The twin beacons were a thirty-day memorial to the September tragedy.  New York, the city that is the financial capital of the country as well as its arts, entertainment, and fashion center, has become its heart.

Growing up in Illinois, I became familiar with the spectacle of great plains of corn and soybeans.  Here, the soil is fabled for its richness, and the farms are large and prosperous.  The world's busiest airport, Chicago's O'Hare, is designated ORD because the land was formerly part of orchards and vegetable farms.  In childhood I spent many happy hours visiting family friends who worked those fields.

Cowboys and cowgirls are still part of life in Montana, where I live on a ranch. This big state averages less than one half person per square kilometer, and eagles soar above deer and antelope grazing with open range cattle.  From our ranch house we can walk an entire day mingling with nature, listening to the quiet, and never crossing another human path.

In the four years I lived in Louisiana I came to love the food and culture of the Cajun people, whose French ancestors were driven from Canada by the British.  In swamps like this, people still speak French and pole pirogues noiselessly over snake-infested waters.

Our Capital's grassy mall is dotted with marble monuments and lined by centers of political power and great museums, but it also serves its citizens and visitors as a place to play.  In winter I have skied across these same grounds where spring breezes loft kites for young and old alike, and where summer and autumn warmth finds governmental staff playing football and baseball.

My new life is filled with magnificent sunsets, big skies, mountains, plains, ranching, skiing, and wildlife. Our closest neighbor is eight miles away, as the crow flies, and the land abounds with wildlife. Cattle, roaming over the open-range, are a delight to watch in spring when the young ones are frisky. The greater Yellowstone area is a down-hill and cross-country skiers' delight. In these watercolors, I tried to catch the meaning of my new life in the West.

Available
Price: US $300
Contact to Purchase

Availability: Sold

This scene from our deck is one I never tire of viewing.  As the day progresses, the colors are always changing: golds in the early morning, blues in the afternoon, brilliant pinks and reds at sundown. The Little Snowy Mountain Range keeps its snow from autumn until late spring.

A short walk up a little hill, and just behind our barn, lies a grove of pines. Here Pre-Columbian hunters beguiled the time chipping arrowheads and waited for the others to stampede buffalos over our jump. Now it is a quiet, protected place with rock outcroppings, caves, and views to the Snowy Mountain Range and the open plains.

Hiking and cross-country skiing are two reasons we chose to live in Montana. One cold day, we skied to a precipice and found this magnificent view.

A day among good friends on the high plains, a sky reaching forever, and enough space for exorbitant imaginings. Recollections of like days crowded me when I saw John Fawcett's "Sharing," and  I had to record my happy impressions of his work.

The Sports and Rodeo (above) Water Colors are also available at:
Montana Book and Toy Company
331 N. Last Chance Gulch
Helena, MT  59601

Available
Price: US $95
Contact to Purchase

Available
Price: US $95
Contact to Purchase