Lawn Mower Race

Yesterday, we had Ron's two sisters and his brother with their spouses over for a barbecue. We had an enjoyable time and caught up on what the families have been doing during the Covid-19 lockdown.

His sisters and their husbands had to return home and left, just as it was getting dark. His brother and family were staying over until Monday.















Today was an overcast, with a few scattered showers and they wanted to go boating regardless, so Ron took them out on Chemong Lake which is just a short distance away.

I knew what it was going to be like on the lake and decided to stay home and let them see just how rough the lake can get even in the pontoon boat. Needless to say, when they returned, they were all soaking wet and I had the kettle on to give them something hot to drink.















After supper the sun came out and Ron challenged his nephew to a lawn mover race of five laps, which started and ended by the house, went around the front lawn across the driveway up the side lawn and back across the driveway to the front of the house.

Ron was in the lead for most of the race, but at the end he lost in the final lap.

Monster Trucks

For Ron's birthday gift Christine got tickets to go and see the Monster Jam event in Toronto, Ont.














We haven't been to see them since the mid 90's, when we took Christine to see the Monster trucks when they first came to Sky Dome.














We were amazed at how many things have changed over the years. The most obvious was when we first saw the arena divided in half with two sets of concrete ramps and on one end a vertical ramp for the trucks to do back flips, was unheard of years ago.














The track itself was flat instead of being hilly and there were a lot less of the cars for the Monster trucks to crush. These changes came about in 2014.














Before there was one huge mound of dirt in the centre of the arena for the trucks to do their aerial maneuvers and with the hilly track they could go airborne during the race and needless to say the Monster Trucks at that time were known for crushing the many cars scattered around the outside edges of the arena.














Unfortunately, due to traffic and finding a parking spot we arrived just as the doughnut competition ended. In the doughnut competition the driver tries to spin their truck until the truck cannot spin any more, the truck falls over or the driver thinks they may have a high enough score to win.














It didn't take long before the next event, the wheelie competition began. The goal in the wheelie competition is to go up a ramp and get as much height in the air while remaining as close to perpendicular to the ground. It was an excellent competition with a couple of the trucks landing on the platform on their back wheels and bouncing back up into the air before landing off the other side of the ramp.














We waited while they set up the Christmas trees and the timers for the next competition which was racing but instead of the usual side-by-side racing each truck started half of the arena away from the other. After two laps the truck with the fastest time moved onto the next round until it was eliminated or won the Championship race. It was an interesting competition with a total of seven heats to determine the winner of the event.














Then it was time for the intermission while the mechanics worked on the Monster Trucks to have all thirteen of them up and running for the final event which was the freestyle competition.














Each driver is given two minutes alone in the arena to show off their skills as they did wheelies, spins, drove their trucks over cars; and did some amazing stunts with their trucks.














It was unbelievable to see two trucks attempt a back flip, Grave Digger completed the flip, while Son Uva Digger did not quite make the landing and ended up on its side.

Race the Wind I

It is snowing out this morning and with the high temperature for the day at 34F(1C), it will be just warm enough to melt the snow by this afternoon.

I pulled out this little drawing that I started a year ago (see post on 26 January 2013) and should be able to complete it before I have to leave.










I finished the remaining legs on the horses, added the mane and shading on the bodies and then put the grass beneath their legs.

This original 2-3/4" x 6-1/4” pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $25.00.

Quarter Horse

Today I worked on a different kind of racehorse from the one I did earlier this month (see post on 01 April 2013) of the Standardbred.















This is a drawing of a racing Quarter Horse called Kurt King who used to race at Picov Downs many years ago.

This original 10" x 15" framed graphite pencil drawing is available for $165.00. SOLD

The Standardbred

With having started a painting of Standardbred horses coming through the final turn as they head down the lane toward the finish post last month, I thought I should complete this drawing of a Standardbred stallion called Remlap Joe that my parents owned and raced many years ago.















This framed, original 10" x 11-1/4" graphite pencil drawing is available for $185.00.

I will continue to post the painting I finish each day during the course of the month. I hope you will return often to see the postings.

Between Training Miles - A Work in Progress

After 40 years of Harness racing at the Kawartha Downs Track in Fraserville, Ontario, today almost became the last day for the Track to continue to have the horses race as on 31 March 2013 the Ontario Lottery and Gaming's slots at racetracks revenue-sharing deal ends.

How the province of Ontario which receives 1.1 billion dollars from the horse racing industry, but has pledged a mere 500 million dollars in transition funding to the industry is simply ridiculous.















Why would the OLG even try to separate the horse racing industry from its gaming activity is beyond me. Whether you put money into a slot machine, on a table playing cards, buy a lottery ticket or make a bet on a horse it is all a form of gambling.

I thought it only fitting that I post the sketch for a painting of harness horses in the barns between training miles at Kawartha Downs.

I will post this drawing at a later date once more of it is completed.

Canadian Winter

I came across a copy of the 1986 January/February issue Horse Sense magazine and it brings back a lot of memories of firsts in my life, as well as how many things have changed over the last 25 years.

It was the first full sheet (22" x 30" (55 x 76cm)) watercolour painting I had completed.














It was the first colour painting that was accepted for a magazine cover.

It was the first original painting in the art collection of Mr. and Mrs. Don Kortko of Pefferlaw, Ontario.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.

Against the Sky

We have a quarter mile track beside the house on the farm where we have jogged countless miles with the various racehorses we have owned.

This is the view we see when approaching the farm from the north on the road, just the horse and driver silhouetted against the sky.












Thank you to new collectors Towering Oaks Farm Inc. of Meator, Ohio USA on their purchase of this painting.

Thank you for looking at my artwork. I will continue to post the painting I finish each day during the course of the month. I hope you will return often to see the postings.