Vanishing View

How many of you drive into Eagles Mere coming from Muncy Valley by taking the original road into Eagles Mere off of Rt. 42 via Laporte Ave. (right before our once loved and still very missed JR'S store)? Since I live near this part of town I take the road often. And just as often I forget that Laporte Ave. sits on a beautiful ridge top - whether you look right or left hillsides and mountains are in view. On this particular day of painting those of us who could take time away from sports week experienced some of those fabulous views from Joanne and and Sonny Smith's property. Joanne had already been out gardening prior to our 9:00 AM arrival. Everywhere you turned there were beautiful little flower "stories" around their property. A reclaimed wooden chair became the perfect "frame" for a grouping of flowers. A wicker seat sitting beside the driveway was brimming with flowers of every color. Since I am not a gardener I appreciate these little masterpieces. It was like walking into a special little garden museum with birds and butterflies floating in and out of the "pictures".  Speaking of which, I took many pictures of her little gardens and told Joanne they will keep me very happy over the winter months painting them even if I can't grow them. Our choices  of painting subjects didn't end there. They also have one priceless view of North Mountain and on this day the moist atmosphere made for some interesting and exciting challenges. We all saw it a little differently with various shades of blue and green. It is truly amazing how North Mountain can create so many different moods depending on the day or time of day you view it. Drive slowly the next time you drive down Laporte ...  and revel in the Vanishing Views.A special thanks for the lemonade - we all loved it!  .

Keystone Mountain Park

Our Endless Mountains are so beautiful. How many of you find it difficult to stay focused when driving on our roads around the area? There isn't a bend in the road, on any given day, that I don't appreciate some scene that could have easily been pulled from an Impressionist painting. There are times I actually appreciate being stopped on the road due to construction so that I can just look around. Keystone Mountain Park is one of those places you drive by all the time, but you never really get to enjoy. Last Wednesday we were blessed with perfect light and refreshing air for painting. I do forget who suggested this place to paint and I thank you - I think. We all fell in love with the quaint old stone building next to the lake. However...even if you understood two point perspective the challenge of this building's roof line was almost overwhelming. Did that deter us from attempting the almost impossible? Not in your life. I took enough pictures to do four paintings - truly scenes to capture again and again. I will say most of us are not in any rush to do another building. So the next time you are stopped on the road be sure and check out the scenery and let us know if you have found another perfect place to paint.

Lake Mokoma

Once again Mother Nature tested us.
Thank goodness for our hostess, Betty Underwood, at Lake Mokoma. Without her coffee, tea, muffins, cookies and most important her screened in porch we may not have stayed to paint. Most of us ventured out and walked along the lakeside in the rain to see if we truly wanted to be plein-air painters. However, the smell of fresh brewed coffee pulled us back undercover. The gray weather created a true mood for our paintings, but not our spirits. Those of us who "braved" the weather were glad we did.