Less than a month away
13/03/08 07:45
Observances
from PaintOut Artist, Peter Carolin:
Landscape painting is about slowing down in an age where everything is speeding up. It takes time to appreciate beauty. One needs to stop and take a long look at things to understand them. It may take a whole hour for a cloud to float across the sky. Sometimes, the sky does nothing all day, like a person too depressed to get out of bed.
But that person is beautiful. Afraid to get out of bed...not wanting to live in this rat race....chasing after a pot of gold.
Wanting life to have more meaning, but afraid to act. Wait, wait, waiting for your ship to come in.
When it does, it is full of color! The most plain, blah day can have the most beautiful sunset. How ironic. Perhaps people can be that way, too. Without anything flashy, without a pot of gold. Just the rainbow. The rainbow is inside each seemingly depressed, blah person. Each person is the treasure.
It is a treasure to see the king of the swamp slowly floating. The lotusses slowly openning. An insect softly singing. Color is nothing, just as the rainbow is the treasure.
If a person slows down enough at a big empty space like the praire, what appears to be nothing there seems to be a tiny motion within.
Knowing what you feel. Going inside oneself without pain, shame, worry and fear. Knowing who and what you really care about, and what makes you happy, takes some quiet time alone to slow down. Standing every day at the prairie feels like that moment at thanksgiving when one wonders what are you thankful for, except there is nothing new, nothing going on, nobody won a national championship, and you haven't gone any place special all year. You are forced to appreciate the most basic things, like color and gentle movement. Things that change so slowly that you can draw them, like a gentle breeze.
What is color? Color is nothing. You can't eat it. You can't buy anything with it. It's totally impractical. It is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It is the rainbow.
I'm the kind of person who hurries up in the morning, and at the end, but really slows down in the middle. I am eager to begin each task; then I pace myself, savor, and enjoy the task, working sideways, taking longer to complete it than it should; and then I have extra energy to sprint to the finish, to keep going hard and strong in the fourth quarter, to give 110%. I like my style, and enjoy my life. It seems out of pace with most people, but not everyone. There are several slow, conservative, and meditative people out there. I wonder if my way of being shows up in my artwork?
Landscape painting is about slowing down in an age where everything is speeding up. It takes time to appreciate beauty. One needs to stop and take a long look at things to understand them. It may take a whole hour for a cloud to float across the sky. Sometimes, the sky does nothing all day, like a person too depressed to get out of bed.
But that person is beautiful. Afraid to get out of bed...not wanting to live in this rat race....chasing after a pot of gold.
Wanting life to have more meaning, but afraid to act. Wait, wait, waiting for your ship to come in.
When it does, it is full of color! The most plain, blah day can have the most beautiful sunset. How ironic. Perhaps people can be that way, too. Without anything flashy, without a pot of gold. Just the rainbow. The rainbow is inside each seemingly depressed, blah person. Each person is the treasure.
It is a treasure to see the king of the swamp slowly floating. The lotusses slowly openning. An insect softly singing. Color is nothing, just as the rainbow is the treasure.
If a person slows down enough at a big empty space like the praire, what appears to be nothing there seems to be a tiny motion within.
Knowing what you feel. Going inside oneself without pain, shame, worry and fear. Knowing who and what you really care about, and what makes you happy, takes some quiet time alone to slow down. Standing every day at the prairie feels like that moment at thanksgiving when one wonders what are you thankful for, except there is nothing new, nothing going on, nobody won a national championship, and you haven't gone any place special all year. You are forced to appreciate the most basic things, like color and gentle movement. Things that change so slowly that you can draw them, like a gentle breeze.
What is color? Color is nothing. You can't eat it. You can't buy anything with it. It's totally impractical. It is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It is the rainbow.
I'm the kind of person who hurries up in the morning, and at the end, but really slows down in the middle. I am eager to begin each task; then I pace myself, savor, and enjoy the task, working sideways, taking longer to complete it than it should; and then I have extra energy to sprint to the finish, to keep going hard and strong in the fourth quarter, to give 110%. I like my style, and enjoy my life. It seems out of pace with most people, but not everyone. There are several slow, conservative, and meditative people out there. I wonder if my way of being shows up in my artwork?
The Countdown Continues: Story of a CD compilation
01/03/08 00:36
Its almost time for the guidebook to call itself complete.
In a few minutes I'm going over to WUFT to pick up the accompanying CD.
This very statement constitutes a miracle.
Somewhere along the line we decided that a CD of stories and music from
and about
this Heart of Florida would make the perfect complement to the
guidebook.
Picture this: the traveler picks up the guide and pops the Cd into
their car's player and hits the trail.
On comes a variety of songs and stories portraying this place we all
love.
