Snow Pictures and Billy Jacobs Art

Hello Everyone,
After several days of snow, ice and grey skies, the sun made an appearance this afternoon!  So, even though it was cold with a biting wind, I put on my coat, hat and gloves and took these photos around my neighborhood. The cute little barn and fence is at a church just down the road from me. Winter isn't my favorite season, I admit, but I do try to see the beauty of it all, and the snow certainly is beautiful on the evergreens and tree branches and everything.

 

I also want to share a few winter-themed paintings by one of my favorite artists, American Folk Artist, Billy Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs is a self-taught artist from Navarre, Ohio, where he has an art gallery/antiques shop. His paintings can also be found in galleries and specialty shops all over the country, as well as online. I think he captures the look and feeling of the midwest countryside better than any artist I've seen. He doesn't just paint winter scenes...but all seasons of the year! You can see more of his paintings at Summer Snow Gallery HERE or by visiting Billy Jacobs Art Gallery on facebook HERE. Enjoy! 

 

 

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year's Eve and best wishes for a healthy, prosperous 2013 filled with joy!

 

Until next time,

Cindy

 

 This weekend over on How Sweet the Sound, Beverly is hosting her weekly Pink Saturday with posts featuring snow and snowmen. So, even though I'm late posting, I want to share these on her blog and also at The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.

 

 

 



 







Sweet October

"The sweet calm sunshine of October, now
Warms the low spot; upon its grassy mold
The purple oak-leaf falls; the birchen bough
drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold."

- William Cullen Bryant

 

 

 

It seems like the fall colors this year are more vibrant than ever! Or, is it as my sister says - one just forgets how beautiful it is until it comes around again? These photos were taken on a walk at one of our local nature preserves earlier this week. Perfect weather...perfect day.

 

 

 

I've also been having fun with pumpkins this year and tried some things I saw on Pinterest.

 

 

The glitter pumpkin is easy peasy. Just spread Elmers glue or Pod Modge on the top portion of the pumpkin, then sprinkle on the glitter. I used copper-colored glitter because that's what I had on hand, but orange or black would look awesome, too! If it's a tiny pumpkin, you might want to glitter the whole thing. For the other one, I painted the entire pumpkin black with acrylic paint. Let dry...then scrape it off to make the stripes. This is a little bit more difficult than it sounds - only because it's time consuming to get the stripes straight! I really like the result, though.

 

 



 

But...this is my favorite! I painted the tree and crow on the white pumpkin, using black acrylic paint. Then, I collected branches from the yard for the pitcher. I love the overall look! It's simple and doesn't scream "Halloween" so I can leave it up until Thanksgiving.

 

 

Would you believe I've found all of these white pitchers over the past year at my local Goodwill? The best part - they were just one dollar each! I love them!

 

 

 

I hope you're having an enjoyable October so far, too!

 

Until next time,

Cindy

 

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

                           Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

               Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

                              Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer



Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary

Hello Everyone,

May 27th marks the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, so I'm reposting something that I wrote last August about some of my memories of this architectural wonder!

Today I've been thinking about the time my friend Jeannette and I took a day trip to San Francisco and walked across the 1.7-mile long Golden Gate Bridge. Here's a shot of the bridge from the Marin County/Sausalito side.

A close-up look at the walkway on the bridge.

Designed by Irving Morrow, he is also credited with choosing the bridge's trademark bright orange, a color now known as International Orange. I love the bridge's Art Deco style. At 746 feet above the ocean, it's difficult to describe just how large this bridge is without actually seeing it. Walking across it is an exhilarating experience!

After our walk across the bridge, Jeannette and I headed to Stinson Beach, which is reached via the winding, steep, narrow Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway.) In some areas, the mountains hug one side of the roadway, as cliffs drop off on the other side into the Pacific Ocean.

The road to Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach is a tiny village approximately 20 miles north of San Francisco. It's fairly secluded and has 3.5 miles of beach for walking, kite flying, sunning, and beachcombing. I found a huge piece of gnarled, weathered-grey driftwood that I fell in love with - so, of course, we dragged it back to her truck, laughing all the way! I displayed the driftwood in my home for years - until I moved to Ohio and couldn't figure out a way to ship it! Fun memories!

The village of Stinson Beach

Happy 75th Anniversary Golden Gate Bridge, on May 27, 2012! Thanks for the memories!

Until next time,

Cindy

Linking this to Seasonal Sundays on The Tablescaper

All photos courtesy Google Images