Introducing my first painting of the new year – “Snowy Egret”. I’ve been wanting to paint a snowy egret for a few months now, as I view them as one of the most regal-looking birds. My son actually spotted one of these birds in a nearby neighborhood fishing for a delicious pond snack. He noticed that this egret had a black bill and yellow feet – opposite of our common great egret. Snowy egrets are rare here in Minnesota, so spotting this beauty was a treat! I went into this painting intending to change up my painting style a little by attempting a looser watercolor style. I’ve always been drawn to detail, but I’ve recently been inspired by some local watercolorists to try loose watercolor (see demonstration below), and I thought the snowy egret would be a good subject to test this style out. Here is one demonstration by fellow Minnesotan, Andy Evansen: I love the freedom of the brush and paint when I watch artists perform loose watercolor painting. I was sure I could let loose and finish one of these paintings. I was wrong. Halfway through my painting of the snowy egret, I stopped. I wasn’t happy with the colors, wasn’t happy with the tones, and wasn’t quite sure how I could make the painting work. So, the painting sat on my painting table day-after-day, for about a week. I’d walk into the room, stare at the painting from a distance, study the tones and colors, and try to work out exactly how I’d save the painting. Then, I’d walk back out. Finally, I decided that I would trying painting the eyes and the beak, and then see how I felt about the painting. After all, the eyes tend to make a portrait painting. Well, it worked. But, my loose watercolor painting went out the window. After I saw the realistic eye, and finely faded beak, I regressed into my realism comfort mode once again. Within 24 hours, I had finished “Snowy Egret”. I stepped back once again, stared at the painting from across the room, and was finally happy with the colors, details, and tones. In fact, “Snowy Egret” has turned into one of my favorite bird paintings. I’ll have to give loose watercolor painting another go in the near future. Prints of “Snowy Egret” are now available in the Unbound Roots Shop! For information on original paintings, please contact me here.
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Pond Hockey: Yesterday and Today
Pond hockey. It was a way of life during the winter for my family when I was young. We lived on a pond that froze somewhere between November and December. I also had a brother that played hockey through high school, so naturally we had hockey sticks, pucks, and skates that my brother had grown out of laying around the house. My parents purchased the heavy, metal rink shovels, and my dad crafted regulation-size hockey nets using 2×4’s – we were set. Yesterday The scritch, scratch of skate blades on the ice, along with the long pshhhhh of the shovels pushing snow could be heard on most days throughout the winter as multiple people donned their skates while shoveling the rink. The street we lived on was home to quite a few kids that were close to the ages of my two brothers and me. All of the neighbors were boys – most were hockey players. My mom and I were the only girls , and we never played on official teams, but I have to say that we held our own quite nicely. Our hockey games would go on for hours. We’d play before school, on weekends, and any other time we could get a group together. I remember playing hockey on the pond when temperatures plummeted to -25F. It was so cold one day that one of the neighbor boys said, “Hey, watch this!” as he flicked the hockey puck about eight feet into the air. When the puck landed on the ice, it shattered into pieces that went sprawling across the rink. On those days, I went inside after playing in the frigid cold to find my fingers and toes white – partially frozen themselves. I didn’t care – all I wanted to do was play. My parents also held skating parties often. Neighbor families would congregate in our backyard, share snacks, drink hot cocoa, and chat by a hot, crackling fire, but the best was always the hockey games. Our winters were full of hockey, fun, and friends – wonderful memories. Today The kids and I invited my mom to come over yesterday to skate with us on the nearby lake. The lakes around us are unusually glassy due to the absent snow this year, and the roller coaster of temperatures we’ve been having. The daily highs almost hit 50F two weeks ago, so the ice was soft and very wet. Two days later, our temperatures plummeted to the single digits – this made for hard, smooth ice. As Mom walked in the door yesterday, she said “Guess what I brought today?” I knew it was something good as she had a big smile on her face. Sure enough, Mom brought the old stack of hockey sticks and pucks that we played with when I was growing up. I think the kids were almost as excited as we were to try them out. Mom put on her old Riedells, I helped the kids into their skates, and we all set out for a warm-up skate across the lake. When we returned, we grabbed the equipment, made two quick goals out of the two extra sticks we had, and played a heated 2 v. 2 game. While we played, warm memories kept flowing through my head of the old, frigid pond hockey days. I hope our new neighbors around join us for games soon. Did you grow up playing neighborhood games? I’d love for you to share your stories in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
