Singer Castle

"Singer Castle"

Stormy Weather

Well I had a bit of a disappointment this week to learn that the June 29 Arts Showcase at Singer Castle on Dark Island in the Thousand Islands had to be canceled due to low ticket sales and the threat of an impending thunder storm. It seems that this summer we have a daily thunder storm---sometimes two or three each day and that can't be helped. So far our Summer 2017 has been cold and wet, with stormy weather and high waters wreaking havoc with everyone's vacation plans.

I was really excited to be part of this new venture for Singer Castle. The Arts Showcase consisted of a Dinner Cruise, a tour of the castle and an evening of art and music at the castle, and it is a shame that had to be canceled.

Logistics

I think I was really intrigued by figuring out the logistics of what to bring to the showcase and how to get it there. I knew the artists would be traveling by boat from Chippewa Bay and since I've made that trip before, I knew the boat was not very large. My husband had worked on a structural repair at the castle and I accompanied him several times to the castle during the course of the work. So I did have some knowledge of the size of the boat. And I knew that the Bay could be choppy, so the artwork would need to be covered. It was also important to consider the weight of the artwork--it's a long walk from the boathouse to the castle when you are carrying paintings.

"Singer Castle-Tower View"

Narrowing down the choices

So I narrowed down the choices to three original paintings, each shown here. Two views of the castle, and one painting from the grounds of the castle. I also had several unframed prints and Singer Castle greeting cards, all set to go in a lightweight waterproof container ( you can tell that I used to go camping!!!)

But alas the event was canceled and I started to think about how much fun I had just planning how to move things about in an efficient way. It reminded me of the many years I spent working in After School programs in some of the most at-risk schools in Syracuse. I had to transport a lot of art supplies and only wanted to make one trip in and one trip out of the school especially on those days when police tape surrounded the adjacent buildings--- Yikes!!!! Or the years I spent teaching outdoor art camps for the YMCA. Art supplies, bug spray, first aid kits, sneakers, emergency contact information for every camper---the list went on and on--and all fit in a lightweight waterproof container!

So now I have a few paintings framed, prints and cards packaged and ready to go. There is always a possibility that there will be a time later this Summer when they can fit in another showcase-there are  quite a few with different artists already scheduled, so it might be hard to fit us all in. If they do, I've worked out all the logistics and I'm ready to go. 

"Best Seat in the House" from the grounds of Singer Castle, sunset over Canada.