From artsy owls to creative cats, Greene County is decorated with critters galore! In the past week we've traveled to Coxsackie to hunt down owls, to Cairo to hunt bears (whew, that was a challenge-blog post to come), and last friday to Catskill to round up the cats. It was a tough job but someone had to do it! We found all 50 bears, 50 cats and 52 owls, and all I can say is, "WOW". So much creative genius out there by so many talented artist! I can't wait for you to see them all.
When our granddaughter was living in Indiana, I was constantly wishing she were here to take on our excursions! Now that she's living in NY again, she's a great addition to our adventures. When I asked her if she'd like to accompany us to Catskill to find the cats, there was no hesitation. She was all in! I gave her one of my cameras and off we went to round up 50 cats! In Catskill, the cats are displayed mostly on Main Street, with about a dozen just off the main drag. Elena and I walked up one side and down the other of Main Street and John drove along in case we needed a rest or some shade. This is the 12th year for the Cat'n Around Catskill exhibit, our third year photographing it, and the first year we found all 50 cats. To be fair....it's the first year we were determined to find all 50. Some of the artists participate in more than one exhibit, and often participate year after year. If you haven't already seen my post on the Coxsackie Owls....there'll be a link at the end of this post. But without further ado....let me present the 2018 Cat'n Around Catskill Cats!!! (Like the owl post, I'll feature some of my favorite cats here in the post and the entire collection, with some detailed close-ups, will appear on my Facebook Page soon.
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| Photo by Elena |
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| Wait till you see the back of this one!!!! Holy Cow! |
Gorgeous, aren't they? And that's just a handful of them! For anyone reading who's new to the Cat'n Around Catskill exhibit, the cats are sponsored by local businesses, painted by amazing artists, placed on display from Memorial Day until Labor Day then auctioned off at a gala. The monies raised benefit a number of local organizations. Another cool thing.... each town shares one of 'their' animals with the other exhibiting towns, so you'll find a Coxsackie owl and a Catskill cat on display in Cairo among the bears, a Cairo bear and Coxsackie owl on display in Catskill and of course a Cairo bear and a Catskill cat in Coxsackie. Here's the visiting cat on display in Cairo:
And appropriately created.....A Catskill cat/owl on display in Coxsackie!
Trust me, these aren't the only magnificent cats on display. Hop on over to my Facebook Page tomorrow and check out the full collection and some amazing close-up details . If you head to Catskill to do your own scavenger hunt, have a little lunch at the New York Restaurant, followed by a little ice cream at Cone-E-Island Ice Cream! Beware the servings are mammoth...I couldn't finish my baby cone, but the ice cream is amazing. Each town has a detailed map with directions to each and every animal on display. Maps are available at sponsoring businesses and all around town. Thank you to all the artists for sharing your time and talent for this great cause. Come back next time when I'll share the bears of Cairo! It took us about 6 hours to find them all, but what fun it was and what fun bears we found! Thanks for visiting and don't forget to share.
https://www.facebook.com/catnaroundcatskill/
Post Script: When I was putting together the full album of all 50 cats, I realized we did not, in fact, find all the cats. :( We missed one on a side street, so if you go, look at the map carefully!
