The Prickly Pear Cactus is native to Wisconsin and one of the best places to view these beautiful yellow treasures is at the Spring Green Preserve Natural Area.
Tag: Jen Salt
My favorite cat, Louisa posed for this painting……she loved her naps.
I first climbed Frank’s Hill in Richland County a dozen years ago for the Vernal Equinox celebration. A large group had gathered at the top of the hill near the effigy mounds, along with some of the elders and Frank Shadewald, to watch the sun set, the moon rise and the stars come into view.
A few years ago I spent some time on the Rod and Loraine Anding farm in rural Arena near Coon Rock. I had asked if I could take photos of their beautiful white faced horned herefords, as I was interested in animal subjects for my future paintings.
Last Spring these baby robins were, for a short time, tucked carefully into a nearby shrub. My neighbors, Ruthie and Jerry discovered their little chirps and pretty soon we were all checking on them daily, especially after thunderstorms. I had a new perspective on robins.
A few years ago a friend and I were sitting at a picnic table near the riverwalk in Sauk City and noticed a French Talouse goose among a huge flock of Canadian geese. A woman sitting nearby gave us the lowdown: “That’s Norman, he gets along with everyone. He was dropped off here by, presumably his owner.” How sad.
I’ve had a love affair with the Wisconsin River since I can remember. The river’s source begins at Lac Vieux Desert in the Lake District of Northeastern Wisconsin and travels 430 miles to meet the confluence of the Mississippi River, near Prairie du Chien. A while back I’d heard rumors of a re construction project on my favorite stretch of river road, Highway Sixty West along the Wisconsin from Gotham to Muscoda. This eleven-mile Scenic Highway is to me, the most magical section of the road with its curves and rock outcroppings which never lose sight of the river. A trip back in time to relax and leave the world behind for a while.
One late afternoon in February, as the sun was about to disappear behind the distant treeline, I noticed a bright “spark” outside of my painting desk window on the patio. There, a once-snow covered branch that morning grew icicles as the temperatures warmed considerably during the afternoon sunlight. The setting sun had ignited the spark of brilliant light that fractured and became prism-like within the icicles.