A Learning Experience

Our first night was exactly what one might expect. Not a lot of sleep. We went to bed kind of early. We were very stressed from our first day on the road.  And everything we did made noise. We have to take care of Darla who needed water and needed to be taken out. Just using the bathroom was noisy. The door has a magnet that slams it close. The pump on the toilet was loud. It seemed every time I fell asleep I was woken up by something. It was a long night.

The next day we got up and tried to organize everything. We threw everything in the rv when we left so we didn’t know where anything was! Since we didn’t have any water we had to do our business outside. But we got to see the place and it was quaint. I would love to see it in the summer. 

The next place we were headed to was about 3 hours away. We got on the road and the traffic was moderate. I was pretty comfortable driving the rv except when there was a truck on both sides of me. It was white knuckle driving for sure! We got on and off these small routes many times carving our way through a lot of back country. The scenery was gorgeous. I’d love to come back here in the summer to paint. Lots of farms and old buildings. We were near Reading, PA.

We reached our destination around dusk. It took an hour longer than expected. I’m so glad we didn’t get there when it was dark. We had to go down this big hill with not much of a road. It certainly was something to see! An Alpaca farm. Our Harvest Host let us hook up even though they normally didn’t do that here. We had no water or battery power so it would had been a rough night otherwise! We visited their store and bought some fresh meat and eggs. Christine bought some alpaca yarn and I bought an alpaca doll for a souvenir. I stayed next to an Alpaca farm in Wyoming as well, so it was a nice reminder. Our Host gave us some feed for the animals, so we went off to feed the animals and take pictures. It was so beautiful out. The light was golden and it wa fun to see all of the animals. Even though alpacas aren’t known for their spitting, one of the larger ones spit at Christine. Unfortunately I didn’t see it. I would have loved to see the look on her face, lol! It gave her a hefty spray! 

Having water and electricity again seemed like a luxury. It’s amazing how fast we learned to appreciate such simple things. Again we went to sleep early. Our days took so much energy to get through we had no problem getting to sleep. I slept so much better knowing what to expect this time. The next morning we got a better look at the farm. We took some great footage of a momma pig feeding her babies. She had a lot of patience! Her cats Anthony and Cleopatra followed us around as we took pictures of all of the chickens goats, pigs and alpacas. The woman who owned the farm took care of most of it by herself. It’s nice to meet another strong woman.

We had a nice breakfast of farm fresh eggs and sausage with veggies before we left for our next destination.

And Off We Go!

We were supposed to leave on our new adventure Saturday, Dec 11. 

Saturday, Dec 8 my nephew Michael, who is housesitting for me, came to my house to help me put a Tonneau cover on the back of the truck. What should have taken 20 minutes was taking so much longer. He managed to put it on with no trouble, but we couldn’t get it to shut tight. After trying it different ways, it began to get dark and we quit. I tried readjusting the screws the next day and I couldn’t figure it out. My sister and brother-in-law came over and for another 2 hours we were about to throw in the towel when I saw my neighbor getting his mail and I called him over. With his fresh mind, he simply opened the tailgate and it immediately closed! Unbelievable! Something so simple was overlooked! One disaster averted…

I spent the rest of the week delivering my commissions, making canvases and packing what I needed.

Christine came to my house On Friday and we packed up our stuff…..lots of stuff!!! When we were done, I went to lock the truck and nothing happened. The battery was dead! I called AAA and they were coming at 7:30 pm. I was exhausted by this time.The serviceman told me the battery was completely deleted so he put a new one in for me. Thank God we didn’t leave before having that done! Another disaster averted.

Saturday rained all day. It was supposed to clear all day but it never did. I was hoping to leave my house around 11. I had to unwinterize the RV so I could add fresh water to it. I read the manuals and watched the tutorials on it, but our rv was just a little different. I had to call Airstream and we figured it all out. That took some time. Then I told them that I had read that the lugs on the rv have to be tightened after the first 50 miles and they agreed which meant I had to buy a lug wrench. Instead I went back to Town Fair Tire where I bought my new tires and they were great! They tightened all the lugs on the truck and rv and checked the tire pressure too! By the time we got back to my house we were so stressed. I was supposed to pick Christine up at her house by 11 so she could finish packing and could leave her car in her garage. It was already 2pm. I was supposed to boondock at my friend Claudia’s house that night but it was getting too late. We had to cancel. We decided to bring the rv to Pinehills and leave the next day. That evening We ran into Maryanne Galvin who will be doing a documentary on us and she said she would meet us at 10 to show us how to make and save files…

Sunday, Maryanne was prompt. We immediately could see that my computer wouldn’t do so we had to run to Best Buy and invest in a new computer. Thankfully we were in and out. The Christmas rush didn’t get in our way. Back at Christine’s we got our tutorial from Maryanne. Again, it was getting late fast. 3:00!! Christine quickly threw what was left to pack into the rv and we were on our way to our first stop at the Aquina’s Nest Winery in Ct. 

