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful museum!

“EXQUISITE MINIATURES BY WES & RACHELLE SIEGRIST“ while recently on display at the beautiful Dennos Museum Center at the Northwestern Michigan College inTraverse City, MI

To view all our upcoming exhibits: http://www.artofwildlife.com/exhibitschedule.html

“Collect the future’s history today while it is still affordable.”
Until next time ~ Rachelle

Some of the attendees at the MASF show opening this past weekend

We arrived in Dunedin, FL Friday morning, in time for Wes to hang up the MAA cases, in preparation for the opening weekend of the MASF show. After a quick lunch we headed to Honeymoon Island State Park along with fellow artist Pat Getha and her family, to spend the afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather. The area is filled with Ospreys, a pair of nesting Bald Eagles and a pair of Great Horned Owls, making it a delightful spot to watch all of the various activities. We watched one particular pair as the male Osprey brought an occasional addition of a stick to their existing nest and would try and work it into place. After one such attempt, the female not particularly fond of his placement of the stick, pulled it out and flew with it in mouth in a large circle, being sure to fly right in front of the male, while she made a big show of the entire ordeal, then landed back in the nest and placed it where she thought it needed to be!

That evening we enjoyed a wonderful time with our dear collector friend, Mike and several of his friends, filled with lots of conversation over a delicious dinner. The show got underway Saturday morning at ten, with the collectors preview, which was well attended. That evening we enjoyed a reception for the artists and collectors at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. After attending the awards brunch Sunday morning, we all went to the Art Center once again, where the show opened to the public. That evening we enjoyed a nice dinner with a group of artist friends before driving to Okeechobee to spend the week with my family.

Enjoying dinner with friends at the Beachcomber in Clearwater, FL

Me standing proudly by the miniature painting of me by our dear artist friend, Bill Mundy

Fresh Off the Easel: I finished a miniature painting of a group of precious mice, which I photographed at the Louisville Zoo, during our visit with Wes’ family at Christmas. Wes finished his miniature painting of Eared Grebes that was done from a photo taken while we were in San Carlos, Mexico last spring.

~ Upcoming Events and Exhibitions of Our Paintings This Week ~

~ 37th Annual International Miniature Art Show (MASF) January 15 – February 5, 2012: Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL. Also, at the same time/place will be the Miniature Artists of America Traveling Exhibition, which includes two of our miniature paintings alongside that of 33 others honored for being the best in American miniature art.

To view all our upcoming exhibits: http://www.artofwildlife.com/exhibitschedule.html

“Collect the future’s history today while it is still affordable.”
Until next time ~ Rachelle

My precious Peedeepeeps enjoying his peanut crunchies!

Paint the New Year in . . . we did! We’ve been spending most of our time painting on our miniatures this past week, with the exception of a couple of projects and of course, time spent feeding my precious critters. I have three Carolina Wrens coming most of the time now, along with a gang of Titmice that come in a group of about eight to nine, and can wipe out an offering of peanut crunchies in mere minutes! Believe it or not, I was actually able to eat my breakfast on the porch one morning this past week, in January no less . . . unbelievable! Anyway, I was joined by all my feathered friends, which also enjoyed eating their breakfast alongside me at the table. I told my dad this past week though, that their table manners just aren’t the best, as they always stand on the table when they eat, and sometimes even poo on it! Some gobble their food very quickly, others just eat and run, and some fuss the entire time their stuffing their beaks. Nonetheless, I love them all and enjoy every minute spent with them! They’re quite entertaining to say the least, as one never knows what will happen next!

