CATCH UP DAY ON THE OLD 'PUTER

I ended my stay on BI with no computer link, and not being able to post to my blog.  THEN I came right home to the arrival of "Hurricane Gracie", rarin' to go for "Camp Nana" (our second annual week together here while her parents visit in Lansing).  Since she filled ALL the space in my life for 5 days I dropped everything to accomadate her, which has meant that I am way behind on "fixing" BI Daze.  So here goes . . . . 

WOW!! Lot's of catching up to do! Here is the "down side" of Beaver Island living - if you are (as I am) a techno-freak and communications junky, you are at the mercy of the "island gods". When they say NO COMMUNICADO, they mean it. The phones AND internet were spotty and/or down for the last two days of our stay. Which translated to REAL island living - painting ONLY and no talking about it on the internet. Aw. Tough for me, but they way it SHOULD be, I guess. Anyway, I will play "catch up" later.

We got off the Island on Friday evening, and it was a HAIRY experience! Of all of the 18 crossings I have made, this one (by far!) took the cake. It is a good thing we didn't know beforehand what it was going to be like, or we would still be on the BI shore! It was a STORMY BI to Charlevoix trip, starting out with seas at 4-5 feet and ending with 6-8 foot swells. We were in the troughs sideways the whole three hour cruise. I managed by doing the "hang on to the rail, flex your knees, keep your eyes fixed on the horizon" business and was okay, but there were pitiful seasick people with bags to their faces EVERYWHERE around me! We were a bunch of VERY GRATEFUL people when we reached the channel, let me tell you!

Kathy and I spent the night at the Charlevoix Inn. Since we were not seasick and were hungry we took the desk clerk's recommendation for dinner, and in doing so stumbed onto one of the best kept secrets in Michigan, the ARGONNE SUPPER CLUB. What a gem! Some of the best perch and shrimp I have ever had in an absolutely charming setting. What a great discovery, and worthy of a repeat next year! Follow the link below or copy and paste it into your browser for a really good article about the Argonne and the history of Supper Clubs in the Northern Midwest. Interesting!

http://visitshoremagazine.com/2/?p=1491

I will finish my photo diary from this year tomorrow. Even after the FOUR HOUR 'NAP" I took today, I am whipped and need to get to bed.

TUESDAY - Aug. 18

It is hard to explain how beautiful it is up here - from the sunrises we see from our decks and studio windows . . . . .

. . . . to the constantly changing color of the water, to the blue of the sky peeking through the trees. It is all so beautiful, and all if it just BEGS to be a watercolor painting. Too bad the time passes SO QUICKLY.

We are starting to feel the swoosh of it sliding away. I am desperate to get more paintings done, and am running way out of hours to do it. My day today - eat, paint, paint, paint, eat, paint, paint, paint, eat, paint, listen to Dr Gillingham's lecture on New Zealand tuatara's, paint, paint, go to bed.

This is a Tuatara. Next to a snake it is Dr. Gillingham's favorite animal.

MONDAY Aug 17 - South Lighthouse Day

Sunday afternoon at the station is very quiet. There is lots of time to spend on finishing paintings, either at the studio or on the beach. Or there is time for beachcombing - looking for interesting stuff to paint (in this case, some creepy old fish bones!)

On Monday it is FIELD TRIP TIME! We pile into vehicles and rumble off to the very south end of the island, down to South Point Lighthouse, and the Fog Horn House.

Luckily today is a GOOD day at the south end - the temp is very fair, there is a nice breeze, and the nasty biting insects minding their own business! It is extremely pleasant, and we have a great time plein aire painting, and digital image gathering.

In anticipation of the sand fleas, black flies and biting flies Kathy has chosen an ensemble that is at once totally body covering and BEGGING to be the subject of a watercolor!!

Ryan buddies up with Theo (Boston the Doggie's spitting image) who is apparently the premier snake killing dog of the South End. He certainly was tearing it up with a huge black snake the whole time we were there!

The Family Mullen arrives from their lakeside retreat down the beach and are greeted by Joanne and Arlene.

Even Phyllis is enjoying a good time painting on the front lawn of lighthouse keeper's house.

This year we were once again treated to the spectacular sight of a 180 degree DOUBLE rainbow over the lake. This is the second time this has happened while I have been here, and the SECOND time that I have tried (unsuccessfully) to photograph it. Can't be done without a panoramic lens! And don't even THINK about trying to paint it . . . .

SUNDAY August 16 - OH NO, COUNTING DOWN!!!!!

I am just sitting here thinking about what a strange and wonderful thing is this two week adventure that we share up here on Beaver Island. Everyone agrees that it is truly a family, of the best kind, as it is one in which we have CHOSEN to participate . Yes, most of us would choose to be part of our own biological families, but the bond that has grown over the years from our two weeks here is so special that we choose, over and over, to come back and be part of this rag tag band of watercolor painting freaks who love this island.

And we sorely miss the company of those who can't join us. Or, in the case of George and Deb Monaghan, those who have to leave the party way early (Deb could only get a week away from her new job). Their early departure, and that of Pat Tinney and Fran Van Howe, leaves a hole in the family fabric that will only be mended next year, when they all show up again and we pick up where we left off.

That's what our years as the Beaver Island Royale Watercolor Society are like - 50 weeks of anticipation for two weeks of hard work and delight. And our little family would not have it any other way. Hurry back, George and Deb, Pat and Fran, and any other missing members. We love you!

SATURDAY, Aug. 15 -FIRST CRITIQUE!!

It's early Saturday morning and we are all meeting in the classroom with our after breakfast coffee for our first critique. We each have to pick three pieces from the ones we have produced so far to discuss with the class. Questions? Suggestions? Any one? Any one? . . . . Bueller?

I think we all feel pretty good about our combined efforts and the work we have produced. Good enough to take the rest of the day off!! (But hardly anyone does - I painted in the studio until 9:30).

FRIDAY Aug 14

We are very productive today! Great art is being produced all over the station and down in town!

WE ARE A BUNCH OF VERY HAPPY CAMPERS!!!

Just before the end of the day (and an incoming storm) we are treated, once again, to some of the Master's handiwork, in the form of beautiful sun rays over the water.

Every Friday and Saturday night is movie night in the Commons. Tonight we start with a cartoon movie for kids, then later on is a movie for the adults.