Morning at Bear Lake by Mary Jo Oxrieder - Fine Art Print
Fine art prints and cards of Mary Jo Oxrieder's original watercolor & Ink/mixed media paintings.
Story: My parents aren’t ones for reminiscing. The grandkids, however, always want to hear how we came to have this crazy cabin at Bear Lake, especially as we sit around the fire on rainy summer evenings. At that point, my folks give each other The Look. We used to groan as kids over The Look because it was often followed up with a kiss and hug. Now I look over at my wife and we, too, give each other The Look and smile.
Years and years ago my (then) young parents received a property ad in the mail. Why it didn’t go straight into recycling, no one knows. The odd thing was, it was lake property on the other side of the continent. By coincidence they were going to take a short vacation to the same area so they tucked the letter in their suitcase. Just for the heck of it, once they arrived, they rented a car and drove out to the lake. They clearly recall laughing wildly at the silly idea of taking their entire life savings and putting a down payment on the property and cabin. Then they heard a most pitiful cry that went on and on. Searching desperately, they came across a bear cub, clearly hungry (she ate both their lunches) and missing its mom. The forest rangers were called, the cub was rescued and cared for and later released back into the same forest. Of course they kept in touch with its caretakers. And they fell in love with the area and tossed away their meticulously laid out “goals and objectives” to move to that coast. I’ll jump ahead because you know what happened. Their then life savings did indeed become the down payment. But here’s the twist… While signing the papers the realtor asked them, “By the way, how did you find this property?” Offhandedly, focused on the paperwork, my Dad said, “The ad you mailed out.” The woman shook her head. “I’d like to see that ad, if you have it. We never mail out notices. In fact, it wasn’t even on the market yet when you asked about it.” When they went to find the carefully saved paper, the notice had mysteriously vanished. Just so you know, every lake visit a lovely bear would wander the property, nod in their direction and move on. Eventually she showed them her babies and, as the years passed, they showed her theirs. Yes, indeed, we’re a family who trusts to the magic twists of life!
All artwork by Mary Jo Oxrieder is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form with out written permission from the artist.