Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  It never fails to

bring back wonderful memories, and I always look forward to it.

  Over time, we have made it into a very traditional celebration

with our children and grandchildren coming to our home.  It was

somewhat of a shock, therefore, when our younger daughter

convinced her sister, then her mother and finally me, that we

should have a family retreat for one Thanksgiving.  I agreed

reluctantly and we rented a cabin at Ellijay, Georgia.  It turned

out to be a wonderful time.  I explored the woods and nearby

creek with the help of my grandkids.  We had a bonfire and old

fashioned cookout, complete with marshmallows burnt to a crisp.

  And yes, we had our traditional Thanksgiving meal.  But maybe

the highlight was early Thanksgiving Day.  I rose before dawn

and took my morning coffee onto the porch to watch the

sunrise.  I was surprised to find, however, that a fog had settled

into our valley during the night.  I took several photos of the mist

as the rising sun began to shine through it.  This was the basis

for the painting.

Ellijay Thanksgiving Morning is a watercolor, painted on

15" x 11" 300# cold press paper.  The original is

part of a private collection and not for sale.