Sunshine and roses

Good morning, my friends.

I hope all is well with you.

I know that I haven't written in a while.  

One of my readers (thank you, Fred) pointed that out to me.

We definitely have some catching up to do.

Today I would like to share with you my adventure at the State Fair.  

I had never been to the State Fair so 

when the opportunity presented itself, 

I went.

And of course, as fate would have it I started out in the dairy barn. 

(it was the first building I came to)

  

As you may or may not know

I have a great affinity for milk cows. 

I think they are a thing of beauty.

I always have.
As a woman of "that age" I see their 
lovely fullness hanging from their bony protrusions 
and I see something beautiful.

I get that.  

She may not be pretty to everyone, 
but she knows that she has her place in the world too, 
ya know?

Shower time

As a kid on the farm, I wanted to have milk cows.  

My father refused.

He grew up milking cows 

with my Grand dad 

and

has had his fill of their care.

Some young ladies.

When you have to milk cows twice a day

it tends to cut into your free time.

So, there I am walking around in this huge building 

looking at the "cream of the crop" 

for the state of Indiana.

Beautiful, shapely, groomed mommas.

I was in cow Nirvana.

It was such an experience for me.

I had gone to the fair alone, 

so there was no one to share

my thoughts with.

Luckily for Al he had a judging seminar that day, 

so he didn't have to go in the barns. 

He would have stood it, I'm sure, 

but he would not have enjoyed it.   

Chewing her cud.

You see

Al is not a farm boy.

He is most definitely a city boy.

When I take him out in the barn

he has this look on his face like he is holding his breath.
Maybe he is.

For me that smell is a welcomed thing.

It means warm, loving friends who depend on you and care about you.

Someone to listen to your good times and your bad times. 

Someone to rest on, depend on and

who trusts you 

and 

keeps ALL of your secrets. 

Granted, mine were horses, but it's the same.

There is an analogy here in this cow's spine about life's path
with it's twists and turns and ups and downs.  
I'm just not feeling it right now.  You are on your own.
GO!
 

Large, loving animals who do have souls.

They just communicate differently than we humans do.  

They trust us with their care.

Isn't this calf beautiful?  

He and three others lay in a pen

where you could pay a dollar 

to come in and pet him. 

Such a beautiful little being.

  

I crouched next to his pen and spoke to him 

for a few minutes before I took his picture. 

I felt for him being away from his mommy, 

but so the world goes.

In my imagination, at the end of the day 

they were together again.

Freshly showered and ready for the day.

It was hard for me to leave the dairy building, 

but I wanted to see the mules too 

so I had to moooove on.

Imagine how cold the water from the hose was...


On to the next barn....

They look like they are saying "Hello....?  Can we help ewe?"

I walked through the sheep & goat barn next.

It was quite a treat to see the best of the best in the state.

Farming is still alive in kicking in Indiana.

Doesn't he look happy?  

I so enjoyed looking at these animals as I walked to the mule barn.

Evidently, the pigs had "gone home" already.

They had left the two biggest boars 

and a few sows with piglets for the people to see   

This would be Reggie.  I really wonder if he can get up and walk around.

Here's his info.

The piglets were fun to watch.  

We didn't have pigs on our farm either, 

so I found myself just standing 

and taking in their movements.

So many little speckled rear ends.

My father told me that each baby has a designated teat.  

That amazed me.

This certainly did not look like an organized event.

On I went to the mule barn.  

I was so excited to see their wonderful long faces and soulful eyes.

But alas, they had left the day before my arrival.
So, I stepped outside the last barn and looked for my next adventure.  
I rode the people mover to the other side of the grounds 
and discovered the pioneer village.  

This little guy was sleeping in the pioneer barn.
He was across the aisle from two HUGE oxen.

I had a wonderful time at the Indiana State Fair.
I have untold number of painting ideas that I gathered that day taking pictures.
I tend to carry my camera with me most of the time now.
You just never know what you are going to see.


Speaking of which...

just look at this face, you have to love him (dirt encrusted nose and all) 

 This pig lives in West Middleton, IN.  Isn't he something?
He has several friends that live with him.
He may be the one that went after Liea, but he's not talking.


