Arithwyn's Forest

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Monday, May 26, 2014

Date: Sunday, May 25, 2014 Volume: 5

Greetings, Everyone,

I hope everyone is well and happy. My plans for writing monthly fell by the wayside, but now I have a bit of breathing room and can give an update. March had extra work in coverage for elections and town meetings. In April, we held a small memorial service for my mother. It was time after two years. I couldn’t, emotionally, do it before.

The story behind how that came about was interesting. Both Ma and her twin, Margaret, when nearing their perspective ends talked a lot of a favorite childhood place and both expressed desire to “go home to Salisbury where they grew up.” I’d been holding onto their ashes and those of my cat, Freyja, figuring that when I found a “forever home,” one in which I planned to stay until my end, I would put the ashes in the garden there to keep them with me. One day near the end of February, as I was heading off to deliver some art work for a showing, it was like I was hit in the head with a board. “They” demanded to go “home.”

Where did that come from? Here I was, off to do something exciting and the tears started flowing. I realized I was being selfish hanging onto them. This house where I live was never “home” to them and when I finally move to my last home, that would definitely not be home them. What right did I have to keep them from moving on? It was time to let them go. I also knew that Freyja would want to go with them.

I contacted family and it was arranged and on the day after what would have been Ma and Mags’ 85^th birthday, I (we) let them go. It was a beautiful day after a long cold winter. We couldn’t have asked for one better. The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was shining although the wind was sharp and chilly. Eric did an awesome job on the ceremony. Another funny thing… right after we finished the ceremony, the wind lessened and it got noticeable warmer. We spent a few moments watching two seals frolicking in the river.

They were home.

The month of May was extremely busy as I worked on the InterTown Record’s Summer Guide, a free insert provided every year. For three weeks, I was making phone calls, checking websites, and updating information. I took two trips to Ruggles Mine in Grafton to do interviews and get photos. There was also my book to finish.

Enjoy and Thank-YOU!

Theme: Making Decisions and Moving Forward

Every so often it’s important to sit and reflect on life, to acknowledge where you’ve been, take note of where you are, and consider the future. I often struggle with decisions and the downside of living alone is not having anyone at hand to share ideas and get feedback. I recognize that quick decisions are often not wise choices. Things have to stew awhile and options considered.

One of the topics on the burner for awhile was about staying here. The decision has finally been made to sell the house. This is a wonderful house and a beautiful piece of property with small greenhouse on the side and many flower gardens. I gave the gardening a go and it’s just not me. This yard is too much for me to handle.

I’m going to look for a condo and would still like to stay west of Concord. This is creating the big dilemma about downsizing. I am quite overwhelmed and another decision is to hire someone to clean everything out. I just cannot do it. My mind turns to mush.

News:

The end of April I signed a contract with AuthorHouse to publish my book, “Too Cold for Alligators.” That was another big decision and changed how I was previously working. I had just finished changing all the photos to grayscale because printing in color would be too expensive. AuthorHouse wants the photos in color for the e-books although the printed versions will be black and white. They will grayscale the photos for the on-demand printing. That meant I had to re-edit them again. The agreement only allowed for 50 photos. I had 95 which meant I had to delete 45.

In between my freelance work with the newspaper, I’ve been slowly working on it. All my chapters were individual documents which meant I had to put them all into one huge document with page breaks between chapters. I also had to type in insert photo or map in the places where I want the images placed. I had to make sure everything lined up correctly. Yesterday, I finally got the manuscript finished and ready to submit.

The next step is filling out the online Submission Information Form which is numerous pages. This needs to be done before I can send the manuscript and image files. So, there’s still more work.

Book Excerpt

From Day 13, February 2, Cypress Gardens, S.C.

It nears time for my boat ride and I head back towards the dock. I am Margie’s only passenger. The boat is flat bottomed and sits low in the water. For me, it’s quite a step down from the platform and takes a couple seconds to maneuver the walking stick to help me balance and lower myself into the boat. The seat is only a couple inches from the floor.

