Artist Visits & Cranes Show Up

Perhaps you remember me telling you about fixing Ed up with the art teacher from my school in 1997.   (Then Ed and I ended up together, but with her blessing.)  

That art teacher, Anita Orlando, and I have kept in touch.  I asked her if she would create a painting for our Florida house featuring our beloved Sandhill Cranes.

She came up from Ft.Lauderdale for 2 days to see the house and where her painting would go.  She didn't know it, but I also wanted to pick her brain for a few pointers of what, where and how to hang some art. 

Anita Orlando and MaryMay Angelil  2010

Anita was already planning the painting in her mind. During the course of the day, I took her around the loop road in the back part of Savanna Club.  We came upon a marshy area and there we saw lots of Sandhill Cranes.

We were so excited that we jumped out of the car like two crazy women.  Anita was taking pictures with her phone and I was using my camera.  She walked down onto the edge of the marsh almost wetting her shoes to get better photos.

(Click on photo for a larger view.)

There were 22 cranes, the most I've EVER seen at once!  

 We also had a chance to hear them "gobble".  Click here to see and hear a one minute clip of a mating dance with 2 sandhill cranes:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAqcpMEoLa0

You can see the Savanna Preserve in the background above.  This savanna (a flat grassland of tropical or subtropical region) wraps around the back of the Savanna Club property.  Behind that is the St. Lucie River.

It was almost like the cranes were arranging themselves into nice poses!

A few cranes walked onto the bank, even closer to us.

The reflections made the scene all the more dramatic.

Finally it got too dark to see.  When we went back to the car we realized we were so excited that we'd left the car running and the doors open!

Anita says she's now revamping the painting in her mind.  I'm so looking forward to seeing it but she reminded me that an artist can't be rushed!