Fall in Minnesota

Ipainted this painting using a reference photo.This farm is close to my house by the bike trail I like to go for a walk.I've taken a lot of pictures of this barn but I like the fall ones the most.Fall is my favourite season and I usually can't wait to take tons of pictures for my reference files.Last year I was disappointed because the cold weather came too early and the leaves fell off the trees before they could turn the beautiful yellow and red colors.But this fall I am good,I managed to capture the beauty of the season just in time and the fall in Minnesota is really pretty.

One Summer Day

I painted this painting last winter using a reference photo I took on a trip the summer before.I am kind of photo addict and I bring my camera with me wherever I go.I usually look for landscapes that can turn into interesting paintings.

In my reference photo there were not any road or barn but in the process of work I decided it would add more interest to the painting and I think it turned out pretty good.

Summer

Let's talk about art again.I painted this last winter using a reference photo I took the previous summer on our way back from the Cities .I like the way the skies turned out.
It is acrilics on canvas panel.

Sketches From the Red Cross Shelter

I thought it was going to be a blog just about my art but as that disaster became a part of my life I can't avoid mentioning it.I just can't pretend it never happened.
We hadn't been allowed to visit our houses on safety reasons for 3-4 days and we had to spend long hours in the Red Cross Shelter waiting for information and directions.So,I took advantage of this unexpected "free"time to sketch the Red Cross volunteers doing their great job and some of the flood victims.
The volunteers at lunch.
This boy is waiting for his mother to to finish her interview with the Red Cross volunteer
These teenage girls are watching a movie while their parents are standing at a line for food vouchers.

Flood

This is the window we could get out of.That thing on the roof is my favourite blanket.We had to spread it over the broken glass to protect our bottoms and feet from getting cut.I took this picture3-4 days after the flood and you can see the tons of mud on our sidewalk and our yard.

FLOOD t
In this picture you can see how my dining room looked like after the flood.
The second one shows my kitchen.
We had to throw out everything that was on the first floor because the water was contaminated with colli bacteria.The only thing we managed to save during the flood was the computer.It was submerged in the water about 4-5 inches but we decided it was worth the try and the miracle happened. It worked!!!
And a tip from me in case something similar happens to you.You can salvage your CDs and DVDs.They are covered with some kind of protective layer and water cant damage them.I wish I new that before I threw away my daughter'sDVDs and my CDs.My husband salvaged half of his CD collection .He decided to give it a try and it worked perfectly.You just need to clean them gently with rubbing alcohol.

FLOOD
Finally I'm back.I haven't been able to post anything for more than three months because my family and I became victims of the flush floods that hit South East Minnesota in August.The small creek that passes through my town turned into a raging wild river in the middle of the night and flooded two thirds of it.We ended having five feet water on our main floor.We tried to evacuate but it was too late to use the car.We tried to walk to the local school but the water was getting deeper and one of the firefighters told us to find a house with a second floor.We went back to our house as we had a second floor.We had to wait for about four hours to be rescued watching the water level rising.The volunteers came with two canoes and a bigger boat.We were all five of us-my husband and I ,my stepdaughter/14/,my stepson/12/and my five-year-old daughter.We had to break a window on the second floor to be able to get out.In such a situation nothing works properly.We had to slide down the porch roof and got into the boats helped by the firefighters.
It was the weirdest ride in my life.It seamed so surrealistic to glide down the main street of our town in a boat avoiding the roofs of the submerged cars,drift wood,plastic yard toys and floating packages of potato chips.It felt so unreal as if watching the news on TV or an action movie.
The most interesting thing was that I did not feel afraid.I had that deep faith in me that every thing would be OK.And it was.Everybody was safe and sound.I mean not only in my family but also all the flood victims in my city.God bless all the volunteers and firefighters who risked their lives to rescue us.God bless all the people who helped my family and my city.
Now we live in a FE MA trailer rebuilding our house and our lives.
The picture I'm posting now is one I took during our long waiting to be rescued.The water level is still less than 3 feet.The picture is kind of dark but you can still see the floating furniture .