What was supposed to be a 3 hour ride took us 4 hours and we had to pull in in pitch dark conditions. We managed our way into the lot and tried to set up. We realized that the water latch was open so all of our water drained out while we were driving. Then we noticed that our batteries were dead. What the heck!

Thankfully the winery let us use their plug so we were ok for the night. We wouldn’t be freezing that night. We enjoyed some delicious lobster bisque, clam chowder and shrimp tacos and a flight of wines and watched the comedy show. We slept ok that night after learning what temperature we would be 

comfortable with.

And So it Begins!

 Yesterday was my last class for the season and maybe forever...I decided to take on a season of teaching thinking covid was clearing up and after a year of grieving, I thought I needed to get back into it. I am so glad I did. I love to teach and I love the people I am teaching. It filled my day and kept me from thinking too much. I needed to be around people and they lit me up. So it was a melancholy feeling, my last class. 

This morning I took my time getting up. Trying to conjure up positive thoughts. We were picking up the Airstream today! I was terrified, but kept my feeling at bay. I went through my morning in slow motion. Christine was on her way and we were to take a class to teach us how to use our new home. When she came to the door she looked excited and asked if I was too. At this time in my life (because of grief) I don't get too excited about anything. I try to be open minded and not think too much about what's next so I don't worry myself too much. But deep down inside, I really was terrified about hauling the RV. I did everything I could think of to get the truck in tip top shape. I have never done anything like this before so I had no idea what was in store.

We arrived in Nashua a little late, but the guys at Airstream were wonderful. Jason took us through the entire outside and then the entire inside. He was very thorough. At the end he took me for a test drive around the building giving me helpful hints on driving. It felt great! And with as much courage as I could muster, we took off. It was like nothing was on the back. We didn't have a lot of traffic and we made it home with no problems. The Airstream is a magnificent RV and the engineers thought of everything. It was dark when I got home, so I left it on the front lawn and Christine took some packed bags and put them inside. Tomorrow we will unpack and set things up. 

We were hoping to take a few short trips before leaving but with the weather getting colder, the RV is winterized, so we will wait till we are ready to go. I have my nephew staying at my house while we are gone and we have to check the weather, but we are planning on leaving in the near future. 

Stay tuned to see us begin our new adventure! We are planning on doing podcasts, blogs and a few other things to keep everyone up to date. We have lots of things planned, but mainly to paint, paint, paint!

Art Saves Lives

 Looking back on my posts made me sad. The last three years have been brutal. But I am slowly moving forward. I have done so much since September to move on past this grief. With the pandemic, it has been an Olympian feat! I have traveled with my recently widowed friend from Florida all the way up to Maine. Trying to paint away my sadness. I have often felt like a criminal escaping jail.

I haven't painted as much as I did before all of this happened, but I feel that my work is more meaningful or deep. I'm not sure if what has happened has anything to do with it or I am just growing, but I have had a major response from people and most of it is selling rapidly.

Painting is the only time when I feel like myself. I have to think about what I am doing, so I am not dwelling in the past. It is a relief. People stop by to look and have no idea what I've been through so I can have normal conversations. It gives me purpose and forces me to leave my home. I can paint without crowds so I don't have to worry about covid. I think the worse thing about the pandemic is that you have to hibernate from people and that is completely depressing to someone who loves to be social.

I can definitely say that art saves lives. It is saving mine... It has made me friends, paid my bills and kept my sanity,(for the most part). It forces me outdoors and comforts me. It has inspired me and humbled me.

And then....

As I look at my last post, I see how naive I was. One minute I was a traveling fool, the next minute... tragedy emerges. After intuitively knowing my husband was sick, there was no more ignoring it. He has cancer. The next few months my life was thrown into a cauldron of emotions and trauma.

I had just come from a vacation in Florida where I was painting with my friends. We were laughing and carefree. At that time, I had an intuition that Glenn was sick. I had been trying to get him to a doctor for at least three years. I had related this to my friends at the time. It was abstract. I couldn't imagine what would happen next.

When I got home, after Glenn had gone to the doctors for what they thought was an average UTI, they discovered that he had a tumor in his bladder and they wanted to take care of it ASAP. This begins one of the most traumatic times of our lives.

As he goes into his surgery to remove this tumor, a one day, outpatient event, we begin our journey into the world of cancer. A place I never thought I would go.

