Aye, 'Twas a Fine Week

The 2011 Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highlands Festival is over. Dennis and I were there on Sunday, he painted plein air and I volunteered in the Cultural Arts Council tent. In honor of our celtic friends, I offer these photos taken that last day. 

"Captain, there be camels!"

This gentleman and his Irish wolfhound were very dignified.

A Scottish Royal Guard posed next to his portrait. Fine looking lad, wouldn't you say?

This handsome couple in tartan plaid graciously allowed me to photograph them.

Irish entertainer Seamus Kennedy caught me readying my camera for a shot and stopped in the middle of his performance for this photo. A good sport, funny and very talented.

Another talented artist -- my husband Dennis Reinke -- painting "Bill Colby" plein air.

Here Bill stands beside the finished portrait.

This was the first year the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park was asked to participate in the festival. Dennis joined other artists in documenting the event with paints and canvas. We had a wonderful time and hope it will be the first of many more to come. 

Work continues on Dennis' studio. The carpenters re-sided the area around the front window, using the boards from the old barn doors. . .

Dennis' hard work in salvaging the boards paid off. . .

Drywall around the storage room has been completed. . .

Electrical and lighting installation is finished. . .

Now Dennis is applying a textured finish to the drywall. The new wood-burning stove is scheduled for installation on September 23rd, just in time for the Estes Park studio tour on the 24th.

Even with all they had to accomplish on the barn this week, the carpenters still found time to install the new door on the front of our cabin. . .

Remember how the old door looked?

Big improvement, don't you think? The glass in the door opens up the dining room, making it appear larger. . .

New trim around the door will finish it off. 

Thanks for checking in. I leave you with this Celtic blessing. . .

Blessing Of The Three

The Sacred Three 

My fortress be 

Encircling me, 

Come and be round 

My hearth, my home.

Fend Thou my kin 

And every sleeping thing within 

From scathe, from sin. 

Thy care our peace 

Through mid of night 

To light's release.

Nancy

Haste Ye Back

My brother and sister-in-law came for a visit this week. We showed them the local sites, starting with a morning drive to Allenspark. Along the way I got a nice shot of Longs Peak. . .

This close up of the aspen reflected in the pond reminds me of a Dennis Reinke painting. . .

After a yummy breakfast at Meadow Mountain Cafe, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a drive up Old Fall River Road. We had driven less than a mile when we came across this bull elk out for a stroll -- just lolligagging on the side of the road. Lolligagging, I tell you.  We stopped to take a photo. The bull kept walking until he reached our car. Then he stopped and posed for us. . .

After we took our snapshots, he moved on. No doubt looking for another photo op. . .

Next stop Chasm Falls. I never tire of photographing this lovely place. .

Rugged beauty surrounds the Old Fall River Road. . .

At the top of Trail Ridge we stopped for lunch, then drove on to Grand Lake. Along the way we spotted another bull elk. . .

Farther down the highway, a crowd of parked cars alerted us to the possibility of another animal sighting. Sure enough, a bull moose had hunkered down in a meadow, about 1/4 mile from the road. The size of his head told us he must be a very large bull. . .

We drove on to Grand Lake for ice cream, then returned to find the moose standing. Indeed, he was quite large. . .

This is the first bull moose I've seen since moving here last year. I'm glad I got to share the experience with my loved ones. 


After seeing our family off this morning, Dennis participated in the Scottish Festival Paint Out competition. The artists had one hour to paint a portrait and frame it. I'm proud of my husband's work. . .

What makes this very special is that the painting went home with the model's family.


“May God bless you to live as long as you want to; and want to as long as you live!” -- Scottish Proverb

Nancy