Steve taught an all-day class on building fly plates and I sat in on that. He assisted with a BBQ for The Fly-Tyers Group at Sylvan Dale Ranch another day, and I agreed to handle the registration and other miscellaneous duties for that . That was enjoyable, as well. The only day Steve had free was Wednesday, so he and I took a day trip to Estes Park. Despite my not being able to do a lot of walking, we found a really neat art gallery (where I got a great print--a stand of Quaken Aspen titled "Tall Dalmations"--that really reminds me of "home") and another great gift shop, where Steve found a beautiful handmade wood box. We love to find special little things to add to our home that remind of us the trips we take.
I spent Friday with Janet and had a fabulous time. We spent a considerable amount of time at one of her favorite places in Loveland, The Master's Art Gallery. I looked up their website and was touched to read the following explanation for the name chosen for the gallery: "The Master's Fine Art of Loveland. We call it The Master's because it's the Lord of all creation we want to honor...from the front curb to the back fence and everything in between!" The proprietor (Linda) was a sweetheart of a woman and we spent quite a bit of time visiting with her, as she told us the story of her weaving which was hanging in the gallery.
At some point, I plan to write and ask her if she would possibly write out the part she narrated for us, but in summary, the weaving depicts the Life of Christ. WOW! Half way through, I stopped her and said, "I don't want to miss a single word but, before you proceed, do you happen to have a box of tissues?" I couldn't stop crying. "Amazing" doesn't do it justice. This is one picture I sincerely hope you will click on to enlarge, in order that you can see the various elements in the weaving that depict the life of Christ, such as the "swaddling cloth," the straw depicting the manger, the wood depicting carpentry, the plaited thorns, the beam with the nails, etc. Again, amazing! 
They were having a special showing at the gallery for the weekend. The featured artist--Dan Chen--is a Chinese wonder who resides in Oregon. What an incredible talent he was!!!! And so personable. He is outstanding in not only one medium, but many: painting on silk, metal sculpture, oils, and the list goes on. Dan became interested in art at age three, while watching his self-taught father paint. His father loved art and got Dan interested but then set it aside himself and spent his life going about making a living for his family. Dan said his father passed away in 2002, but a few years before he did, he made a trip to visit Dan. His father had no idea what Dan was doing. When his father saw the amazing things that Dan was producing, his interest in art was rekindled. Dan's father spent the remaining years of his life passionately creating art. It made me think that the father had given the gift to his young son, and when the father was old, the son gave the gift back to him. Dan began a project this year--the Noah's Ark Project--which I believe he said will be an eight-year project. As depicted in the photo, each segment of the ark can be removed. Dan sculpted 12 pairs of animals (in the ark piece displayed on the wall above the ark), and said he intends to complete 24 more each of the next 7 years, and finally, Noah and the people. How I would love to see the project when it is completed!
Dan works in so many mediums and seems to excell in each. Not only does he paint on silk, but he designs from metal the frame holding his silk artwork, and into that frame, he incorporates the same subjects as in his artwork on silk, e.g. the same flowers and birds.There are three foundries in Loveland, and MANY wonderful sculptures, a number of which are in the front and back yard at THE MASTERS. A number of my favorites were sculpted by a Loveland-grown woman--Julie Jones--a mother of "five active children," which likely accounts for her obvious love of children, as depicted in her sculptures.
This last sculpture is unlike anything either Janet or I have seen before. The sculpture itself is of a tree trunk and branches, with little birds, but as you can see, the sculpture is sculpted in such as way that the shadow it reflects on the wall behind it is of something entirely different; in this case, the Master Himself. We were awed by it. Janet said the first time she saw it, she refused to believe it was "real;" rather, she thought there was some kind of "trick," displaying the other photo on the wall. But, no, it is as it appears. Linda (again, proprietor of The Master's Gallery) found this well-hidden secret artist working in a church less than a block from where the Gallery is located in Loveland. Undoubtedly, the world is full of hidden talents, many of whom are touched by The Master's Hand and reflect His goodness in their art and works.
Following this feast for all the senses, Janet and I paid a visit to The Cupboard in Fort Collins, where she works parttime. The Cupboard, as the name implies, offers anything and everything a "foodie" could want, from kitchen linens and dishes, to sauces and spices and gadgets. So much fun!
Janet treated me to lunch (we visited for more than 2 hours over a yummy salad!) at Jay's Bistro, and then dropped me back at the Embassy Suite at 4:30, just in time to meet Steve and head for Janet and Bob's home. Bob outdid himself in preparing a feast that was not only delicious but beautiful! Talk about "foodies," and I say that with the greatest amount of respect. He started us off with tiny little hors d'oeuvres consisting of perfectly cooked steak bits nested on a bed of horseradish sauce on tiny toast triangles. He said these had been served to them at Trapper Lodge (a guest lodge next to property owned by my family when I was growing up in WY). He followed this up with scallops on a bed of fresh spinach, topped with crisp bacon and a yummy dressing. This was all before dinner! Dinner consisted of chicken, a wonderful corn dish (which I believe Janet gets credit for), and a fresh tomato, basil and Buffalo mozzarella salad. And finally, if that were not enough, Janet served for dessert fresh peaches over vanilla ice cream with homemade cookies. As someone famous says, YUM-O! And I mustn't fail to mention that we FINALLY got to meet Janet's and Bob's beautiful--inside and out--daughter Emily (her hubby had to work so had to head back to WY early; we'll meet him next time). I told Emily that she truly was "the frosting on the cake." These are wonderful friends and it was so great to have the chance to reconnect.
