Monte Rio Beach

On the morning of Lola's last day here, we went to Monte Rio's beach for one last painting excursion. It was beautiful, as always. She headed back to Spain later that day.

Tomales Bay

My wife and I have a lovely Black Friday tradition: instead of spending the day in the soul-killing atmosphere of a shopping mall, we head to Tomales Bay to enjoy the amazing oysters at Marshall General Store. This year was extra special since Lola was with us and our good friends Kathleen and Minema met us there. Lola and I painted the sparkling bay while we waited for our oysters to arrive. After eating, we all headed to Millerton Point for a stroll. A beautiful day!

Painting with Lola 2

Lola was here for just a week, from November 23 - 30, so we felt very blessed that we had beautiful weather the whole week! We went out painting every day except Thanksgiving Day. We painted at the mouth of the Russian River in Jenner, at the Laguna of Santa Rosa, along the river in Guerneville, and at the Regional Park on Eastside Road in Healdsburg. We relished the peacefulness of the autumn colors and soft light. The bottom photo shows the very beginning of our paintings (in oil) at the Regional Park.

Painting with Lola 1

My dear friend and fellow artist Lola arrived from Madrid on Saturday, November 23rd, in the evening. The next day we got up early and headed to Monte Rio to paint by the river. It was a gorgeous morning; there was a mist on the river, and ducks flew by and landed in the water as we painted.