It’s repetitive to say we had a beautiful day, but I’ll take repetitive beauty on vacation. Hot, but breezy, which is my kind of perfect.

After workout—and a slice of bacon BW and Kat brought me back from breakfast, it’s that damn puzzle. The puzzle’s absolutely beautiful, but the pieces are somewhat loose which makes being sure the right piece goes in the right place a bit frustrating. Kat’s making considerably more headway than I am.

Even though she and BW drove off to this tiny little town near here, population about 500, where you can rent a teepee, for instance if you need a spot for the night.

• 

• 

• 

• 

I think I got three pieces in the whole time she was gone!

It’s paint night, but since it’s about three miles away, near one of the camps (glamping) sites by the river, they send us a guide car. Pretty drive, rough roads, winding river, pine forests, open fields.

Our tables are already set up right by a bend in the river, down a rocky, sandy beach. It’s glorious. I find another rock for my rock pal Colt. A pretty pale blue stone.

The river gurgles over rocks, pines rise up, then there’s that sky—a little overcast at the moment with a 75% chance of rain.

Danielle sets us up with our wood paint boards, our palettes, our oil paints and walnut oil to thin.

It’s so pretty, so breezy, and a lot of fun.

I like painting the river (note: though the river is brownish green we all end up painting it blue!) I realize too late I should’ve done more sky before swiping in my cartoonish trees, but oh well. Jason’s beside me, BW beside him, Kat on the other side. I decide we’d sit in order of need for stability as it’s a little sandy slope.

Jason’s colors are bold. I do like my river, but the overall result looks angry. So we have a storm or it’s night, or the artist was pissed off (though I wasn’t.) BW goes pretty bold, too. Then I make a mistake.

I step back to look at mine and glance at Kat’s.

Oh man! It’s soft and gorgeous, and very European to me. It’s freaking Cezanne in Montana. Danielle has gone very abstract and colorful and lushly beautiful. Kat’s is a calm, beautiful vision of a river with a tinges of pink at the edges of the sky.

Thunder—and not just from my angry painting. And some rain. We have umbrellas, and paint a bit more. But I really can’t do more damage to mine. Jason and I pass ours off to Danielle.

Kat is contentedly adding fine, fine details with colors I have no idea how she made. Tiny flicks or nudges of the brush for shadows or texture.

The rain passes, and she finesses her vision.

We take pictures, thank Danielle who’s given us such a good time.

Off we go to wash paint off our hands before dinner.

Painting works up an appetite so we feast in one of the cabanas. The sky is huge and layered with the sun beaming through clouds.

I take a picture of a spirea for Laura , and see some of my favorite heliotrope. What a scent!

• 

• 

It actually gets cool enough by dessert that pregnant Kat wants to go inside. She’s a furnace these days, so that’s plenty cool.

Have my huckleberry dreamsickle inside, in the warm.

Evening gallery:

• 

• 

• 

• 

We decide we have a game of cards in us when we come back. We use the loft as the puzzle, even on its puzzle board, takes up the table downstairs, and why bother.

Another game of hearts. Both Kat and I get hands in the early stages where trying to run is just how it has to be—even though, in both cases, we know one card can screw us.

And it does, both times.

The only successful run of the night is Jason’s—and he wins this match fairly handily.

A good, full, happy day ends.

Workout bright and early as it’s Spa Day for our party. We all have eleven o’clock treatments. I’m now still in the bliss from one of the most incredible facials ever. Simone transported me during that lovely, lovely 90 minutes.

All but Kat walked up and back—and walking back was the right choice or I’d be asleep!

We’re going to forage for lunch right here.

Tonight’s Long Table night at the resort. That should be another nice—and filling—cap to a good day.

Nora

#Food-a-rama

In today’s #randomkatness