Driving into Lake George New York is like driving down International Drive in Orlando with cool crisp weather. Terry and I were visiting my younger sister Carol and her two daughters . We followed the GPS to Chestnut Street, but none of the four homes matched Carols house number. When I called Carol on the cell, she said she lived on Chestnut Road not street. Her directions brought us a few miles south of town. When we drove past the Magic Forest, I knew I would have to go back. This place is pure tourist kitsch, it had to be sketched. Uncle Sam’s face is peeling off and was haphazardly folded back into place. Paul Bunyan was back in the woods and Santa was also keeping vigil in the parking lot. Tourists who entered the lot would pour out of their cars and then snap photos before heading into the park.
The following day was Carol’s birthday. Terry and I treated her and her two daughters, Anna and Kirsten to dinner. Carol took half a day off and she walked us around downtown Lake George. This place is booming with tourists everywhere and little parking. There were several haunted houses and plenty of miniature golf courses. Just south of town there was a drive in theater which had a line of cars waiting to get in. The lake itself was gorgeous with a large paddle boat and several beaches. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the water. A guitarist was performing cover songs so loud it was impossible to carry on a conversation. The view across the lake made the location spectacular. A small beach right next to the building was crowded with tanning tourists. It would have been nice to stay longer so we could relax and swim, but our packed travel itinerary had us driving south early the next day.
Hillstead House
Terry and I drove to Hillstead House, in Farmington, Connecticut. Theodate Pope Riddle refurbished a small house on this property and then she assigned architects to build this colonial home. Theodate’s father, Alfred Pope, was an industrialist and art collector who financed the building’s construction. Theodate oversaw the design and construction. After I finished this sketch, Terry and I went on a guided tour so we could view the one of a kind art collection. When Theodate died, her will stipulated that the property must be used as a closed art collection. Art never leaves the collection. The dining room had several gorgeous Monets and Manets. There were Degas pastels and paintings in several rooms. My favorite was a painting of ballerinas in pink with several more dancers in the far wings. In an upstairs bedroom an early Monet of two sailboats fills a spot above a fireplace. On a table in the same room is a black and white photo of a New York City Hotel on fire. Our guide explained that Alfred Pope loved his art collection so much that he traveled with his paintings. When he returned to his hotel, he found the building on fire. He then petitioned people in the street, saying he would pay them if they would climb a ladder and save the art. Amazingly the black and white photo shows someone carrying the Monet painting of the sail boats down a ladder. We were able to witness the Monet painting being saved from the ashes.
This home has an amazing and priceless art collection. Our guide told of an instance when Alfred bought a painting from Whistler. When he unpacked the painting at home, he discovered the painting was unsigned. He wrote Whistler asking for a signature. Indignant,Whistler refused, saying the butterfly mark was signature enough. The butterfly mark is so subtle that most guests couldn’t see it. Whistler etchings lined the wall up the stairwell. It was refreshing to see so much art all in the collectors home.
Gillette Castle
One thing rural Connecticut has is plenty of stones. William Gillette was an actor who played Sherlock Holmes for many years on Broadway. He made enough money to build this castle overlooking the Connecticut river. Kyle, Val and Terry went inside for a tour and I used the hour I had to myself to wander the grounds and do a quick sketch. I knew my time was up when the whole staff in green tee shirts walked past me towards the exit. A miniature train used to run around the property. An overweight mom and her chubby whining child stumbled past me. The little red faced boy was screaming that he was hot red faced and tired. A fit French family then marched past at a fast clip. My hosts and Terry found me and told me it was time to go.
Mystic Seaport
The amazing thing about Mystic Seaport is that artisans are handcrafting parts the same way they were made several hundred years ago. This tourist mecca is layed out like a small port town. In each of the old seaport buildings different craftspeople demonstrate their craft. Docked in port is the Amistadt which is a replica of a famous slave trading ship. This boat was built from scratch in the shipyard. Construction of the boat took two years. Any of the iron parts would have been formed and shaped in the blacksmith’s shop. Bill Scheer is the master blacksmith and Parker Cronin is his apprentice. Parker worked diligently while Bill explained the blacksmith’s art to tourists.
Bill explained that the temperature of the metal is important. He said the metal’s temperature is measured by judging its color. White is the hottest then yellow, orange, red, crimson and azure. There seem to be many subtle grades of red. A tourist pointed out that he was colorblind and thus he would make a rotten blacksmith. One child kept asking questions and Bill told her that if she wanted to get the feel of what it is like to work with hot metal, she should practice by hammering clay. Bill started to demonstrate how to hammer a perfect cylinder. He started by hammering the metal till it had four sides then he hammered it till it had eight sides then sixteen then thirty two. It turns out hammering a cylinder is quite a challenge. The mother asked Bill about lessons and he explained that private lessons were available. Parker had started taking lessons when he was just fourteen years old. The implements in the foreground of the sketch are harpoons. Several of the boats in the port were once whaling ships. I felt right at home sketching in this workshop. Bill joked with me that I should get a camera. I said, cameras were just a fad. Why would people want to make pictures with a machine, when it is much more rewarding to fully experience a place by taking the time to do a sketch?