Okay . . . I’m back now, I just had to go put out more peanut crunchies for the kids since Peedeepeeps was sitting outside the studio looking in the window and fussing, trying to get my attention, and of course it worked . . . it always does. I admit that they have me very well trained.  Now, I have to share with you one of the funniest things that I’ve ever seen a squirrel do, and it happened this past week. We finally got some real winter weather this past week, so the birdbath, emptied the evening before, was filled the next morning with very warm, steaming water. Minutes after we had stepped back inside, one of our resident squirrels came and went immediately to the steaming birdbath. He dipped his nose and mouth down into it and within seconds had placed one of his arms into it as well, followed promptly by the other arm. He then decided that this hot spring felt so amazing that he laid his chin and then his entire upper body in the top part of the water, along with both of his arms, just holding himself there, eyes practically rolling back into his head, with the steam rising all around him.  We could just hear him say “OH . . . this feels so amazing, I could just spend the entire day suspended here!” It was hilarious, and this was not to be the end, for after he had gotten out dripping wet, and ate a few sunflower seeds, he returned and carried out this amazing ritual once more! We laughed and laughed, and then cried when we realized we didn’t get one single photo of this entire show, so I said I’d just have to paint it with words!

One of our neighbor friends, Norma, generously gave us three large pumpkins which we “processed” this past week. We began early one morning with washing and cutting up the pumpkins, one at a time, preparing them for cooking in the oven. We started filling pots with the chopped up pieces and cooking them in the oven, roughly an hour at a time. However, it seemed the more we chopped and cooked, the more pumpkin there was, almost like manna from heaven. This process went on all day long, with taking out the seeds, chopping it up, and stuffing it into the pots, then loading them into the oven. Finally by later that afternoon we had gotten it all cooked, mashed and loaded into freezer bags. It was then time to roast all of the seeds that we had carefully saved and cleaned. When it was all said and done, I think we had at least fifteen-quart size bags of pumpkin, and lots of yummy roasted seeds! It was a lot of work, but now we have a freezer full of pumpkin, and we have a new found admiration for our grandparents and the hard work they put into canning over the years! I must admit however, that we decided it’s much easier to paint!

Pumpkin . . . pumpkin . . . and more pumpkin!

Fresh Off the Easel: I finished a miniature painting this past week of a baby bunny that we photographed in our yard last year, right outside our bedroom window. It is just adorable, making it great fun to paint! Wes finished a couple of miniatures. One of a Sea Lion basking in the sun, that we photographed while in Mexico this past spring, on an island in the Sea of Cortez. He also finished a miniature painting of Red-shouldered Hawk, which we photographed in our neighborhood during one of our walks.  I’m currently working on a painting of mice that I photographed at the Louisville Zoo this past month, and Wes is working on an Cormorant photographed during one of our Florida visits.

“Precious Baby” by Rachelle
1¾ x 1¾ inches

“Basking Beach Babe” by Wes
2½ x 3½ inches

Red-shouldered Hawk
3½ x 2½ inches

~ Upcoming Events and Exhibitions of Our Paintings This Week ~

~ 37th Annual International Miniature Art Show (MASF) January 15 – February 5, 2012: Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL – We’ll be in attendance the 14th and 15th for the opening ceremonies! Also, at the same time/place will be the Miniature Artists of America Traveling Exhibition, which includes two of our miniature paintings alongside that of 33 others honored for being the best in American miniature art.

To view all our upcoming exhibits: http://www.artofwildlife.com/exhibitschedule.html

~ Many thanks for your prayers for my dad, as he is improving a little each day!  Thankfully, he found out this past week that his hip was not broken, and that his broken collarbone was aligned correctly for good healing. Now it will just take time, and I’m trying to get myself trained not to make him laugh too much when we’re there soon, since it makes it very sore for him to laugh.  However, since we both love to laugh and can’t help but do so many times, I’m thinking it’s useless to try and keep from it!  Oh-well, maybe it will help him heal faster!

“Collect the future’s history today while it is still affordable.”
Until next time ~ Rachelle

Enjoying spending time with Raleigh and Shirley in Indiana

We returned home from visiting Wes’ family in Indiana, for Christmas, later this past Wednesday evening. We had only been home for about two minutes, when the phone rang, and my mom called to tell us that my dad was in the ER after falling off of their metal roof! I was completely terrified, with my overactive imagination running wild with the numerous possibilities of his condition and state! Fortunately for him, but unfortunate for his squashed guardian angel, he “only” broke a rib, crushed his collarbone, punctured his lung and has a very sore left hip, but we all knew it could’ve been much worse. Now, days later, and with dad’s present confinement to a wheelchair, to get around, my nephew Tyler has found much delight in pushing “Gandpa” around, and my mom says occasionally she sees my dad flying through the living room with Tyler hanging onto the back of the wheelchair while doing a spread-eagle and laughing uncontrollably! One of the hard parts is really with the major soreness he’s presently experiencing, causing it to really hurt him to move much and especially laugh, so I have to limit my talking with him at present, as he and I have a tendency to get tickled very, very easily, at just about anything. Nonetheless, this is certainly not how my poor dad intended to start off the New Year, and so I ask for your prayers concerning his hopefully quick recovery, and strength for my poor mom, his “home nurse”.

