Pin Oak 101

Dotty commented on yesterday's post that she didn't know the difference between a pin oak and other oaks. I only know a little bit....so I looked it up. 

This is the pin oak in our front yard.....and I stand corrected because it actually has rich shades of yellow and orangey/red. Not bright like the maples...but still beautiful in an understated kind of way. 

Pin oaks are medium sized deciduous trees. The top branches point up...the middle branches point outward....and the lower branches point downward. Their leaves are smaller and deeply cut with sharp points....and they can be a little wonky. Which I love.

I found this online...and thought it was very helpful! 

We have a lot of Northern Red Oak in the woods....and they turn a bit yellow then straight to brown and the leaves are large and chunky.

For the second year in a row....we have virtually no acorns in woods and the backyard. Most years I rake and shovel them up by the bucket.

The acorns provide food for the squirrels and deer in the winter....so we're a bit concerned. But a few years ago we had a HUGE crop of acorns...it's called a Mast Year. I read that sometimes it takes a year or two for the trees to rest and recover from a Mast Year!

I have a great amount of respect for that....and so glad the tree knows to rest.

I did this watercolor in a bit of a hurry....so I'm not sure I love it. But I had to get it out of my head. I like the concept....but I know I can do better. 

Once it's good a dry...I may work the green leaves a bit more....maybe add red dots....or maybe they need a little white. 

This is cheap watercolor paper...so if I work it too much when it's wet...the top layer scrapes off. The paper is great for once and done....so I have to get it right enough the first time. And the price is right for my mass cyanotype printing sessions.

The boys are coming for dinner....so I'm a bit preoccupied! There is always joy in the house then the boys are here.

I wasn't very patient...and did a quick sketchy solution late this afternoon.

It's better....but I think I can still do better. More pin oak prints to come.

Artistic License

I needed a few cards to send....so I had a cyanotype session yesterday. My main goal was to play around with some small pin oak leaves from our front yard in honor of the season. Ironically enough...pin oaks generally go from green straight to brown...but I took some artistic license and gave them more color. 

As I look at these photos...I realize they are different prints. I did several...so I have more to paint And aren't the blues are so much prettier in natural light.

Everything changed when I splattered the gold.....it seemed to bring the print it to life! 

One card ready to go!

  

Tucked In

As I was driving into the Maine Audubon to get bird seed...I was stopped in my tracks by this lollipop shaped tree. I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers! 

There was a light frost here in Portland while we were away...almost all of the tender plants were nipped. So I've spent some time over the past couple of days cutting things back and doing some other fall chores. 

 

I love everything about this time of year...the colors...the dying and cutting back...getting the plants tucked in for the winter season. 

I look forward to the nesting inside season....especially because that means more time for art!

Paul and I enjoy being out on the patio under out blankets for as long as we can. We love the way the late afternoon sun plays with the colors in the woods as it turns more and more yellow...on its way to brown. Pretty soon the woods will be all tucked in too! I love this time of year!

Makes Perfect Sense

As I settle back into my groove here at home...I thought I'd share a few more moments from our Nashville trip. 

I picked up this prickly Chestnut pod on one of our walks in Nashville....and it's a nice addition to my bowl of fall findings. 

Bill and Kaki love doing dishes by hand so use their dishwasher as a drying rack. It makes perfect sense keeping the drying dishes off the counter.

It made me smile one evening watching Kaki scrub potatoes in the sink....then putting them in the dishwasher to dry. It makes perfect sense!

A stunningly beautiful mosaic wall in the Nashville airport.

I made a couple montages for Alyson while I waited for our flight....just for fun. We still share photos every day. All the images were found at the Nashville airport while I was walking.

Home

No matter how wonderful a trip is...and this was a good one....there's no place home. And this is what home looked like this afternoon.

Speaking of home.....one afternoon while Paul, Bob and I were out and about we drove into our old neighborhood. Paul and I lived in the servants quarters of a large home in Belle Meade....a wealthy and somewhat ostentatious suburb of Nashville. We had no reference point for where this apartment was located until the day we arrived.

