A Wee Beaver & A Wee Ladder

the critter ladder i built for the ipswich river dam for the drought

Tuesday after work hubby and I were in the living room and he was looking out the window at the River and suddenly said “hey, what’s that?  There’s something small swimming – I think it’s a beaver, but a really small one!” so we both went outside on the fish ladder walkway for a closer … Read more

6 Panel Art Project – Part 7

using my new paint brush to redo 3 of the panels

As of 2 weekends ago, the only part of my 6 panel project that still needed paint was the tree on the middle light/daytime panel. But as you may remember, I completely messed it up when I shook the bottle of liquid leaf without remembering I’d already unscrewed the cap. I tried to repair the damage, but ended up doing a complete redo of the 3 light/daytime panels.

6 Panel Art Project – Part 6

i spilled silver leaf paint all over my shirt, shorts, and canvas board panel

Everyone has a day now and then that just goes wrong every which way, for no apparent reason. I always assume when I have a day like this that someone’s bad karma has gotten too close to me and rubbed off a little. My therapist says that’s impossible, but I don’t think so. Today I ended up trashing one of the 6 panels of my latest art project. *Scream*!!! And breaking the garbage disposal.

6 Panel Art Project – Part 5

liquid silver leaf paint is super shiny

I’ve always wanted the tree on my daytime panels to be bright shiny silver. After trying to cut sheet metal tin, then contemplating tin foil, then contemplating silver leaf, I discovered silver “liquid leaf” and my decision was made. I completed the silver on 2 of the 3 light/daytime panels.

6 Panel Art Project – Part 4

6 panel art painting project - acrylic on 11X14" canvas board

I started this project 10 years ago.  For 9 years it remained as 6 unpainted 11×14″ canvas boards with a tree sketched onto them in pencil.  They have been stacked in my art room, first in Gloucester, and then in Ipswich when I moved in with hubby <3 Last July [as in 2015] I finally … Read more

OMG Water Snake!

northern water snake swimming in the ipswich river below the ipswich mills dam

I have spotted the water snake sunning herself, but I have never seen her actually swimming until today! She’s about 4 feet long and quite fat – she’s obviously cleaning up with all the fish trapped in the shallow water due to the drought.

The Keeper of the Hole

looking inside the storm drain tunnel from the river below our house

Lately I feel like the Keeper of the Hole. Last week I wrote about the drought and how the fish ladder has dried up, and also how I removed some rocks from the entrance to the storm drain below our house. Well, today it was even worse!