Farm-Inspired Art

When friends came to visit us in the Gorge, the beauty of the farm often moved them to take photos or create other artwork.

Gary runs the library in North Bend, Oregon. I brought him some eggs when I went there for work. He loved the colors so much he took some photos for his blog. (In case you’re wondering, those eggs belong to Yolanda, Sylvia and Natasha, respectively.)

Pete attended one of our summer solstice parties and shot this amazing picture of folks gathered around the bonfire, behind our barn. He’s now a professional fashion photographer, and you can see why.

My mother-in-law and my own mom are both masters of rhyme; my MIL-ly writes clever birthday cards extolling the recipient’s virtues, while my mom emails my sister and me adorable couplets about a rainbow she’s seen or some cherries she’s eaten. Once, after I made my parents help plant the garden on a visit, she sent this free verse:

“A drive through beautiful gorge scenery

greetings and visits with the chickens,

manual labor to help create appreciation for the

delicious grilled tuna, mushrooms and superlative

peach-huckleberry pie. A splash of wine and some tall tales to boot.

And what a breakfast! A little more manual labor and another trip back through the

Breathtaking Columbia Gorge on a sunny day.

A very nice visit indeed.”

If you’ve read Get Your Pitchfork On!, you recall the generous individuals who came out to help us work on fire abatement in our woods … with an electric 12-inch chainsaw. Monica recently informed me that she and her wife Karen have “cut down two 60-year-old apple trees on our property with that same ‘toy.’” Okay! Monica created this photo collage after a visit.

When our dog, Phynn, was hit by a car, friends Dan and Melanie sent this card. Dan’s an oil painter whose work is available in Portland. If you can afford it, I recommend investing in him now.

My sister, Linda, is also a shutterbug! One of her thank-you cards featured chicken Yolanda in mid-shake. Action shot!