Mary and Martha...the two elderly sisters who lived in the home were progressive and down to earth women committed to renting their small apartment to divinity students. We paid $150 a month for a fully furnished apartment accessed by the small spiral staircase off the kitchen. 

I still remember driving up this driveway seeing for the first time where we would call home for the next six years. Paul and I were in our little Dodge Colt...and my mom and brother were behind us in the farm pick-up truck with all our belongings strapped in. Home is where the heart is....and for a little while this stately Bell Meade house was our home.

Southern Festival of Books

What a treat to have had this time with these four friends....and spouses. The eight of us gathered this morning for a traditional family style southern breakfast at Monell's...just a few blocks from Bill and Kaki's condo. Almost everything we've done has been within walking distance....one of the advantages of urban living.

Nancy, Bob, MaryAnn, Paul, Bill, Kaki, Bill and Vicki

Today was the Southern Festival of Books where Paul and Bill participated in a panel discussion about their book, The Wilderness of Friendship, along with Jordon Ritter Conn and his book of a similar theme called American Men. It was a picture perfect day in Nashville!

Book Signing

There was a picturesque view of downtown and the capital building sitting high on the hill in the park where the festival was located. Tennessee has a challenging and oppressive political climate...and Bill and Kaki are dedicated to almost daily social justice work of holding elected officials and ICE accountable. They are also fabulous hosts....we head back to Maine tomorrow.

Werthan Bag Factory

Our dear friends and hosts Bill and Kaki live in a fabulous three level industrial loft condo in downtown Nashville.....the three windows at the back overlook the city skyline. Their building is part of a huge complex of buildings that was once the historic Werthan Bag Factory. 

The factory started as a rag and repurposing used burlap business and evolved into printing bags for flour....feed and other goods.

Bill and Kaki have an collection of actual printing plates that were used for printing bags....and I was tasked with helping them figure out where and how to hang them. 

Paul and I had a couple hours in the condo on our own this morning so I came up with a tentative plan using paper templates and puzzling them up the stairs. Paul was happy on the couch reading his book giving me tips as I needed them. We all have our gifts.

After a few hours out and about...we got to work.

We moved the dining room table closer to the window creating an opportunity for a music listening area near Bill's expansive record collection. 

After a bit of tweaking...we are all pretty pleased with the result....loving the way the frames compliment the wooden beams in this historic Werthan Bag Factory loft.

What a Day!

What a full and fabulous day we had today!

Four friends back together at Vanderbilt Divinity School where it all started.

The Nashville city lights from Bill and Kaki's condo.

All Is Well

While Paul and I were waiting at the Portland airport Paul noticed some friendly faces on the ticket counter at our gate....and we knew all would be well.

We are settled into our very fun and funky loft condo in downtown Nashville and the sun is rising over the city. 

All is well. So much joy to come. 

Nashville.....

....here we come! 

After a wonderful whirlwind visit with our dear friends....Paul and I quickly switched gears and are heading to Nashville this afternoon.  There are a couple of book promotion events over the next few days and it will be good to gather with the guys and their wives. I will try and post a joy nugget every day but my timing may be off....being fully present is my main goal.

George was the best man in our wedding....and he and his wife Celeste (on the right) were two of our recent guests along with Greg, Hedy, and Rick. We had a wonderful time together!

I smiled at this one...because even back in 1981 George had a camera in his hands.

George is a birder and I enjoyed watching him photograph the birds in my yard...and pretty much everywhere we went. I'm hoping to share some of his photos at some point. 

This is one of my favorite photos he's ever taken from a trip to the Mediterranean. 

See you soon from Nashville!

All Good

There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good. Brian Andreas

We had five friends from college in town for a couple days...a few of them we've not seen for 40+ years. The seven of us did some touring around Portland today....but mostly we spent time around the table loving each other.....sharing stories and laughter and eating good food. It was all good.