Home Gift Gallery Paintings of PetsCommissionsIllustrationPortfolio About Artists Contact What's NewOur Furry FriendsLinksNancy's Journal
	Nancy's Journal photos ~ drawings ~ thoughts
	April 2007 Try to walk as much as you can, and keep your love for nature, for that is the true way to learn to understand art more and more. Painters understand nature and love her and teach us to see her. If one really loves nautre, one can find beauty everywhere. Vincent Van Gogh	April 2007 click here to go back to Journal Index  Nature will always wear the colors of the spirit. Ralph Waldo Emerson	Index: click below to choose a month: December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 you are in April 2007 May 2007 June2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007

	April 1, 2007 ~ Sunday ~ a clear mild day which is great for the 2nd annual "Fancy Nancy" Party at the local Library to celebrate Spring.
		All of the bookshelves were transformed by beautiful fabrics and fanciful things and Miss Lynda read the "Fancy Nancy" story by Jane O'Connor to a crowded room full of children and adults in their fancy attire.

	April 2, 2007 ~ Monday ~ a rainy cool day Brody is sunshine on a rainy morning! While traveling to Connecticut on a misty afternoon, the Hartford skyline has a softness of muted colors. April 3, 2007 ~ Tuesday ~ sunshine in Connecticut We visit Tiger, our niece cat in Connecticut who is very gentle! April 4, 2007 ~ Wednesday ~ a rainy day in Connecticut There is a constant battle over a certain chair at my sister's house that requires sneakiness and quick movement. Tiger constantly waits for my sister to vacate her special chair so she can occupy it. April 5, 2007 ~ Thursday ~ the sun and clouds return to Connecticut but in Maine it's a different story. Winter has returned! Connecticut was snowless and as we worked our way back home....it was interesting to see where the snow began...just a dusting in parts of Massachusetts but as we approached New Hampshire, a bit more. Darkness had fallen as we drove through Wells and Kennebunkport Maine.... it felt like we were going back in time to a different season. We quietly worked our way through the little streets noticing many fallen tree limbs and dark houses lit by candlelight. Our wonderful neighbor had plowed our driveway and we saw footprints in the path to our house that meant our friend had been over to feed the kitties. By the time we got home the snow laden trees were bare but the destruction was visible. As David surveyed the yard by flashlight it was revealed that many of our trees had branches that had snapped under the weight of the very heavy snow. Polly was the first to greet us as we flung the front door opened, then Brody.....I trudged through the snow to the studio to see Ellie May and received many rubs! It's good to be home but I miss my family in Connecticut. The State Capitol in Hartford shines as we zoom by on the highway heading home to Maine. Here's a linoleum block print of Hartford's Capitol building that I made when I was 14.

	April 6, 2007 ~ Friday ~ sun and blue skies...should be a spring day except it looks like winter
		The birds are frantically looking for food this morning for the ground has disappeared....fortunately the bird feeders are full

	April 7, 2007 ~ Saturday ~ sun and clouds and the snow is slowly melting The snow clings to the banks of the Kennebunk River. Polly poses with pears this evening! April 8, 2007 ~ Sunday ~ clouds and windy My hand is being guided by Ellie May as I try to draw today. The sky has wonderful blues and clouds late this afternoon ..... I love it and on our way home from a ride by the sea, we see Canada Geese in the Mast Cove. We bought raisins to feed to the robins who are having a tough time finding food for the snow is still here and the temperatures and wind makes it feel like the middle of winter. Here's the sky I love! April 9, 2007 ~ Monday ~ sun with a cold wind and it still feels wintry The snow is melting down by the brook. The crocuses reappeared with the melting snow. April 10, 2007 ~ Tuesday ~it still feels as cold as winter and after a mostly cloudy day, late afternoon brings a golden glow. Brody is our golden boy! Daytime disappears with a golden sunset. April 11, 2007 Wednesday ~ a bright sunny day and it is very special.... Today is Polly's birthday and the proud Mom Cat is none other than Ellie May!
	On April 11, 1994, "Ellie May", ( on left) a cat belonging to a neighbor of our gallery gave birth to 4 kittens in a closet. We adopted, Polly (back) not realizing at the time that years later Ellie May would move into our gallery and our hearts forever.	Polly aka Ringlet April 1994	When we first met Polly, she was so very tiny and could fit in the palm of your hand. She was called "Ringlet" by the family where she was born and when she came home with us to live with Pumpkin we changed her name to Polly.

	April 12, 2007 ~ Thursday ~ rain and sleet and maybe snow later Ellie May is on my lap once again as I am working. Today the subject of my painting was of Ellie May sitting on my lap as I'm painting. The finished painting! April 13, 2007 ~ Friday ~ it did snow overnight A walk around the yard early this morning captures the delicate snow clinging to the branches. So this is the middle of April! April 14, 2007 ~ Saturday ~ blue skies mingled with puffy white clouds. Most of the snow has melted and the crocuses reappeared. Noticed the birds flying North while taking a walk on the beach this afternoon. April 15, 2007 ~ Sunday ~ the storm of the season was predicted for today but so far by 5 pm. we have had rain, a brief time of light wet snow and sleet... it doesn't seem too bad...though it could get worse overnight. Looking through the window today, the predominant colors were grays and shades of brown. Inside the blooms of the begonia remind us that spring still has color. This may be the calm before the storm as we ride by the sea in the early evening. April 16, 2007 ~ Monday ~ the hurricane-like storm is here...heavy rain and super strong gusty winds View through the window early this morning shows the brook is rising and the high tide isn't til 10:40 am. High tide at 10:40 am. is here! Ellie May surveys the water from the storm as it seeps into her porch. Mid-afternoon I went outside to take these 2 photos of the brook.
		Today's late afternoon ride by the sea gave us a brief glimmer of the sun. On the way home, across the street from the Kennebunkport Library, the sight on the right got our attention. A 200 year old red oak tree fell over onto an historic home. It took a spruce tree along with it. It was such a tall beautiful tree. Incredible lichen covered its bark. It is so sad to see a tree like that go down.

