Mabry Park Preview

While painting up on Wesley Chapel Road last weekend a gentleman stopped his truck in the middle of the road to tell me that I should attend the preview of the new Mabry Park the up-and-coming Saturday. I've been noticing the signs at the junction of Sandy Plains and Wesley Chapel for about the last year or so but I've seen nothing of any work being done. The reason for that as it turns out is that the county secured the property (27 acres) but has provided no funds to develop it. The land is part of a large pastureland off the main road and has access only through adjacent private property. So you really can't see it from the road and you can't go back and enjoy it with out trespassing on private property—whatever! Now a group of concerned citizens, and there are many in these parts got together and started an organization to do what organizations do best—get together and organize. They plan to raise enough money to build an access road so you can drive on back there and look around. Good plan, and I hope it works. They have a web site too http://www.mabrypark.org/
That being said the property is just fine without all the developing they will do and money they will spend. Right now it's perfectly lovely with horses running around on the hills and trees growing wherever they please. Funny thing is, because this property was cleared for pasture way back when and has been kept that way and it has some wonderful vistas that would certainly grow away if it were not for horses and hay wagons. It's a typical farm pasture and really not much else— That's fine, I like it that way. I could do a hundred paintings back there.
I got up early on Saturday and took the shuttle bus they had arranged for. I was a wonderful fall day and the trees along the edges of the pasture were on fire with color. I set up at the lowest part of the property and attempted to condense the view on a 9x12" board —impossible! Several visitors stopped by and cheered me on as I attempted my task but in the end I did it little justice. Being the determined guy I am I marched up to the highest point of the park avoiding horse manure and painted the opposite view. A bit better, again with much encouragement from visitors. I met a quite a few of the organizers, a Cobb County commissioner that I was a little too casual with. I also met Ed Mabry who once owned the property and I was also interviewed by the newspaper who published my old age in the paper the next day. They did mention I was a professional landscape painter, quite a compliment. All in all I was back at the house by three avoiding the wrath of my mother-in-law. I think the photos came out better than the plein air, I suppose I should take up photography.