It means ‘see you soon’! I’ve found a Hike and Sketch trip in the mountains in the south of France. It’s only four nights, so I’ve extended the visit to include Avignon, with side trips to Aix-en-Provence, as well as a few other beautiful villages I saw back in the 1990s.
Here’s hoping you can understand my map insets! 
Thank you for subscribing to my updates, and I hope you’ll follow along on this new adventure!
You’re in the right place! I now have three new items for sale. These were all inspired by my recent trip to Zambia. A 2019 calendar, a perpetual calendar, and my first attempt at an illustrated children’s book!
First, the book- I made a custom one for my granddaughter, and posted a video of it. It got so many nice comments, I decided to recreate it. The book consists of 24 full color pages of animals seen in Zambia, 8.5”x8.5”, and is available on Amazon. I do have a limited quantity of advance copies available for sale at $10.00 each.
Second, a 2019 calendar. ($12 each) The same format as past years, 8.5×11, spiral bound at the top, with each one individually wrapped for easy gift giving, using my art inspired by Zambia combined with new quotes. 
Finally, a new perpetual calendar, 5.5×11, spiral bound at the top, with each one individually wrapped for easy gift giving, using the same art and quotes as the 2019 calendar. ($12 each) Keep this one and refer to it for years to come for important birthdays and other dates. 
Note: Prices do not include shipping. Please email me here for total cost.
Finally, if you’re looking for more of my art, some are originals, some are prints, and they’re available here on my Etsy page!
In August, I had an opportunity to visit some friends in the Catskills. Lucky to have planned it in between rain showers!
Our first day together, we stopped at Kaaterskill Falls, which were running higher than normal due to more than average rainfall recently. In the afternoon, we went to the historic site of the Catskill Mountain House, which had lovely views of the Hudson River Valley. I tried my first rubbing (is that the correct term?) and you can see I need some practice with technique!
Catskill Mountain House – rubbing www.thomascole.org/trail
We then went to work on a few sketches…
Catskill Mountain House view of the Hudson Valley
Catskill Mountain House view
For day two, we did a short hike in the Northern Catskill Park to Artist’s Rock, then Sunset Rock. This area was America’s first great tourist destination and was visited by presidents, artists and the rich.
View of the North and South lakes from Sunset Rock – Catskill Park
View from Sunset Rock – Catskill Park
It was a lovely few days for my first Catskill visit! For my return trip, rain was forecast, even so, I decided to take the scenic route home past the Pepacton Reservoir. I spotted something out in the middle…
On the Pepacton Reservoir
So I zoomed in with my camera and saw these true fishermen who didn’t let a little rain stop them!
Fishing on the Pepacton Reservoir
Following my excursion to Machias Seal Island, (read about it here) I went down the Maine coast to Acadia National Park, staying in a rental in Southwest Harbor. I hiked the Otter Cliff walk, Cadillac Mountain, and Jordan Pond.
On Cadillac Mountain, I decided to try the North Ridge trail, 4.4 miles with an elevation change of 1,130 ft. It would’ve been much easier without all those gigantic boulders! But it was fantastic, and I would gladly go back and do it again.
Unique tree bark – seen on Cadillac Mountain
Cairn – Cadillac Mountain
For this view from Bubble Rock, I took a side trip straight up some large boulders. It’s not exactly all the way to the top – I got a little tired, and remembered I still had a couple of miles to finish around the pond, so this is the view very close to the top.
View from Bubble Rock near Jordan Pond trail
Jordan Pond restaurant is the only restaurant located within Acadia park. They are known for their popovers, which I decided to try while I sketched the view from my seat.
View from Jordan Pond restaurant
My final night at the park was quiet, as I enjoyed a glass of wine on the deck of my rental, I noticed these turkeys fly into a nearby tree. Wow! What a great way to end this adventure!
Look closely, you’ll see one on the roof and one in the tree!
I recently completed a children’s book for my granddaughter, using my Zambia trip photos and sketches for inspiration. These are all original ink and watercolor sketches, then I used a finishing spray for protection. Here’s a link to a short YouTube video. Link to video
So many have said they’d like one, I decided to recreate it in a format that can be published. I know, I know, it’s a bold step for me!
But sure enough, I have been slowly made progress on the new, improved version. Here’s a shot of what I have so far… These images will be scanned and I’ll create a pdf in Indesign to submit for publication.
I’m hoping to complete this and will try using Amazon for print on demand publishing, but I’m open to any suggestions for publishing it!
15 pieces filled these two walls!
I’m rather excited to let you know my Africa paintings are now on display at the The Lost Dog restaurant in Binghamton, NY.
Stop by to check out these matted and framed paintings inspired by my trip to Zambia last year! Then stay to enjoy drinks and their delicious food! (My favorite is always the Greek Chicken.)
If your favorite one is already sold, you can always order a high quality print, signed by the artist!
Thanks so very much to everyone who encourages me to make art and to share it. You are all the best! ?
Machias Seal Island – as I mentioned, we were lucky just to get on the island, but I felt even luckier that we saw SO many puffins! They are one of the cutest birds. The Atlantic puffins are mainly found on islands along the coast of Maine. They have been described as a clown with wings! And being so much fun to sketch, they are getting their very own post!
Sketched in my new larger (8×10) Stillman & Bern alpha series sketchbook
Their wings beat up to 400 times a minute, making them look like clumsy fliers!
Close up
Two together on a neighboring blind
They were simply adorable!
Machias Seal Island is a one hour boat ride from Cutler, Maine. About 20 of us took the Barbara Frost with Captain Andrew Patterson, most with cameras with huge lens in anticipation of close-up shots of puffins and other birds. It was not a sure thing that we would be able to land on the island – the rain and sea for the past three days did not allow it.
When we arrived, the sea was still too rough to chance it. Captain Andy was very clear that our safety came first. So, he took us around for another hour, near another island where we spotted seals and several different bird types. And at that point, he decided we would be able to land. Yay!
The Barbara Frost and a pair of eider ducks
It took several trips back and forth to get all of us transferred, but there we were, at last, on the island! First, though, we were given firm instructions on how to walk up to the center. The terns lay their eggs on the grass. The terns are protecting their eggs. We need to walk on the grass. (Do you see where this is going?) We were given short sticks to hold above our heads and told “Do not stop. Do not swat at the birds. Do not go off the path. Just keep walking.” If you’ve seen Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, you’ll have an idea of what we went through! We all looked the same going to use the outhouse: 
After all that, we took turns using the blinds and were able to get lots of photos, mainly puffins, but also so many others. It was great! Here are some of my sketches from my photos. Stay tuned for the puffin ones!
Common murres
Razorbills
Tern (top) & Northern Gannet
My trip to Maine did not disappoint!
The first stopover was in Wiscasset, a lovely airbnb rental named The Sea Salt, song of the sea. It was so perfect, I wish I had more than one night there! Not only did they supply fresh flowers, pristine bedding, organic coffee, they also had wine for sale (only $10!) and it was one of my favorite cabernets! Oh, and to top it off, a freshly made blueberry muffin in the morning! 
The next day I went to a B&B, Riverside Inn. There was an error with my booking, so I was upgraded to an efficiency with a deck overlooking the East Machias River, where I spotted ospreys, a kingfisher and had an eagle pose upriver for me!
Looking up East Machias River
Day 3 allowed me extra time in the morning to visit Lubec, the easternmost town in the U.S. There’s a small park, and a nice lighthouse. 
But the main attraction was a cruise to Machias Seal Island to be able to see puffins up close! My first experience in a blind, and they were right there, posing for us! 
Stay tuned for more trip results!