My knees immediately begin to ache as I stretch them out in front of me. I haven’t sat on anything this low in a long time. Margie takes a seat behind me and pushes away from the dock. We move across the water without a sound as she dips her paddle in the black water. There are many trees throughout the swamp and she carefully maneuvers the boat around them, through pond lily fields, and past tall clumps of saw grass. The cypress trees grow gray and tall out of the black mirrored water. I am intrigued by the clumps of vegetation growing out of the base at the water’s surface. I ask if the waters are still like this all the time and she replies unless it’s real windy. She explains that the needles from the cypress have a high content of tannin and the tannin turns the mud black. The waters are actually very clear. She says that a good part of this land was drained, dug deeper and refilled. The cypresses were planted by the owner.

I get mixed up on the actual time line. A lot of the land here was chartered in the late 1600s and most of the plantations built in the 1700s and then there was the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Great Earthquake, and lots of hurricanes. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo whipped through and did so much damage that Cypress Gardens didn’t re-open until 1993.

It is so peaceful out in the swamp. The boat quietly glides around the trees. The black mirrored surface of the water makes for wonderful reflections and I am fascinated by them.

Current art work exhibits:

I have five pictures on display in Goffstown, two drawings and two photographs at Sunapee Lake Massage, drawings and photos on display at Tall Pines Realty in Bradford, two drawings at Z Pharmacy in Newport and photo notecards at Newfound Grocer in Bridgewater and Ruggles Mine, Grafton.

More photos have been posted to my online sites.

Upcoming shows:

There will be photos and drawings on display at the Claremont River Savings Bank during June and July. Saturday, July 5, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Bradford Town Hall

Saturday, August 2, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Goffstown Main Street

August 9 and 10, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Gallery at Wellsweep, Center Road, Hillsborough Center

See more of my work at:

On Facebook at Sasha Wolfe Fine Art & Photography

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

February 2014

A monthly newsletter

Celebrating the artistic endeavors

Sasha Wolfe Fine Art & photography

Date: February 5, 2014 Volume: 4

Greetings, Everyone,

As I sit writing this, we are getting a first major storm of the month. While the snow makes everything clean and fresh, I am disappointed to have it on a Wednesday. A small group of artists get together for breakfast on this midweek day and we really look forward to the camaraderie and great conversations.

These weekly breakfast dates have made me realize how important it is for like minded people to get together for a nice meal and connection. It’s especially true for artists who spend a lot of time in solitude doing their craft. There are some weeks when this is my only time out of the house and face to face contact with other human beings. Yes, we often “chat” through Facebook and e-mails, but spending time with others in person is also important.

What is most interesting about this group is that we are of different disciplines. There’s a potter, three of us do photography, a painter, one who does pastel drawings, and writers. Some of us do work in more than one medium. Once in awhile other artists join us. It’s a wonderful time to talk about what is being worked on, having show and tell, and sometimes we just discuss current life issues.

We are very supportive of one another and we most always come away being more inspired to get back to our art… whatever form our creativity takes.

Enjoy and Thank-YOU!

Self Esteem and Art

I am reading a biography on Anne Sexton and two weeks ago, I read one on Grace Metalious of Peyton Place fame. I am intrigued by biographies, especially those of artists. What these two women had in common, as with Sylvia Plath and many others, is that they were successful at their crafts and yet, in the end, they committed suicide. (Metalious drank herself to death.) Their plight and those of many others who followed dreams, stepped away from what was expected of them, and suffered the consequences of “being different” is an intriguing study.

