Watercolor at the Peninsula School of Art

I enrolled in “Illustrating Nature in Watercolor” at the Peninsula School of Art in June, 2024.  This workshop was taught by Becca Jabs.  The school is located in Fish Creek,WI.  This was my first visit to the Peninsula School of Art.  I enjoyed my time there and I hope to return for another class.

Students and teacher.  Becca, our teacher is the second from the left.  I'm the fourth from the left.

I drove through nearby Peninsula State Park one evening.  It's as pretty as I remembered it from my childhood days.

North to Alaska!

Note: after a long absence from updating this blog, I’m now adding a number of new posts. Many have been backdated (I’m adding them months later).  Hope you enjoy them!

We had the great pleasure of visiting Alaska again.  We have been there many times, but never in winter!  Our trip, a Holiday Vacations tour, was scheduled in  mid-March, giving us a chance to see the Northern Lights from the Last Frontier.

The tour started in Anchorage, a beautiful city in a beautiful setting!  It was cold and icy, with record snowfall on the ground.  We were well prepared with down coats, long underwear, and snow boots.  We spent several nights in Anchorage, before being bussed to Talkeetna. Talkeetna has a quilt shop these days!  And, the world’s best pizza at Mountain High Pizza. Oh, and the Mayor is a cat!!  With very limited time, I visited the quilt shop and was unable to meet Mr. Mayor.  Some members of the tour group met him . . . said he was quite friendly.  I purchased some Alaska-themed fat quarters at the quilt shop.

 

 

 

 

Anchorage, as seen from the 14th floor of the Hilton Hotel.  This view is looking east towards the Chugach Mountain.

 

 

 Couldn't pass up a visit to the Musk Ox Producers Co-Operative.  It's a six block walk from the Hilton Hotel.  Record snowfall in Anchorage meant big piles of snow everywhere.

 

 

View from our bus, while traveling north from Anchorage to Talkeetna.  This view is looking westward towards the Alaska Range. 

 

 

Following a bus ride to Talkeetna for lunch, we visited the Dallas Seavey Kennels.  Dallas was racing in the Iditarod at the time, so we did not get to meet him (he later won the race).  Visiting the kennels and being pulled by a dog sled was one of the highlights of our trip.  Jim served as a musher for our sled.

 

 

 

After our sled adventure we cuddled with our lead dog.  

 

 

 

We spent one night at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.  The lodge is slightly southeast of the town of Talkeetna.  Added note: we saw 3 moose IN Talkeetna as we were leaving to head for the lodge.

Lots of snow in this area!  Really nice hotel! 

Watching the northbound train pull in at the Talkeetna Depot.  The Alaska Railroad calls this train the 'Aurora Train" in winter.  Our destination was Fairbanks.

 

 

 

The train made a brief stop at the Denali Park Depot.  I've been here in the summer when there are hundreds of passengers waiting for the train.  Nobody waiting this time.  Passengers were allowed to get off the train and stretch their legs.  Second photo below: Jim and I, with the train's conductor. He spent some time chopping ice of the stairways to the train during this stop. 

 

 

 

       

Another highlight of the trip: Northern Lights viewing at the Aurora Pointe Activity Center.  This venue is approx. 12 miles northeast of Fairbanks.  Our group had reservations for 3 night in a row.  The center is open from 10 p.m. til 2 a.m.   These first two photos were taken on the first night.  The lights were not seen the next two nights.  The last photo was taken in Fairbanks at the Westmark Hotel just before our tour group was taken to the airport for the overnight flights home.

   

    

  

 

     

 

 

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

2024 Wall Quilt Show, Portage, WI

I have a quilt in the current Wall Quilt Show at the Portage Center for the Arts!  See my photos.

My quilt is titled “In the Shade of the Old Cupcake Tree”.  It was originally made as an entry in a Great Wisconsin Quilt Show challenge.  The challenge theme was “baking”.  P.S. The vest I’m wearing was made for a different challenge, in a different show, 20+ years ago.

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Return to North House Folk School

I last took a workshop at North House Folk School in 2019.  The school, located in Grand Marais, MN, is a special place.  I was thrilled to take another class there in November!  Grand Marais is about 430 miles north of my home.  I made some stops along the way and stayed over in Duluth for one night before the final push to Grand Marais.

Busy Bobbin Quilt Shop, Rice Lake, WI

Yarn Harbor, my favorite yarn store in the Duluth area. 

One Old Loon Quilt Shop, Two Harbors, MN.  This was my first visit to this shop.  Loved it!

Gooseberry Falls State Park.  North of Two Harbors, MN.  Fellow visitors took my photo.  I returned the favor.

Split Rock Light House.  I love this view of it from an overlook on MN Highway 61.

View of Lake Superior out my motel window.  Outpost Motel, Grand Marais, MN

  Time & Again Antiques, Chetek WI.  I visited this store while enroute to Duluth. 

North House Folk School, Grand Marais, MN.  You'll be happy to hear that the weather improved markedly while I was there.  The school is on the shore of Lake Superior.

The workshop I was enrolled in was called "Making Hide and Canvas Boots".  It was taught by Jo Wood, a very knowledgeable and likeable teacher.  I'd been wanting to take this class for YEARS!  If you ever get the chance, sign up for this class!  You will love it!

Working in pairs, we each wrapped a foot with a plastic bag, then taped Duct tape all around it.  The "foot" mold was the cut apart to make a pattern for the boots.

Students chose leather from a selection of hides.  My choice was elk hide.  The leather is used to make the bottom/foot section of the boots.  Cotton canvas is used for the boot upper.  Felt boot liners were added at the very end, once the boots were sewn together.  The liners were purchased by students in advance of the workshop.  Most of us ordered those through Steger Moccasins, in Ely, MN.

Our classroom at North House Folk School.

There were breaks during the workshop.  Taking in the scenery was relaxing.

I collect embroidered trims.  I brought a selection of them with me to Grand Marais.

While cotton canvas was included in the class supply fee, I chose to purchase my own ahead to time.  I picked Hunter green as I love the color.  The boots are sewn almost entirely by hand.  Sewing machines were used to construct the canvas upper sections.  I sewed my trim on by hand.

Ta da!  The finished project!  Photo taken after I returned home.

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Visit to Washington D.C.

I made a brief, but necessary, visit to the D.C. area in late August.  I went there to visit a hospitalized relative.  I'm happy to report that he is much improved at this writing (months later, post has been backdated).

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto