Category: watercolor

Our Rietberg stay draws to an end…

The last two weeks in Rietberg have been exciting for me. I have been sketching a lot in the town and this year more than any of the previous years, I have been attracting attention. People have been approaching me, „can I look over your shoulder? Is that water color? How long does it take to do a painting like that?Where are you from? Wow I wish I could do that! Are you a prefessional artist? … and last but not least, you are sitting in my parking place!“ all of these interactions have allowed me to practice German and gain more confidence. OK I am far from fluent, very far, but I am starting to connect with people here.

A converted Kloster building that is now a gymnastics center. Ein renoviertes Klostergebäude, ist jetzt ein Turnhalle.

This gymnastics center/Turnhalle is opposite the library, which is also housed in a former Kloster building. I was sitting outside the library working on this sketch last Friday. What I didn’t fully appreciate was that Friday is the day that marriages are celebrated and recorded. Needless to say there was plenty of merriment in the neighboring Kloster and lots of backwards and forwards between the administration garden, behind the library and the Kloster courtyard. In addition to that traffic were LOTS of children and adults returning and borrowing library books. The vast majority of the library people were traveling on bicycles. I sat in the middle of this joyous space and several people stopped to chat. One of these people had been married to men from the UK and spoke perfect English. We were able to chat about lots of things and will be reconnecting later in August before our return to the States. She is also a water color painter and I hope that next year we will be able to get together to paint. I might try to figure out how to get my easel and bigger paint set over here so that I can paint more „Pleinair“ rather than pen and wash….hmmm???

This house is one of many stately buildings in the area belonging to the Tenge-Rietberg Administration. Almost all of their buildings are painted in this very warm yellow/orange color. Dieses stattliche gelbe Herrenhaus gehört zur Verwaltung der Tenge-Rietberg; fast alle ihre Gebaüde in der Umgebung haben diese Farbe.

The Münte House above is also a half timbered house, but was plastered in the 18th/19th century with this rich yellow/ochre color. It was painted this way to simulate the prestigious look of sandstone structures. This style was not uncommon in Central Europe and became associated with „administrative significance, sovereign presence and grand estate management“. The current administration has continued this centuries old tradition. Interestingly this house sits on the site of a 15th century Mint. According to Wikipedia, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II confirmed Rietberg‘s minting rights in 1569.

WW1/WW11 memorial – When the People are silent the stones witless speak“

This memorial struck me hard the first time I visited it now 5 years ago. Coming from the UK, and living in Canada and now the US I am familiar with war memorials. This one was DIFFERENT for me. Until now all memorials that I have seen acknowledged heroic sacrifice and eternal glory. This one focuses on the tragic loss and waste of soldiers‘ lives. It’s a call to arms to stand up and speak against whatever drives nations to sacrifice its soldiers.

This chapel is not far away from the Old Town of Rietberg. For two years it was shrouded in construction cloths and last year it was revealed after extensive repair and restoration. It is the remaining building of a large castle and chapel grouping. It is located in a small park with a popular walking trail around it. Many dogs and their people enjoy this wooded peaceful setting. It is also a popular pause place for local bicyclists touring the area. On this particular day I was captivated by the grandma who was convinced to lift up the toddler so that she could see inside.

Well that‘s all for now. On Tuesday we leave this area for the Rhein and Mosel.We have our fingers crossed for mild temperatures and not too much rain!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer wherever you may be.

Wild life, beaches and sex lives

The last 10 days have opened my eyes to the beauty and challenges of the south eastern US.

The coastal areas of this part of the country face immense development pressure. Waterfront private homes and resorts restrict ocean access to non-owners and residents. Waterfront State parks and state-owned properties like Jekyll Island are the only entities that allow public access. Jekyll Island (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jekyll_Island) has stringent building restrictions and actively protects nesting sea turtles.

As the weather cleared we were able to take a long beach walk on the seaward side of the island towards the southern tip of the island.

We were lucky enough to see where one turtle waddled up the Glory beach to lay her eggs and the nest area was already protected with a fence.

On another day we were able to walk St Andrew’s beach and settle down in the shade of dune trees. Dolphins were plentiful!