There has often been a connection to insanity and artists; Van Gogh and T. S. Eliot to name a couple of men. (I personally think Picasso was a bit mad.) This subject particularly draws me in because there was a point in my life where I wanted to end it all. I’ve often felt a little crazy and I am often saying “if I didn’t write, I’d die or go crazy or worse.” Inside is a passion to follow something that sometimes can’t be described. It’s a burning yearning desire. Then there are the societal and family edicts that dictate one must work to support family, pay bills, put bread on the table, etc. There are those who believe that art is only a hobby. Women especially have been regulated to specific roles and to break away often brought the wrath of community and those around her. Heaven forbid she not want to be a wife and mother. (Thankfully this is getting more acceptable.)

As I continue in my quest to define what that creative passion is and how it affects an artist, I am always drawn to the metaphor of fire. That “something inside” that defines a creative person is a flame that burns deep and it doesn’t matter what form the art takes whether visual art, the written word, or performing arts. That flame simmers and aches for release. The artist must keep the fires fed to be healthy.

Criticism and ridicule pour water on those fires. Pressures from society and family who don’t understand the artist dampen the flames. When the fires are not allowed to be clean, the flame turns to ashes and dust. I know my family always meant the best for me. They could not see that an artist would make a living from art. Messages get confusing. On the one hand, my beginnings were celebrated, but on the other hand, it was always stated that art could only ever be a hobby. I always felt I was being forced into being someone I wasn’t. Then again, I didn’t know any better at the time.

I don’t know if it was the deep down artist in me that made me “different” from my peers, but I grew up with few friends and felt outcast from most everyone near my age. I just didn’t like what other girls were doing and they did what most kids do to the ones who don’t fit in. It feels like my entire school years were spent with being called names and being left out. (There was that part of me that didn’t care.) I grew up feeling there was something wrong with me.

Adult relationships fed my lack of self esteem. I finally began to rebel at the roles I fell into and as the children grew older, I pushed to rediscover who I really was. It was creativity that gave me a ladder out of the deep darkness of despair. Words, poetry, writing gave voice to the fires in my soul and when released, I felt a blossoming. However, the many years of low self esteem had taken its toll.

I heard an interview with Delta Burke after the Golden Girls was hugely popular on television. Burke talked about her fears every time she went in front of the camera. It shocked me that celebrities struggle with self-doubt and then reading biographies, even after gaining fame and success as writers, artists, actors, people still suffer from self-doubt. I feel I am in darn good company.

Note: I didn’t intend to ramble on about my past, but every time I tried to change it and often by getting up and doing something else for a bit, I’d come back and those words would continue. Guess this means it wanted to be written.

News:

Extensive updates were made to my website in January. I still have many photos to upload myself. Pages were also made for purchasing photos, drawings, books, and hand knitted scarves. Check it out at www.sashawolfe.net.

Plans for this include a photo contest at the Library Arts Center in Newport on February 8. Also, I will be submitting four pieces to the Annual Spring Show at the Jaffrey Civic Center will run from February 21 through March 22. Opening reception will be Friday, February 21, 5 - 7 p.m.

I am back to working on my book Too Cold for Alligators about the trip I made last winter. The goal is to have it complete within the next four months.

Book Excerpt

On to Martinsburg, West Virginia

Back on the highway, the speed limit fluctuates between 55 and 65. Away from the city and with lesser traffic, I try to look around. There are a lot of bare spots like trees have been cut or thinned. There is one big snow-covered hill with the bare trees sticking straight up like a bunch of plain poles on a white background. The only trees that appear to have branches are the ones along the top ridge. It looks really weird, like there’s something wrong. In other places the ground looks all dug up and messy. It makes me feel uncomfortable as if something terrible happened here. There are miles of this… ugliness. It’s disturbing and unnatural. I wonder if it has something to do with mining. It isn’t pretty. I can’t wait to get through this area.

The highway climbs and the ugly scenery gives way to more openness. The road is cut into the side of the mountains. On one side is the rock rising so high I can’t see the top from inside the truck. I chance a look to the other side and the views drop way down; miles and miles across flat valleys and then up more mountains in the far distance. I can’t even guess at the distance; feet, yards, miles… hundreds? The road goes up and around a corner and a different vista is presented. Oh, to be able to stop, but there are no pull offs on this highway.