The Florida Songwriters: from GrandDad Will McClean to Don Grooms and
Dale Crider; we hear
ballads and environmental classics which are accompanied by
contemporary artists like
Cathy DeWitt, Bob Patterson, Bobby Hicks, Anna Moo, Janet Rucker and
the glorious Washington Sisters.
There is even a folk song crooned by Zora Neal Hurston, herself.
Its a beautiful and emotional group of tracks. You can hear the
Sandhill Cranes as the melody
behind McClean's classic 'Dance of the Sandhill Crane'...it gives you
goose bumps.
Young Lee Staley plays fiddle behind our favorite young poet, 7th
generation Floridian,
Callie Thompson and there's an abundance of Florida love songs. Woven
into the songs are stories,
some from the WUFT archives like a funny excerpt from Marjorie Carr's
Memorial Service and a great quirky
piece by JT Glisson about catfishing on Orange Lake. Shelley Frazier
Mickle explains how the
men of Cross Creek take the romancing of a woman very seriously and
there's a sweet piece
on our literary patron saint, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
but I'm ahead of myself...
Our only problem was that we knew nothing about compiling a CD of
stories and music...and our timeframe was very squeezed because our
modest 62 page guide
had morphed to 96 pages. With Stewart cloistered away immersed in
layout and Jacqui
running around collecting guidebook content; the Cd fell to me.
What happened is truly a great community story.
First Donna Green Townsend and Bill Beckett
over at the WUFT-FM News Dept, our public radio station agreed
to entertain the idea that they might help us by doing the audio
and editing that audio.
Then Musician and "Across the Prairie" Radio Host, Cathy DeWitt
agreed to help me pick some Florida Music.
From there, in the past few weeks these true angels have
adopted this project as their own and passionately walked me through
the making of a CD until today I get to go and pick it up!
Amazing.
Next week the Cd Master gets mailed to be manufactured
and then shipped to where the guide is being printed.
The printers will insert a CD into each guide!
When the 15000 guides come home to us at the end of March...
in one short month; we'll be ready to distribute them and open the trail
at the start of the paintout!
This is our cultural community at its finest.
Be prepared to sing along!
Annie
Preserving Our Treasures: Paynes Prairie
01/03/08 00:27
All
I can say is we seem to take three steps forward and 2
steps back! The irony is palpable among us this week
when, in the midst of pulling the guide content to
completion, we were stopped in our tracks an email from
our friend Kathy Cantwell, who informed everyone that
the Gainesville Country Club Homeowners Association
wants the County Commission to "change the land use on
25 acres adjacent to the Prairie from recreation to
multi family residential."
You would think that we would have learned by now that our beloved Prairie is beyond compromising for a few 'privilaged folks' but apparently we're still not there. Many already hold the awareness that we are the fortunate because we have this wild and largely unspoiled treasure. Others have come to understand that keeping the Prairie in its wild and natural state increases the value of the whole community. Its been our experience over the past 6 years that we had to justify the Prairie, economically before some would reluctantly agree to leave it alone. So here it is, We now know that our natural resources are worth more
economically if they are preserved rather than developed!
It is the truth. Below is an insightful article Stewart wrote to the Commission. It says it all.
Write the Commission at: bocca@alachuacounty.us
While the County Commission has approved the plans, there are still several steps ahead before the buildings are put in place. Please, stand up together for the Prairie!
Annie Pais
Hello Member of the Board of County Commissioners.
I am writing to you in regard to the motion to change development rights along the Prairie Rim, specifically at the Country Club.
It is ironic that I am taking time out from laying out the guidebook for the new HEART OF FLORIDA SCENIC TRAIL in order to write this brief letter. The trail guide is a portrait of Alachua and Marion Counties that is generating more interest than we ever believed possible. It is being seen as the 'state of the art' portrayal of our region as a place with cutting edge economic, environmental, cultural, and social ideas. Businesses are approaching us to ask how they can have copies to send out to prospective home buyers, students, and business clients. M.M. Parrish Coldwell Banker is going to give a copy to every new home buyer who works with one of their 135 agents in the area.
What is this portrait? That we are a place fortunate enough to have preserved our assets for decades. That these assets are now like money in the bank. They are what make us special. What are those assets: first and foremost our natural beauty. second: our preservation of ecosystems. third: a community that is concerned with quality of life on all levels. These assets feed our economy, keep residents and businesses in town, make us attractive to professors and researchers, and the list goes on.
This is not the time to reverse the trend. Giving up the views from the Prairie to allow a few buildings to be built is a poor precedent and bad policy.
I urge you not only to vote against this land use change, but to make a strong statement that the commission will never allow the integrity of the Prairie to be compromised.