	April 17, 2007 ~ Tuesday ~ rain with high tides and big surf caused much destruction along the coast. We saw many loons in the sea today. The waves with rooster tails crashed into the coast at Gooch's Beach, Kennebunk. April 18, 2007 ~ Wednesday ~ cloudy and rainy Brody visited a cat blog about 3 ginger cats from Wales this morning ..... I think Ellie May and Polly will be checking it out soon. The grass looks lush and green and flowers are out, birds are singing and the cats can camp out in a beautiful little tent in their backyard. They take walks on cliffs overlooking the sea with their dogs and their Artist...it's a magical part of the world. Brody thinks it looks very intriguing over there and will visit them often on-line. Our afternoon ride turned into many nature sitings!
	a white heron	a fox in front of a home on Ocean Av.	a red-winged blackbird

	April 19, 2007 ~ Thursday ~ sun returns...what a difference a day makes! Ellie May checks out the cat blog from Wales this morning. It's reminding her of her days living near the sea and wandering around the rocks before she moved into our gallery to become a shop cat and artist in her own way! The ocean resembles glass as it sparkles in the sun. April 20, 2007 ~ Friday ~ very sunny...clear blue skies... paint out on the porch with Ellie May, the artist cat, who insists on sitting on my lap! The crocuses are marching towards the brook! They light up the studio! First time we were able to take a walk at Gooch's Beach and survey what the storm changed. It tore up the seawall. Left tons of seaweed behind. As we were leaving, we met Tavish, who was going to check things out! April 21, 2007 ~ Saturday ~ it feels like a summer day... and a good day for a Birthday...Happy Birthday to our niece, Rose, in Connecticut! Thinking of Rose on our walk this morning and wishing she was here!
	Rose has always been a collector of seashells .....	and has loved the beach since a baby....	She enjoys being near the sea in all seasons.

	April 22, 2007 ~ Sunday ~ sun brings some warmth with a sea breeze... a day for the birds..... Looking up from a morning walk on the beach revealed a chevron of ducks. At the bakery, the sparrows were having brunch outdoors on the patio. On the way home, the colorful rooster and his chickens caught our attention. April 23, 2007 ~ Monday ~ another sunny day and in the 70's Here's the first daffodils to bloom in our garden this spring. A good day for sitting out on the porch with Ellie May and David's carving of a chickadee.... Timber Island ~ Goose Rocks Beach April 24, 2007 ~ Tuesday ~ sunny and very breezy and spring is in the air! The forsythia is blooming!
	Puschkinia	Brody	White crocuses

	April 25, 2007 ~ Wednesday ~ a cloudy gray day and much cooler The magnolias are blooming on Main Street in Saco, brightening up a grayish day. They are magnificent. April 26, 2007 ~ Thursday ~ clear blue skies and in the 60's for most of the day....but by early evening the weather had changed and it became very cold with a wintry looking sky. In the early evening, David and I took a ride by the beach. While leaving, we traveled down a side street that didn't seem picturesque. I asked him to stop so I could take some photos. A friend riding by, stopped her car and rolled down her window when she saw me in the road taking photos and said to me, "I don't see anything.... It must be an artist's eye!"
	In the morning, it was lovely and there was something way above our heads. Was it a bird or a plane?		Why, it was a very large porcupine, munching on the fresh tender willow buds way up near the top of the willow tree by the brook. It's amazing such thin branches can support the weight of the porcupine.

	April 27, 2007 ~ Friday ~ rain and fog and cold The Goat Island Lighthouse in Cape Porpoise is barely visible on this rainy foggy day. Late afternoon, we ride through Saco on our way to Portland...the forsythia really add a warm touch to a gray rainy day. April 28, 2007 ~ Saturday ~ a cloudy spring day with a few spots of sun peeking out... In the late afternoon, I was looking up towards the studio and photographing these flowers with a beautiful shade of blue. It was very calm and quiet, yet I felt the prescence of someone else. I turned and was facing the woods near the babbling brook, when I saw him or her ever so still staring at me! Meet the first woodchuck to greet me in our yard this spring! April 29, 2007 ~Sunday ~ cloudy and cool Polly's about to fall asleep, it's that kind of day! Ellie May has the right idea! April 30, 2007 ~Monday ~ early morning mist and fog leads to heavy rain.... the afternoon brings dark dramatic clouds and a thunderstorm with hail.... and a bit of sun Polly is our computer cat and this morning she discovered her mom, Ellie May, had her photo and story on a cat blog from Wales! It also seemed that Brody had been there. Polly helps David with his Computer Tutor business. The moon had a colorful ring around it of feathery clouds tonight.

	click here to go back to Journal Index  e-mail : info@mainememories.com ~ looking forward to hearing from you ~ Nancy
	Home Gift Gallery Paintings of PetsCommissionsIllustrationPortfolio About Artists Contact What's NewOur Furry FriendsLinksNancy's Journal
	Site Map Guide
	Web Design: dave@mainememories.com
	The Main Web Address of this Site is www.mainememories.com all artwork, photos and Nancy's comments on this page and website are copyrighted © 1997-07 Nancy Cooper Funk and may not be reproduced. Copyright All Rights Reserved