Vanderbilt Mansion
Terry wanted to see some mansions while we were on vacation. Our first stop was the Franklin Delano Roosevelt home in Hyde Park, New York. When we entered the visitors center, we found out a guided tour was $14. Terry then found out that there was a much more opulent mansion just up the road built by the Vanderbilts. Terry wanted to go inside for the tour, so I decided I would use that time to do a sketch of the exterior. I searched desperately for a shady tree with a view.
The mansion is a small place that the Vanderbilts only lived in for six weeks out of the year. The mansion has a grand view of the Hudson River Valley. As Terry’s tour group approached the mansion, the park ranger who was leading the tour waved to me and asked, “Are you an artist?” I sighed and shouted back, with some annoyance, “Yes.” It turns out Terry had put him up to asking this one question, which I cannot tolerate or stand. She got me again!
Terry said that the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC has more bathrooms than this mansion has rooms. She claimed that staff were well paid, and that when Frederick Vanderbilt died, they were paid in the will. Terry and I walked the property when she came out from the tour. I was amazed that there was a constant stream of tourists crowding into the building. We walked a quarter mile or so to the gardens. Roses were in bloom along with a colorful assortment of wild flowers.
Cold Spring
Terry and I drove up the Hudson River Valley to a small town called Cold Spring. we stopped at a bed and breakfast inn which had beautiful Victorian decorated rooms. The rooms were rather pricey so we walked down Main street to the riverfront. There we found the Hudson House which is right across the street from the waterfront. A small gazebo is located at the foot of a wide cement public pier. A sign indicated that a band would be playing in the band shell so I sat on a wooden bench and started to sketch. After a loud sound check “The Steve Claire Band” started to play, They played a combination of folksy urban rock. A woman in the audience set out a bunch of Hula Hoops and she began to hula to the music. She was good, being able to move the hoop up her arms and around her neck all while moving to the beat of the music. She offered lessons to a friend but the friend moved with a staccato urgency never being able to keep the hoop going for more than a minute. 0thers tried with a bit more success.
Children were playing on the rocks at the rivers edge and families rested on blankets listening to the music. A little boy who had obviously just learned to walk, made his way over to Terry and myself and smiled at us. He then pointed at my boots and started playing with the shoelaces. His father told him not to untie the shoes but he was infatuated and determined. Terry laughed uncontrollably and soon I was laughing as well, though I’m not certain why. I’m not comfortable around children, but they always seem to gravitate to me. This is my own private curse.
The following morning we got up early and had breakfast before walking up Main street. Within a few blocks I sat down and started to sketch the buildings. It was a quiet Monday morning and nothing was open yet. Terry wandered looking in all the store front windows. When the sketch was done we went back down to the waterfront. There we saw the Clearwater which is a replica of a Dutch river sloop. Terry and I met because of the environmental mission of this boat 23 years ago. The sloop silently disappeared behind the concrete pier. As Terry walked away from the pier, she said, “I wish I could memorize this view.”
Luau
After the memorial service for my step-mom Ruth, at George Washington Memorial Cemetery in Paramus New Jersey, the families went to Napa Valley Bar and Grill in the Garden State Mall for a luncheon. Everyone had on leis and Hawaiian shirts in honor of Ruth’s many trips to Hawaii. I sat across from Loretta and Ken the children from Ken, Ruth’s last husband. My dish, salmon over a bed of rice with asparagus shoots was delicious. I can smell the dish now, just thinking about it. Desert consisted of sorbet, a small cheese cake and a chocolate cookie. Everyone was given a Mai Tai, which is a pink sweet Polynesian drink. My step-brother, Wayne, stood up and offered a toast. He explained that Mai Tai means “good” in Polynesian. He assured everyone that Ruth most likely was given a Mai Tai when she got to the gates of heaven. I never considered the possibility that heaven might be an eternal state of inebriation.
After the Luau, I had to convince Terry to rush off to Pearl Paint in order to get a watercolor kit. The store was just a few miles up the road and I found a really nice kit with 24 colors. I am sure to use it often. One color, Peach, has already made it into the last couple of sketches.
When we got back to the hotel, we found all the Thorspecken and Bradley children sitting around the downstairs bar. There was no bartender. Instead, everyone had bought down their own six packs and they used the bar’s glasses and ice. There was some joking about Ruth, who probably would have frowned upon this scene. Yet in life she regretted not being able to bring these two families together. When her strong will was taken, both families mourned and in s0 doing, her memory brought everyone closer. I overheard Terry saying Ruth made the best Christmas cookies she had ever tasted. I sat across the room in a comfy sofa and took in the scene.
