Both Ends of the Day

Morning saw me in 
a painting class, evening found
me on Mission Flats

~ carliewired

I started my day in Debbie's class at 9:30 with my daughter. Our focus today was painting a crow. We were a friendly group of women all determined to hone our skills. Most worked in oils. I had my acrylics. 
Debbie is a gifted painter and teacher. To spend time in her home studio with her is like walking with a guru in a garden of delights. I was able to stay focused until after lunch. Then I had to take myself away. My brain was fried. I could do no more. 

After a two hour nap I woke up feeling fantastic. My aches were gone and I was ready to go again. It was dinner time, so I packed myself a picnic and headed out the door to Mission Flats. I haven't been here for some time. The sun was still shining, the wind was brisk and the air felt fresh. 

I stopped by the railway crossing to get a good view of my mountains in the late day sun. I caught sight of a marmot tucked under sagebrush by the edge of the road. There was a strange reflection on its muzzle making it look like something out of a sinister movie. I stepped out of the car with my camera and he scampered down the bank. I looked over to see him poised on the rocks. I left him in peace and continued down the road. 

I drove almost to the end of the road to eat my picnic dinner. It was about 8 PM. The reflections on the river were bright and the wind kicked up whitecaps. I enjoyed my dinner in solitude, then turned for home.

At the curve before the railway crossing I caught this lovely doe unawares. She looked up rather startled and I pulled my camera up for this last shot. 

It's my turn to make lunch for my daughter and I for Saturday. She fed us well today. We'll be into day 2 of our painting class. 

We reached a high of 20 C today on a partly cloudy day.