I leave you with a final image: we don't have beaches or an ocean in this part of Florida, but for Gainesville and Alachua County, Paynes Prairie is like our ocean. It is one of the most bio-diverse regions of Florida, it offers tranquility to all our residents, it has a long and storied heritage. Miami lined its beaches with high rises and blocked the ocean view for everyone. Would we do this to our prairie.
I hope it doesn't start on your watch.
Thank you for your consideration,
Stewart J. Thomas
352-514-3838
palmstone@gmail.com
You would think that we would have learned by now that our beloved Prairie is beyond compromising for a few 'privilaged folks' but apparently we're still not there. Many already hold the awareness that we are the fortunate because we have this wild and largely unspoiled treasure. Others have come to understand that keeping the Prairie in its wild and natural state increases the value of the whole community. Its been our experience over the past 6 years that we had to justify the Prairie, economically before some would reluctantly agree to leave it alone. So here it is, We now know that our natural resources are worth more
economically if they are preserved rather than developed!
It is the truth. Below is an insightful article Stewart wrote to the Commission. It says it all.
Write the Commission at: bocca@alachuacounty.us
While the County Commission has approved the plans, there are still several steps ahead before the buildings are put in place. Please, stand up together for the Prairie!
Annie Pais
Hello Member of the Board of County Commissioners.
I am writing to you in regard to the motion to change development rights along the Prairie Rim, specifically at the Country Club.
It is ironic that I am taking time out from laying out the guidebook for the new HEART OF FLORIDA SCENIC TRAIL in order to write this brief letter. The trail guide is a portrait of Alachua and Marion Counties that is generating more interest than we ever believed possible. It is being seen as the 'state of the art' portrayal of our region as a place with cutting edge economic, environmental, cultural, and social ideas. Businesses are approaching us to ask how they can have copies to send out to prospective home buyers, students, and business clients. M.M. Parrish Coldwell Banker is going to give a copy to every new home buyer who works with one of their 135 agents in the area.
What is this portrait? That we are a place fortunate enough to have preserved our assets for decades. That these assets are now like money in the bank. They are what make us special. What are those assets: first and foremost our natural beauty. second: our preservation of ecosystems. third: a community that is concerned with quality of life on all levels. These assets feed our economy, keep residents and businesses in town, make us attractive to professors and researchers, and the list goes on.
This is not the time to reverse the trend. Giving up the views from the Prairie to allow a few buildings to be built is a poor precedent and bad policy.
I urge you not only to vote against this land use change, but to make a strong statement that the commission will never allow the integrity of the Prairie to be compromised.
I leave you with a final image: we don't have beaches or an ocean in this part of Florida, but for Gainesville and Alachua County, Paynes Prairie is like our ocean. It is one of the most bio-diverse regions of Florida, it offers tranquility to all our residents, it has a long and storied heritage. Miami lined its beaches with high rises and blocked the ocean view for everyone. Would we do this to our prairie.
I hope it doesn't start on your watch.
Thank you for your consideration,
Stewart J. Thomas
352-514-3838
palmstone@gmail.com
Orange Lake Overlook: So many views . . .
01/03/08 00:21
(above) Orange Lake Overlook in Winter, by Stacey Breheny
(above) Orange Season, by Aliye Cullu
(above) Overlook Sunset, by Julie Robitaille
The Land is Alive; and Artists and Chocolate
02/02/08 17:57
Count
down till PaintOut
68 days
2 February 2008
February 2nd dawns clear and sweet with long shadows stretching out ahead of the day!
Last weekend a childhood friend of mine materialized out of the past and landed here for a short visit...less than 24 hours.
I put him in the car and drove out to Micanopy for lunch. As we pulled off 441 and onto Cholokka I slowed the car to a crawl and watched his eyes try to take in the whole picture of where he was, so foreign to a Connecticut Yankee. There was a small Farmer's Market set up in front of Mosswood Store and just enough traffic to feel energized. He reacted to the Herlong Mansion and was filled with typical questions about Live Oaks and Spanish Moss. We parked and as we walked across the street, I caught sight of Helen Suits and her Chocolate Stand!
Helen had set up her version of a "lemonade" Chocolate Stand by Gallery Under the Oaks/Micanopy Chamber of Commerce. She was handing our samples of truffles and turtles! We tried everything she'd give us and
bought more. I suddenly realized we could have our own Chocolatier at the PaintOut and visions of how happy the artists would be just made me dance around on the spot!! Helen seemed overwhelmed with the invitation
and the prospect of being with the artists for a week of painting and chocolates...a match made in heaven.
Lunch was yummy although almost everyone else was licking on immense homemade ice cream cones. We walked around town some more and admired the antiques, old Florida books and architecture. I showed him some great examples of cracker houses, some simple and others grander in scale. He kept exclaiming about how he had no idea it was like this here.