Then it’s down, down, down. Traffic ebbs and flows. I keep looking at the thermometer in the truck waiting for the outside temperature to rise the further south I travel. It gets as low as 10 and as high as 20 degrees, but still very cold. Twenty miles before Harrisburg there isn’t any more snow and the scenery changes to farmland with rolling hills and beautiful, huge farms with gigantic silos. Acres and acres of open country dotted with fences and homes and barns. Some of the buildings are built from stone. Absolutely gorgeous country and here I am traveling at 70 mph with little time to enjoy. The Susquehanna River is crossed in Harrisburg. I debate about stopping early for the night so I can explore some of these farms on the morrow, but it’s too cold. I am eager to get into a warmer climate.

Current art work exhibits:

I have five photographs on display in Goffstown, two drawings and two photographs at Sunapee Lake Massage, two drawings at Z Pharmacy in Newport and photo notecards at Newfound Grocer in Bridgewater.

More photos have been posted to my online sites.

See more of my work at:

On Facebook at Sasha Wolfe Fine Art & Photography

November 2013

Volume 1

Greetings, Everyone,

I decided to start up my newsletters again to keep everyone informed of my creative endeavors. Each month will include a theme, book excerpts, updates, and postings of a couple of pictures. Yes, I do “talk” on Facebook and will write on my blog, but my goal is to reach more people.

As artists, or anyone in business, promoting yourself and your products is the main goal. My work this year has been all over the place – it often is as I have so many things I like to do – and although I’ve done few shows, I have been working very hard.

If you want to be taken off the e-mail list, let me know. Also, if you know of someone who would enjoy it, please pass it on and ask if they want to be on the list.

Enjoy and Thank-YOU!

A Month for Giving Thanks

What a great time of year to begin anew. This month of remembering to be thankful makes me pause to reflect and allow myself to think about the good. Giving thanks isn’t anything new for me as every night when I go to bed I spend time in gratitude prayers.

I have much to be thankful for. I love where I live and I am surrounded by great neighbors and beautiful scenery. I have a wonderful supportive family and awesome friends. I have a nice home and a good vehicle. I am most grateful that I had the opportunity to travel south in January and February. It was a most joyous experience and I’m considering doing it again. I am also thankful for my job with the InterTown Record, a job which I was able to do on the road, and I love my boss.

My list could become quite large as I am thankful for many little things, too. My kitty, Pele, gives me much joy as does watching the birds from the window. I am grateful for my life, my health, and the opportunities to grow and develop talents and skills. I am thankful for all the people who are able to be out there fighting for the good of all. I commend them for their courage and their strength. I am thankful for those who have hope and believe there is good in the world. I am most appreciative of the creativity that burns like fire in my soul.

The Fires of Creativity

The winter’s trip sparked a fire that roared to life and as I bent to the task of writing a book about my travels, other books sprang to life. How many people work on more than one book at a time? The fire has turned into a firestorm!

I am not complaining. This fire has brought renewal and I feel more alive than I have in a number of years. The challenge is in combining my talents into a cohesive, affordable form because, for me, it’s not just about writing a travel book. It’s including photographs and with my passion in that department, how do I choose only one or two? I cannot.

Too Cold for Alligators is the title of my winter adventures as I was often told that on my trip. My initial goal was revamped during the summer as I decided to change the photos to black and white due to the size of the book and printing costs.

To get into Charleston, Rte. 17 crosses the Wando and Cooper Rivers. Oh, my, here we go again. I feel like screaming (with excitement) when going over these bridges. Is this called a single bridge with cloverleaves or is it considered multiple bridges? The road narrows, its surface concrete with cement railings on both sides and the vehicle tires take on a higher toned whine and thump, thump, thump as each section is traversed. It goes up, up, and over and then goes up even higher and over. Aieeeee!!! But look at the VIEWS. Wait, I can’t look at the views, too much traffic and turns – bridges that curve and have off ramps and on ramps and have other bridges and roadways that cross over and under. Aaargghh, freaky!

