Big Red Spring Springwatercolor

Next up in my series of Saratoga Spring Water Colors, is the Big Red Spring. Since it is now race time and party time at Saratoga, the August place to be, I went over to the Saratoga Racetrack (one of the oldest sporting establishments in the USA) and did this water color, from the "lucky water." 
Big Red Spring is a spring located on the racetrack grounds, and is probably the most frequented of the chain of springs in Saratoga, due to location, location, location.
I parked myself right in front of the Big Red Spring, next to the 'May I Help You' kiosk which essentially is a human cup dispenser for the spring. Anyway, that being said, I overheard a slew of gems, while painting this spring...."I normally don't drink water that comes with a complimentary breath mint".... " Is this safe to drink?"...."It's really, really, salty"...."It tastes like there is minerals in this"..... "It's not Red".... "Drink this every time you come here, for good luck".... "It tastes like the pipes might be a little old and rusty".... "Yuck, I got it on me"...."I heard this is good for you, maybe it'll cure my UTI" 
 I won the first race for a cool $25 then proceeded to pay it back until I gave up with $2 from my wins. Trick is to leave when you are ahead, only play a few races. Any way, I focused more on this painting than the Post Parade, so here it is....

 

Deer Park Spring Water Color

Continuing my quest to water color paint each available spring, using it's own water for the water color, I went back to Congress Park, and painted the offshoot spring of the mighty Congress Spring. So, ladies and gents, behold, the Deer Park Spring.
May I refer you to an earlier post describing the origins of this particular spring... http://briefingsfromaspacitymetalhead.blogspot.com/2015/03/health-history-lions-ravens-dogs-deer.html

Saratoga Springwater Colors Cont.; Polaris and Geyser Island Spouter

Spa State Park is home to several spouters, quite similar to the geysers located west of the Mississippi, namely Ol' Faithful. The main difference is, the western ones are due to geothermal pressure, whereas here on the east coast, water erupts from the earth due to gas pressure. 

Polaris Spring is the roadside spouter located in the Spa State Park. It is known to be slightly radioactive and has trace amounts of radon gas. It's good for the skin, as you will see people stand under the spouter and wear the mist. 

I dig the Polaris, I'm always game to grab a sip, simply 'cuz it's an easily accessible natural spouter, with a fountain that crests about face level, pretty cool!

The biggest attraction in the Spa State Park, I don't care who's on that stage at SPAC, is the Geyser Island Spouter. Early photos of this, (shown on a plaque near it) show the rock piping center before years of spouting, and now, the tufa dome covers most of the fountain, except for about a foot of the tip.

a photo from wintertime!

MORE TO COME SOON!!!

Saratoga Springwatercolors continued...

I have been rendering watercolor paintings of each spring in Saratoga Springs, using each respective spring's water, for the watercolor painting. Here's some more...

Congress Spring

 Possibly Saratoga's most famous spring, Congress Spring sits just south of the entrance way to Congress Park.  Gideon Putnam, Saratoga's founder, and original owner of the land known as Saratoga Springs, tubed it around 1809. Congress Spring was drilled to it's running state as we know it today, by John Clarke, around 1822. John owned the land later, and John built pavilions for Congress (and Colombian) Spring, using Greek Revival style pillars for the Congress that also adorn his mansion over looking the park, on Circular St. 
 The Congress Spring was named by the Jewel family, I found a neat story in a sweet book from 1880 called Reminiscences of Saratoga 

Colombian Spring
The Colombian Spring was drilled in 1806 by Gideon Putnam, creator of Saratoga Springs. It was known as Iron Water and was purported to strengthen the gut, and up your red blood cell count. The original spring no longer flows and now is basically tap water sourced from Loughberry Lake.

Thanks! More to come soon!

Springwater Colors

I decided to watercolor paint each available spring in Saratoga Springs, using the water from the respective spring in the painting. Here's my work so far......

