The owner gave me a terrific tour of the renovated and modernized Opinicon Lodge and Resort at Chaffey's Locks. She described all of the work that had been done and some of the effort that remained. They very much preserved the look and feel of the historic lodge as well as most if not all of the nostalgic cabins. With any historic icon the choice must be made whether to work with the old or start from scratch. The latter approach using new techniques and materials from the ground up is typically cheaper and better. Building with the old has huge challenges but preserves the nostalgia of the original design. We have done both over the years. The decision is not an easy one and there are many factors to consider. In the end the new owners decided upon the more challenging restoration of the original structures. The first time we renovated an old place was when I started to go grey...
This is the view from the southern edge of the Opinicon looking northeastward through the shore line trees toward the Lodge. There was a stand of red oak trees mixed in with some pines. The cabins of the Opinicon Resort peeked through the trees and added jabs of characteristic bright colour. The shadows of the trees trailed to the northeast across the uneven and sandy soils. Every tree is an individual and if you look, you will find these trees in real life. I don't make anything up but sometimes content does get strategically removed.
The late morning sun was in the southern sky and as high as it gets on the last day of meteorological fall. Meteorological winter begins on December first. The difference is between meteorological and astronomical winter is that astronomical is based on the location of the earth with respect to the sun. Meteorological winter is defined by the coldest 3-month period of the year. The shadows were long. It was windy and cold and I decided to play with the oils in the studio instead of being buffeted by the chilly winds and rain showers.
This is the view from the southern edge of the Opinicon looking northeastward through the shore line trees toward the Lodge. There was a stand of red oak trees mixed in with some pines. The cabins of the Opinicon Resort peeked through the trees and added jabs of characteristic bright colour. The shadows of the trees trailed to the northeast across the uneven and sandy soils. Every tree is an individual and if you look, you will find these trees in real life. I don't make anything up but sometimes content does get strategically removed.
The late morning sun was in the southern sky and as high as it gets on the last day of meteorological fall. Meteorological winter begins on December first. The difference is between meteorological and astronomical winter is that astronomical is based on the location of the earth with respect to the sun. Meteorological winter is defined by the coldest 3-month period of the year. The shadows were long. It was windy and cold and I decided to play with the oils in the studio instead of being buffeted by the chilly winds and rain showers.
I have several more Opinicon paintings yet to come. I hope to paint en plein air again in the new year....
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