New Year’s Eve Skating: A Little Magic on the Lake
New Year’s Eve, 2018 The kids and I went out early today to get chores done around the homestead because brutal winds were due to arrive this afternoon bringing in light snow and frigid temps. When we walked out of the house the wind was light, and the temperatures were hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit – nice winter weather. We cleaned the chicken coop, filled up food feeders, checked the water bucket, collected eggs, and cleaned up dog (well, you know). As we completed our chores in record time, the dogs roughhoused around the yard – running, jumping, tackling each other, and doing it all over again. I looked at the kids and said, “We should probably bring the dogs on a walk, because once the cold air moves in, we won’t be able to bring them out.” Our indoor dogs’ feet can’t handle sub-zero temperatures, and tomorrow night our temperature will dip to -10 degrees. After minutes of walking, they would start picking up one foot, and then the other – trying to lick away the sting of the cold on their foot pads. “Mom, can we go ice skating on the lake while the dogs run?” my daughter pleaded. “Can we?” my son added. “You two can go skating, and Dad and I will walk with the dogs by the cattails and look for lures and bobbers.” So, that settled it. The whole family (dogs included) piled into the car and drove down the street to the lake. Just as we stepped onto the lake, the wind picked up. The boys headed off on their walk with the dogs, and my daughter and I slipped into our hockey skates and began skating down the lake. The first thing that we noticed was that the ice was no longer black. Forty eight hours of snow and rain had made the ice opaque, so we could no longer see into the inky depths of the lake. The next thing we noticed was how strong the wind had become. Light snow started streaming across the glossy ice, and the wind started to push us across the lake. “Mom, the wind wants us to go somewhere, and we need to listen to it!” my daughter yelled in front of me. I saw her gliding down the ice, arms spread wide, not having to exert any effort to move. “Come on, Mom, skate faster, we need to follow the wind.” she continued. We both took off skating as fast as we could. With the wind pushing angrily at our back, we skated across the lake at what I’m sure was our record speed. My daughter and I started laughing with the thrill of it all. “It’s magical – it’s all magical” she yelled amidst our laughter. It felt that way. What a way to usher out the old year and bring in the new year. For those of you that are wondering about our return skate back up the lake, yes, it was brutal. But, my daughter gave me an imaginary magic disc that gave us the power to withstand the worst winter weather – polar bear power. So, our skate against the wind wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I love the magic that children bring to our lives. I hope that 2019 brings you peace, love, joy, and happiness, I hope that you get a chance to slow down and enjoy the simple things, I hope that you get outside and get into nature every chance you get, and I hope that you get to experience a little bit of your own magic here and there. Happy New Year to you, and thank YOU so very much for taking the time to sit and read this little story! I hope it brought a smile to your face. Warmly, Erin
Black Ice – Beauty, Surprises, and Adventure
Black ice – no, not the type that forms on the roads from car exhaust on frigid winter days. It’s the kind that forms on lakes with very few impurities. So few that the ice is clear and appears black because the water below absorbs almost all of the light. Black ice is a treat to walk on and explore. Even though I dread the onset of our long winters here in the Upper Midwest (read my mournful post and poem here), there are things my family and I look forward to every year. We enjoy sledding, cross-country skiing (read about one of our favorite trips here), snowboarding, playing board games on cold winter nights, and taking our daily walks on a frozen lake down the road. One week ago, our family cautiously stepped out on that very lake as we had seen other footprints appear on the lightly snow-covered ice the week before. We walked out about ten feet, brushed off what little snow had blown down the lake, and peered into the ice. We were thrilled to see that the ice was clear. We could see little air bubbles trapped in the ice more than 8″ down – it was safe to walk on. My husband and I gave the kids the okay to run and play, and we had the dogs sit