Tyler and Haydyn hamming it up for Christmas, down in FL

However, before this dangerous episode with my dad occurred, we were in Indiana, where we spent several days with Wes’ family. We arrived at his parents home late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, and after enjoying a nice supper together, we drove to Charlestown, IN where we enjoyed looking at their wonderful Christmas light display in the downtown area. It was beautifully decorated with scenes ranging from the manger to Santa in his slay, and it was all choreographed to Christmas music, creating quite an entertaining show to say the least! Early the next morning, Christmas, we headed over to Wes’ brother Greg and his family’s house, where we all enjoyed eating breakfast together and seeing the kids new toys.

Will, George and Zeus, just hanging out on Christmas morning

Zeus is really enjoying his petting and attention

The afternoon was spent back at Wes’ parents home, where we enjoyed a nice walk around the neighborhood in the beautiful weather we had been blessed with for Christmas day. The first stop was to feed the resident horses their Christmas dinner of fresh carrots, which they ate quickly and cheerfully with great satisfaction! Happily for me they also were quite content to receive lots of petting and loving as well. The next stop was the playground, where we spent time burning off the calories we had consumed at lunch, while swinging, sliding and playing tag with our niece Caroline . . . and come to think of it . . . I think that Wes is still “IT”!!

Caroline and I feeding the horse his Christmas dinner

Seeing who can swing higher

Laughing because we’re feeding Hammy on “Deedee’s” clean counter top!

That evening after Wes’ brother, Greg and his wife Lisle returned, we all enjoyed a nice supper together, and played a few rounds of Old Maid with Caroline afterwards. I also enjoyed spending time with Hammy, the hamster that Caroline was taking care of for holiday break for her class at school. He was a sweetie and enjoyed all the special attention as well as being hand-fed, little morsels of fresh carrots! Monday was another nice day in the Louisville area, so we spent it at the wonderful Zoo there with Wes’ mom and dad. Although some of the critters were obviously not out because of the cooler weather, there was plenty to see and enjoy watching as they played and frolicked in the crisp winter air. We really enjoyed getting to see the new baby Polar Bear, Qannik, and watching her be hand-fed. She was quite excited about the entire process and let it be known throughout her hand-fed meal, with loud grunts and an occasional soft Rrrrrr! There were countless other critters we enjoyed seeing and watching as well. One particularly funny encounter was in watching the Giraffes’, as they were indoors at the time I was there, and it was obviously suppertime for them. After grabbing a nice big mouth full of hay, they would walk over to the edge of their enclosure, reaching their necks as far as they could over it, while chewing, and the slobbers would form and start pouring form their mouths and dripping, until they became almost a continuous stream where they collected in a puddle on the ground below! The funniest part of this comical scene was watching and listening to all the kids saying “Oh yuck”, and watching the non-observant people almost taking home a “wet souvenir”! Hee hee!

The adorable Penguins lined up to enjoy a “spray bath” from their keeper, an obvious treat for them

Photographing one of the precious Penguins

Three “Dodo birds” at the zoo, and obviously in their winter plumage!

Later that evening, we enjoyed some delicious NY style pizza for supper, and then rode through the Louisville Mega Cavern featuring the “Lights under Louisville”, which was really interesting, and quite amazing, just to see the size of the man-made underground cavern. As we drove along admiring the lighted displays, Caroline and I sang Christmas carols, making it quite a memorable trip. The next day we went to a couple of stores in the afternoon, where Wes found me a new peanut feeder for our birds, since a Black Bear stole ours last summer. He also found shelled peanuts on sale by the pound, and bought me a BIG bag of them, which was a wonderful Christmas present indeed! That evening we met Greg and his family for supper at Olive Garden where we celebrated Caroline’s 9th birthday. The next morning, it was time to say our goodbyes to Wes’ parents, and then we drove to a nearby restaurant, where we met Wes’ childhood friend, Raleigh and his wife Shirley. It was certainly a highlight of our trip for me to finally meet Raleigh, as Wes has shared stories, with me, about him for over twenty years now! They are such a sweet couple, and we greatly enjoyed our time with them, listening to recalled stories from Wes and Raleigh’s youth, as well as their stories of experiences through the past twenty or so years.

A very happy girl with her BIG bag of peanuts!

Fresh off the easel; I finished my miniature painting of a Chimpanzee this past week and have started to paint on another one of mice that I photographed at the Louisville Zoo last week. Wes finished his miniature of one of our resident Chipmunks named Chippy, that I photographed in our front yard one day this past summer. I think she almost always has stuffed cheeks! He is currently painting on a miniature of a very small Nuthatch.

“Chimpanzee” by Rachelle is
3½ x 2½ inches

“Miss Chubby Cheeks ” by Wes is
2 x 2 inches

As we begin this new year, I leave you with this thought provoking poem . . .

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”   

~ William Arthur Ward

Happy New Year and remember to “Collect the future’s history today while it is still affordable.”

Until next time ~ Rachelle

Our Christmas tree with our first snowfall

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful and very merry Christmas! We enjoyed it with Wes’ family in Indiana. I thought I’d just share some highlights with you of photos of some of our critters and Christmas parties with friends and neighbors this past month . . .  kind of a photo journey. So enjoy!

Wes and I at The Partridge and the Pear restaurant for our neighborhood Christmas dinner

My precious Dovecakes by his Christmas tree on the back porch

One of our lovely female Cardinals by the birdies’ Christmas wreath

 . . . and one of our gorgeous male Cardinals

Most of the neighbors enjoying our Christmas dinner party at The Partridge and the Pear.

A bit out of focus, but it can still be seen that I’m stealing Ron’s present during the dirty santa gift exchange!

Lulu feels bad that she killed poor Santa!

Playing Mexican Train, a dominoes game with Barb, Frank, Pat and Fred

Again I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and I wish you a healthy and happy New Year!!

Until next time  ~   Rachelle

A lovely view of Eye of the Needle, appears as a small hole in the background rock ledge.

Well . . . I got my Christmas wish and present a week early!! We went on our Christmas hike, and the destination was Alum Cave Bluffs and actually a bit beyond that towards the top of Mt. Le Conte. We left earlier in the morning, enjoying the hour-long drive through the Park until we reached the trailhead for Mt. Le Conte and Alum Cave Bluff. It was a bit nippy as we loaded ourselves up with backpacks and with hiking sticks in hand, began our journey upward. It had been at least three years since we were last on this favorite trail of mine, thus creating a happy reunion for me! We started our hike walking along the path leading through a tunnel of beautiful, densely growing Rhododendrons, all with their shiny, evergreen leaves folded and bowed down as if in a constant state of prayer. Their thick, leaves begin to droop and curl as the temperature approaches freezing, and the colder the temperature, the tighter they curl and the more they droop. They make a great visual thermometer!

Reaching the top steps of Arch Rock

They weren’t the only sign of the colder temps, as the path of frozen mud we were walking on was lined by icicle “spurts”. That’s what I call them anyway, and they look as if the earth spewed out water and it was frozen instantly, capturing a moment in time in ice, and they’re beautiful, with no two being alike! Although the air was frosty, as our hearts pumped faster while walking the incline of the path, we began to warm up a bit ourselves. We had walked a little more than a mile when we reached the first amazing sight along our journey. It is called Arch Rock and you actually go through it, while climbing up a curving  path of steps, made of stones, of assorted shapes and sizes, while holding onto a wire cable. Up . . . up . . . up you go, until you come our through the top section of the rock formation. When you reach the top, you teeter and climb a few more awkward rocks and grab the cable now on the other side of the trail. Normally this is no big deal, but icy patches on some of the rocks added extra interest to the ascending process this time.

