St Augustine Residency Day 6

Dunes 1

2.5x3.5 inches

Dunes 2

2.5x3.5 inches

Dunes 3

2.5x3.5 inches

Beach Sky 1

2.5x3.5 inches

Beach Sky 2

2.5x3.5 inches

Beach Waves

Saint Augustine Beach Pier

Notes From My residency Journal

This morning I ate left over pizza for breakfast and it was good!! Thanks Dominoes. I wanted to get out early to go to my favorite place here in St Augustine, the city pier. What a fun place to hang around. I got lots of super photos of waves and the wide beach. What a great beach, huge!! It is so pretty there. The fee is only a dollar and there are swell benches along the pier for sitting and enjoying the birds and waves. It is a great way to spend a morning. I love fishing and I like to watch the fishermen at the end of the pier. Once my daughter Jackie and I saw a shark at the end of the Jacksonville Beach pier. Beach piers are just fun!!

Yesterday I did 16 miniature paintings of the sky and dunes here at the condo. Great practice.

Now I'm doing laundry and cleaning up the condo a bit, and packing up to head home. It has been a glorious week, one of the best residencies I've had. Full of fun, adventure, painting and enjoying the lovely view. This is a cozy relaxed place, just wonderful!! Thanks a million Nan and Bob for a wonderful memory and terrific week.

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....

Crystal River Residency Day 5 07/28/12

Wildlife Park Sign

Bald Eagle

Flamingoes

Manatee

Notes From My Residency Journal

Friday was my last day of exploring the nature coast of Florida. I started with bacon and eggs at Grannys Restaurant and then headed over to the Homosassa Wildlife Park which is a state park of Florida. I saved this for last because it is a favorite place for me. This is a theme park like the early ones in Florida. It is more like the places I remember from childhood. No fireworks or theme park stuff. It is a good zoo. There are winding paved paths along the way through the exhibits. Lots of benches line the shaded paths and it is really pleasant and interesting.

 I saw all kinds of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and of course Manatees. There is a deep underground observation room under the springs. I saw all kinds of fish and Manatees, as well as an alligator and river otter display. The most interesting exhibit was the reptile room where native Florida snakes are housed in lit terrariums. I loved closely observing the venomous snakes, which I have seen in the wild. It was good to see them up close so that I will recognize them immediately if I stumble upon one.  I also enjoyed the many birds on display, including Ibis, Blue heron, Screech owls, swans, and colorful Flamingos.

The park is located off US 19 one block before the Visitor’s Center. Turn right at the Hardees intersection and then left at the park sign. The price is 13.00 but my AAA membership made it 10.60. It was a good trip.

I started a painting on the back porch after lunch but it was really hot, 94 degrees on the shaded porch. I will definitely finish this one in my cool studio.

Today I clean the house, do the laundry and pack up to head for home tonight. It is time for the Olympics, so it’s time to get home and enjoy that. On August 14^th, Shark Week starts on the Discovery channel, and I never miss that either. Painting will be sporadic for the next few weeks. I’ll be glued to the TV for a while.

I have enjoyed this residency so much. I got a lot of research done and some terrific reference photos to use back in my cool studio.

 I’m very grateful to my sponsor Linda Daly for making this wonderful experience possible.

 As always, more to come….