We took 'the Trail' through Evinston, making note of what was growing in Freddy's garden and on to McIntosh where the roads grew around the Live Oaks. We drove up and down every street...he just couldn't get
enough. I showed him where the painters would be; in the park and down in between the Depot and the Carriage House....imagining how the wintery look of the gardens (wintery for Florida!) will soon give way to lush greens and flowers.
From there we went to the top of the OLO, the Orange Lake Overlook.
The OLO is my current favorite place.
We're going to be partnering with Sean Dowie to begin booking classes and workshops into the package house/soon to be classroom.
I plan to be out there as much as possible. The view is pretty amazing. Its got to be the highest spot around with the longest vista.
I'm thrilled that it is one of the designated paintout sites this year...just imagine the paintings this year!
We watched 1/2 the sunset and jumped in the car to continue watching it from the Prairie. Suddenly I was determined to find an Alligator and there they were, not one but two hefty gators hanging out in the
fading pools of warmth. They looked like truck tires.
I really do love not being the top of the food chain. Our land has wildness and mystery. Its Alive. A few years ago I met a woman at a downtown function. When I asked her
where she was from, she said Naples, Florida. Then she said this and I've quoted her many times,
"Your land is still alive, ours is dead. People in Naples no longer know their land is dead; its not even part of the conversation. But it has made us different. Your land its still alive. You still have wildness and mystery. You must tell everyone how they have to keep the land alive...its so important."
She grabbed onto my arm; her eyes full of desperation to have me hear her. "Promise me," she commanded, "You have no idea what a difference it makes and how lucky you are. Once its gone, its gone."
This guidebook is a proactive way of commanding our region's future well being.
Annie Pais
Paintings Below:
Top: "Orange Lake Palms" by Chuck Manning
Below: "Orange Lake in Orange" by Charles Dickinson
68 days
2 February 2008
February 2nd dawns clear and sweet with long shadows stretching out ahead of the day!
Last weekend a childhood friend of mine materialized out of the past and landed here for a short visit...less than 24 hours.
I put him in the car and drove out to Micanopy for lunch. As we pulled off 441 and onto Cholokka I slowed the car to a crawl and watched his eyes try to take in the whole picture of where he was, so foreign to a Connecticut Yankee. There was a small Farmer's Market set up in front of Mosswood Store and just enough traffic to feel energized. He reacted to the Herlong Mansion and was filled with typical questions about Live Oaks and Spanish Moss. We parked and as we walked across the street, I caught sight of Helen Suits and her Chocolate Stand!
Helen had set up her version of a "lemonade" Chocolate Stand by Gallery Under the Oaks/Micanopy Chamber of Commerce. She was handing our samples of truffles and turtles! We tried everything she'd give us and
bought more. I suddenly realized we could have our own Chocolatier at the PaintOut and visions of how happy the artists would be just made me dance around on the spot!! Helen seemed overwhelmed with the invitation
and the prospect of being with the artists for a week of painting and chocolates...a match made in heaven.
Lunch was yummy although almost everyone else was licking on immense homemade ice cream cones. We walked around town some more and admired the antiques, old Florida books and architecture. I showed him some great examples of cracker houses, some simple and others grander in scale. He kept exclaiming about how he had no idea it was like this here.
We took 'the Trail' through Evinston, making note of what was growing in Freddy's garden and on to McIntosh where the roads grew around the Live Oaks. We drove up and down every street...he just couldn't get
enough. I showed him where the painters would be; in the park and down in between the Depot and the Carriage House....imagining how the wintery look of the gardens (wintery for Florida!) will soon give way to lush greens and flowers.
From there we went to the top of the OLO, the Orange Lake Overlook.
The OLO is my current favorite place.
We're going to be partnering with Sean Dowie to begin booking classes and workshops into the package house/soon to be classroom.
I plan to be out there as much as possible. The view is pretty amazing. Its got to be the highest spot around with the longest vista.
I'm thrilled that it is one of the designated paintout sites this year...just imagine the paintings this year!
We watched 1/2 the sunset and jumped in the car to continue watching it from the Prairie. Suddenly I was determined to find an Alligator and there they were, not one but two hefty gators hanging out in the
fading pools of warmth. They looked like truck tires.
I really do love not being the top of the food chain. Our land has wildness and mystery. Its Alive. A few years ago I met a woman at a downtown function. When I asked her
where she was from, she said Naples, Florida. Then she said this and I've quoted her many times,
"Your land is still alive, ours is dead. People in Naples no longer know their land is dead; its not even part of the conversation. But it has made us different. Your land its still alive. You still have wildness and mystery. You must tell everyone how they have to keep the land alive...its so important."
She grabbed onto my arm; her eyes full of desperation to have me hear her. "Promise me," she commanded, "You have no idea what a difference it makes and how lucky you are. Once its gone, its gone."
This guidebook is a proactive way of commanding our region's future well being.
