Boundary Waters

Well, this is a totally belated blog post, but I didn't want this experience to slip by without being recorded!  In August we went to the Boundary Waters in MN for a backpacking/canoeing trip with some good friends of ours.

When we got to Minnesota, they were experiencing record low temps - we had thought we'd be enjoying a nice, warm, summertime excursion, and it started out more like a late-fall backpacking trip.  Luckily, we all had warm clothes and pretty good wet weather gear.  The only way we suffered was with wet cold feet due to flooded portages!  The first day it was rainy and windy with a high of 48, and a low of 38 degrees!  There were not many pictures taken the first day. Hah.

Luckily, the second day it warmed up a bit, the sun came out, and we had a chance to dry off.

We got a chance to fish while paddling and while hanging out at the campsites.  This girl loves fishing,  Nate, on the other hand, was not really a 'fishing' kid - but I think this trip has converted him.  

We did a lot of paddling over the four days - averaging about 8 miles a day.  It was great fun and greatly exhausting - especially for this pair of motley paddlers!  

We'd carry our boat and gear alongside of any rapids in the portages - some brave souls would go though the rapids, but we decided to be wimps and not dump all of our gear in the 'drink.' :)

John - helping us navigate the twisted rivers.

My favorite campsite was the first campsite we stayed at - we were situated on a rock face that overlooked the water.  Sprawling on the arched rocks the second night by the fire with the stars above us was pretty wonderful.  

If I could fish every day I probably would. :)

The only night the mosquitoes got bad was the last night (thankfully!).  You can see us here in our full mosquito garb.

Our last night there was especially beautiful - the water was almost completely still.

And here we are after arriving back at the outfitters!  The last day of paddling was definetly the hardest - we had a ton of distance to cover, and after a while, we thought we'd never get there!  We paddled full force for about four hours.  Talk about a good workout!  Luckily we had some delicious burgers and a pint awaiting us once we got back.  

I'm game for going back anytime!  We had a great time with John, Deana, Giles, and Angie - our good pals and lucky for us our co-workers as well. :)

Colorado Adventure

Last week we set out on a road trip to Colorado to visit our good friends John & Heidi.  We did a ton of hiking and eating - and may have had a beer or two.

We had good weather the whole drive.  Some people bemoan driving through eastern South Dakota and Nebraska, but I love the rolling hills and wide-open spaces.

I also had a good amount of time to work on the lace scarf I've been chugging away at for what seems like ages.  It is finished now except for blocking!


We spent the first night in Denver, and then headed into the Mountains to John's parents' place to do some hiking.


John, Heidi, Nate, and I.

Snow!  It is much easier to hack a little bit of snow on the trails when it is 60 degrees and sunny.


At the 'Library' having a few drinks, and a ton of nachos.

On our last full day in the mountains, we set off on a 11 mile hike to Granite falls on the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Taking a break by the creek.

It was a great and challenging hike - we went through thick forest, meadows, nearby rivers, and then up to the falls.




On the way down we ran into a few Moose as well - this one was standing right on the trail.


It was a great trip, and it was a ton of fun to hang with John & Heidi.




The view from their apartment in Cap Hill on our last night in Denver. :)

Professional Roadie/ Wife

Nate and I spent the last few days in the Twin Cities.  He performed a concert at the Amsterdam Bar as part of the SEAMUS conference at McNally Smith College.  I tagged along to help him record the performance and to expertly pack and unpack music gear from vans.

He did a really great job, and it was fun to tag along and watch the other concerts too!

On a side-note - I'm completely ready for winter to be done.  I haven't even thought about my garden, and I probably should've started seeds already!  Hopefully it warms up quick - I've forgotten what sunshine feels like!

Everything all at Once - Progress in the Studio

I've been chugging along in the studio these last few weeks - slowly chipping away five paintings all at once.  Oil paint dries fairly slowly, so I like to have a lot of things going on at once.  The only downside to this method is that sometimes it feels like I go a long stretch without finishing anything.

I'm almost finished with both of these paintings at this point - I've just got to tighten them up a bit.  Another 4-5 hours on both of these and the'll be done. :)

I'm also making good progress on these tondos - they are a lot of fun.  I've got to add another layer of grey to the background to flatten out the color and get them super-smooth.  

Alongside the paintings, I've also been assembling some stretcher bars.  I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to materials and surfaces, so they usually take me a while to build.  I route the face of the lumber to create a raised edge for the canvas, and then chamfer the edges so there's a smooth transition for the canvas.  I think if I wasn't a painter, I'd probably be a woodworker.  

I'm hoping to do some large pieces - I've been waiting patiently for winter to end so that I can get back to building frames in the garage.  Unfortunately, we're going to be getting snow (argh!!) this week, so for now the cross braces on these pieces will have to wait.

Let's hope it warms up soon - but in the meantime - here's some shots of the South Dakota countryside:

Hope you all have an excellent week.

-Cassie 

Winter Landscape

I've been thinking a lot about landscape lately.

(South Dakota)

(Wisconsin)

(Our Backyard)

I may start working on some watercolors again to fill in the time spent waiting for oil paint layers to dry. I'm also looking forward to spring, and thinking about organizing another painting/camping trip with friends.  I'm not sick of winter yet though! :)  

The Neon Museum - Vegas Adventure

One of my favorite things we did while visiting Vegas was go to the Neon Museum.  It is a museum that collects all of the old signage from torn-down and defunct casinos, hotels, and restaraunts.  This place is an artist's dream.

Here's some of my photos from the tour. :)

If you are in Vegas I really think this is a must-see.  The museum itself is an effort of a group of young, energetic, wonderful people who are trying to re-new the 'old' vegas and reinvigorate the old downtown areas.  They are slowly re-wiring and restoring some of the older pieces and installing them in different locations across the city - preserving these wonderful examples of old signage and lighting for everyone to see and enjoy.  

Check it out here:

Neon Museum