Art at Dillon Nature Center

Sunday afternoon, Greg, Mia and I went to Dillon Nature Center for an Art Walk. Mia came out to do the Bethel College Fall Festival on Saturday. I had reserved space but couldn't use it because my studio is still stuffed with furniture. So, she used my space so it didn't go to waste.

Anyway, Sunday was an art walk that Jocelyn was in. So, we all went out to Dillon Nature Center.

A few of the artists had cancelled out at the last minute, but it was still a very nice show. I ran into Debbie B., as well as Teresa and her sister in law.





Dillon Nature Center is an incredible facility. It's 100 acres, and is designated a National Urban Wildlife Sanctuary. You can find more than 300 species of woody plants, hundreds of varieties of wildflowers and native grasses, 200 species of birds, and a large variety of other wildlife along three miles of National Recreation trails.





I really need to get out there more often and take advantage of it. It's less than 10 minutes from my house and an amazing place. We always have it as one of the sites on the garden tour and it's a great mix.

Jim Smith is the director out there and he does a great job. We're very fortunate to have this facility.

Lots of people volunteer their efforts to keep things going there, not the least of which are James and Betty Taylor who plant tons of flowers each year. Many of those attract butterflies and bees all summer long.




Today was a beautiful day - cool, breezy, beautiful. The only problem was that it was hard to get photos of things as the wind was blowing them around.

One unexpected thing we saw today was this little snake. He slipped across the walkway, right in front of Greg. Mia and I were walking along behind Greg. I saw the snake making his way - very quickly - toward the water. Greg managed to snap a photo of him before he plopped into the pond.

An unexpected, very pleasant, part of my day was running into Jeanette Mull. She's a local artist and someone I've known for a very long time - practically since I moved to town. But, we'd kind of lost track of each other over the years, other than to say hello when we run into each other.

Today we had a chance to visit for a few minutes and it was lovely to reconnect with her. She tells me she's a reader of this blog, so I guess she has the advantage on me as far as keeping up.

I'm continually flattered to learn that people read along.

Jeanette asked me today if I ever got rid of all the wallpaper. And, the answer is yes. I now live in a wallpaper and carpet free home. It's very exciting!




We made the circle of the artists along the trail and when I got back up to the visitor's center, I ran into Cleta and her hubby. He's doing much better and it's always good to see her. She's someone who's always in a good mood. I love that.

We helped Jocelyn break down her booth and headed to Skaets for a burger before Mia had to leave town.

Jocelyn has her booth down to a science, so it didn't take long to get things torn down and loaded. She took most of it and I took a couple of things in my vehicle. She came over tonight to pick them up.

This is Joyce, who is the cook extraordinaire, at Skaets. I had to go buy grout, so Mia and Greg beat me there tonight. But, Greg snapped this nice photo of Joyce before I arrived, and I didn't want to let the opportunity slip by to add it to the blog. She makes the best moonburger you can imagine!