Annie Pais
Paintings Below:
Top: "Orange Lake Palms" by Chuck Manning
Below: "Orange Lake in Orange" by Charles Dickinson
Paint the OLO
26/01/08 17:56
I
have painted at the Orange Lake overlook for about 20
years. The lake changes over time from almost dry to an
abundance of water. It is my favorite place to study
the clouds. There is no better location to do
cloudscapes. Late afternoon brings large billowing
clouds full of color. I hosted the Alabama Plein Air
Artists at the overlook two weeks ago. The day was
bitter and dark but we pushed on to complete a
painting. They were enamored with the view as we all
are. I told them about the old building on site that
was a Citrus Shop and the orange groves of a generation
ago. They are gone but not forgotten. I feel an urgency
to paint these examples of living history before they
become housing developments. I'm so grateful to be
included in this years paint out. We are recording the
land and culture of north central Florida for the
present and future. Artists are unique historians in a
way. Our job is to help others see the priceless beauty
that is right under their noses. They are too busy to
stop and enjoy the view and that is where we come in.
We record it for them to enjoy in their homes and
offices. I like to think of landscape paintings
as a short vacation from the stress and worries we live
with in a modern society.
Orange Lake in Winter
12x16 inches
oil on panel
Have a great week.
Linda Blondheim
Paint Out Artist
Orange Lake in Winter
12x16 inches
oil on panel
Have a great week.
Linda Blondheim
Paint Out Artist
76 days till Paintout
26/01/08 17:49
Count
Down to PaintOut
76 Days to go!
Your News!
PaintOut Artist, Nancy Moskovitz writes....
Think like the Olympics? This paint out is the Olympics. Plein air painting is calisthenics; you build your painting muscles for studio work and for paint outs. Then for the HoFL paint out, you are painting with the best plein air artists in Florida. There is excitement, an audience, and weather. There is also the gestalt of the individual artist. Some have situations calling them away or preoccupying their thoughts. Last time we had one artist miss much due to a stomach flu, and an other who soldiered on with a broken painting arm. There are no do overs like when Tanya Harding had a broken skate lace.
Nancy Moskovitz
Paint Out Artist
January 26th, 2008
The artists are sending us plenty of images painted in the designated sites. We take beaks to admire them and to rejuvenate ourselves. Thank you artists!
We're using these for the massive promotion of the PaintOut. To let the public know about this week long event we're querying magazines, newspapers, and travel sites.
We're making postcards, posters and other materials to be sent out and placed around the area. Its a huge job just to market this event!
I'm happy to report our latest two successful queries for articles which will appear in Arbus Magazine (Jacksonville) and nationally distributed, Southern Tour Magazine. Locally we'll be in Gainesville Magazine and two different articles in Ocala Style Magazine.
I'm determined to make it deeper into the national press...contacts anyone?
Please do help us connect with media, local, state and national.
Meanwhile we're shifting into higher gears with the production of the Heart of Florida Scenic Trail Guide. As you know the Paintout, April 11-18th is the kick off celebration for the opening of the Heart of Florida Scenic Trail. That means we go to press with the full color gorgeous guide book soon in order to have it back and distributed by April 11th! Yikes! The paintout calalog/collectors guide will be part of the Trail Guide this year. The combination will really make a beautiful keepsake Commemorative Edition!
Its still chilly here in Florida's heartland!
Looks like winter too.
I keep hoping for a glimpse of those mythic buffalo...ever hopeful me. They sometimes come closer to the Visitor's Center and are easier to see at the Prairie at this time of year.
We're enjoying our winter harvests here in the perennial gardens. Lot's of greens for salads and cooking, root vegies for roasting, great Seminole pumpkins... my favorite and yet more citrus. How lucky are we! The farmer's markets are full and so is Freddy Wood's store; The Wood and Swink Old Store and Post Office in Evinston, the capital of veggies and plein air painting! Drop in and say hi.
The camellias are in full bloom, its a terrific time to hit the trails or sign up for one of Lars Anderson's canoe/kayak trips. Call Lars at Adventure OutPost : 386-454-0611 or email at
Riverguide2000@yahoo.com Tell him Annie says hello.
If you're itching for a book on our Heart of Florida; here's a few favorites:
Paynes Prairie by Lars Anderson, a terrific history of our beloved and exotic Prairie.
Mirage by Cynthia Barnett, my pick this year about Florida's water issues
Cross Creek by our patron saint, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Creek by Evinston resident and our friend JT Glisson who grew up next door to MKR
Either of Freddy Wood's books on Evinston and his family history which are available at the Wood and Swink, a great glimpse into the area and fun to read.
A Land Remembered by our State Author, Patrick Smith...I'm ready to read this again!
Write to me at awpais@aol.com, I'd love to hear from you!