so we could let them off their leashes. The dogs’ tails revealed their excitement as they sat waiting to hear the click of the leash that would tell them that they were free to run too. In an instant, two black fluff balls took off after the kids – running, bounding, and knocking into one another as they played along the way. Not more than a minute later, Brook, our almost 13-year old pup, came to a screeching halt. Ayla, our 1-year old, was too late. I had to laugh when I saw her hit a glossy, black sheet of ice. She tried to dig her nails in, but that didn’t work. She tried to brace herself by getting low, but that didn’t work. She also tried to run off of the evil slick stuff, but she lost her footing. Ayla went for a sprawling slip ‘n slide across the inky, smooth lake ice. Once Ayla found the reprieve of snow again, she stood up, looked at what had taken her for a ride, and proceeded to run after the kids again – this time avoiding each and every black ice spot on the lake. The kids spent the next half hour slipping and sliding on the ice while the dogs played and tracked animal scents they found throughout the cattails. After the kids had depleted their energy, the whole family began doing what we love most – exploring. My family and I went from black ice to black ice to see what we could see. The ice held many beautiful treasures, and wonderful surprises. Intricate fern-like patterns graced the surface of the ice. Bubbles of all sizes sat suspended in the ice giving the ice depth and character. Large cracks had powerfully ripped across the lake, and we could see all the beautiful ripples, fissures, and lines in these breaks that spanned the full depth of the ice. I wish my camera had been able to adequately capture all that our eyes had seen. Aside from the beauty that the ice held in itself, it revealed other surprises too, such as fish, snail shells, and weeds that expelled their oxygen in thousands of little bubbles. My daughter also found a little honey bee curled up on the snow as we walked. She told me that she found the warmest spot to lay it on – a black rock. Several holes in the ice that were tucked into the cattails were found by my son. We can only imagine that the local muskrats are keeping exit and entrance holes into the water open. They must stay busy! My family has spent hours on the lake each day for the past week. We walk, talk, explore, throw tennis balls for the dogs, slide on the ice, take pictures, and take in as much fresh, cold air as we can. As much as I dread our long winter spell before the cold hits, I love our cold-weather adventures once winter does finally set in. What are your favorite winter activities? If you don’t have cold winters where you are, what would you like to experience most if you could visit our cold winter wonderland?
Greeting Card Giveaway
Yes, you read it correctly! I’m hosting a greeting card giveaway right here on Unbound Roots. Last winter, my friend Angela, from You Are Awesome, suggested that I give away a pack of watercolor greeting cards. Angela has many great ideas (you need to check them out on her blog link above), so I thought I better follow her suggestion. Aside from Angela’s awesome suggestion, the timing is right. Let me explain: Unbound Roots is getting a make-over in the next month. I am still going to be writing stories about topics that inspire me – hiking, animals, thoughts that grab my attention, gardening, the family farm, and painting (to name a few) – but my blog will be just one portion of the website. I will also be adding a gallery to showcase my watercolor paintings, and an online shop where people can purchase watercolor originals, limited prints of paintings, and packs of greeting cards. Shoppers will also have the option to request original paintings – personal paintings that can be treasured for centuries. As many of you know, I have been doing a lot of painting throughout the past month. My kids and I came up with a list of animals that are common here in the Upper Midwest, and then I painted them into snow scenes. Five paintings have been completed, and will now be printed onto greeting cards. Silent Night Winter Treasure First Snow Christmas Spirit Late for my Winter Slumber I had so much fun painting these wild cuties! Okay, okay, I’m sure you’re waiting for the details, so… Here are the greeting card giveaway details: On Friday, December 21st, I will be randomly drawing the names of two recipients. Each recipient will receive one pack of five greeting cards – one card of each of the paintings above. How Do I Enter the Free Giveaway? It’s simple! All you have to do is enter a comment below. Any winter-related comment will do. You can tell me about your favorite winter activity, favorite tradition, favorite winter recipes, or you can suggest a painting you’d like to see me complete – it’s up to you! I will write down the names of all the people who comment, and randomly draw the names on December 21st. The winners will be announced right here on Unbound Roots, so be sure to check back! If a recipient fails to respond within 48 hours, a new recipient will be chosen. I am excited to send off my very first greeting cards! Good luck to everyone, and enjoy the holiday season! Warmly, Erin
