Back Farmin' in Kingston

-
inside the ferry

From the Ferry Dock
Bridge in Maine
Anne and Pamela in Belfast
Out trip back was more fun than the trip going there I have to admit. The ride along the northern coast of Nova Scotia was lovely, with a stop in Digby for lunch. We stayed in Belfast, Maine for one night, and spent a few hours shopping in very cool shops and boutiques. Our last stop was at a pub in downtown Portland for drinks and lunch before we did the final leg home.

I advise taking the ferry at least ONE way, as the drive on the main roads is mostly populated with pine trees, with some scattered water here and there, unless you have time to take the coastal route. Then the drive might be worth it. It is only a 5 hour trip to drive to Portland from here, and a 3-4 hour ride across on the ferry. So your trip is 8 hours, instead of 12-16, depending upon where you go in Nova Scotia. It is pricey, as one way it was 130.00---- and we were sharing the car fee three ways AND we went to Bar Harbor, not Portland, as the ferries did not run to Portland that day.

The hairiest part was going through customs. I lied on every thing that they asked on the form. Was I on a farm? Did I touch farm animals? Did I have any seeds? Now I know about the mad cow thing. I did not wear my shoes in the fields, and washed thoroughly after touching the goats. I just did not want to tell the truth in fear that they would hold us all up and strip me down and sterilize me or some shit like that. I had it already covered. And the lupine seeds? Well, they grow all over Maine, so I saw no harm in putting a few in my vitamin bottle. Funny how they did not ask me if I bought back any drugs. One of the first things I did was buy 222's over the counter. Aspirin/caffeine/codeine for my cramps. 5.00 for 100 of them. The docs here want you to SUFFER...and I believe in better living through chemistry, so I snuck in a bottle of those, fearful that they would take them away. But they never even ASKED!!! HOWEVER, I DID GET YELLED AT FOR TAKING A PHOTO AS I NEARED CUSTOMS. Sheesh...the Canadian guy said "they don't like you taking photos of the customs area". I put the camera away.

I am home now, catching up on all the things that I left behind, like unpaid show fees, bills, and now I am pulling the weeds that took up residence in my garden while I was gone. The studio is calling me, I have work to do, money to make, and stories to tell.

Till tomorrow....Patti O Traveler

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La Cucina

-
Image
Tonight my house had the aroma of olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and candles. Keith Jarret was playing in the background, and I had just opened a nice bottle of reasonable red wine. (Osborne Solaz, 2004 Temranillo/Cab- 7.00) I needed it for the sauce, so why not have some while cooking! I took good care of myself all weekend, and felt like cooking for the first time in what seems forever. I am an excellent cook. A collage cook one might say, or better yet, a bricollage cook. I take what is in the house and make a dinner out of it. I think about flavor, texture, color and variety. Most of the time I would rather put this creative energy into visual arts, but on occasion I will push my fine art aside, and the art of the evening is cooking. Candles, music, wine, and a lovely table. I must think more like Monet, and not only make the meal art, but somehow make it my visual art too. The best I could do was a photo of the beginning of the sauce. It looks rather bizarre if you ask me,
Read more

Cape Painting

-
Image
My framing blogs will continue when I’m back in the studio next week. In the mean time, I am enjoying adventures on the Cape. Again I opted to not bring oils as the place I am staying is not conducive to oil painting, so I bought watercolors and my acrylics, although I have not used the acrylics yet. I have a small messenger type bag, that I can put in a few palettes of my Kramer watercolors, several water brushes, a few paper towels, a 6x6 watercolor pad, and a watercolor postcards. This time I bought watercolor greeting cards to paint on too. I can wear this light bag across my body, and hike for miles, plopping myself down on a bench, rock, or table, and paint the scene at hand in an instant. I got to experience the tail end of hurricane Dorian too, the roiling ocean and wind captured on camera and paper, etched in my dna now. I will be bringing home new ideas, new small pieces, hundreds of photographs, ready to settle in for a fall of painting and design work for m
Read more

Framing: Sources for Frames

-
Image
When I was primarily showing fine art collages, and framing antique prints, I collected a wide variety of frames for my work- rarely were two frames were ever the same. But over the years, I have whittled down that collection, as I find myself  using either white (for abstract work) or black floater frames for my paintings. It is more professional to have a "even" look in framing one's work, especially if you are showing several works, or having a solo show. On occasion you can find frames in places like Ikea, or the Christmas Tree Shop, or other such venues. If I find good ones, I will buy them up and keep them for future work. But most of the times I either buy them at Michael's , or American Frame .  On occasion if I am flush, or need a specialty frame, or it needs special care, I will gladly go to the local art supply or framing store. But I usually don't have the money to do that...so I order and frame myself. Michael's has their sales and 40%
Read more