Wind in the Willows
Yesterday I packed up my painting supplies and headed north to the Johnson Farm, to see if the snow had finally melted there, and whether spring had arrived.
Yes, the mountains and fields had emerged from their winter hibernation.
Geese and ducks were returning home again.
The ice in the wetlands was thawing into puddles, ponds and freshets.
With no leaves on the trees, I noticed new views. What nice little guesthouses perched on that hill across the Connecticut River!
As the last of the ice recedes, the wetlands here at the edge of the farm will be a sanctuary for even more migrating birds, not to mention peepers and toads, salamanders, otters, muskrats and beavers--the whole cast of "Wind in the Willows"!
I smelled the muddy colors in the warm breeze.
Meanwhile, I needed to get painting.
Start with a sketch, try to figure out what, and how...
Then three hours passed in pleasure, and struggle.
I packed up, and slogged back to my car for a short drive over the river to Colebrook, New Hampshire. Yes, you can get a good latte and biscotti in the North Country. The chocolate stain on my sketchbook is proof...