The morning after painting

   Not one but TWO nights of having decent sleep, amazing! I got up this morning to the usual round of letting dogs out, feeding [starving] cats, tidying up the kitchen, etc. After I got things a bit under control I went to look at the painting I was working on yesterday. While I’m working, for the most part, I see my work as ‘blobs of paint’ and I can’t process the blobs of paint as a coherent image - at least, not accurately. This morning I was able to look at the painting and actually see it, and I was very happy. Other than some tiny detail work with cadmium yellow, which will need to wait until the other paint is mostly dry, it is complete. The water looks water-y, the trees look like trees, the rocks look wet. Happy, happy! I’ll share it as soon as the final touches are done.

   The kids went away on Thursday for a weekend with my son’s girlfriend’s family. They’ll return today. It has been so quiet without them!

Jan 2, 2022

Just a little painting 20x25 cm - but fun was had.

The river shown here is the Youghoigheny (yes, really!) pronounced Yock-a-hay-nee. The location is Swallow Falls State Park. This particular spot is delightful for swimming in the summer when the water level is low.

Jan 2, 2022

   Yesterday there was a cross country meet for my daughter at a state park about 40 minutes away. I had to get her out of school early and drive her there, but I was comforted by the fact that we went there last month so I now know where I’m going. (The online directions given left something to be desired)

   So we got there; it’s a lovely park; I park alongside the road where there is extra pavement clearly meant for parking on. At the last meet I parked in a lot with other parents, but ended up getting blocked in, so I wanted an easy exit this time.

   But up rolls a park ranger, telling us that we have to move (why? This is clearly an actual designated parking area?) to a lot further away and also the race will not be in the same place as last time. I moved, unhappily, to the lot she pointed out. Aaaaaand here she came after me (we’re literally the only people there at this time) into a LARGE, empty, double lot to tell me that I had to move AGAIN. Drive down a dirt road must further back into the park and then walk to the race. I gritted my teeth and did so. Only to find, as my daughter and I slogged along trails and across open areas to try to find the race, that  it WAS in fact in the same place as before and the parking lot immediately beside the race course was only half full!

   I.  Was. Hot. 

My daughter joined her team and I slogged back uphill quite a way. The Grim Ranger was nowhere to be seen, so I moved my car to the appropriate lot. And pulled out my book, to read during the hour and a half before the race starts. No, I don’t know why we have to be there that early.

   The book is a modern re-telling of a changeling story; rather dark and grim. A woman has twins, Something Eldritch wearing dark rags targets mothers of twins and tried to abduct them, actually DOES abduct them after several tries, difficulties ensue.

    THEN I realize that a stranger in dark clothing just hassled me into the farthest possible parking lot from the event. And. Uh. I’m kinda glad I went back and moved my car. So. My. daughter and I didn’t have to walk all the back there at dusk after the race was over.

Oct 23, 2021

New Germany State Park