Palletteers at Whim

You've heard me say several times before that the Palletteers paint, rain or shine. Friday, I'm told, was a test of the veracity of that statement. It rained, but despite the weather, the Palletteers came out to paint on the grounds of Whim. Some came prepared with umbrellas, others painted from inside their cars, and others found some shelter on the grounds. As you can see from the photos, some lovely paintings resulted. The group adjourned to Pollys at the Pier for lunch and had a great time! Thanks to Kerri for the photos and reporting.
Ginger

Mocha Almond Crunch Cookies

You all know about Alexis Lavine's annual painting workshops. What you might not know, is that each day at critique time workshop organizer Carolyn Roblyer surprises us with yummy treats. After tasting her Mocha Almond Crunch Cookies, I begged Carolyn for the recipe. Here it is:

Mocha Almond Crunch Cookies
1 Cup butter softened
1 Cup brown sugar packed

>Cream together

1 egg yolk
3 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla

>Beat together

2 Cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

>Gradually beat into butter mixture

1 Pkg 6 oz chocolate chips

>Stir into flour butter

1/4 Cup coarsely chopped almonds

>Press dough into ungreased 15 X 10 jelly roll pan
>Sprinkle almonds evenly over dough and pat down gently
>Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes
* Watch, Burns easily!
>Break into pieces or cut into bars
Ginger

Palletteers at Gentle Winds

Every week I think, "wow! This can't get any better!" and then the following week when we paint at the next place, we have another great painting experience. That was the general consensus yesterday when we spread out at Gentle Winds. Located on St. Croix's north shore, receiving gentle sea breezes from the Caribbean, we all felt that this site was so appropriately named. Many Palletteers turned out to capture the beauty of the place on paper and canvas. Our efforts should speak for themselves. Thanks, Peter, for arranging this for us!






























Below is the finished rendering of the painting I'd begun in June when we'd last painted at Gentle Winds:

Happy 85th Birthday, Mary!

Mary Bodio celebrated her birthday yesterday evening at a party given by some of her friends. I stopped by to give her a special hug. Mary is one of the "original" Palletteers. After coming to St. Croix on vacation in 1988, Mary fell in love with the island. She's been an annual "snow bird", painting with the Palletteers when she's here, ever since. What a vibrant and spirited lady! Mary's a great example of someone who is 85 years young...not old! In Polish we follow our "Happy Birthday" song with another one, called "Sto Lat" in which we wish the birthday person 100 years! So, sto lat, Mary!