Me with the opening leading through Arch Rock below

Beautiful ice stalagmites along the trail

Upward and onward we went while carefully navigating patches of icy mud and rocks while also continuing to admire the “ice spurts” along the way. We have had quite a bit of rain recently, so it obviously added to the wintery icy condition of the trail. It also has made the patches of moss, amazingly lush and soft, and such delicious shades of green, making it simply irresistible to someone who loves to pat and feel moss . . . me! So as you can imagine, instead of stopping to smell the roses, I had to stop to softly pat the delightfully soft moss. This trail is also home to several very large, old trees, so when I wasn’t patting moss, I was hugging the majestic trees along the way. When you take the time to stop and simply touch one of these wise old beauties, you’re really touching history, as some have been around quite awhile and seen a lot.

We decided this is God’s Christmas tree, and it was a beauty!

As we walked around a curve in the rocky path, we could see Alum Cave Bluffs in the distance, as it opened up. It was as amazing as always and even more so with the top ledge now lined with icicles in all shapes and sizes, with the sun shining through them, making them sparkle like large, dangling diamonds! After seeing one come crashing down on the path ahead of us, we decided this part must be navigated quickly, being sure not to become a moving target for these icy weapons. We safely crossed the line of fire and after climbing the steep incline, we found ourselves tucked safely back in the huge dry open space of the bluffs. This was the perfect place for our lunch, so out came the peanut butter and raisin sandwiches, with dark chocolate for dessert. It was amazing to sit and watch the icicles turn loose and come crashing down, sometimes with great force, when larger ones fell to their life’s end below. One listening to us would’ve thought we were watching fireworks perhaps, with the exclamations of “WOW . . . did you see that one!” being blurted out.  This went on for quite sometime, until maybe a third of them had fell to their icy death below. With a beautiful afternoon ahead, we pressed onward for another mile or so, as a few of my favorite spots in the trail lay ahead.

Approaching Alum Cave Bluff

Enjoying lunch with a gorgeous view from the bluff

Some of the icicles waiting their turn to fall

Before long we had reached one of my favorite places, and it was mostly covered in ice. But hey, what is life without a bit of adventure, so carefully and slowly we climbed along, while holding on tightly to the wire cable handrail, attached to the rock face on one side, with the edge a mere two or so feet from the rock face. When you reach the middle of this section, you look out over a magnificent view filled with numerous mountain ranges! It was a perfectly clear day too, making it even more spectacular! But alas this was not to be the last of the treacherous crossings, as we pressed on, coming to yet another such section of rock outcropping. Being the adrenaline junkie that I tend towards, I kept asking Wes “Is this dangerous?” to which he would reply “Yes, it is”, and that would make it even more thrilling for me somehow. Finally we decided we had gone far enough and turned to start our decent, being sure to leave time for stopping and admiring sights on the way down.

One of my favorite sections of the hike to Mt. Le Conte, covered in ice no less.

A close up of the icy trail

So with carefully planned foot steps, we walked down until we came back to the buff, where we stayed for a few minutes in hopes of catching another dramatic crash of the icicles.  And disappointed we were not, as perfectly in my sight, a section of about eight icicles came crashing down, shattering with force as they hit the ground stories below!! Then to top it off, a pair of gorgeous Peregrine Falcons circled above, swirling and crying out as they slowly circled and flew in the azure blue sky! With a sense of sheer delight from that encounter, we decided it time to leave the bluff, and quickly crossed the “line of fire” for the last time, and although I thought my planned passing was safe, an icicle missed me by a mere foot and a half! Glad to have been spared the experience of being nailed by an icicle, we plodded down the path. Just when I thought the day couldn’t get better, answering the call of a Boomer, or little Red Squirrel, in their language of course, one came out onto the trail and greeted us each individually, as if that was his job, which he greatly enjoyed! He was adorable as he sat up and looked inquisitively at us, before slowly checking us out, then passing us by and disappearing off into the brush as fast as he had appeared. In minutes we were at Maggie’s Pulpit, which is a lovely outcropping of rock on which we sat for awhile, enjoying the gorgeous view, warm sun and the Red Crossbill visitors that were feeding on the pine cones of the Fir trees above. Recharged and ready to go, we made our descent down the trail until we reached the end of our hike, returning back to the trailhead.

