Guess where I’m writing from this week? I’m on a train, coming home from visiting with my dearest and oldest friends, Kathy and Ron, in New Jersey.
When I was a child, my family spent just about every weekend from April until September on our boats on Barnegat Bay. On our first outing on our boat, “The Gibson Girl,” we had engine trouble. My mom was very concerned while my dad was trying to fix the engine and asked him if she should call for help. My dad said no and that he had this. She immediately walked over to the port (left) side of the cabin cruiser and started yelling “HELP!” as loud as she could.
And that was when I met Ron and his family. I was 9. Fast forward through ten years of friendship, when after three tries, I was able to introduce him to my friend Kathy while Tom (at the time, my fiancé!) was visiting from Pittsburgh. Now 45 years later, they have the great blessing of being able to live on their sailboat full time… and I got a chance to go sailing this weekend!
When I was a kid, I would return home from a weekend at the shore ready and rested for the week ahead. Mornings and evenings on the boat were always my favorite. Calm and beautifully lit nature pumped life into my creative soul. I’m glad to say nothing has changed!
Tom is keeping the home fires burning just a few hours away, and I can’t wait to see him. This time of year is so busy, with our weekends devoted to vending shows. At least we get to spend a lot of time together!
Though I know we’re not at the shore together, and though it’s a lot of work, it’s work we both enjoy, and it’s the place we want to be. Our time is spent creating together, building our booth so that it looks just right. It’s always a challenge, as we adapt it a bit differently for each show’s personality. We love sharing my work with others and hearing many stories. We love this shared experience. And sunrise before the shows and sunsets in the evening hours are truly “Pittsburgh Beautiful.”
So… what’s up for the rest of September?
First, we’ll be at the Washington and Greene Counties Covered Bridge Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 20th and 21st. It’s a beautiful show in a beautiful setting. We’ll be located at Ebenezer Bridge in Mingo Park with our set-up under a huge tree just past the bridge on the left side. This festival is a cash-only show because we’re down in a gully and can’t get a proper signal.
Then the following weekend (September 27th and 28th) we’ll be at the Mount Lebanon Artist Market, a true art show, featuring both 2D and 3D art pieces. This show is located on Academy Lane in Mt. Lebanon behind Rollier’s Hardware.
In other news, while I was gone, my new puzzles came! Poor Tom had to carry all the cases of puzzles by himself to storage for the season. The great news is they will be available at both shows!
The upcoming weeks will be super busy from here on out, especially because I’ll be painting as well as exhibiting at art shows. It’s a very fun time of year!
I’m really glad I had this chance to return to my childhood home for five glorious days. Now I’m back in the studio, energized and ready to get back to painting. I’ve lived a Pittsburgh life for almost 45 years now, and though the Monongahela River isn’t exactly the Jersey Shore, Pittsburgh is still the most wonderful place on earth.
Thank you, Pittsburgh, for giving me so many reasons to paint you. And thank you, Tom, for stealing me away.
Have a great week, and stop and see me if you visit the Ebenezer Bridge this weekend!