Big Talbot Island Residency- Day 3

Marsh Palms

9x12 inches

Oil on panel

www.lindablondheim.com

Notes From My Residency Project

Welcome to the first cool day of Fall this year! I woke to cool breezy overcast weather. I'm so happy to have a cool day.

 I went in search of breakfast in Amelia Island. I stopped at a place called Parkway Grill. It is really more of a bakery/deli. You go up to the counter to order. It is self serve for utensils and coffee. You put a number on your table and someone brings your food. The room is on hard floors with small diner style tables. No atmosphere at all, but it is clean and well organized. They brought thick sliced bakery bread, which was a nice texture. The bacon was over cooked but I don't mind that. The eggs were cooked right but the hash browns were not crispy. The best thing was the coffee which was quite good. They did not make it clear whether refills were allowed. The server did not return to the table after delivering the meal. I would rate it as adequate. I am the first to admit to being a foodie. I love breakfast the best, so I'm always in search for a really good breakfast restaurant. I am happy to brag that Gainesville has some outstanding breakfast restaurants. I will search out a new place tomorrow.

After breakfast I headed back toward Big Talbot for a bit of exploring.  There is a new bridge between the islands. They saved the old bridge as a pedestrian only bridge. I love to see this. It is so nice to save old bridges for hikers and fishermen.  I wish they would do that everywhere.

I stopped at the state park on the marsh side first, for some photos, then headed to seaside to see the dead tree beach. What an interesting park. Bonnie took me there for a quick look see on Monday. Today I had time to get some photos. The tide was high so I didn't go down on the beach. I climbed up on top of the platform bench to get some good photos of the trunks on the beach. The real appeal for me were the huge twisted trees growing in the park. They were quite splendid. 

Since it is dark and overcast today, I headed to the house to set up and paint on the porch.

Another day in paradise thanks to North Florida Land Trust. Bless them for supporting my project.

Day 2- Big Talbot Island

Marshes from the Dock

18x24 inches

Oil on Canvas

http://www.lindablondheim.com

Notes From My Residency Journal

My plans changed today. It was raining when I woke up and we were in for a day of it, so I decided to stay in to paint from one of the photos I took yesterday. I set my easel up on the screened porch and got to work. My companion for the day was Roxie, the sweet little Pappion dog who runs the household. She is so sweet and well behaved and as cute as can be. It's so nice to have a dog here. I miss Henry, my French bulldog, and my canine friends Buddy and Shane at Fair Oaks when I'm traveling.

The director of North Florida Land Trust, my friend Bonnie, is amazing. She is the absolute queen of shopping. She furnished the entire house with thrift shops and Craigslist. It looks like a high end home. I wan't to be her apprentice. 

This place is truly wonderful. When I sit on the back deck I watch the birds fly over the marshes and marvel at the tall palms.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'll be off to explore the island.

St Augustine Residency Day 4

Flagship Harbor Park

Flagler Beach, FL

St Augustine Beach Dunes

20x24 inches

acrylic on canvas

Notes From My Residency Project

I got an early start today, skipping breakfast and heading south on A1A, first to Bings Landing, south of Washington Oaks State Park. I will have some photos later to share. My smart phone has terrible reception over on the coast so the images don't come through very easily.

Bings Landing is a small park on the intercoastal waterway. It has a large parking lot for boats and such and some covered picnic tables. There are several barrier islands viewable from the sea wall. There are a few benches scattered around the seawall for sitting.

From there I continued south to Flagler Beach and turned off on US 1. Just before the bridge, I turned right and then left to go along the edge of the bridge and then under it to the Flagship Harbor Park. This is a wonderful park. It has a high wooden boardwalk which winds through the woods and the Mangrove hammocks. There is a large dock out into the water with lovely views. I met two fishermen who hadn't caught anything yet. I saw two cute as pie turtles along the side of the boardwalk. At a low point in the boardwalk there are nature trails that go through the woods. They have tall palms, old Red Cedar trees and are wide and smooth for easy walking. There are benches along the paths. This is a really nice nature park and I recommend it for those who want to enjoy nature without intimidation from wild creatures. In the parking lot is a nice covered pavilion with restrooms and picnic facilities.

I have found that small local county parks are often excellent facilities with upgrades one would not expect from a local park.

I am often asked how I find these out of the way places? I spend a lot of time researching the area I'm going to travel to for my residencies. I use key words in search engine queries like,Florida nature,wild places, eco-tourism, etc. to find the parks.  The State Park web site has lots of information on the more obscure state parks. The Chamber of Commerce for an area can be helpful. One of the main goals of this project for me is to give quality reviews and information about the best of natural Florida.