Here is one of my latest endeavors.

Sally & Abel

This painting is a 12 x 24 inch oil.
It was a commission piece for one of my "collectors".
I certainly enjoyed painting this.
I seemed to just flow out of my hand.


SHAMELESS PLUG
TIME

If you have a need of a commissioned painting
and you like my style of work, then please feel free to contact me at
Sherrill_1studio@hotmail.com

END OF PLUG
_____________________

Now we need to talk about the horses.

Our little red filly.

If you have read my blogs before this

(Yeah!  Thank you!)

then you know that I grew up on a horse farm.  

Horses were a part of the family.  

My father works hard to take care of his family and his animals.

And as my father's oldest son, 

(that brother of mine didn't come until I was 9)

I spent a lot of time with him in the barn.  

I am sure that my mother would have liked to have her daughter inside the house to help with things, but there was more fun to be had in the barn.

My parents had three beautiful foals born this summer.  

Foal number 1 is a bay appaloosa filly (girl).

Foal number 2 was a red appaloosa filly (again, girl).

Foal number 3 is a white w/red spots appaloosa colt (boy).

As you may also know from my past blog,

foal number 2 had some issues from birth.  

Purdue vets came out to have a look at her 

and gave my dad some suggestions and medication.

We watched that little girl grow strong and straight.  

It was necessary for her to be weened as her mother was

just not doing well medically.  

So, she was weened from her mother 

and all seemed to be going well.

She put on weight and was easy to handle. 

She was shiny and bouncy. 

She did get to spend time out in the front field.  

And then one Sunday morning 

after coming home from church

my father found her in her stall.

She had passed on while he was at church.

We were all shocked.

It was a very painful couple of days for all of us. 

My father's friends rallied around him to help with the burial process.  

Our little red filly is buried in the field

with her mom.

As I sit here typing this with

tears rolling down my face,

I know that life on the farm is not all sunshine and roses. 

I'm just glad that she had some time in the field, with the sun on her back.  

Thank you Lord for that. 

I want to thank you for taking to time to read my blog.

I hope that you enjoyed the photos.

Bicycle driver waiting on a fare at Navy Pier.

My next blog is going to be about our breakneck trip to Chicago to see my stepson Ian graduate from college.   

It will have photos from our night on Navy Pier 

plus

our trip to Fair Oaks Farms 

(I told you it was breakneck) 

Again, thank you for reading.

Sherry

Not everybody gets to be out in the front field.

Howdy, nice to see you.

I hope that all is well at your house.

Dad & Mom's dog C. Bill
He is so spoiled that his woman (my mother) carries him like a baby.
A face only a mother (again, my mother) could love.

I don't want you to fall out of your chair.  I know that I just wrote a blog a week ago, but I find myself with some time on my hands so you have

another look into this daily life of mine.

Today I am taking care of the Gallery in Zionsville, IN.

On the drive over I witnessed what looked 

like an engine sitting in the road on fire. 

 I was on 421 almost to the Zionsville turnoff.  

It was just a lump in the road, on fire.

There were several "old time" cars pulled over into the ditch.  

I watched a man use a fire extinguisher on it, but that seemed to make it worse.  I could hear the fire trucks in the distance, 

so I turned around and took a country road to the Gallery.

Since I am directionally challenged, it was touch and go there for a while.

If, by chance you too are looking for the Gallery, it can be found at:

ART IN HAND

211 S. Main

Zionsville, IN

Come by and see us.

________________________

So, I made it on time and I opened the Gallery.

What a beautiful day it is.  Sunshine, mild temperatures. 

I have the door to the business open and I am enjoying 

the noises from the street. 

I am working on a painting over in the corner by the window.

Feathers.  Why can't I remember I don't like to paint feathers?  No more birds with feathers.

I can hear pieces of conversations.  

I can hear children talking.  

It all just fades into hum.  

Then a sound broke through.

 A BIG sound. 

 AND I knew. 

I just knew... 

I had to meet the dog who had a bark that loud and deep.

This magnificent beast is Sam.

Sam is just a pup.  He is only just over a year old.  A "toddler".

