Sketching through a day of sky, wind, rain

My first day out sketching, at the Cathedral Pines area at Trout Lake was cold, windy, with light rain and intermittent sun brightening patches on water, trees, and golden pine needle carpet.

Trying to feel the invisible relationships of forest and water. Cold. Windy, drizzling, interspersed with sun while raining, reminding me of Kurasawa's “Dreams” ‘Sun through Rain.’ And a persistent little observer . . .

See the raindops on the sketchbook? and in the drawing?

I was thinking back to some paintings I made about 20 years ago when the trees were slender lines, piercing the ground thought to the water table.

persistent little critter! I left my things on the table for awhile and went down to the shore to escape the rain in the shelter of the trees and came back to find him/her attacking my lunch bag, later my backpack, and eventually I looked up and found them watching me only slightly more than a foot away from my sketchbook as I worked.

I love to watch the patterns of raindrops in a gentle rain, how they cross and interact — always reminds me of the interconnections between ideas, people, natural forces.

Blue openings appeared in brief interludes throughout the day. Clouds were low and heavy, a cold front.

tenacious tentacles of a white pine along the shore with its golden carpet

Flannel lined jeans, wool socks, boots and many layers kept me reasonably warm.