Our precious little visitor, a Red Squirrel also known as a “Boomer”.

On Maggie’s Pulpit with Eye of the Needle behind us

As fast as the day came, it had almost gone, but alas there was enough time left to walk one of the quiet walkways, on the way home. We ended the day with supper at the Subway here in Townsend, enjoying it as always. I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy precious days, such as this one, in our beautiful woods in the Smokies, and have already tucked these memories away safely in my personal collection, along with many others. The best way to completely renew and recharge one’s spirit is to take a walk in God’s wondrous woods! So if you can, take a walk in the woods this week . . . you’ll feel better . . . I promise!

Wes photographing Red Crossbills on Maggie’s Pulpit

A Crossbill atop an evergreen tree filled with pine cones

Fresh off the easel; I finished my miniature painting of me admiring the Grand Canyon by Thomas Moran. I had so much fun doing this painting and am now working on a miniature of a precious chimpanzee. Wes finished his miniature of a Polar Bear appropriately titled “Polar Plunge”. He is presently painting on a painting of one of our resident Chipmunks photographed in our front yard.

“Admiring Moran’s Grand Canyon” by Rachelle, is 2½ x 3½ inches

“Polar Plunge” by Wes is 3½ x 2½ inches

Remember to . . . “Collect the future’s history today while it is still affordable.”

Until next time ~ Rachelle

The Presidential portrait miniatures, held in my hands, to show actual size.

I’m so excited to be able to finally share with you the two recent portrait commissions that we’ve been working on and have finished. It is truly an honor to have been asked to carry on with the wonderful tradition at the Woolaroc Museum with painting the American Presidents in miniature! These two paintings were so much fun to work on, and for me periodically, time seemed to stand still while I was painting, making an hour or more pass, without my realizing it!

President Barack Obama by Rachelle, is 3 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches

President George W. Bush by Wes is 3 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches

Our two miniature portraits of President Obama and Bush will be displayed in the Presidents’ case at the beautiful Woolaroc Museum in Bartlesville, OK. This is a gorgeous museum and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit there this past spring, when we participated in the Gallery of Artists show. If you have not yet been to visit this museum, I highly recommend planning to, if you are in the area. You can learn more about the museum at their website, Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve.

The Presidents case on display at the beautiful Woolaroc Museum

A close up of the historical Presidential portrait miniatures

A short YouTube video of our Presidential portraits step by step

Freshly off and currently on the easel: after finishing our Presidential portraits, we began painting on other miniatures. Wes finished his miniature, “Self Portrait With Hans Holbein’s Edward VI”, showing him standing by what I affectionately call, the waving baby. This was from one of our visits to the National Portrait Gallery in DC. I’m currently painting on a miniature of me looking at one of Moran’s masterpieces featuring the Grand Canyon, and must admit that I’m having such fun with it!

“Self Portrait With Hans Holbein’s Edward VI” by Wes is
2½ x 2½ inches

My “Admiring Moran’s Grand Canyon” in progress

Well, we’ve had our first little snow of the season, and even though it was a small amount and short lived it was certainly beautiful, especially with the Christmas tree all lit up in front, with the snowy scene outside the living room window serving as the backdrop. Other than painting most of the time, with feeding of my critter friends coming up in close second, we’ve continued to enjoy our daily walks and a couple of get-togethers with friends. Our neighbor friends, Richard and Melodie, enjoyed coming over for a supper of homemade potato soup followed by watching an old movie while eating homemade cookies. One of the cookies is a recipe I came up with, with ideas from others, mainly a family recipe from my mom. I call them Dreamsicle Sandies and with their delicate texture, they seem to melt in your mouth while infusing your tongue with a burst of fresh orange! I will share my recipe on my blog next week. Last evening we enjoyed a nice Christmas party with many neighbors and friends at Judy and Ernie’s lovely home. There was much fun, laughter and of course eating enjoyed by all in attendance!