His friend told me that he was his 5th "owner".

I asked if I could get to know Sam and take a few (hundred) photos.  

He agreed, so I went and grabbed the camera.

Sam's nails look better than mine.

To say he is large is an understatement.  

He was very gracious to me and all of the children that stopped to talk.

What a beautiful gentle giant.

Check out the smile.

I hope that Sam lives a long, happy big doggie life.

So, back to painting.

Back to the struggle that is feathers....
I hear this voice in my head...I'm an eagle da#n it...like in Star Trek...

Whites and shadows are difficult for me to convey.  

I know, it is a "probortunity",

 (an opportunity to learn wrapped in a problem)

but it is working my brain today.

Maybe that is why there is a haze over in this corner?

 *****

 Fred had asked me how the filly was doing.  

Do you remember her from the blog in April? 

Here is a reminder for you:

April 14th blog photo
Dad & Leia

  

Out in the front field - June 1st
The filly's mom is the dark mare.

She is well and healthy.  

She has a nice little white blanket on her lovely muscled rump.  

It is a great time of the year to have the babies out in the front field.  

You can hear folks hitting the brakes to take a look.  

We will call her baby number 1.

_____________

About 2 weeks after baby number 1 was born, 

baby number 2 came along.

As we all know on the farm,

not every story here has a happy ending.

My father has raised a lot of horses.  

They hold a place deep in his heart.  

Under my father's (and Purdue's) care

I have confidence that this baby will overcome her issues

and live a happy productive life.

Baby 2 is a filly also.

Because my dad has always tried to protected his children from pain,

he would not let me come and see her when she was born.

  

He didn't want me to get attached and perhaps suffer a loss.

He just said that she was getting better and that I could see her soon.

She has hind leg issues and an abnormality in her chest, he had told me.

A week ago, Dad was not at homem so 

I snuck out to the barn to "just see" 

what we were up against.

  Mom caught me as I was going into the barn with the camera.  

I asked where the baby was and she explained that this baby 

had to stay in the back barn lot where 

she couldn't be seen from the road.

We opened the barn door and there she lay.  

A beautiful young filly resting quietly with her mom.  

What you see of her is what I saw of her. 

Her mother shielded her from harm and my eyes.

As parents we do this, don't we?

Protecting our children from harm's way, 

from pain, from the part of life that isn't pretty.

Life isn't all sunshine and roses every day.  

So very badly I wanted to see that little baby get up 

and bounce around her momma. 

I wanted to see her out in the front field with the long grass in the sunshine. 

No, not that day.

But hopefully someday.

See you soon,

Sherry

Time Flies

Oh my gosh....

time flies doesn't it?

So much to talk about

so little time.

Iris in the "front flower bed".

I hope that this blog finds you all healthy, well & happy.

Time continues on whether we are ready 

for it to or not.  

Where do I start this time?  

Let's start at vacation.

  

Al & I decided that we were going to go on vacation this year.  

Because of the nature his business, 

we have to go in the spring or winter.

We chose spring.

I wanted to drive south.
We hadn't been to the mountains.

So, south we went.

This is on the road to our cabin in North Carolina.  About an hour drive from Ashville, NC.

My plan for this trip was that we would stay for a few days in a cabin 
and tour the Biltmore mansion. 
Then we would "bop" down 
to see his sister & nephew in South Carolina 

and finish out 

with three days in Gatlinburg TN.

At the cabin.

I overscheduled just a teeny bit.

Yes, we did it all.
BUT, oh my GOD 

we were tired when we got home.

In my defense

I didn't know that we were going to drive almost to Georgia.

Judy, Al & Michael.  Judy & Michael live in Aiken, SC.  

So...

next year we will return 

and spend a few more days in the 

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area

to catch up on all that we missed.

We will spend MUCH less time in the car.

I plan on making greeting cards/note cards out of the photos 

that I took in the National Park.  
Here are a few samples:

The streams were incredible.

Do we have anything like this in Indiana?

This is going be used in a painting.

The mountains with the clouds and sun were mesmerizing.  

BTW: We bought a mason jar of moonshine, but more on that later. :)

"A jar full of fun"

SO...did that...
And then we came home.
_________________________

I had several senior pictures shoots 
to finish up when I returned from vacation.