When they remove the tumor with none surgical procedure, they discover that he has a bigger tumor in his colon. This is the original tumor that has grown into his bladder, spread to his abdomen and has created 3 inch legions in his liver. A death sentence. This tumor in his colon has burst through into his bladder and causes a fistula. It is a door from his colon into his bladder. Bad news. The colon is filled with bacteria and can not get into his bladder, and if the surgeons let this go, he would be dead in hours. So he has to have another surgery to close off the colon and they had to put on a colostomy bag.

This wasn't so bad in it's self , but what he went through in the next two years was hell on earth.

He passed away September 9, 2020. It was the worse year you could ever imagine. He was told he had a month to live and managed to go 19 months more. My Dad passed away that December. After moving into my house for only 3 hours, he decided that he was going to "croak here or in the hospital". He was right. We sent him to the hospital and he died the next day. That year I lost 3 friends, a cousin, my godfather, my husband and my father. Everything in my house seemed break or expire during that year as well. And lets not forget the pandemic. So I guess 2018 was my gift from God to get through the next three years.

Be Afraid

Today is January 1, 2019. I have no idea what this year has in plan for me. But I hope it will be as exhilarating as last year.

Last September as I was returning from Ireland, I sat at my desk and questioned, what's next in my head. In the next minute the phone rang and it was Claudia Post inviting me to do a painting trip in Wyoming. I said yes, not knowing how I would manage it. It was an adventure I wasn't going to miss especially because I asked a question and was answered so quickly by that phone call. I decided because I need so much equipment and that I had a new car, I would drive cross country to Big Horn. Everyone in my world thought I was crazy. I was terrified! But it felt right and I wasn't going to let my fear stop me. My husband Glenn came up with every scary thing the trip could offer. Bear and snake attacks, bad weather, bad people, etc...

May 26, I took off on my journey filled with excitement and terror! Because of bluetooth in my car, my husband kept in touch with weather reports and good places to end up in for gas and lodging. After  about 4 hours in, I started to relax and enjoy myself. As I got my hotel rooms each night, I would do it as quickly as possible so no one would see I was alone. I would bunker in and jam a chair in the door so no one could enter.

When I made it to Sioux Falls South Dakota it was still early and Glenn had done a little research of the area and suggested I go to Sioux Falls. It was supposed to be really pretty. I brought my paints and was happy he was right. It was a beautiful spot. There were many great people who talked to me including a group of teachers having an outing on their last day of school riding on a bar/bicycle contraption. I actually sold my painting off the easel! I couldn't wait to tell Glenn when I got back to my hotel room.

My next stop was Mount Rushmore. I don't know why I wanted to see it so bad, but it was on my bucket list and I had to stop there. I again brought my paints and did a quick painting. Thank God I did stop there because if I hadn't, I would have been hit by a tornado that touched ground in Gillette, Wyoming!!!

It took me four days to drive out there. I enjoyed every minute of it. People told me to take books on tape because the scenery would be drab in the Dakotas. But I couldn't listen to them because I didn't want to miss the scenery! It was gorgeous!!!

As I was finally approaching Big Horn, out of no where a storm came in. It was stunning, but terrifying. I had to pull over to take pictures! It looked like a tornado was forming! Glenn was watching the weather, but this came in fast. He didn't see it!!! I made it just in time to Big Horn to see a rainbow. It was the universe telling me everything was going to be alright!

Alright it was!!! Claudia met me in the front of the ranch and I soon met the first group of artists that were going to be there the first two weeks. It was to be two of the best weeks of my life! Our landlord was John Wayne in the flesh! As handsome and charismatic as the actor. We all got along so wonderfully! Our group connected and we had some incredible adventures! Everywhere we went we seemed to be there at the right time. We were taking pictures of some cows and a woman came by asked us what we were doing and introduced us to the farmers. They invited us on their property to paint and bought my painting! It was a magical time that two weeks.. So many great people we were introduced to. Joel Ostlind, the most amazing artist, had Claudia and I in his studio. We were so entranced we missed dinner. He is an amazing artist and person!!!! We shuffled off the Buffalo and there were all these Model A cars in front of the Occidental Hotel. As soon as we were done taking pictures, the cars left!!!

In the end, I did 54 paintings. I had hoped to do 100, but the adventures got in the way. I have sold 14 of them! Probably more than I would have sold if I was home that month.

After coming back from Wyoming, a dear friend asked me to go to Ireland again with her. We went together last year and had a fabulous time. Again, I had no idea how I would pay for it!!!! We went to the Beara Peninsula. It was incredibly beautiful. We spent a lot of our time trying to find stone circles. There are over 100 there. We managed to find 3! I sold most of the paintings I did there!

When I got home, a friend who trades a painting for her cottage asked me to do it again. How could I say no? Her place is so friendly with amazingly good vibes... I love to stay there. Jackie Jones spent some time with me. She was one of the artists from the first two weeks in Wyoming. It was great to spend more time with her. She blew me away with her paintings and it was great to reconnect!