Talk about heart pounding and feeling intimidated and scared. Hey, I’m a country gal. I don’t even like driving through Manchester, N.H., and I would never go to Boston, yet here I am in a far away state and taking on situations that scare the daylights out of me. No wonder I’m thinking of holing up for a few days to rest.

Coming down from the bridge, my brain is about fried. Interstates 95 and 93 in New Hampshire are nothing like these roads. The highway narrows between the tall buildings. Stop and go through the middle of the city with three lanes running north and south, traffic turning right and left at traffic lights, and ramps and vehicles passing on both sides. I stay in the middle lane as I don’t know if I’ll be making a left or right. The south- and northbound lanes split again before the bridge over the Ashley River. The hotel sits on land across the river between the south- and northbound lanes. It’s unmistakable as it rises high above everything else in the area. I’m not seeing any sign where to turn.

Is that my turn; a left dirt section beside the hotel? It’s hard to tell with construction along the highway. I see a sign that says, No Left Turn then I’m by the hotel. Drat, drat, drat! What do I do now? I have to go further south and find a way to turn around. The next set of lights is also No Left Turn and I go down further. I pull into a left turn lane to find it has no set of lights. At 4 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, traffic is not forgiving and there are three lanes to cross. I can’t get back into the travel lanes to go down to the next set of lights. I have to be patient. Finally, there’s a break in the traffic and I scoot across. I take that road a short distance to turn around. I make my way back to Rte. 17, this time heading north.

The hotel comes up again on the left and just before that, two routes, one from the right and one from the left merge onto Rte. 17 creating more traffic at the crucial point where I need to get into the hotel lane. I cut across two lanes of traffic earning a blaring horn. Yikes. My heart is pounding as I pull in the parking lot and circle around to find a space to park.

Whew, I’m here. I’m safe. The odometer is at 14,436.2. I’ve driven 168.2 miles today and 1,270.1 since home. --- Excerpt from Too Cold for Alligators

I can’t just concentrate on the one book. I consider other travel writing books and doing day trip stories. There are photo picture books that could be done, too, and I certainly have enough photos that I could vary the themes. But what about art shows? For the most part, those are put on hold for this year although I do have drawings and photographs in places.

The ideas flood into me faster than I can get anything finished. Then there’s the work for the newspaper; editing, writing, putting together the community calendar, and getting interviews and photos.

Life is good! Life is exciting! The creative fire burns hot and I’m happy.

Current art work exhibits:

I have five drawings in Goffstown, two at the Brown Memorial Library in Bradford, two drawings and two photographs at Sunapee Lake Massage, two drawings at Z Pharmacy in Newport, photo notecards at Newfound Grocer in Bridgewater, and drawings and cards at the Gallery at Well Sweep in Hillsborough.

Upcoming show:

November 30 and December 1, there will be Christmas in the Center at the Gallery at Well sweep, Center Road, Hillsborough, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. where I will also bring photos to add to what is already there.

October 2013

TODAY’S MUSINGS:

Being an artist is not the same as being a banker, nurse, clerk or any of those “day” type jobs. Being an artist is not limited to a time frame. Those of us who pursue creative endeavors are driven by a desire that’s not often easy to describe. It’s like a fire in our souls. I’ve always said, “If I don’t write, I will die or go crazy or worse.” That follows into my passion to draw or paint or take photographs.

To me, it feels like that desire is wrapped around my entire being. It has permeated my very self. It’s buried deep within my soul. Yes, I feel “I WILL die or go crazy or worse” if I am not doing something creative. Even when I’m not actually DOING any art, I am THINKING about it!

