EARTH ARTISTS ASSEMBLY
Above, from left to right, front row...Eldora Taylor, Karen Meilinger, Carol-Ann Barrett
Second row...Greta Bannan, Eleanor Pauling, James Culligan
Taking up the rear....Noel Martin
The Earth Artists Assembly, a group of enthusiastic artists, have been meeting every June for the last couple of years getting together to enjoy each other's company, share a lot of laughs, down a few (or a lot of) drinks and eat everything we have hauled to the cottage in our coolers. For the last several years we have been getting together at one of our member's cottages at McGregor Bay just off Manitoulin Island south of Espanola. This time we went a little further up the road to White Fish Falls to get a different venue for our plein air painting.
Although we planned to all lodge in one cottage as we had done in the past, we found it quite tight fitting seven people into one small cabin (and I mean small...not enough room to swing a cat, let alone all of us, our food, the booze and all of our painting gear, two men and five women...well I think you get the picture). We were literally spoiled in past years with a large accommodating cottage with an expansive screened in porch situated on a private island. Well we ended up in two cabins - two couples in one and the three women in the other. We had a great time regardless of the weather and some of us even managed to get a few paintings completed.
Eleanor
Karin
Although we had some difficulties in trying to cook meals for all of us...especially accommodating everyone's different requests for breakfast in a very small cramped kitchen, we managed to overcome these little issues by eating in shifts. The other meals were a little bit smoother and all-in-all everyone was fed one way or another. We made a rule that since we brought it we would try our best to consume it, so all of the food was eaten and definitely all of the bottles were emptied...boy we had a good time doing that!
Next year though, it looks like we will probably change venues completely...you can only paint sky, rocks and water that all look the same no matter where you go...and green, green, green!!! Although we did come face-to-face with the local deer population which was a nice change and added a different dimension to some of our paintings...we will probably head for a different destination and look more to the fall when the colours will be more varied!
Oh yes...nearly forgot...the fishing was excellent. Managed to catch three myself...two whitefish and a northern pike. Hubby didn't catch anything, but he did say that he had "big" one on the line, but it got away...maybe next time Noel!
Carol-Ann
We managed to get in a little sightseeing as well
James Culligan
