Saulita, Mexico

Betts and I traveled south for some sun.  We swam, surfed, fished, ate great food and made new friends.  Altogether a great time.
Album Pics, Betts and Gregg, Sayulita, Mexico

We fished with Skipper Enrique Moeller.  Betts caught a 50# Rooster Fish which is like a poor man's sail fish.  It was everything she could do to get it to the boat.  Rooster Fish aren't to tasty so we released the ones we caught and took home Sierra Mackarell which made some excellent civece.  We had them cooked up by Mary's, a small family run eatery near the Plaza in Sayulito.
For fishing or accomadations contact;
La Morena
Enrique Moeller
1-650-641-1352
mx 1-322-229-0039
kerrymoeller@hotmail.com

It was the 12 day celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe.  Every night for 12 days until December 12, a procession winds through the town with folks carrying candles and singing hymns as they march to the church in the center of town.  Every day (and into the early morning) fireworks boom over the town despelling the evil spirits and calling the faithful to the church.  On the 12th a tower of fireworks is set off in the town plaza.  The entire town shows up.  Food vendors are everywhere.  Caballeros wearing their finest sombrero's and chaps put on an impressive display riding amazingly well trained "dancing" horses.  Needless to say a lot of Tequilla helps the performance.

One of the participants after the night's celebration.

Even paradise has it's detractions.

But altogether it was a good trip with some of the best Tequilla in the world.

Fight Cholesterol, Go Fishing and Live Longer!

So I went to de Dr. just the other day and the Dr. say keep de cholesterol away and "CHANGE YOUR DIET!  Which I took to mean,  "GO FISHIN!"

Gotta thank my Steelhead mentor the master sportsman Ken Bevis.  Thanks for helping with my new health plan.  I promised to not divulge our fishing hole so don't bother asking!  

Tempel, 24x36x2, oil on canvas, plein air

The results after scraping a large amount of gravel off the canvas when the painting was blown face down in the dirt. Sometimes problems become solutions.

Fishing the Sanpoil, 6x24, oil on MDF, plein air

Rosy Rattelsnake, 6x24, oil on MDF, plein air

Coyote Mt, 8x24, oil, Plein air

Plein Air Ranch Retreat II

Whew! The 2nd annual Plein Air Ranch Retreat (a.k.a. Plein Air Boot Camp) was a great success!
What a work out.  I don't know if it was the scenery the food or the cosmic chemistry of the group but folks showed up, painted and painted and painted!
The weather was a PERFECT window between cloudy weather.  Bears, deer, Sand Hill Cranes, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, trout and even a friendly rattlesnake made an appearance, not to mention the occasional tipped over easel by a friendly horse.



Thanks to; (left to right)

Nickolai Kraneis, Berlin, Germany

Karen Watland, painter, Cle Elum, WA

June Schull, painter, Cle Elum, WA

Rod Gould, painter, Greenwood, BC

Betty Buckley, camp cook

Tim Haines, painter, Spokane, WA

Lynn Haines, organizer Spokane, Wa
Mike Kowalski, instructor (sort of), Port Townsend, WA
not in the picture;
Rebecca Stauffer, pastel painter, Arcata, CA

Diana (Windy) Sanford, pastel painter, Wenatchee, WA

Neil Sanford, camp biologist

Judy Jensen, painter, Republic, WA

Molly Robinson, painter, Republic, WA

Hobo Stensgar, portrait model, Westfork, WA

AND...drum roll please..............

Betty S. Buckley, camp cook EXTRODINARE!!!

Without whom the whole event wouldn't have been nearly as comfortable, tasty and fun. Thankyou bunches Sweetie!

OMG! mouth watering meals to fuel the fires of plein air impressarios!

To see more pics; Plein Air Boot Camp Pics

Scotchman Peaks Plein Air Benefit, Hope, ID

Fourth year for the Scotchman Peak's Plein Air benefit and fund raiser.  10 or so artists showed up to paint the landscape in the area.
I love the Hope Marketplace.  Kally Thurman, art mavin extrodinaire is the area catalyst for art in the community which has numerous artists, authors and musicians.  The fishing ain't bad either.
Neil Wimborley and pals put on a great show, providing food, advertising and maps to participants.  Kally is the hostess and puts up many of the artists at her mansion of art on Lake Pend Oriel.

This year I hung out at the Cafe and painted the "Car Cabins" out back of the Market/Cafe/Gallery.  The "Car Cabins", were built in 1928 when the 2 hr trip from Spokane to the wilderness of Lake Pend Oriel was a two day trip and people came up to catch Kokanee and huge Dolly Vardin.  Today the Kokanee and Dolly's are scarce and a bounty is put on predator fish to try to resurrect the fishery.

The cabins are now the residence of visiting artists and authors.  As you can see, Kally has a penchant for the spectacular.  I don't think there is are any more extravagantly painted buildings outside of Mexico.  Luv it!

7th Annual PNW Plein Air Paintout and Show

For those that don't know, "plein air paintouts", are occasions when a number of artists descend on a community and paint the town or area for that matter.  The Pacific Northwest Plein Air Show is such an occasion.  40 artists from near and far away as Alaska have come to the beautiful and diverse landscape of the Columbia River Gorge.  We all painted mountains, rivers, towns and as in Aaron Johnson's case from Moscow, Idaho, dead fish lying on the beach at Stevenson.  Hmmmm....no telling what you will see from the creativity and talent of paintbrush impressarios.
Show time is this Friday in Hood River at the Columbia Art Center.  Love to see you there.

Black bird Bus