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| Poplar Grove Along the Shore, 9X12, oil on canvasboard, $395, by Carol L. Douglas. |
The first day of summer found us huddled up against a cold wind off Lake Ontario, none of us sufficiently insulated against the cold. I’d recommended that my intrepid band of painters—sadly depleted now that the semester is ending—stay out of the direct sun so as to avoid overheating. Foolish me! I should have recommended we wear parkas instead.
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| It was a mistake to wear shorts. It was a mistake to not wear a parka. |
The Great Lakes achieved record ice cover this past winter and we’re still feeling it. The water temperature off Rochester is 58° F, and the winds off the lake pick that up and throw it at us. So even when it was in the high seventies at my house—about five miles from the lake—it was in the low sixties in the shade near the lake.
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| In Rochester, it’s not too freaky to go to the beach wearing a parka and a bathing suit. |
My students borrowed my car and drove to Don and Bob’s for hot drinks and fried food. It didn’t help that Anna then promptly dunked her brush in her tea (it happens), but the onion rings apparently sustained her.
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| Sandy painting in the poplar grove. |
Eventually, we all went home and took hot baths, but it was worth it. A great day of painting!