Finding Joy in Unexpected Encounters
We had a final electrical inspection for our basement that we have been working on for the past year – almost done! But, the basement is a story for another day as this post is about finding joy in unexpected encounters. Encounters where complete strangers take time out of their day to teach, spread joy, or get to know someone new. The Electrical Inspector About a month ago we received a call from our county’s electrical inspector notifying us of his impending retirement at the end of the month. He wanted to complete the final inspection on our basement if at all possible. Within the week, the inspector was at our door for the third and final time. He walked downstairs and inspected the new bathroom, office, gas fireplace, and family room before asking to see the electrical box in the back room. As my husband opened the door to the back room, he bent down to pick up a container of rocks my kids had left in the walkway. The inspector’s eyes lit up. “Do you have a rock hound in the family?” he asked. “My kids love collecting rocks, particularly agates.” my husband replied. “Our family has been collecting agates for many years now. The kids collect ‘special’ rocks wherever they go.” The inspector excitedly told us that he and his wife are planning to spend their retirement traveling and collecting rocks. The inspector and our family spent nearly half an hour talking about rocks. My kids ran to get their largest agates to show the inspector, while the inspector brought out his cell phone to show us a large, 25 lb. rock that he retrieved out of a mine in Arkansas. The rock had one small crystal sticking out of the top. When the inspector gently removed the outer shell of the rock, he found that the entire core was made of crystals. Before leaving, the inspector invited us to attend meetings at the Minnesota Mineral Club. He said that they could use some young families in the club. As he stepped out the door he said: “Well, this has been fun! Keep up the rock hunting – it really is a great lifetime hobby. Plus, you get to learn about history, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, and lapidary arts while spending time in the great outdoors.” We agree! Mr. Mosquito Controller “Excuse me! Hi! Excuse me!” The kids and I turned around as we heard a man calling from behind us. We were on one of our daily walks last summer and heading back up the dirt road toward our house when we heard the shouts. We all walked back to where the man was standing by his pick-up truck. My son immediately noticed that the truck was from Illinois. “Hey, Mom! He’s from Illinois!” my son exclaimed. He loves to see license plates from other states. Anyway, the man (I’ll call Mr. Mosquito Controller) said “I hope I didn’t startle you. I saw you with the kids and I thought you all may be interested in seeing this. The man held out a few tiny clear glass containers. The containers had mosquitoes in different stages of their life cycle – egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Mr. Mosquito Controller was conducting research for mosquito control near our house. He was taking water samples from puddles, marshes, and other low lying areas to gauge where our county should treat for mosquitoes. When we asked what control they use, he said that they use Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) – a natural soil bacteria that disrupts mosquito digestion. The bacteria are packaged in little pellets that are dropped by hand in small areas, or by helicopter in larger areas. We’ve seen the helicopters fly over our house for years now, so it was interesting to learn exactly what the helicopters were dropping. Mr. Mosquito Controller also said that we can control mosquito reproduction by putting one salt pellet (used in water softeners) in puddles around our home – so simple! The kids and I were impressed that Mr. Mosquito Controller flagged us down, and took the time to teach us all about the tiny pests that swarm and bite us throughout the summer. We felt lucky to have crossed paths with Mr. Mosquito Controller. The Hawaiian My family took a long road trip down south to get away from our brutal Minnesota winter two years ago. We took our time to stop and explore interesting places on our way down to the Gulf of Mexico and back. One of the places we stopped was Crater of Diamonds State Park – the only diamond mining park that is open to the public. We set out for our first day of digging for diamonds after sliding into our rain boots, renting our digging supplies, and paying for the entrance into the mining fields. The day was a little rainy, so there weren’t too many people on the plowed fields, but we did come a across a very friendly man from Hawaii and his much quieter friend from Nevada. The Hawaiian said that he