The Joys of Summer

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Today I made lunch for a some friends of mine, and spent the afternoon hanging out in the kiddie pool with my good friend Bardet who is here for the summer from Sausalito. Lunches have been salad from the garden, as well as any variety of cold salads that I have made. Summer is my favorite time to cook as there is such an array of fresh produce available. I escaped to visit her over Easter break, and am glad that she is here in town for the summer with her grandson.

Somehow the afternoon turned into a pool party, (uh, in my 5.5' kiddie pool) with family and friends.

It reminded me of when my kids were little, when I was a single parent (for years) and we made the best of the summer, with kiddie pools, sprinklers, and what ever else we could come up with. My friends would come by with their beach chairs and lunches, probably a few beers, and we all hung out. Though they were very hard times for me and the kids, I had the most wonderful times. We kept it simple, but enjoyed every small thing.

Megan and I reminisced today about how I made a home-made slip-and-slide one summer for her and Will out of a shower curtain. I figured, hell, let's try it out. I got a running start, slid, and then slipped, forgetting how hard the ground was when I fell and hit my head so hard that it knocked the wind out of me and I saw stars!!!! Megan said "you know you are from the 80's when your mom made her own slip and slide". I could not help but crack up.

What was even funnier is that my 23 year old daughter borrowed one of my bikinis, and I decided I looked almost as good as she did in it! (I am near 50)

Anyway, by 4:30 I sent them all home. I needed to get into the studio and paint.
I managed to finish a painting in a few hours. It was of a sunset over the Catskills as I was coming back from Rhinebeck and traveling over the bridge.

I think the two clouds look like the fingers from Michelangelo's "Creation" from the Sistine Chapel. Anyway, here's to painting and going to the "zone".

Tomorrow is a sketching hike on the Mohonk preserve as well as a row on the Rondout creek perhaps.

TO SUMMER! Patti

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