North of the Border--June 2022

Just when I'd become discouraged because none of the four artist residencies I applied for panned out---I was either denied or put on a waiting list---I decided to give it one last try. Though most residencies require you apply well in advance, I found one in April for June and beyond. I applied on the last possible day and was accepted! For the month of June 2022---just after our 36th wedding anniversary--Eric and I packed up our car with all my art supplies, clothing and things we thought we'd need and drove up to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada. It was about an 11 hour drive. We had gorgeous weather, cool, but sunny with blue skies. We took a break after 6 hours of driving and stayed at an awful hotel (not stopping there again) in Albany, NY. We had about 5 hours of driving the next day. Crossing the border was very uneventful--they didn't even ask to see our COVID shot record--just our passports. Dragon Dance Theatre/Artist Residency is the home of two amazing artists, Sam and Katah and their home is a work of art with a lovely printmaking studio on the first floor. Eric and I have the whole place to ourselves. It's been fun trying to remember my high school French, though most places also have English speakers.