Fall Forward

Our two car caravan of dreams wound it's way back from the shores of Martha's Vineyard to the pastoral hills of the Hudson Valley, carrying back the happiest of memories and bouyed by the feeling of success. Joining the well known annual pilgramage to schools to drop off loved ones, we stopped by The College of Holy Cross to deliver our "godson" Ricon Wrenn for his senior year there. His first visit to the Vineyard in August was met with the swirl of events that highlights that time of year.

With the formal opening of Suesan Stovall's fabulous new gallery, at her home in Oak Bluffs, we met many friends and collectors for a "dancing in the street" type of event. Her charming mom was in attendance, looking lovelier than ever, greeting all ever so graciously.

Of course, the creative offerings for our last week on the Vineyard did not stop there. The wonderful talents of Myrna Morris were on display at Cousen Rose Gallery, with a new collection of nudes and dancers. We were also delighted to finally see a collection of Dorothy Burnham's evocative collages that transported viewers to southern and African locales, at the Featherstone Gallery.

Of the many uplifting experiences I had in those final days on the Vineyard, none were more delightful than the time I spent sketching the beautiful Adrienne Childs. As we sat, overlooking the lagoon, on the most beautiful of days, we discovered a deep respect and regard for one another. It was in the process of doing this sketch, I now realize, more than ever, that I want to capture the beauty and confidence of the women who visit the island every year. It is this essence that makes the Vineyard so memorable for me.

Upon our return to the Hudson Valley we were met by friends to go to Tanglewood to see the jazz vocalist, Dianne Reeves, who was in the best voice ever. The following day began at the Columbia County Fair in Chatham where we saw every manner of agricultural device and farm animal known in the northeast. Met there by the ever vivacious Carol LaBrie (who was featured in the recent Italian Vogue "Black Issue") and her husband the well-known photographer Uli Rose, we enjoyed our return to the bucolic climes of the Hudson Valley, with our thoughts turned toward the season ahead.