Remember during this season of gift giving to “Collect the future’s history today while it is still affordable.”

Until next time  ~  Rachelle

“Fascination ~ Rowan” by Rachelle is 3 x 2 inches.

I finished my portrait miniature commission of Rowan this past week, and it’s now on its way to its proud new owners, his parents. Wes and I both also continued to work on, and for the most part finish, our other two special portrait commissions. At present and currently on our easels, we’re each painting on miniatures that will be added to our “Visiting the Masterpieces” series. In my miniature, I’m looking at one of my favorite Moran paintings and Wes is standing by a painting by Holbein.
After several days of rain and overcast skies, the sun finally broke through this past week and we’ve enjoyed a few beautiful days of sunny weather. We’ve taken advantage of those days with walks around town and have a hike planned in the near future, since we’ve pretty much finished our time-sensitive jobs. I’ve also continued to stay busy with feeding all of my feathered and furry friends, and with the cooler temps, their appetites have increased big time!

The snazziest police car I’ve ever seen!!

We enjoyed a delicious supper at our friends, Jim and Uschi’s, house this past Friday evening. Afterwards it was time for us, along with Beverly and Avery as well, to play canasta and since the outcome of the game wasn’t in the girls favor, well, we’ll just leave it at that! The red velvet cake for dessert was yummy though! We spent this afternoon here in Townsend enjoying our annual Christmas parade. This year was really nice, as it was the year of the Volkswagen Beetle or “Bug”, as I affectionately call them! Those of you that know me well know that my dream car is a Volkswagen Bug, which would be cotton candy pink with white interior. Therefore, as you can imagine I was delighted with these new additions to the parade this year! They were represented in almost every color, with many occasionally blowing the adorable “Herbie” sounding horn. A nice array of well decorated floats were also a part of the parade, with the most numerous participants being tractors, horses and 4-wheelers. As always lots and lots of candy was tossed out to the waiting attendees who had bags in hand, and ran out excitedly to collect their loot. I’ll admit I was certainly one such person, who came home with a bag of goodies, which I’ll share with friends, all except of course . . . the chocolate!

Rudolph, AKA Ernie, spreading Christmas cheer.

Way too cute . . . the Bugs really stole the show this year!!

Friend Frank throws us chocolate! . . . What a nice friend!

Another friend and his precious little doggie driving one of my favorite tractors . . . a Farmall!

Cheerio! . . . Until next time  ~  Rachelle

A gorgeous view from our neighborhood earlier today!

I do hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! After getting caught up from our trip to GA, we have spent most of our time this past week painting. I have finished my portrait miniature commission of the adorable little boy, and now Wes and I both are each currently painting on very special portrait miniatures that I will share with you later on. We are both enjoying working on them greatly, so much so that for me, time almost seemed to stand still earlier this afternoon, as I was so engrossed in my painting! I love it when that happens, and said to Wes at supper this evening, “Why can’t all miniature paintings seem like that?”

Talkin’ turkey, with a really big turkey here in Townsend!

We have been enjoying our daily walks and with some days of milder temperatures this past week, I have been able to wear my shorts . . . in late November!! Imagine that, there are certainly no complaints coming from me. However, I know the really cold stuff must be coming right around the corner. I’ve also stayed quite busy feeding all my “kids” outside. At one point, Peedeepeeps, my Carolina Wren, was hanging on the chimes directly outside of the kitchen window chirping and fussing, while looking in at me standing at the kitchen sink, until I came promptly out and fed him nut crunchies! So spoiled they are! The family of about 8 to 9 Titmice come frequently throughout the day and wipe out the nut crunchies and peanut butter treats very quickly. Dovecakes comes almost daily and likes me to either stand or sit nearby while he slowly eats his own special seeds. The squirrels don’t really care about anything other than getting as much to eat as they possibly can!

Wes and I enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving, and part of it was spent with a nice long walk in beautiful, sunny weather! Later that afternoon we, along with several others, went to friends house to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. Later that evening I worked off my dinner, by playing video games on the Wii, with friend Alyssa. Wes and I were both excited to learn this past week that we each won awards in the Cider Painters of America 27th Annual International Exhibit of Miniature Art! I won the Floral Award, with Wes winning the Landscape Award!