Annie
76 Days to go!
Your News!
PaintOut Artist, Nancy Moskovitz writes....
Think like the Olympics? This paint out is the Olympics. Plein air painting is calisthenics; you build your painting muscles for studio work and for paint outs. Then for the HoFL paint out, you are painting with the best plein air artists in Florida. There is excitement, an audience, and weather. There is also the gestalt of the individual artist. Some have situations calling them away or preoccupying their thoughts. Last time we had one artist miss much due to a stomach flu, and an other who soldiered on with a broken painting arm. There are no do overs like when Tanya Harding had a broken skate lace.
Nancy Moskovitz
Paint Out Artist
January 26th, 2008
The artists are sending us plenty of images painted in the designated sites. We take beaks to admire them and to rejuvenate ourselves. Thank you artists!
We're using these for the massive promotion of the PaintOut. To let the public know about this week long event we're querying magazines, newspapers, and travel sites.
We're making postcards, posters and other materials to be sent out and placed around the area. Its a huge job just to market this event!
I'm happy to report our latest two successful queries for articles which will appear in Arbus Magazine (Jacksonville) and nationally distributed, Southern Tour Magazine. Locally we'll be in Gainesville Magazine and two different articles in Ocala Style Magazine.
I'm determined to make it deeper into the national press...contacts anyone?
Please do help us connect with media, local, state and national.
Meanwhile we're shifting into higher gears with the production of the Heart of Florida Scenic Trail Guide. As you know the Paintout, April 11-18th is the kick off celebration for the opening of the Heart of Florida Scenic Trail. That means we go to press with the full color gorgeous guide book soon in order to have it back and distributed by April 11th! Yikes! The paintout calalog/collectors guide will be part of the Trail Guide this year. The combination will really make a beautiful keepsake Commemorative Edition!
Its still chilly here in Florida's heartland!
Looks like winter too.
I keep hoping for a glimpse of those mythic buffalo...ever hopeful me. They sometimes come closer to the Visitor's Center and are easier to see at the Prairie at this time of year.
We're enjoying our winter harvests here in the perennial gardens. Lot's of greens for salads and cooking, root vegies for roasting, great Seminole pumpkins... my favorite and yet more citrus. How lucky are we! The farmer's markets are full and so is Freddy Wood's store; The Wood and Swink Old Store and Post Office in Evinston, the capital of veggies and plein air painting! Drop in and say hi.
The camellias are in full bloom, its a terrific time to hit the trails or sign up for one of Lars Anderson's canoe/kayak trips. Call Lars at Adventure OutPost : 386-454-0611 or email at
Riverguide2000@yahoo.com Tell him Annie says hello.
If you're itching for a book on our Heart of Florida; here's a few favorites:
Paynes Prairie by Lars Anderson, a terrific history of our beloved and exotic Prairie.
Mirage by Cynthia Barnett, my pick this year about Florida's water issues
Cross Creek by our patron saint, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Creek by Evinston resident and our friend JT Glisson who grew up next door to MKR
Either of Freddy Wood's books on Evinston and his family history which are available at the Wood and Swink, a great glimpse into the area and fun to read.
A Land Remembered by our State Author, Patrick Smith...I'm ready to read this again!
Write to me at awpais@aol.com, I'd love to hear from you!
Annie
84 days till Paintout!
12/01/08 15:24
84
days till Paintout!
In all of our craziness; we're thankful to remember why we're doing all of this!
Driving South down SR 441, on the new Heart of Florida Scenic Trail out of Gainesville; I'm crossing the Prairie with its elegant wintery colors and textures. Patterns of russets, violet grays and golds as far as I can see.
This Prairie is our defining body. It changes all the time like a lake edge or seashore. It gives us urban dwellers the luxury of wide open breathing space. A savannah, a primal place where we humans are not necessarily the top of the food chain...seriously.
We love our wild, mysterious Prairie with its alligators, waterbirds, SNAKES, deer, assorted small mammals, wild horses and its mythical herd of Buffalo.
It literally marks the place where the American Hardwoods meet the Southern Tropicals and the low palm studded fields and hillsides to the south look less like the U.S. and more like the Africa... to which 'la Florida' once connected. 'La Florida', land of Flowers.
I roll down the car windows and breathe.
The prairie also marks the beginning of an area where Alachua County has conserved approximately 60,000 total acres of this exotic land.
We are part of the land. We want to keep our wildness and mystery intact. We want land which lives, is alive. So much of the state is now dead. We know we must be proactive to preserve as much as possible.
The tiny hamlets around the lakes in this area are home to many small working farms. They want to stay working farms. They teach us the value of our rich rural heritage. We want to do what we can to help them to prosper and remain stewards of the land. The communities of Micanopy, McIntosh, Cross Creek and Evinston are each so important to our lives. We've gained immeasurably by our time spent getting to know them.
