The Last Days of Summer!
by Rachelle Siegrist
After a whirlwind of excitement and fun, whilst enjoying the opening festivities of Birds In Art at the beautiful Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum last weekend, this past week has seemed somewhat uneventful back here at the home front. Nonetheless, we have managed to catch up on business matters, spending quite a bit of time at our easels as well. This past week also brought several chilly days, with a few mornings being just plain cold, especially for September here in the Smokies!
Cooler weather has inspired some leaves to begin their stunning fall process of turning brilliant reds and golds. The cooler weather has also dropped the temperature of our river immensely, but alas, with my fondness for the water and being the brave and crazy soul that I am, I actually went tubing a couple of times this past week with friends Tom and Sharon.
Of course I had to talk Sharon into it, trying to convince her that once your backside goes numb, you can no longer feel intense pain of the icy cold water, while reminding her that our tubing days are growing very short indeed. One thing is for sure, it certainly leaves one feeling refreshed, that is if you survive it . . . Ha Ha!
Change is certainly in the air, and no matter how tightly I cling to the balmy, long lazy days of summer, I know all too soon they will be ending. While sitting on the back porch feeding my squirrels and birds, I savor the sound of the hummingbirds buzzing above my head, as they zoom back and forth to their feeders and abundant Salvia blossoms, which they love! I know they will be leaving me soon, these precious flying gems, and I will greatly miss them! I also notice the Goldfinches plumage has begun losing their bright yellow color, trading it for a drab olive instead.
While signs of fall are approaching, flowers still fill our gardens with pinks, reds, yellows and white, many of which the hummingbirds continue to enjoy while others offer seeds for the birds and chipmunks to munch on.
With passing seasons come change, and every season has it’s strengths and beauty. So for now I keep my eyes wide open, watching and searching for remaining flowers, a lingering firefly at dusk, hummingbirds buzzing about and other things that scream summer, knowing that time waits for no one . . . not even summer!
I’m so thankful to be able share with you that all of my family is fine and their homes survived the brutal onslaught of Hurricane Irma, and as of last evening, they all have power once again! My heartfelt thanks goes to all of you who remembered them in your prayers during the past couple of weeks, and expressed your concern for them! After having evacuated to my cousin’s home in Panama City, FL, my poor parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary and my Dad’s birthday last Sunday, while Irma pounded their home in Okeechobee. But I guess when you get married on September 10th . . . the peak of hurricane season and live in Florida . . . there’s always a possibility of it happening!
Wes and I are extremely delighted that both of our paintings have been acquired from Birds In Art and have also been selected for the tour which will be traveling to:
December 16, 2017 – February 4, 2018: The Chicago Academy of Sciences, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, IL
February 24 – May 28, 2018: Stamford Museum & Nature Center, Stamford, CT
June 16 – August 13, 2018: Cumming Nature Center, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Naples, NY
September 4 – October 26, 2018: Newington-Cropsey Foundation, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
November 20, 2018 – January 14, 2019: Las Cruces Museum of Art, Las Cruces, NM
~ Fresh off the Easels ~
I recently finished this miniature painting of an adorable Armadillo, which was photographed in my beloved Highlands Hammock State Park. This painting is now even more special to me, since this gorgeous park, that is very near and dear to my heart, has sadly sustained immense damage from hurricane Irma, and will never be the same in our lifetime.
Wes recently finished his miniature landscape painting of a peaceful and serene setting near our home here in the Smokies.
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Until next time . . .
~ Rachelle
Under the Magnifying Glass 
Beautiful photos. I like these. Especially these of autumn.
Thank you! They were all taken in our yard, and I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Rachelle 😊