Ruth’s Interment
Terry and I flew to New Jersey to go to my step-mom Ruth’s interment. My father and mother are both buried here as well. The entry gates of the George Washington Memorial Cemetery are imposingly large. We drove up to the main office since I figured we would need a map to find Ruth’s plot. On the steps of the office we ran into Walter, Juanita, Cindy, Gail and Ben. Like us they were all about an hour early. Juanita already had a cemetery map so we decided to follow them. We all relaxed in the shade and waited for more people to show up. Walter pointed out a huge regal falcon that was perched on a dead tree branch. I shaded my eyes and scrutinized the falcon as he looked at me. When enough relatives and friends were on hand, Walter got into his PT Cruiser and started driving to the burial site.
We followed in our rental car. Walter drove around for sometime and when we found ourselves back where we started, we realized he might be lost. After another lap he stopped and Juanita got out. She walked up to a small pile of dirt and shouted back, “This is it.” I walked out and took a picture of the headstone. Rather than standing upright, all the headstones in this cemetery lie flat which allows for easy mowing and gives the cemetery a very open, park like feel.
Everyone at this memorial service was dressed in Hawaiian shirts and leis , since Ruth loved to visit the Hawaiian Islands. The memorial was sweet and to the point. The priest began by reciting the lords prayer, followed with everyone singing “Amazing Grace.”
Suddenly a large flock of geese flew over the proceedings no more than ten feet above our heads.. It reminded me of jet fly bys at a stadium. A small boom box played Hawaiian tunes. Ruth’s ashes were held in a small pink plastic handkerchief box sized container. The hole dug for the container was only about a foot deep. Walter said it cost $600 to dig that hole. When the service was over, the Thorspecken children walked in search of their parent’s grave. It was about 100 yards away in the shade of an old Oak tree.
Infusion Tea Farmers Market
Every Thursday, Infusion Tea is the site of a Farmers Market from 5 to 9PM. I arrived just before 5 and parked across the street. Vendors were still setting up and I walked around looking for the perfect spot to sketch from. I wandered from tent to tent seeing the goods being offered. Bee’s Knees Sweet Treats had creamy Lemon Tartlets, Chocolate Mint Cupcakes and Orange You my Honey Cupcakes. I had sampled their goods at the last Mobile Art Show and those chocolate covered marshmallows were to die for! A truck unloaded it’s produce including watermelons. There were plants and jams and a grill was fired up. As I sketched a lone performer set up and started singing to the assembled shoppers. I waved to Maria Bolton-Joubert. She set up a caricature booth in the blue tent. I picked a vantage point from across the street so I could get an overall view of the Market while having a view of the Infusion Tea signs.
Thunder rumbled on the horizon and I started to sketch faster. One by one vendors looked at the blue gray clouds forming on the Eastern horizon. Soon enough it began to drizzle. I was under a tree so I was able to work for a while till the leaves became soaked and started allowing the rain through. Then a deluge. I threw my sketchbook in my bag and ran for the cover of my truck. I suspected the storm might pass quickly so I just sat in my truck and waited. I opened the window a crack and started to place watercolor washes over my sketch. I could see the basic colors of the market through the raindrop masked windshield.
When the rain finally stopped I was glad to get out of the truck since it had turned into a furnace and I was sweating up a storm. Outside it was nice and cool thanks to the downpour. Good things come to those who wait. Around 7Pm I went into Infusion and ordered a tea. The woman behind the counter knew of my blog and I showed her the sketch. It turns out they had just been talking about the blog when they noticed me sketching across the street. Melissa Kasper, from DRIP, came in and I showed her how to set up a blog using her laptop and Infusion’s free WIFI. The set up took only a few minutes and she had a post up and published within half an hour. This brand new blog is called Currents and Color. It is rewarding to see another artist experience the same joy I fist felt when I pressed the “Publish” button for this blog over a year and a half ago.
Sam Flax – Acrylic Demonstration
I went to Sam Flax on Saturday afternoon to sketch a free demonstration of acrylic paints. The presenter had a series of pigments which he would then paint on a board so the audience could see the paints thickness and consistency. New lines of paint were shown and the possible uses explained. Quite honestly I lost interest after a while as if felt like I was sketching an infomercial. I figured the group of artists assembled must practicing artists who I might like to meet, but as soon as my sketch was finished, I went to the back of the store to buy tubes of watercolor paint to replenish my supply of paint which must have fallen out of my bag at some event.
Julie Perreth, an amazing artist in her own right, works at Sam Flax and pointed out that the store carries the brushes I use for my sketches. I had been ordering these brushes from Tokyo and paying $5 shipping. I have shopped in that store for years and never noticed the brushes. I am ecstatic to find I can replace these brushes easily when they wear out from all the abuse I throw at them from sketching every day.