I met up with Shelby Bishop at Highland Park for her shoot.

Shelby on the bridge

Shelby closer up

 Shelby and her sisters were just 

tiny little people when I babysat for them. 

It was a nice day for a shoot.  

It doesn't get any better than this. 

Pretty girl...good weather...nice background. 

 A few days later I went out with my niece Johnna to finish up her photos.
She had some definite ideas about what she 
wanted from her final shoot with me. 

The weather was pretty threatening towards the end of the shoot.  
She and I decided to thumb our noses 
at the danger and took these pics:

I missed the lightning...

Johnna is my baby brother's daughter.  I loved that the wind was involved with this.

So now I am ready to start a whole new year of senior pictures.

This is my favorite of Johnna's shots.  I posed her in front of the headboard of a bed that my Grandfather Scott slept in.  I thought the carving was unusual and it had significance to our family history.  The wood tones really made this picture "pop".  Aside from the artistic perspective, when I spent the night as a child in this bed, it was a feather tick.  I love this bed.

For the past few months 
I have been working on a 
commissioned painting that 
really had me stumped. 
 I am glad to say that I have completed and delivered that painting!
Sorry to say I do not have a photo of it with me to post here.  
I promise I will do so in the future.

I have started an animal painting to kind of refresh my soul.
It is making good progress.

OK, what else have I been up to?

Hmmm.

I had an adventure last week with my Great Aunt Pauline.

My Great Uncle Richard Rhine passed on a few months ago.  

He was my Grandmother Scott's last living sibling.

Aunt Pauline called me and asked if I would like to look through a suitcase of old photos and personal items that he had left?  

OH BOY!  You bet I would!

I packed up my scanner, computer, camera & Al and off we went.

Richard Rhine

I love family history.  

I especially love photos from times past.

It promised to be a wonderful morning as we went through the suitcase.

Pauline had the window cracked open and I could hear the birdies in the fence row calling back and forth. 

 Pure heaven.

This is it!

Al came along for company.
 Aunt Pauline said she would get a longer couch before we came again.

Aunt Pauline Rhine & I

I sat my scanner up on the kitchen table and we got started.  
My Aunt is my Uncle Richard's second wife.  
She explained to me that she was unsure of what was in the case, 
but that we would go through it all to see what was there.

Uncle Richard's sons were coming to take 
the contents of the case in just a few days.

Richard & his first wife Faye (Savage) Rhine

Uncle Richard, John Dixon & my dad Joe Scott

This is my Great Grandfather Rhine & uncle Rich.

I love looking at old photos.  There is so much to look at.  

It takes me to another place. 

How about you?  

Cows & history!   Great photo.  I imagine myself taking this picture with the sun on my back and the smells of the farm around me.

Boy these boys look happy, don't they?  It is cousin Stewart & uncle Rich.
Check out the homemade cement mixer.  That is the Walter House bank barn in the background.

My Great Grandparents owned a butcher shop in Lincoln, IN.  That is my Great Grandmother with the crew.  My father was able to name all of these people when I showed this to him.

Isn't this wonderful?  I can only imagine how many man hours this represents.

This is my Great Great Grandparents William & Martha Rhine.
Their son Harry Rhine was my Great Grandfather.

I could (and have) spend hours looking at clothing styles 
and backgrounds in these old pictures. 
Who were they as people?  
How did they live?  
What were their worries & joys?

These were my Great Great Great Grandparents "on the other side of the house"  Nellie (Eckley) House was my Great Great Grandmother.  It amazes me how much she looks like my Grandmother.   

I am so glad that these people took the time to sit for these photos. 
I am also thankful that the photos survived until now.

The Scott side photos were lost in Hurricane Andrew in Florida.

It took us several hours to go through the suitcase.  
We had a wonderful time.
I scanned in well over 120 items.  
I will show you some more in the future.

I guess I just love photos.  

Whether I am taking them, scanning them or collecting their images.

My kids will have quite a "collection" to deal with when my time comes.

What a pictorial history collection they will have.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Have a great day and a good weekend.

See you soon.