Amish Countryside in Pensylvania

I was asked several months ago to teach my style of painting and I agreed to do another class in Pennsylvania at a place called Steph's Folk Art Studio where primarily they teach decorative painting. I taught a few classes back in the 90's and it was nice to return to Amish Country when first coming off the Pennsylvania Turn Pike heading towards Strasburg. I look forward to having a collection of Amish paintings maybe sometime this summer.

Some of the class students hadn't ever stenciled before but did fine work and they are looking forward to more classes. Perhaps some will even travel to the Wayside Inn for a class but that's way off right now.

Janice and I knew for sure we were in a different part of the country when we saw our first Amish sighting along the road. I caught the young Amish boy right before he waved. I wonder what he was thinking?

At the stop sign in the road, clip-clopping at a quick pace I took this classic photo of an Amish horse and wagon taking a left turn. We never got tired of hearing seeing this sight. On the way back, I missed the Garden State Parkway and had to cross the George Washington Bridge. It took one hour to drive a mile before reaching the toll booth! We thought of the spring greens of the Amish countryside and horse drawn wagons we just left as we drove back to Connecticut. Well....there was a little green out the car window but not quite the same.

Marblehead Lobster Buoy

July 4th has always been a very special time in my old home town of Marblehead. The buoy I did for the Marblehead Arts Association's silent auction is one of many in a collection of other artists that will be unveiled at the gallery at the King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper Street in town on June 3rd. This very special celebration of America, Town of Marblehead, The Spirit of '76, the harbor illumination of flares surrounding thousands of boats, the skyline of Abbot Hall, Fort Sewall, memories of the USS Constitution visiting 1n 1996, the 1812 Overture and of course the fireworks are all things that I enjoyed capturing in my lobster buoy. Lobster buoys are scattered around the waters of Marblehead with the hopes of capturing lobsters at the end of the line.
I wrote a small book back in 1981, with twelve illustrations of my one and only time lobstering with my friend Arthur. I think of that time when I have decorated the different buoys over the years............... Marblehead Forever!

Signed copies of "A Lobster Tale" are available at $10.00 each postage paid.
CT residents at sales tax.

Good Morning View

This is the "good morning view" each spring day from the kitchen window........ when of course the sun shines. I didn't waste anytime to capture this image as it doesn't last too long. On May 1st, I also noticed that there was a very striking blue bird amongst the sparrows in the feeder so I got my camera right away.

I first thought it was a blue bird only because my neighbor Becky has them nesting in her yard. I took many photos and gave her a few which she knew right away and excitingly told me it was an "indigo bunting". She never had seen one and later would try to capture a view as it came back for three days early morning or late afternoon. But she had no luck.

The indigo bunting is a most beautiful blue with a darker blue on the top of it's head and I hope everyone has the opportunity one day to experience seeing one.

I still look out with hopes for a sighting again but it would be nice just to see a blue sky.