December is here

Here is a blog post from Colorado, where I am currently visiting.  I am here to show my art at the beautiful Framed Image.  The artist's reception is this Thursday, from 4 to 7 pm, and I will be there with some of my newest paintings and monotypes.  I am showing with Susan Harrington, who is a Denver artist, and does richly colored paintings.  Come and join us Thursday, if you are nearby!  Click on the Framed Image website above for location and more details.  The show runs until the end of December.

I was in Salida, Colorado for Thanksgiving last week.  It was fun to visit our former home town, and to have a chance to catch up on friends there.  On the Friday after Thanksgiving, every year, Salida has a parade at night just before they light up the Christmas tree on top of "S" Mountain.  We went downtown to see the parade and the lighting of the Mountain, because everyone in town comes out for it.  It is so much fun!  After the parade, we headed to the Steamplant, where there was live jazz music, free hot chocolate and cookies!  We watched them light the mountain and shoot some fireworks from there, hot chocolate in hand.   Festive!  Anything that involves cookies and hot chocolate is going to be high on my list of great activities.

Before the parade, we did a little bit of walking around downtown.  I like to see what all of my artist friends have been doing.  My friend, Padgett McFeely had an exhibition of her paintings at Bongo Billy's Cafe.  Then, we saw the felted work of P.J. Bergin at the Paquette Gallery in the Steamplant.  We also visited several galleries, including cultureclash, where there are a few of my paintings for sale.   Here is a photograph of a little bit of P.J. Bergin's show.  Unfortunately, I was not in my prime photo form, and failed to get a photo of Padgett's art.  (Sorry, Padgett!)  I think that's what happens when I take some time off - my brain takes time off, too!


All in all, I had a happy Thanksgiving, even though my husband was working and not with me.  It is always a little lonely, celebrating holidays without him.  You would think after fifteen years I would be accustomed to it, since it is common for him to work on the holidays, but you know everything is always better with him around.  What did you do for the holiday?

Another list of things I am grateful for:
1.  You, my blog readers
2.  Hot peppermint tea
3.  small towns
4.  travel opportunities
5.  crisp apples
6.  the sun, shining on exploding cattails
7.  prairie dogs
8.  falcons
9.  the green walking path, where nature has been preserved in the heart of suburbia

10.  good walking/running shoes