I had to tear myself away from gardening and slavery today to go out for another quickie. I’d meant to paint some of the flowering serviceberry trees, but they were pretty much done blooming. Seems like they all did their blooming on the gloomiest, chilliest days. Cheered by the sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures, I toodled along some of my favorite roads. I’ve always loved this creek but struggled to paint it. I think today’s effort came out fairly decent. I painted as fast as possible because the gnats were out and biting the crap out of me. I never knew the name of this beautiful creek. A Google search revealed it: Ogletree Creek. A little further on it dumps into Toad Lake, which is a little southwest of the bustling city of Ellsworth.
The first time I ever painted here, it was early on a Saturday morning. I’d just moved up here and was wondering if there were bears to worry about. Or wolves. Or deranged madmen. That morning I was busily painting along, concentrating hard, when I started hearing the strangest grunts. It was creeping me out. Then I finally spotted it: a dead tree nearby, covered with about a dozen turkey vultures. They were croaking and grunting, stretching their wings out to warm up in the sun. Ah, mystery solved!
This spot is on a section of “seasonal road” on South Peebles Road. It can be quite a quagmire. Driving along, I saw where some driver apparently rejoiced in digging a new ditch with his vehicle. 4WD is recommended. And don’t even attempt it in winter!
The seasonal roads are my favorites, but at times they can be creepy, isolated and lined with No Trespassing signs. I can almost hear faint sounds of banjos playing “Deliverance” ….
Margie Guyot Art 