I am consumed by the fire of creativity to the point where a lot of other things have fallen by the wayside. As much as I love my family, I seldom spend time with them. I don’t visit friends unless they are other artists and we get together for conversations and meals. I haven’t gone on vacation or spent a night away from home in ten years because my life is so wrapped around my art. If I didn’t have reasons to leave the house, I would just stay inside working and thinking.

When I do leave the house, it’s often with the possibility of something artsy. I never leave home without my camera, pens, and notebook. Even the paying job that I have with the local newspaper is tied up with a form of art because of the writing and photography. I call my outings “adventures” because I never know what else I’ll find along the way.

Being an artist can be all-consuming like eating, breathing, sleeping. It’s hard for those who are not artists to truly understand that driving desire to spend hours in solitude. Sometimes artists will go to any lengths to do what they do, often forsaking family and friends. They can become very self-centered. (Yes, I include myself in that statement.) Throughout centuries, artists have been homeless, penniless, and at the bottom of the barrel. They’ve been persecuted and ridiculed in their endless pursuits. Still they persevered. Those we now consider masters fell into all of these categories at one time or other.

I often feel guilty for following my own pursuits instead of being a better daughter, mother, grandmother, wife, and friend. I’ve followed my heart and for the most part, I am happy. I read a lot of biographies of other artists and there are patterns. I am gaining a better understanding of myself through reading about them.

However, one thing I miss in these books is what the artist emotionally went through in life. Most works are written about accomplishments, events, and interactions with others, but seldom can we ever really know who that person was on the inside and this is one of the things I want to explore. It’s a hard subject because people often have a difficult time talking on a more intimate level. Then, too, it can be uncomfortable for the listener to hear. I often find there are times when there are no words to describe what I’m feeling.

Perhaps the life of an artist can’t be told in one whole story. Maybe it can only be brought forth in pieces. I share a few thoughts and something triggers in you and you respond. Perhaps others will be so inspired to also partake in the conversations. One line can lead to an opening in better understanding who we are and what makes us do what we do.

Namarie, my friends,

Sasha

Thursday, January 2, 2014

ARITHWYN’S FOREST

A monthly newsletter

to celebrate artistic endeavors

Sasha Wolfe Fine Art & photography

Date: January 2014 Volume: 3

Greetings, Everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. The past year was an emotional roller coaster ride. The ideas for projects that stream into my brain are never ending. It’s hard to decide which to pursue and too often there are so many that I end up doing nothing.

I’m looking forward to finishing works in progress. I am currently working on three major projects and that’s not counting the seven drawings in various stages. There are upcoming shows to get ready for and I need a whole new inventory of cards to design. It’s all very exciting.

I contemplated another trip south this winter, but I don’t think that can happen this year. I need to get the house ready to put on the market. I have to downsize. This place is too big for one person. There’s over 3,400 square feet of living space which includes a master bedroom on the first floor, two bedrooms on the second, and three paneled and carpeted rooms in the basement. There’s a small greenhouse attached to the house which is such a waste as I am not a gardener. This is a wonderful property and deserves a family willing and able to maintain the place.

Let’s raise our glasses and make 2014 a successful year!

Enjoy and Thank-YOU!

2013 in Retrospect

The biggest accomplishment of the year was that trip down south last winter. It’s hard to believe that I would ever do anything like that, but I did it. It was so wonderful and I’d love to do it again. I have the travel bug. I want to see other places, experience different areas.

The ensuing months were spent in writing about the journey. I put aside most everything while focused on that huge project which is titled Too Cold for Alligators which is a combination of personal experience while traveling, short history bits of areas visited, and lots of photos. I did manage to do one show for the Fourth of July town celebration in which I sold two drawings. That was very exciting. I expected to have the book done by now, but in July I was dealt a terrible blow with the death of my beloved kitty, Freyja. That threw me off my game as I crashed and burned and by the time I crawled back out of that hole, other projects got in the way.