When I arrived back in St Augustine I was ready to eat, so I tried a new restaurant for me called the Groove Cafe it is a very nice, sleek atmosphere with large abstract paintings on the walls. Having art on the walls is always a + for me. Of course I would love it if my paintings were hanging in the restaurant but we can't have everything ;-> The menu was interesting and unique. The waiter, named Brian was an outstanding and attentive server. They had a large flat screened TV featuring a silent film about surfing, very appropriate for a beach town. They played Reggae music but it wasn't loud. They have very charming outdoor seating which I'm sure is very popular in the cool weather months.  I opted for the Cuban sandwich, one of my favorites. It was delicious and huge. It had pulled pork in it with the other more traditional ingredients. It was of course pressed, the only way to eat one properly. It came with French fries which were plentiful and very crisp and hot. Brian told me that their specialty is  shrimp which is brought in fresh each day from Mayport. I may have to go back and try that if time permits. My large sandwich,fries and iced tea were about 12.00. The Groove Cafe is located at 134 Seagrove Town Center in St Augustine Beach.

I will be painting from the patio of my condo again today. The scenery is grand. More to come....

St Augustine Residency Day One

My beautiful home for this residency.

This is my view from the covered patio.

I am really going to enjoy painting this every afternoon.

Notes From My Residency Journal

I arrived late today. I needed to stop and pick up my new spectacles. Wow!! I can really see well now. By the time I got unpacked and set up in my house for the week it was too late to head out exploring so I am going to stick around and enjoy the view today. I will start painting at 5 PM and paint until the light is gone. I will be doing a 20x24 painting this week.

Tomorrow I will begin exploring south of St Augustine each morning. Happily, this residence is close to the Oasis so I'll look forward to a nice breakfast every morning. 

The condo is lovely and beach front, so my view is fantastic. I could paint here all day every day and have plenty of subjects. It is beautifully landscaped and the patio has a deep overhang so there is plenty of shade in the heat of the day. The interior is cozy, roomy and very comfortable without being so upscale that I'm afraid to sit on the furniture. Just perfect!! Thanks so much to my sponsors Nan and Bob.

More to come......

Mini Residency At Fair Oaks 08/05/12

Purple Flowers

8x10 inches

acrylic on Source Tek birch panel

Field One Trees

5x7 inches

acrylic on hardboard

The Flowers

Water Birds

Notes From My Residency Journal

Fair Oaks has moved into the dog days of summer now. I am beginning to see hints of the seasonal changes to come. The fields are awash in these beautiful purple flowers rimming the huge shade trees. I saw tiny yellow and orange blossoms forming and some Goldenrod lining some of the county roads as well. That means fall to come. In 6 weeks I will begin to enjoy the beginning of fall, at least in my mind though it may still be quite hot. 

The grasses are tall and the pond is again its lovely self, full of water birds after a long dry spell. I drove around to check on my Fairy Houses and they are holding up very well. The morning was very pleasant, surprisingly comfortable in August with no bugs. I sat under trees and painted the purple flowers.

Lunch was served alfresco in the shady pavilion. We enjoyed pulled pork and chicken BBQ with all the fixings, fresh lemon-aid and cake for dessert. A real feast!! After lunch I got a small painting done before the skies opened up.

I had a difficult drive home in a huge thunderstorm. Leroy is not Air Conditioned, so it was a long ride. Midway along, the rubber in my windshield wiper began to gradually pull out of the holder. I drove for about 25 miles with it whipping around in the wind and rain, trying to peer through a windshield with no wiper. Not a trip I want to repeat anytime soon. I will need to take Leroy in to get a new wiper now. My adventures are certainly interesting.

More to come...

Day 3 Crystal River Residency 07/25/12

Archeological Site

Crystal River State Park

Crystal River State Park

Daly Marshes Revised

9x12 inches

Marsh Palms

8x10 inches

Marsh Afternoon

5x7 inches

palette knife

Notes From My Residency

Wednesday, after a breakfast of biscuit and gravy at Grannys, I was fueled up for a day of exploration. I drove up to the Crystal River Archeological site first. It was a lovely surprise. There are paved paths that wind through the site and signs for each area of interest. These are very old burial mounds. The path winds out to the river edge. The view of large palm and cedar hammocks lining the shore is a lovely sight. There are large live oaks scattered around the grounds. There are lots of benches along the path to enjoy as well. I spotted a red headed woodpecker, two bluebirds and a Cardinal along the walk. There is a museum there but it was not open. I imagine they close in the summer. The bugs were fierce as there is a lot of standing water, but in winter it would be sublime.

In the same area, is the Crystal River State Park. The view from the road is the best part of the park for a nature lover like me; miles of lovely swamps. At the end is a large boat ramp and rest rooms. I took a lot of photos from my car, as there was little traffic so I could stop along the way. I did find a nice little dirt road in the park which led to a canoe ramp and nature path, deep in the woods. I knew better than to try it with the current bug issues, but I will go back in the cool time of the year one day.

The road to these parks is on the road between the Ford dealership and the Days Inn/Dennys on the west side of US 19 in north Crystal River.

I arrived home to finish the painting I started the day before, and ended up improving a painting I worked on the first day. In the evening, I did a small palette knife painting and enjoyed watching the sun go down. More to come…..