Train & Miniatures Show At the Enid Haupt Conservatory



 

Each year Chris and I attend the train and miniatures show at the NY Botanical Garden.  Most of the special events there are held in the beautiful Enid Haupt Conservatory pictured above. 

 

 

We always wait until the show is in its last week (that way all the kiddies are back in school) the crowd is also less substantial as well being that the holidays have come and gone.   There are always lots of trains and lights and all the NY buildings that are included in the displays are nestled beautifully inbetween the foliage and plants that are part of the conservatory's regular displays.

 

 

Each year I have to confess that my favorite part of the display is the replica fo the Enid Haupt Conservatory itself as I think it is a gorgeous building.  This was my favorite year as the conservatory and all the flora around it was just so full and gorgeous.

 

 

The front water feature as you come in the front door is always enhanced with a gorgeous display.  You can also see the Statue Of Liberty in the background as well.

 

 

Each building is created by artisans using twigs, branches, leaves, acorns, bark and a various smattering of more of nature's art supplies. 

 



I hope you enjoyed a little bit of this year's tour...........

A Holiday Art Show At The Millbrook NY Public Library

Each month the Millbrook Public Library showcases the work of a different Hudson Valley NY artist.  They have a lovely and large display area that they use as their "Off the wall gallery".  My work is being featured for the month of December with an opening reception Wednesday evening, December 5th .  Their art and music events are just wonderful.  My naturescapes on canvas will be up throughout the month, if you are in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello.  You can use the links below to click through to the Millbrook Library site.

 

Naturescapes on Canvas – Opening Reception Dec. 5th 6:30-8:00

Come meet artist Ruth Welter at the opening reception at the library on Wednesday, December 5th from 6:30-8:00. Light refreshments will be served.

Naturescapes on Canvas – December Off the Wall Gallery Exhibit

The Off the Wall Gallery presents the work of artist Ruth Welter during the month of December. Naturescapes on Canvas is an exhibit of multi-paneled acrylic paintings inspired by Ms. Welter’s love of the outdoors and her own garden.

A Haunted Halloween Pumpkin Garden

Last week we were able to take a trip to the botanical garden to see the haunted pumkin garden display that is put on each year.

We have had so many gloomy days in NY lately that is was actually shocking to get a nice enough day to head over to the city for a nice walk outside to see this really adorable halloween display.

Living in a constant haze of oppressive gloom (I know highly dramatice isn't it??  Maybe I should have been an actress) is a real damper on the artistic spirit.  I need to see the sun in my life to feel energized, I guess that is why I'm moving out of NY, so I can see the sun again.  But my weather complaints aside and believe me, I have a lot of them, this day was a lovely, mostly sunny fall day.

Some of the pumpkins are real and some are fake but all are artfully displayed and it was a lot of fun to walk through this garden last week and see how the creative minds at the garden have arranged their spooky pumpkins this year.

These were some of my favorites, scary scarecrow figures.  Really cute!!!!

This giant spider web was really adorable and very eye catching as you walk through the display.  Hope you have enjoyed the tour and have time to get out and see fun fall gardens in your own area.

Vacation Favorites - A Visit To The Bronx Zoo

Two weeks worth of vacation was well spent for house hunting and other fun day trips along the way.  We're under contract for a house in Orlando so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well over the next weeks with inspections and all the other usual house purchasing stuff that is yet to come.  I will say though, this house is perfect for us and the way we live so, hoping all goes smoothly.  The best part is, I will have a really big studio space, which I am thrilled about.

One of our fun day trips was to the Bronx Zoo, a favorite place of ours to visit that we just haven't had all that much chance to do as of late, due to Chris's busy schedule.  This week though, on an absolutely gorgeous, warm day, we journeyed to the zoo and had a thoroughly wonderful time.

One of my favorite stops was visiting the swans, they are just so beautiful.  You never know, maybe a swan painting is in order for the future.

One of Chris's favorite spots is the bird house......these toucans are just so pretty and we stood watching and photographing them for a long time.  They too I think, were watching us in return.

I love the polar bear habitat as well.  This guy looks like he is ready for a good nap though, it was a warm afternoon so we just snapped a few photos and moved on.

This grizzly bear was very active, no nap time for this guy.  He paced constantly and it was a bit challenging to get a good photo.  Then all of a sudden, he sat up against this tree and looked right at my camera as if to say "go ahead and take my picture".  This is one of my favorites of the day.

I have to say, I went a bit crazy chasing peacocks all over the zoo, every time I saw one, I was in hot persuit.  This ended up getting me some great shots. 

They were so friendly too, they would come right up to everyone.....looking for food of course, which is always a good reason but none the less, it helped me get some sweet picture of them.

Flowers From The NY Botanical Garden

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that the NY Botanical Garden is one of our favorite places to visit.  We go for all their special events and just throughout the year, whenever we can.



On a recent trip, I took lots of photos of their beautiful outdoor lily pond. 

There is a quiet beauty to this water garden that I never tire of and of course, beautiful photos can be taken at every imaginable spot at this pond.

I never know which visit to the garden or which set of photos will inspire a new future painting.

If you are an artist today, photos are one of the great sources of inspiration available to you.   I love my volumes of photos taken through the years because no matter what the season, I can turn to them for creative inspiration at any time. 

Taking lots of photos throughout the year enables me to always have a garden full of blooms to draw from, even in mid-winter.

Enjoy each and every new bloom in your own garden, making sure to take lots of photographs you can enjoy all year long.

Nickelback Concert

Friday Chris and I drove to Hartford Ct to see the Nickelback concert at the XL Center (we are big Nickelback fans). 

The drive itself was kind of a nightmare, we were stuck in rushhour traffic, due to some very poor planning on our part.  What would have normally taken us 2 hours took quite a bit longer. In addition, when all you can think about is how soon you can be at the bathroom door, it makes it a really long and suffering ride.

We planned to have a nice dinner before the concert but that got shelled because we were so late so we ended up wolfing down some fast food , while standing next to a trash can. (sigh)

The concert was AWESOME, we loved it and cannot wait to go back again sometime and hear them live.  They really put on such a great and entertaining show.

 I admit, I loved the pyro, I think aside from seeing this group live, it was the thing I was most looking forward too.  We were sitting very close to the stage so we got some great photos.  An extra added benefit of the pyro beyond how cool it was, is that our seats were quite chilly because a cold draft was blowing on us all night.  It was of course also, a cold night with high winds anyway so, we were a bit cold.  When the pyro exploded we would get a fabulous rush of warmth, boy did that feel good on such a chilly night.  By the end of the evening, we forgot all the problems with traffic, food and cold, we had such a great time.  If you are a fan of this group, they are very worth seeing in person, they put on quite a fabulous show.

Springtime Beauties........

Wishing everyone the happiest spring and Easter......enjoy the photos of these springtime beauties.