The traveling and writing still held me and I began to turn some of my photography expeditions into a book on day trips. It was good that I did the smaller book as I am taking a different publishing route than I did with My Life Isn’t Flowers. I am actually learning how to publish an entire book myself and with what I’ve discovered, I’ll have to go back and apply those discoveries to Too Cold for Alligators before sending to a printer.

Some of the rules used in writing for the newspaper cannot be applied to the book. Plus, the set up of pages and margins, templates, and learning how to work with photos and text wrapping has been time consuming. Photos to be used in a book require a little different editing than if used for prints. It took the smaller book for that “lesson” to sink in which means I’ll also have to go back and re-edit all the photos in Too Cold for Alligators. I still have a lot ahead of me.

In mid-December, another project jumped to the fore with the demolition of an old building in town. It started out as a newspaper article with before and after photos, but I also decided to do an entire photo exhibition which will be on display at the Brown Memorial Library sometime this year.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me to finish these projects. New ideas and plans are already coming forth for this coming year. It’s very exciting!

News:

The InterTown Record, the newspaper where I am assistant editor and freelance writer/photographer is making exciting changes. The Facebook page is strong and I often post area photos to that site. We have a new website. We will also be starting an Arts and Entertainment section of which I was asked to be editor. I am very happy.

Book Excerpt from Too Cold for Alligators, Day 5:

The road eventually widens with a big area between north and south bound lanes. Crossing the Tar River is a trip! This is an Oh-My-Gosh bridge; high above swamp and river where the Tar River becomes the Pamlico. I see my first moss-laden trees. They look like huge gray ghosts creeping out of the swamps. Are these cypresses? The moss on some trees looks like furry gray creatures hanging from limbs and wrapped around trunks. The highway climbs. The entire bridge is cement with K-rail sides and it goes up and up. Aaargh, to be able to get photos! The river is sleepy and I want to look and look. There’s not even a break-down lane, not that I’d dare stop on a bridge in this traffic. But I oh, so want to! My mind is babbling.

I’m excited with my first sights of the moss-covered trees. Soon I approach another bridge. This one crosses the Neuse River into New Bern. I don’t even know how to describe it and if I wanted a picture of that other bridge, this one is the most impressive I’ve ever seen. The cement roadway makes the tires give off a funny whistle and it’s like driving up a hill. Two lanes between cement walls going up and up make me feel a little claustrophobic and above there is nothing but sky. This would be tough for anyone afraid of heights.

And the VIEW! If I thought that other bridge was Oh, My God, this one is OHHH-MY-GODDD! It’s scary high especially with traffic moving at 60 mph. This bridge immediately turns into another bridge crossing the Trent River from which there is an off ramp which is also a bridge and clover leafs. How anything like this could be built is totally amazing. I have GOT to come home this way. Maybe I’ll figure out where to get off to get photos.

Then to top it off, the bridge continues on through swampland with more of those moss-covered trees. These tall, colorless giants, naked except for the furry moss hanging in long clumps, trees that seem to come out of the wetlands like zombies creeping up to grab travelers have me squealing inside with excitement. The bridge eventually gives way to “normal” dry land, but my mind continues to run wild.

Current art work exhibits:

I have five photographs on display in Goffstown, two pictures at the Brown Memorial Library in Bradford, two drawings and two photographs at Sunapee Lake Massage, two drawings at Z Pharmacy in Newport and photo notecards at Newfound Grocer in Bridgewater.

Two photographs will be on display at the 15^th Annual Member Exhibit of the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists at the Exeter Town Hall Gallery, January 11 through February 2. I will be at the opening reception on January 11, noon - 4 p.m. Stop by to say hello.

Upcoming show: Jaffrey Civic Center, February 21 - March 22.

More photos and other writings have been posted to my online sites. Visit:

On Facebook at Sasha Wolfe Fine Art & Photography