flies in once per year to dig for diamonds with his friend. They dig for eight hours per day over a long weekend before flying back to Las Vegas. We ended up digging with our new friends in the slippery mud as we chatted about past trips to Crater of Diamonds, life in Hawaii, life in Minnesota, and about the history of the area we were in. I could tell that the Hawaiian had talked to many of the locals over the years, as he had many stories to share (making our trip to Crater of Diamonds all the richer). My son, who was 7-years old at the time, also joined the conversation by telling the Hawaiian that one of his favorite singers was from Hawaii. My son had been listening to the beautiful ukulele rendition of the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Iz (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole)
Wild Spirits: Watercolor Wednesday
Since the day my daughter was able to walk, she ran. When she was able to run, she flew. In her day-to-day world she is a hawk, mountain lion, tiger, jaguar, snow leopard, or a bull. Her imagination soars, and whichever animal suits her mood on that particular day, wins. But, on most days, she is a horse. Going by names of Apple, Pepper, or Candy, she gallops down the side of the dirt road as fast as she can while giving out a few whinnies, neighs, or snorts while kicking up dust in her wake. I wonder if my daughter ever catches me looking at her with extreme love or admiration – I hope so. She is full of wonder – she is a wild spirit. My family is fortunate to live just four doors up from a horse boarding stable, so when we moved to our current house in 2012, we started visiting the horses on our daily walks. We bring baby carrots or apples from our apple trees to feed the horses. If we don’t have any snacks at home, the kids love to pick the long grass just outside of the horses reach by the weathered wooden fence. When we leave to continue on our walks, my daughter always chooses a horse to hug – her love for them evident. For my daughter’s 8th birthday I told her I’d paint her a picture of anything she wanted. Without hesitation, she picked a photo I had taken of her and one of her favorite horses. A horse that she had affectionately named Taffy. Taffy is a beautiful buckskin mare with a sweet disposition. I had taken the photo with my phone on one of our walks about a month before her birthday, and without her knowledge. I loved that my daughter had Taffy in her arms as she closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. I loved that Taffy stood still for as long as my daughter wanted to hold her. I loved that their hair was blowing in the warm summer breeze. I loved that my daughter’s brows were furrowed with strong feeling. I loved that Taffy’s ears were alert and happy, while her eyes were content and warm. I loved that they seemed connected for the moment – wild spirits. How on Earth could I paint this special photo? Could I do it justice? I needed to try. It took me a few weeks after her birthday party to start the actual painting – I was nervous. I had never painted a person, and horses are not easy to draw or paint. I wanted the painting to convey the feelings that I knew were behind this moment. In preparation for the painting, I read books on painting portraits and figures, I watched YouTube videos of artists painting skin, hair, and horses, and I studied my photo. My first step was to sketch out the photo on my watercolor paper. A simple background was the first paint to be laid on the paper. I didn’t use any detail in the background because I wanted the viewer’s eye to be drawn to the detailed figures only. From there, I painted the face because I figured that if the face didn’t turn out right, I could easily start over without wasting too much time or paint. Satisfied with the face, I continued on to the hair and the horse. My daughter had snapped the picture above while I painted the horse. I must have been zoned in on my painting as I found a surprise on my phone a few days later. My favorite part of painting animals is painting their eyes. I feel that if a good eye can be painted – the rest of the animal will fall into place. After a few days of painting, I was happy with the look of the sunshine on my daughter’s hair, the shine on Taffy’s coat, the way the highlights and shadows made the facial curves just right, the soft look of the muzzle, the sparkle in Taffy’s eye, the windswept hair, the course-looking texture of the mane, and the wrinkles in my daughter’s shirt. My daughter’s 8th birthday painting was finished – it’s one of my favorites. Wild Spirits is the name that came to mind when I looked at this painting. My daughter wholeheartedly approved. My daughter said that she loved the horse’s eye, how their hair was flowing in the wind, and all the details of the painting. I love that my daughter’s feelings of love, passion, connection, and yearning are evident. Happy 8th birthday, my dear daughter! May your wild spirit live on forever.
Can Contrails Predict Fishing Success?