Thinking my traveling was done, I was supposed to go on a trip with the woman who plans all of my trips abroad, but we couldn't fill it. One of the girls who was going to go on the trip suggested we go to the village she grew up in in Anversa, Italy. I asked her to see what it costs to fly there. In a blink of the eye, we had 6 people who wanted to go. Most of them my dear friends. So, here I am flying into Rome a week after being on the Cape. What a fairy tale!!! Needless to say we had an amazing time! We stayed with Rita Delvecchio's family. They were amazing! They brought us expresso and wine while we were painting outdoors and made us dinner and drove us around. Her family also brought us bottles of Proseco as we were painting. What a giving town! They opened their house to us! We all got along so well. We spent the last 3 nights in Rome in a fantastic Air BnB. We couldn't have had a better time!

When I got home, it was back to business. I was lucky with full classes. But things were still tight. In early December I had many bounced checks. Talk about scary! But at the end of 2018, one of the best years of my life, things are in the black.

I AM GRATEFUL!

Be afraid! It wakes you up!

Packing to Paint Out of the Country

I have been fortunate, especially this year, to head again to Europe. I just finished a painting trip to Ireland and now I am going back to Italy. I am taking a new group, so I decided to write this post to inform them on how I pack. So far, I have been lucky enough not to have anything confiscated! You can downsize this if necessary, but this works for me.

I begin with a bag large enough to carry my wet paint carrier. Since I use Judson Art's guerrilla box, 9 x 12, I use a wet paint carrier from them as well and put in my canvas panels. I use 1/8" Lu an wood I prime myself. It holds about 15.
(www.judsonsart.com). I can fit my laptop and a small purse in there as well and this all fits under my seat on the plane.

In my overhead bag, I put my empty guerrilla box except for my 3 canvases and my well for medium, my tripod that I unscrew at the top and a full roll of paper towel that I unroll and lay flat at the bottom. Paper towels are hard to find in Europe! I also put a few brushes. I have a little space for an extra set of clothes for those just in case moments. I also stash a lot of small plastic bags in the sleeve. These bags really come in handy in Europe where they don't like to give them away! This all weighs about 23 pounds. I have about 28 pounds for the limit.

In my checked bag, I put all of my paints, turpenoid natural (get the paperwork for this), masters brush cleaner and palette knives in a puncture proof bag. I then download the paperwork for my Oil Colors* and highlight the flash points and non toxic parts on the sheets which I get at www.dickblick.com. If I order paint from them, next to the quantity box is a paper icon. If you press that, it tells you what is in the paint. I print that and then highlight it. I also put some business cards/brochures in it so if someone sees the paint, they can see how it is used. I will put my brushes in a tube next to this sac.

Oil Paint: Rembrandt paint - Cadmium Red Medium, Cadmium Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Yellow Ochre, Viridian Green, Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White, Winsor Newton Artist Series - Alizarin Crimson. If I use all Winsor Newton Artist series, I use Cadmium Red instead of the medium. 
Brushes, canvas, easel, paper towels, odorless turpentine and a mirror and anything else you may need to paint.

For clothes, I try to pack loose, light, color coordinated clothes and plan to layer. Black and white, black and tan... The weather will be cool in the mountains, so bring a sweater. I like to wear my jeans and a fleece on the plane and take a pair of black pants and a nice pair of pants, so only 2 pants in the suitcase. I like to bring lots of comfortable dull colored tee shirts that I can dress up with jewelry and sweaters. Don't wear bright colors when painting! Don't forget an apron, so you can wear descent clothes while you paint. Bring a hat too!  I usually pack too much! You can always wash something to wear twice! Make sure you bring comfortable walking shoes. I have heard not to wear sneakers in Europe, but Nikes were always popular when I have been there. I also like to bring a lightweight umbrella and/or poncho. Keep your luggage under 50 pounds! Plus, there is only so much room in your vans.

I have found a light weight backpack that fits in the palm of your hand at T J Maxx. They also have the special adapters for plugs there. Or you can carry your gear in your overhead bag.

It is always a good idea to photo copy your credit cards (both sides) and passport and keep them separate from the originals. Bring copies of any important prescriptions or medical info too. Don't bring anything that could be remotely considered a weapon.... Cigarette lighters, metal nail files, wine openers, etc... 

I like to bring about a $100 in Euros in small bills. I can get whatever else I need by using my credit card or their ATMs.

Leave your loved ones an itinerary of where you will be, your flight numbers, etc..

I hope I am not forgetting anything! Have a great trip!

* Make sure you say your supplies are OIL COLORS, not oil paint! They do not accept paint!