We had the old two-bedroom tent for about ten years and finally wore it out. Joan got a new one for this trip.
I found a French watercolor journal I’ve had for 16+ years and never used. Great paper. I tried to get the dapple-light filtered through the trees, with only moderate success.
The kids were constantly rafting down the river just behind the tent. Their swimming clothes were likewise constantly drying on a clotheline alongside the tent.
Driving by myself up highway 101 to meet Joan and the kids in Big Sur – in the middle of nowhere the power goes completely out of the car. I coast up the nearest off ramp, Los Lobos Rd (“the wolves” road). There was a gas station, but upon closer inspection it had been boarded up and abandoned for years, weeds growing around it. Luckily I still got cell reception and help arrived in a couple hours. Not a good start to the annual camping trip, but the rest of the trip would turn out fine, thankfully!
This is the first watercolor I’ve done in a while, so I felt a bit rusty, sitting there on a folding chair at the river’s edge. I think, if I were to try it again, I’d emphasize the dramatic diagonals of those big trees sweeping in from the upper left; and I’d add a kid floating in from screen right on an innertube for scale and human interest. I don’t know. Maybe it’s ok as is…
As we ate dinner in the waning evening light on the banks of the Big Sur River, the kids patiently stacked water rocks. They made sixty – sixty – of these little sculptures while we dined.
Here they are looking for more rocks.
I’ll soon post all the sketches from the camping outing, I’ve just been enjoying finally having enough stuff to post daily.
They got mostly craw-dads with slices of hot dogs as bait, but Jack did get a small rainbow trout and a couple of mud-suckers. All were dutifully thrown back of course — after being given proper names like “Dragon” and “Son of Dragon” and “Rocky”, etc.
I like the way the kids sit with their knees up to their chins. I wish I were still that flexible!
This is the view from the “front door” of our tent. It’s a very family-friendly campsite, lots of parents having fun with their kids.
Here’s our home-away-from-home, the venerable two-room tent, veteran of at least eight or nine annual family camping trips. We had a beautiful spot right next to the Big Sur river where the kids could raft down it and catch craw-dads in it. I drew a lot while camping, so there’s lots to post…
Anthony Zierhut 