My family likes walks. We walk almost every day – sometimes multiple times per day. The fresh air, exercise, time we get to spend chatting with each other, and the exciting things we see make every walk enjoyable and interesting. It’s our go-to way to get outside and get into nature. Two days ago, I wanted to walk in a nearby prairie at sunset because the light across the fall landscape is especially beautiful this time of year. Dried flowers dot the fields, dainty grass plumes sparkle in front of the lowering rays, and the family seems to feel the magic just as I do. But, this is not what this post is about. This post is about contrails and fishing. At the very western edge of the prairie one can find a clear lake with a sandy bottom. The kids love to explore the shores of the lake when we visit the prairie and we did just that two days ago. While the kids ran up and down the shore, made clouds out of cattail fluff, and searched for lures that others had unfortunately lost while fishing, my husband offered an interesting bit of information: “Too bad we are not fishing right now.” he said (this after he and my son had been shut out three days in a row – well, except for a few mudpuppies). “Why is that?” I questioned (thinking there may be more to this statement than the obvious fact that he’d like to fish all day – every day if he could). “You see those vapor trails [contrails] that the airplanes are leaving in the sky, and how they are slowly spreading out?” he asked. “Yes?” I questioned. “They indicate good fishing.” “How is that?” I asked, “And, where did you learn that?” “I must have read about in one of my fishing books, but I don’t remember where or which one.” he replied. To be fair, my husband has read a plethora of fishing books – books about fishing technique, fishing memoirs, fiction books about fishing, and he even studies lake and river maps. He continued: “It has something to do with pressure changes.” Today I explored this theory further using my favorite learning tool – the World Wide Web. This is what I found: A contrail is: a condensation trail left behind jet aircrafts where hot humid air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low temperature. The result is a cloud similar to those that you see when you exhale and see your breath outside. Okay, so how does this affect fishing? I found a simple explanation in a bass fishing forum on BassResource.com. BassChaser57, a self-proclaimed “airline pilot by profession, BassChaser by passion,” stated: There are lots of variables i[n] bass fishing such as temperature, cloud cover, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, moon phase, fishing pressure, rising/falling water, muddy water, etc. There is one variable that I have used over the years… it is simple and it works. Few of us can spend as much time on the water as we would like so I try to maximize my quality fishing possibilities. I do this by watching jet contrails (the white trails left in the sky by jets.) When I see the sky crisscrossed by contrails I go fishing and expect to find active bass. The explanation is simply that there is high level moisture meaning there is an approaching weather system. Many of us realize bass get active with an approaching storm or lowering barometric pressure, the contrails will tell us the same thing without having to be able to see the weather channel. The next time you see the contrails in the sky, try to go fishing and expect the Bass to be active and prove to yourself that contrails=active bass. Dan Johnson from In-Fisherman magazine defines barometric pressure more thoroughly… In a nutshell, barometric pressure—also called atmospheric or air pressure—is the weight of the air pressing down upon everything on the planet, including fish and anglers. Lest you think such a load is light as a feather, consider that a square-inch column of air rising from sea level to the top of our atmosphere weighs about 14.7 pounds. Even slight changes in barometric pressure can cause big changes in fish behavior. According to Spud Woodward, Assistant Director for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division, fish sense pressure changes through their air bladder. He goes on to explain: Fish that have small air bladders, such as kings, Spanish mackerel, wahoo and dolphin, aren’t as affected by barometric changes as those with large bladders, such as trout, redfish, tarpon, grouper and snapper… That’s because fish with small bladders have a body density that’s closer to that of the surrounding water. They don’t sense the pressure changes as dramatically, so their comfort levels aren’t drastically altered. However, many things they eat have air bladders, and that alone could have a big impact on where you might find them and how they’ll behave. For example, zooplankton and phytoplankton have air bladders and can be caught off-guard by pressure changes causing a feeding frenzy among minnows and other small fish, which in turn brings out larger fish to eat. Woodward continues: Fish with large bladders quickly sense when the air pressure is dropping, because there’s less pressure on their bladder. And when there’s less pressure squeezing their bladders, the bladders expand a bit. When their bladders expand, fish become uncomfortable. They relieve their discomfort by moving lower in the water column or by absorbing extra gas in their bladders. These stresses cause fish to forget about eating, and instead focus on finding a depth where they can find comfort. Finally, Woodward explains the pressure changes where contrails are most evident – the period just before a low-pressure system sets in. Just what I was looking for. Let’s say we’re experiencing a prolonged period of high pressure and the fishing has been good.
Update on The Downfall of Youth Sports
Hi, Everyone! I wanted to pop in and update you on what has been happening since I wrote the Downfall of Youth Sports series last winter.
Watercolor Wednesday: Shugren Barn and Pond
Welcome to Watercolor Wednesday! Today I’m sharing a commissioned painting I recently completed for the Shugren family. The family is beginning an exciting adventure – they converted their family barn into a wedding and event venue. The beautiful red barn, built in the 1920’s, is a show-stopper. It sits in the middle of more than 100 green acres, and has been in the family since the day it was built. A serene, shallow pond is situated just west of the barn where lily pads and cattails grace the landscape. I was asked to incorporate both the barn and the pond into a watercolor painting. A painting the owners hope to use as a part of their new business logo. Shugren Barn and Pond Shugrens, I wish your family the best as you begin your new adventure with the Shugren Farm Wedding and Event Venue. For more information on the Shugren Farm: Shugren Farm Wedding and Event Venue.