What a week! Last week as the fire broke out in Black Forest (where I live).. I thought for sure it was far away and that it would be contained quickly because of all the homes here and the access that the firefighters have. WRONG! Due to extreme low humidity and winds. the fire got SCARY.. really scary.. I told my boys to do a practice evacuation and to pack. For some reason I believed it was really just a practice. I did laundry, showered.. but in a few hours as the smoke was everywhere and the sky got scary I realized we needed to leave. We packed up.. my husband and I, my 2 boys, 2 dogs and 3 cats and left.. It happened so fast I was able to leave a bunch of food and water for my chickens and just left. As we left the forest to go to a friends house you could see the red from all the trees burning. Very surreal! If it was so frightening for me how scary was it for the people's homes that burned? I can't imagine the chaos and fright as people evacuated, 2 people lost their lives in this and 509 homes burned + homes partially lost. The fire was a mile of so away from my house but didn't jump the street to my neighborhood. Thank you firefighters! What mixed emotions to feel grateful to have a house while knowing friends that lost everything? This is not the Colorado I remember in all the years living here. I hope it goes back to a more 'normal' summer. In 2009 when we built our chicken coop we were rained out every afternoon. I WANT that again! All these fires burning and the haze tonight is just stressful. Ugh! Happy to say that my chickens were fine..and my home while close to this never got in real danger. Did i say we were just lucky? very lucky.. I don't think I've let it sink it yet what has happened to the area that I live in and love. I love Black Forest.
Anyway.. So after our evacuating we came back sooooooooo very grateful and thankful to have a home and really weird feelings to be so happy about it as others are grieving. Never felt anything like this before. I left one painting on the easel I was almost finished with.. I did pack up some of my favorite paintings. Oh so hard to pick and choose. Now that we are back. I had a day to get my Nibblefest piece together, theme "Kings and Queens" Yesterday I did a small 5x5" painting of a Chinese Crested dog with a crown. Available for eBay nibblefest now
here:
Coronation: King Buttercup
5x5x1.5"
Acrylic on canvas
2013
Patterns: Polish Pottery LXV
11x14x3/4" canvas
optional free FRAME
50% proceeds to go Red Cross Pikes Peak Chapter that aids in the Black Forest Fire
Also. please throw me a virtual Facebook 'Like' on my "Sink Bubbles: Polish Pottery LXIV" painting on the June BoldBrush competition page.. I LOVE this painting so entered it into that competition also!. just won Member's Choice and Clouds award.. Like from the BoldBrush site
here:
16x20x1.5" Award winning painting
Original still available for sale on eBay
here: (10% going to Black Forest Animal Sanctuary)