Our campsite was located at the northernmost point of the island. From there, we rented truly dreadful and excruciating bicycles to embark on a bicycle tour of the marshes, oceanfront, the residential areas of the once affluent and renowned individuals who constructed their “cottages” there, and the Sea Turtle rescue center. It was incredibly gratifying to chat with a recent graduate of an ocean studies program. It was truly inspiring to hear her unwavering passion for turtles and their preservation. There are young individuals out there who genuinely possess a profound commitment to the future.

In the evening and early morning, we strolled along the northern beaches to witness the breathtaking spectacle of the sun setting and rising. It was a truly magical time. I foolishly believed that my attempts at throat singing had somehow captivated a dolphin, causing it to swim around this fishing dock. In reality, the tide was changing, and it likely found a more suitable fishing area.

This was one of many sunrise pictures taken from the northeastern side of the island at Driftwood Beach. The light transformed gradually against the backdrop of gentle waves.

One of the most elusive creatures was the armadillo. While one sees plenty of squished ones on the road, finding a live one was a real treat. They have an intriguing hunting strategy. They run fast with their noses under the leaf debris. For the life of me I can’t figure out how they don’t smash their noses on roots or rocks!

We left Jekyll Island and headed north to Charleston. It’s a much bigger place than I expected.

One of the many beautiful homes in the historic district

We had a delightful day exploring the historic district on foot. During a house tour, I was particularly captivated by the institutional use of “Enslaved Persons” instead of “Slaves.” This linguistic shift compels us to confront the harsh reality that real individuals were subjected to enslavement by others. This linguistic change reminded me of the significant transformation that occurred in the early 1990s with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It became inappropriate to define people solely by their disability as “the disabled.” Instead, they are individuals first and their physical or cognitive status is merely one of their characteristics. I ended up ruminating on how often we use linguistic shortcuts to classify groups of people by single words that can in turn, can dehumanize their existence.

One of the things that defines Charleston is food. We splurged and had supper at one of the classic restaurants (Grill 225). Andreas assured me that this place defines Shrimp and Grits. . I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the dish. However, the true highlight of our meal was the decadent chocolate cake. We shared a slice, and I can honestly say that I can’t fathom how anyone could possibly finish an entire slice.

From Charleston we headed to Huntington Beach, South Carolina where we were camping for three nights and a beach resort for two nights.

Oh the surf was wonderful and the wildlife spectacular. We had a determined pair of Carolina wrens attempting to build a nest in our tent. I cleared out the twigs and leaves every morning and by the time we returned in the evening the nest was well on the way to being rebuilt.

Hammock and wren
Interesting neighbors

The most common neighbors other than wrens were skinks, cardinals, one copper head snake and alligators. The alligators range in size from a couple of feet to well over 10 feet. They appear to have a routine crossing from one brackish pond to a less salty pond depending on the status of the tides. We were able to observe this daily migration from a very close position. They were not to be rushed and if the sidewalk felt warm they just plopped down and warmed their bellies. One morning we heard them rumbling. It’s an eerie sound somewhere between a huge bull frog and a freight train.

Contrasts

Yesterday was overcast but dry and we made our way to St Andrew’s Beach on the southern end of the island. Ghost crabs were everywhere and provided plenty of entertainment. They are almost invisible on the sand and it’s their eyes on stalks and white claws that give them away. They appear to spend the day scampering around the beach and jumping into holes at the first sign of danger. Their holes are surprisingly deep and we pondered about the labyrinth that was beneath our feet.

The southern beach area has many uprooted trees that create incredible sculptural landscapes as well as homes for oysters and crabs.

Today we were planning on leaving the hotel and go to the northern end of the island and camp for a few days. We woke up to high winds and rain so decided to stay put another day. The thought of trying to get the rain fly and ground sheet installed in high winds and rain did not appeal. We have been pushing this camping stint further and further forward hoping for better weather. So this morning we bundled up and took a beach walk. The wind and sand provided free abrasion and the ocean was warm (bathtub warm). We had the beach to ourselves and the valiant birds looking for breakfast.