 CHARLIE SPRING 

Charlie Spring is named after Charles S. Dake, a local businessman, whom along with his wife, Philly, hosted the first fundraiser to create SPAC back in 1962. 
 The Dakes made their money from pasteurizing milk after local ordinances left smaller farms to scramble for updated equipment. During this time, milk was delivered to houses around Saratoga by several farms, here's a link to that info http://dairy.wisc.edu/PubPod/Reference/Library/Barton.1989.pdf 
   The Dake's owned and still own Stewart's gas stations that are known for their ice cream, and milk. The Dake's milking empire started just a couple miles west of Saratoga Springs, in Dakestown, a part of Greenfield/Middle Grove, on Dakestown Rd at, you guessed it, Dake's farm. They have been a staple of our community for 100 years now, and sometimes they give free chili on their hot dogs, so keep your eyes and bellies peeled! hahahaha

this one is at a trickle (I'm using the spring water from the spring that I am water coloring.

 I'm also using a 1975 Saratoga Racetrack Giveaway cup)

( it's at the Hall Of Springs entrance to SPAC)

Orenda Spring
Orenda is an Iroquois term for a supernatural force in varying degrees, responsible for all actions, in all objects and people. 
Here's a link about the word Orenda http://www.jstor.org/stable/658926?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Orenda is responsible for the huge travertine dome that is made of calcium carbonate, and visible looking south from the SPAC bridge. It has more potassium iodine in it's water content than sea water, if that means anything to you. Don't drink too much, for it has a laxative effect. I picture a thirsty jogger, stopping for a drink, only to realize later, he has more pressing issues at hand than thirst, hahaha I have some sweet shots of Orenda during winter time on my first post on this blog, check it out!

Using this particularly stinky water to paint with, plus a halo of mosquitos, made this painting a bit difficult, 

but here it is, a bit cartoony, I think, due to my impatience.

More stories, photos and paintings to come, there's a lot of springs in Saratoga Springs, New York!

Jane Roberts and the Seth Books

Jane Roberts, born May 8th 1929, grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY.  She grew up taking care of her ailing mother, at a house that used to sit on what I believe to be over near York and Warren Streets. Jane attended Skidmore College for 3 years, until she lost her scholarship.  

from Speaking of Jane Roberts: Remembering the Author of the Seth Material
 By Susan M. Watkin 

A few years later, Jane started channeling a person named Seth, and worked as a medium for Seth. Seth was speaking through her, her husband Robert Butts wrote it all down, and the result was volumes of books called The Seth Books. The Seth Books are the blueprint or cornerstones for the New Age movement, and there are Seth Book seminars, and even Facebook fan pages 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/8461791483/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/556350241126690/

There are some Youtube videos as well....

Seth even described what he looked like and had Robert Butts make a portrait. I made a water color rendering of Jane and Seth recently, and gave to Karyn Crisis, a spiritual medium/metal vocalist who just released an album Salem's Wounds, with the help of a ghost witch from Tuscany. Check out my interview with Karyn from a few months ago!

Here's the painting! 

Jane passed away in 1984, and it seems Seth did too, for he has never resurfaced......

Universal Preservation Hall photos

I recently got to explore the inside of the Universal Preservation Hall on Washington St. for a photo contest. The UPH is an old church, built in 1871, and it's bell tower is the tallest structure in Saratoga Springs, NY.
The bell was made in Troy, NY at the Meneely Foundry. Andrew Meneely apprenticed under Benjamin Hanks, a military drummer who was involved in Paul Revere's midnight run. Also, Ben Hanks served in the Revolutioanry War under Israel Putnam, who's nephew, Gideon Putnam is considered to be the founder of Saratoga Springs. I will post the Putnam's story in the very near future.
Anyway, the stairs in the towers were dark, narrow, and spiraled in a tight dizzying spin. I creeped around, and got some good shots! Check these out, then go to the UPH page and like my photos! I entered the first three!
http://www.universalpreservationhall.org/photocontest/

This was looking out the window at the front facade, looking east toward Broadway.

Inside the Lair, that ceiling is 45 feet high!

Creepy Cool

Across the Street, sits the Betheseda Church, I caught a glimpse!

Light up disco floor and dj booth

I tried....

 These last two were a bit strange, it looked like old nuts, or prunes, though I'd figure prunes to shrivel up. This was in the bell tower. You can pul the rope and ring the bell still, pretty neat!