Painting at the Cabin

I love the families I am a part of. Art and creativity ooze from both my husband's side and my side of the family. The best part about that...is that is that while we are all creative...we are all very individual in how we go about creating.  My sister is a sculpter, her husband is a painter. My brother is a writes copy for advertisements (Have you ever seen the Vikings "what's in your wallet" ad campaign?) My brother in law designs over-the-top trade show booths that would blow your mind. My sister in law teaches Art in an elementary school and the kids love her.  My other sister in law is a landscape architect who creates beautiful plans for homeowners and commercial business alike. My Mother in Law is a budding "Grandma Moses" as she has discovered her love of paint only recently. My grandmother painted scenes of China Town and San Francisco in watercolor. My Uncle Ray paints acrylics and is inspired by the bright colors and themes of Mexico.  The ones I haven't mentioned may not be making careers in art, or painting daily, but I assure you, their talent and creativity is there. 

Over Labor Day Weekend, we had the opportunity to get together for a Family Reunion in Bear Lake, Idaho.  This is one of my favorite places to be. It is so peaceful to get away from the computer, the phone and all other things that might tie me down otherwise, and just spend time with my family. I love it! 

One of my brother in laws insisted that we have an "art day" while up at the cabin, where we could sit around and paint for an afternoon. I have to admit...I was a little nervous about this idea.  Even to the point that I thought I might hang out around the kids craft table and help out there instead of getting brushes out and making a mess on a canvas. The kids craft table was a happening place as they were customizing their own wooden boats to float in the ditch in front of the cabin. 

It has been so long since I've picked up a paint brush and made an actual painting. Did I just say that out loud? I enjoy to create alone. I am intimidated by spectators--I feel some sort of pressure for perfection. The funny thing is, is that is such a selfish way to think. I suppose all artists have their own inner insecurities. Soon I realized, that this was not what this activity was about. This afternoon was about having fun...pushing aside any insecurities, and "just enjoying the feeling of pushing paint around with a brush." At least that is what my Mother in Law kept on insisting. I started to believe her, so I finally gave in and joined my family. I'm so glad I did.  It was so good for my inner artist to do something not computer related...and to get back in touch with my traditional creative roots. It took a little time, but I  truly did push away thoughts of having to make something perfect. It was super fun and relaxing to just push paint around with no pressure. 

Here's our little family "art colony." Okay...maybe not such a little art colony...our family was a total of 34 people up at the cabin.

Here is my brother in law Dan...painting an ocean scene from a favorite photograph.  His pseudo name he uses for his art is "Otis Ash" you can find his creative page on Facebook here. He's only recently discovered his love of painting and design in the last couple of years.  He has some original artwork displayed in a few restaurants in the Idaho town where he lives. I think he's onto something...he's always trying something new and different.

 Ocean scene by Otis Ash.

This grove of trees painting is by Jeremy Walker. This miniature painting was created by my brother in law who is the fab industrial designer.  Did I tell you about the dungeon playhouse he created in his Mother in Laws basement...equipped with an animatronic Dragon a la Disney style?  Beyond cool, I tell you!

This flower painting is was what I did that weekend...I tell you...I took this several directions before I came to this point.  I tried doing this stiff and clean lined like my work I create on my computer...but I could not deny my inner love of texture when it comes to oil paint...so I just let loose, gave up my brushes and went with a painting knife.  Funny, once I lost the brushes...and picked up a knife, it was like I had found an old lost friend.  I ought to paint more.  I enjoyed myself so much.

This is the gorgeous barn that is on my sister in law's property at Bear Lake.

 Close up of the barn. LOVE that iron gate on the side!

The barn painting here is by my sister in law Shalynn Andersen.  She is the elementary school art teacher. I love the texture she made in the grass in front of the barn...and love the yellow sky.  The duck painting is another Otis Ash. 

The tree painting is done my my Mother in Law Rita Walker.  I love the raw texture and moodiness of this little painting.

This photo makes me smile...as it is the perfect story of our weekend up at Bear Lake.  You can see the corner of a beach towel hanging up to dry on the fence (from our beach trip the day before), just above the paintings below, which are also hanging around to dry. The one on the left is an Otis Ash, the one on the right is a Laura Andersen.  She is my niece who is in college...she said that her painting was a representation of her feelings.

On the left is my brother in law Jeremy Walker's painting in better light, and on the right is his 9 year old daughter Katie's painting. I thought her under the sea painting was so delightful.

As you can see...not a one of us paints like the other.  We are all very individualistic in the way we create.  We all had access to the same tools but the outcome was completely different.  This is much how it is in the crafting world. You have access to the same tools and papers, fabrics and stamps, and yet what you create is so individually you!

Simplicity of Apple Pie = The good Life!

Disclaimer...all photos were taken on my iphone...as I forgot my camera.  Please forgive and excuse any pixilization or blurriness as it is unintentional.

Okay...now to the fun stuff!

A couple of weeks ago, we took the chance to slip away and relax as a family at my sister in laws cabin at Bear Lake.  I love her cabin.  It is so cozy, and has all the creature comforts you could need...then some huge bonuses...like the 5 foot long deep bathtub.  That's an experience you will never forget.

We sat on the porch to relax and chat.  As I was sitting there with my oldest son, I gazed across the grass at a huge tree and noticed...hmmm...mmmm...are those apples? 

There was only one right thing to do after noticing ripe apples in that much abundance on the tree.  Pick some.  YUM!  After discovering how SUPER tart they were, we decided...we'd make apple pie.  I adore apple pie.  It has to be one of my favorite desserts.  Its up there with Key lime Pie, Pecan pie, and spicy pumpkin pie.  Do you notice a trend in my dessert likes?  I LOVE PIE!

We drove into town to get some missing ingredients...we stopped at the library to look at books with the kids (and my husband needed to use the internet to put in his work schedule bid for the coming month.) Then stopped at a yummy greasy pizza place where we had to overlook the grime-y chairs and napkin holders that hadn't been properly washed each night.  Then finally, we got to the store where we picked up our most important pie ingredient...good quality vanilla ice cream.  You really can't make a pie with out ice cream...it's just not right.  We drove home quickly so the ice cream wouldn't melt, and enjoyed spotting some of our favorite country sites...like the farm with the "oreo" cows.  The way these cows are marked make them look like oreo sandwiches, they are visually black and white...with doublestuff filling.

After returning from our trip to town, I brought the apples into the kitchen and started peeling and discarding any wormy ones.  We are talking real organic apples here, and we didn't even have to pay extra at the grocery store for the worms.  

By the way...this is the view out the kitchen window...yup pretty amazing.  It is definitely a peaceful spot.

The way I was taught to make apple pie is to mix the sugar and cinnamon together with a little flour then pour it over the top of sliced apples stacked as high as they will go in the pan.  Use more sugar if the apples are tart...less if the apples are sweet...and approximately 2 teaspoons of flour, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon per pie.  No recipe...just eyeball it, and guess...and I swear it turns out the same every time.

Here's a side view of the apples stacked high.  I was not taught to use a store-bought crust. You may have noticed the perfectly pressed crust edge in the previous photo. I hang my head as I tell you that THAT was the other ingredient that we bought at the store. I wasn't going to tell you about it, but the photos don't lie.  Oh the shame! Sigh...but alas, there wasn't a rolling pin at the cabin that we could find, so we took a short cut.

You can see in this picture how the cinnamon and sugar just start melting down into the pie as the apples release their natural juices.  No need to mix in the sugar...it all works itself out in the oven.  This is simplicity at it's best!

Now for the yummy part that makes this pie absolutely amazing!  For each pie, fork together 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup flour together in a bowl until crumbly.  Then sprinkle on top of the pie like so:

You will notice I place a baking sheet under my pie.  If you omit this step, you may need to buy a new oven when your pies are finished cooking...you'll also have to serve half your pie to the fire department when they arrive to take care of all the smoke in your kitchen.  Trust me...bake every apple pie on a cookie sheet and you will be forever grateful that you did.

 While the pies cooked in the oven...we rode around the backyard on quads.  Notice the green cast on my daughter's arm...that happened the week prior...the same day (and time) my son was having his staples removed from his head at urgent care. We went from one injury to the next this last month...it's all because the week prior to any of those accidents, my husband and I said, "We have been such lucky parents with our kids...no major injuries...no stitches, staples, or broken bones.  Yes, we are so lucky...gloat, gloat."  Then boom, the next week, Talon gets hit in the head with the end of a ski rope on his uncles boat, and his head splits open...and Sydney broke her arm at school on the play ground.  It was as if we had given God an open invitation to let us experience these trials...since he had forgotten to give us them yet.  Next time...we will not speak of such things out loud...as we have now seen the power of the spoken word.

So never-mind our streak of accident prone kids...we let them ride and have fun on the quads and dirt bike.  Afterall...who could resist riding around such gorgeous property!

 Talon felt the freedom of piloting his own quad.  You should have seen the cool smirk he was wearing around the yard as he drove it all by himself.

 Okay...about an hour and a half later in a 350 degree oven...(yes, I cook my pies slow and long to make sure the apples cook and nothing burns) my pies were finished.  You may have to cover your pies with foil in the last half hour to prevent the crumb top from browning too much.  The foil is also convenient for placing on the counter when you remove the sticky pies. Inevitably, the pies will have leaked sticky juices all over the cookie sheet and you won't want that sticky stuff on your counter.

 Doesn't that look yummy!

There's that sticky stuff I was talking about...you see that caramelized brown resin on the spatula?  Yeah...you forgo the foil, and your pie is stuck to the counter...kind of makes it hard to serve at the table when that happens.  

The pie was to die for...tart crisp apples are definitely the best kind of pie making apples there are. We invited the neighbors over for pie (because that is the right thing to do when you have more than enough pie for the 5 people in your family.) 

Neighbors were glad, we were glad, and you know...pie makes great breakfast the next morning too. Kind of like sugar cereal fruit and milk...only crust, fruit, and cream. 

This is the kind of stuff that makes up the good life.  Family, relaxation, the outdoors, and apple pie!