The Sand Hill Cranes are here for the winter season. Thousands of them arrived just before the holiday vacation and for a week, the skies were filled with their beloved heralding calls. Now we see them regularly in the cow pastures. Many species of birds are here for the winter...and the bird watchers too. The Great Florida Birding Trail winds its way through this region and into the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.
How lucky am I!
Annie
Sandhill Crane Photo by Sean Dowie
In all of our craziness; we're thankful to remember why we're doing all of this!
Driving South down SR 441, on the new Heart of Florida Scenic Trail out of Gainesville; I'm crossing the Prairie with its elegant wintery colors and textures. Patterns of russets, violet grays and golds as far as I can see.
This Prairie is our defining body. It changes all the time like a lake edge or seashore. It gives us urban dwellers the luxury of wide open breathing space. A savannah, a primal place where we humans are not necessarily the top of the food chain...seriously.
We love our wild, mysterious Prairie with its alligators, waterbirds, SNAKES, deer, assorted small mammals, wild horses and its mythical herd of Buffalo.
It literally marks the place where the American Hardwoods meet the Southern Tropicals and the low palm studded fields and hillsides to the south look less like the U.S. and more like the Africa... to which 'la Florida' once connected. 'La Florida', land of Flowers.
I roll down the car windows and breathe.
The prairie also marks the beginning of an area where Alachua County has conserved approximately 60,000 total acres of this exotic land.
We are part of the land. We want to keep our wildness and mystery intact. We want land which lives, is alive. So much of the state is now dead. We know we must be proactive to preserve as much as possible.
The tiny hamlets around the lakes in this area are home to many small working farms. They want to stay working farms. They teach us the value of our rich rural heritage. We want to do what we can to help them to prosper and remain stewards of the land. The communities of Micanopy, McIntosh, Cross Creek and Evinston are each so important to our lives. We've gained immeasurably by our time spent getting to know them.
The Sand Hill Cranes are here for the winter season. Thousands of them arrived just before the holiday vacation and for a week, the skies were filled with their beloved heralding calls. Now we see them regularly in the cow pastures. Many species of birds are here for the winter...and the bird watchers too. The Great Florida Birding Trail winds its way through this region and into the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.
How lucky am I!
Annie
Sandhill Crane Photo by Sean Dowie
94 days to the Heart of Florida Paint Out
09/01/08 10:41
We
are on the fast track to gather sponsors, small towns
and trail sites for the Heart of Florida Scenic Trail.
This year's Paintout is the kick off celebration for
the rollout of the inaugural trail!
You could say, we've really done it to ourselves this time.
Its truly mind blowing that we'll be able to pull this off...but somehow it will all come together.
The Heart of Florida Scenic Trail Guide and CD is our way of creating a portrait of this treasured place we all love so well. It will be a full color book with maps and things to see and do along the way...between Gainesville and Ocala. Getting travelers off the interstates, onto our scenic back roads and into the small towns to enjoy the local haunts, stay in locally run places, eat the regional cuisine, shop the local stores...you get the idea.
Its like, when we go somewhere new; what do we want? That's exactly what we're creating for visitors.
Just to be even cooler, we're also making an accompanying CD with area stories and music. You'll just pop the CD into the car's player and hit the trail.
We'll be giving the trail guide away at the PaintOut...where the artists will be painting in actual trail sites.
Its going to be amazing!
Evinston's palm studded pastures, the old frontier era buildings and century farmhouses, the hay rides to Orange Lake where the palm forest slides right into the lake and wildlife is so abundant. The Victorian village of McIntosh with its Live Oak framed roads, spanish moss, sweet old houses...straight out of the 1800's, and then the Orange Lake Overlook-OLO...with its breathtaking views a top the hill from the vintage Huff Citrus Co., now the WindMill Gallery. Its Painters' Heaven.
Sponsorships and sites have to be gathered by the end of the month!
Yikes, wish us luck!
You could say, we've really done it to ourselves this time.
Its truly mind blowing that we'll be able to pull this off...but somehow it will all come together.
The Heart of Florida Scenic Trail Guide and CD is our way of creating a portrait of this treasured place we all love so well. It will be a full color book with maps and things to see and do along the way...between Gainesville and Ocala. Getting travelers off the interstates, onto our scenic back roads and into the small towns to enjoy the local haunts, stay in locally run places, eat the regional cuisine, shop the local stores...you get the idea.
Its like, when we go somewhere new; what do we want? That's exactly what we're creating for visitors.
Just to be even cooler, we're also making an accompanying CD with area stories and music. You'll just pop the CD into the car's player and hit the trail.
We'll be giving the trail guide away at the PaintOut...where the artists will be painting in actual trail sites.
