Goose for Dinner, available

Thanksgiving was actually a wild turkey Joel brought which we prepared roasted with apples and enjoyed with good friends, good red wine and tasty veggies. This goose was a gift from some fellows set up in a blind in the large field beyond our pastures. Jack and I were out riding when we met them heading home and had a nice chat. The antics of our horses amused the hunters. Steady on a polo field, but not the best trail horses, they objected to the strange trucks, more so to the proffered goose! Back at the barn, I took reference pics of the goose.

Painting such subjects has a long tradition, from a time when the meat for the table did not come wrapped in cellophane! Have never tried this genre before as have never had the chance to work with an actual bird this way. I do use photos for reference but also feel it is important, at least for me, to have a hands on knowledge of a subject. While I have sat near the banks of a neighbors salt pond watching live geese, this was an opportunity to examine a bird closely in a way a wild one surely won't let you. This picture shows the painting almost finished, the twine tying it to a nail are missing.

The breast marinated in port wine, honey, garlic & ginger, served with wild rice, creamy garlic beans and a side of escalloped oysters met Jack's approval.