Alyssa and I enjoy a virtual tennis match!

~ Upcoming Events and Exhibitions of Our Paintings This Week ~

~ 78th Annual Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature at the lovely Mansion at Strathmore, in North Bethesda, MD, opened November 21 and be on exhibition through December 30, 2011. Wes and I have three miniatures each, in the show with both of us having won 1st Place awards. For more information visit their website at MPSGS.

~ The Cider Painters of America 27th Annual International Exhibit of Miniature Art, opened Oct 19th and runs through November 29th. It’s located at The Vgogh Gallery in Kingston, Pennsylvania.

May your leftovers soon be gone!
Until next time ~ Rachelle

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

We left early last Thursday heading to Thomasville, GA, to participate in the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival. We arrived early that evening in time to enjoy a nice supper of Mexican food with several dear artists friends. After lots of great conversation and laughter, it was time to go and meet our host that we would be staying with for the weekend. Mary welcomed us with a wonderful, big smile, as did her sweet dog, Maggie. We hit it off first thing as we discovered how very much we three had in common! We enjoyed many delightful conversations and delicious breakfasts with Mary throughout the weekend, and her beautiful home would become our oasis for the weekend!

Wes and Donny Ferguson solve the worlds problems as they walk along!

More gorgeous views along the path at Birdsong

Friday morning started off early with us hanging our miniatures at the show. Lunch was enjoyed with a few artist friends and was followed by an afternoon of great fun at the gorgeous Birdsong Nature Center, a short drive from the downtown area. The skies were brilliant blue above and with temperatures in the upper 70’s, it made for a perfect afternoon to enjoy walking through the woods! Every year our group gets lost while walking around the numerous paths that cross one another and circle about this several hundred-acre of property, and this year was certainly no exception. We got lost right off the bat, getting it out of the way and over and done with! However, this time we were awarded with a nice surprise finding of several beautiful trees which none of us knew for sure what type they were. Later that afternoon, we found out from the director, that they were Spruce Pines, and were quite beautiful and interesting indeed, as they had pine needles, but bark similar perhaps to a Hickory tree.

Donny, me, Vicki and Karryl photograph the sunning Alligator

Isn’t he a beauty . . .  about six to seven foot long!

The next surprise awaiting us was a gorgeous alligator, about six to seven foot long and laying out in full view as he enjoyed the warmth of the sun. That was certainly a highlight for me as I love alligators and greatly miss not seeing them here in Tennessee. Later we came up on about twelve turkeys strolling through the woods, as well as several warblers and other birds flitting about, as we went along. We ended our journey with a time of relaxation while sitting in front of the very large viewing window. It is such a serene setting and one that you could just sit and look out at for hours, but alas we had to head back into town to get ready for the opening of the show that evening. It was a great afternoon at Birdsong once again this year, and certainly one for the memory bank!

The beautiful, serene view out of the bird watching window.

A stunning grouping of Spanish Moss!

Sunday morning we arrived to the show early enough to be able to help feed the animals that were there in the temporary petting zoo. What a treat for me, as I took the bags of bread and hand-fed many critters, while tossing it to others. They were all anxious to get their share, and I had to work fast to make sure to spread the wealth around, being careful to give everyone something! After thanking the man in charge for allowing me such a delightful experience, it was time to go to work, and before we knew it, the day was over and it was time to take it all down. That evening we enjoyed a lovely dinner and time with several other attending artists and friends at the Wood’s house, also known as the “Woodshed”. We were treated to yummy homemade veggie lasagna and enjoyed it while talking and laughing with the others! Monday morning after enjoying our last breakfast with sweet Mary and Maggie, we said our goodbyes, and left for home, arriving safely later that evening.

Me in heaven while feeding and petting the camels!

Making another friend!

I wish you all a most delightful and wonderful Thanksgiving!!  

And remember to . . . “Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel.”  ~Author Unknown

Until next time ~ Rachelle