Happy Thanksgiving... to ALL!!

"Bountiful Blessings" - oil on canvas 30x24 inches

Deb and I just returned from a three day stay in Algonquin Park with painting pal David Kay and his wife Diane. We went up Wednesday, arriving at noon... in order to get in some painting before the usual Thanksgiving weekend hordes descended upon The Park.

While we enjoyed some quality time painting... however, the really high colour had already been reached a week earlier... leaving only traces of the heavy red and orange prominence in all parts of The Park. Strangely enough, there were also larger numbers of Park visitors than I expected along Highway 60 and down the various roads leading to favourite painting haunts.

Given these changes... David suggested that we spend some time down the abandoned railway bed that runs alongside the Madawaska River from Whitney to Madawaska. We have painted successfully there before on many occasions and we had complete privacy along the river on Wednesday afternoon. We both managed to make a nice painting each... and Deb took some great action pictures of the series of dramatic rapids. A good start for all!

Next day we struck out over to the Barry's Bay/Combermere area and painted... again totally alone at a century farm with phenomenal views of the Highlands where the York and Little Mississippi Rivers converge upon the Conroy Marsh Preserve. The landscape is nothing short of spectacular... and will remain untouched by development because of the sensitive nature of the area .

Deb and I painted a section of a century old log barn complex with the area mentioned above a s its backdrop. Diane curled up with a book on a chair in the warm sun... and played the afternoon away with the four barn kittens who kept visiting her. Each of us was doing what we wanted... basked in warm sunshine... and surrounded by unparalled quiet and beauty!

Later... we returned home to David and Diane's lovely lakeside home on Galaeiry Lake... where we enjoyed drinks... followed by a sumptuous barbecue meal of steak... pork chops... baked potatoes and fresh smoked laked trout... accompanied by various greens and squash by chef David... finishing up with a deliciously baked apple apple crisp... a la Diane and an evening of fellowship and laughter!

A night's sleep... minus the usual continual hum of highway traffic afforded us a wonderful and unbroken rest. We headed home this morning after a filling and traditional egg... sausage and toast sendoff at the East Gate Motel Breakfast room. We gradually weaseled our way back through the Park and Muskoka side roads into the Oro-Medonte and back to Hillsdale to be here to meet weekend visitors to The Paint Box Gallery.

Life cannot be better! Good friends... good painting... good food and another round of good Algonquin memories. A bounty of blessings... for which "I" am truly grateful! This has been a truly great Thanksgiving celebration that we will long remember.

A Happy and Hearty Canadian Thanksgiving Greeting... to All my followers and Friends... no matter where you live!

God bless!... and Good Painting to ALL!

PS Paintings and Pictures from the trip to follow next post. This still life painting of my bounty-laden Grampa Birrell's wheelbarrow covers the Thanksgiving bases most adequately I feel!