Its going to be amazing!
Evinston's palm studded pastures, the old frontier era buildings and century farmhouses, the hay rides to Orange Lake where the palm forest slides right into the lake and wildlife is so abundant. The Victorian village of McIntosh with its Live Oak framed roads, spanish moss, sweet old houses...straight out of the 1800's, and then the Orange Lake Overlook-OLO...with its breathtaking views a top the hill from the vintage Huff Citrus Co., now the WindMill Gallery. Its Painters' Heaven.
Sponsorships and sites have to be gathered by the end of the month!
Yikes, wish us luck!
Count Down to the Heart of Florida Paint Out
27/12/07 21:02
102
days till PaintOut!
Its a fast 100+ days until we kick off this marathon of all Southeastern American art events, the Heart of Florida PaintOut: April 11-18th, 2008.
45 top professional artists will travel to participate in this grueling adventure where they'll be painting for six straight days, dawn till dusk, outside, on location.
Where? Where else? In the very Heart of Florida!
This year we're inviting you to come behind the scenes with us as we prepare to put on this unique nine day event. By tuning into this interactive site, you'll experience first hand how one of these huge paintouts comes together. You'll join us for the inside track...a reality show complete with personal stories about the artists, the places, and the people
we'll meet. You'll be treated to first hand descriptions by the artists as they explore the sites and you'll see their first pre-event paintings wet off their easels.
Its emotional, its fun, its frustrating and its amazing how it all struggles to come together by opening day! Join in too. If you have memories of our past paintouts, we'd love to
hear from you. Along the way we'll include some of your stories,
email them to me at awpais@aol.com
SAVE THE DATE AND PLAN YOUR TRIP NOW!
We'll be posting much more information as we move along, so you can explore planning your trip to join us in April.
We'll give you suggestions about where to stay according to your different interests and provide you with all the various travel information websites we have through our partnering
local agencies.
This year's paintout is The Kick Off Celebration for the Inaugural Edition of the Heart of Florida Scenic Trail Guide and CD. The first 10,000 copies of this Commemorative Edition will be given out free to you beginning in April and at this year's paintout. The guidebook will include the paintout catalogue information and is designed especially to be a keepsake you'll treasure as a memory of your experience with us.
For many years we've been planning and creating a self guided tour book which invites you to experience this extraordinary part of Florida as we do, by traveling our scenic back roads and discovering all of the natural wonders, the breathtakingly beautiful vistas, the startling small hamlets and culturally rich urban towns we call home.
We're excited to finally make our dreams reality and take you with us as we pull it all together by April.
Please do help us spread the word by passing this on to friends. Media and Press may contact us directly.
We welcome you.
Annie Pais
Stewart Thomas
CoDirectors of Florida's Eden
Its a fast 100+ days until we kick off this marathon of all Southeastern American art events, the Heart of Florida PaintOut: April 11-18th, 2008.
45 top professional artists will travel to participate in this grueling adventure where they'll be painting for six straight days, dawn till dusk, outside, on location.
Where? Where else? In the very Heart of Florida!
This year we're inviting you to come behind the scenes with us as we prepare to put on this unique nine day event. By tuning into this interactive site, you'll experience first hand how one of these huge paintouts comes together. You'll join us for the inside track...a reality show complete with personal stories about the artists, the places, and the people
we'll meet. You'll be treated to first hand descriptions by the artists as they explore the sites and you'll see their first pre-event paintings wet off their easels.
Its emotional, its fun, its frustrating and its amazing how it all struggles to come together by opening day! Join in too. If you have memories of our past paintouts, we'd love to
hear from you. Along the way we'll include some of your stories,
email them to me at awpais@aol.com
SAVE THE DATE AND PLAN YOUR TRIP NOW!
We'll be posting much more information as we move along, so you can explore planning your trip to join us in April.
We'll give you suggestions about where to stay according to your different interests and provide you with all the various travel information websites we have through our partnering
local agencies.
This year's paintout is The Kick Off Celebration for the Inaugural Edition of the Heart of Florida Scenic Trail Guide and CD. The first 10,000 copies of this Commemorative Edition will be given out free to you beginning in April and at this year's paintout. The guidebook will include the paintout catalogue information and is designed especially to be a keepsake you'll treasure as a memory of your experience with us.
For many years we've been planning and creating a self guided tour book which invites you to experience this extraordinary part of Florida as we do, by traveling our scenic back roads and discovering all of the natural wonders, the breathtakingly beautiful vistas, the startling small hamlets and culturally rich urban towns we call home.
We're excited to finally make our dreams reality and take you with us as we pull it all together by April.
Please do help us spread the word by passing this on to friends. Media and Press may contact us directly.
We welcome you.
Annie Pais
Stewart Thomas
CoDirectors of Florida's Eden