Thursday, October 22, 2009

THE OLSON HOUSE

If you happen to visit Maine and are a fan of the late American realistic painter Andrew Wyeth, you must make a visit to the Olson House. It was a beautiful summer day when my husband and I returned for a visit. This is the home of Christiana and Alvaro Olson and the location where Andrew Wyeth painted the famous "Christiana's World". The old 1700 weather beaten farm house is located in Cushing, Maine by the Georges River and the ocean.Wyeth painted in almost every room in this house. Simple images of the paintings are framed in each of the rooms to give the visitor an idea of what Wyeth saw.

At the top of the stairs on the second floor is the room where in the summer of 1948 Wyeth painted "Christiana's World". Christiana had an undiagnosed muscular deterioration that paralyzed her body. She often dragged her body across the ground to pick vegetables and flowers from her garden.
This is the room where the painting took life. Wyeth took artistic license by separating the barn from the house and omitted a stand of trees. Wyeth also used his thirty year old wife Betsy as his model. In the painting Christiana is in a position that does not correspond to the precise lay of the land.This is the view that Wyeth saw.
Wyeth painted three hundred paintings in this home and had a studio set up on the second floor. The blue door into the kitchen from the ell which connects the barn.
Alvaro's favorite spot in the kitchen with Christiana's geraniums decorating the windowsill.

Alvaro's cap still hangs on the chair.
The original cook stoveand hand water pump.
This easel belonging to Mr. Wyeth was used over a thirty year period in this home.

Looking out this window-down the bottom of the hill on the ocean's edge- is where Mr. Wyeth is laid to rest. His grave is marked with a simple granite grave stone.

When touring the Olson house and realize one can stand in the exact spot where Mr. Wyeth gave us (in my opinion) some of the most stark and wonderful watercolor paintings, It feels surreal to say the least.
There is so much more to the Olson house and grounds than I can show you, come to Maine and experience it for yourself. Who knows you just might see me there.

















Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A SURPRISE

This afternoon the sun is shining and the temperature has begun to rise. Enough of those thirty and forty degree nights and days, we need an Indian Summer around here. I am not ready to don long underwear and my L.L.Bean Parker. (yes I have been wearing both) Not only do the hens need a light in their coop to extend their day, the heat lamp has been installed to keep them warm. No frozen toes around here. There is still colorful foliage to be found, however, it will not be around much longer. If any of you are coming this way for "leaf peeping" don't wait. Fall always seems to be over in the blink of an eye and snow flakes not far behind.This morning Pip left me a most wonderful surpriseA lovely pale blue egg.

A perfect Easter egg.

I collected these three eggs this morning. The girls are not laying in their nest box, but seem to prefer the floor. The two brown eggs I found in the corner of the coop and the blue egg out in their pen. I do an egg check quite regularly as I do not want the girls to walk all over their hard work!Yesterday while on the Island my dad and I went for a drive. You can't drive a great distance for the island is only a mile and a half wide and four miles long. While on our outing, there in a clearing was a beautiful doe.



It appears her winter coat is growing in, I am sure she is going to need it. Right now there is ample food for her to forage for, but I have a feeling this coming winter is going to be long snowy and cold. I do hope I am proven wrong.










Monday, October 19, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

Today, October 19Th is my mom's birthday.Without further ado I want to say Happy Birthday Mom, we all love you very much!
Bill, Julie, Kristopher and Tristan
Kris, Jovan, Darlene and John

Sunday, October 18, 2009

ISLAND BOUND

See you later in the week.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

"CAMP"

If you follow Winslow down this pathin the distance you will come upon a well loved family campMy late father in-law purchased this camp and property in 1965. It has since been put in trust for my husband and his five siblings, their children and grandchildren. The camp is nestled among the pines and located on Hancock Pond in Denmark, Maine. The weather has turned cold signaling the time had come to put camp to "sleep" for the winter. Canoes and rowboats are secured in the bunk house, raft pulled to the beach, bedding put in trunks, and water and electricity turned off.The foliage was at peak and just lovely. We will see camp next on Christmas Eve Day. It has become a tradition that my husband and I drive up and check on the camp and just listen to silence and take in the winter scenery. Some years we are able to walk in, sometimes we snowshoe or ski. It is a day we both look forward to.And lookey here my first egg on the left, on the right an egg from this morning.What a difference a week makes. Size does matter!I have accumulated a small bowlful of eggs and yes we are eating them. Oh, I love my chickens!












Thursday, October 15, 2009

A FROSTY THURSDAY MORNING

Today the weather is cool and crisp, a temperature this morning of 29 degrees. Really a bone chilling day when all I wanted to do is stay indoors nestled close to the wood stove and work on a hand craft. Before I could entertain that thought I needed to let the girls out for a quick jaunt. Well, do you see all this lovely land my girls have to free range on, for some reason they would rather head deep into the woods or head across the next field to my neighbor's house. After calling and searching I found them deep in the woods. With who knows what creatures eyes lurking on them. I eventually rounded them up, with the aid of my trusty oatmeal box and closed them into the safety of their pen. "PHEW" They were not to happy with me, but a mother has to do what a mother has to do. I have to say when they hear the sound of my voice and the shaking of the oatmeal box they do come running to me and then follow me into their pen.
With the girls finally secured I got the wood stove going and put a pot of simmering spices on top, the house now smells like fall cloves, cinnamon, apples slices.
I took this white wool
and transformed it into the colors of fall secured my wool cutter to the table and cut my strips.
Drew a jack o' lantern face onto my linen backing
and started hooking. I hope to turn this into a pillow before Halloween arrives. I just love this time of year!