"Early Fall -- River" (oil, 11 x 14" on birch panel) A group of friends and I went out to Camp Dearborn yesterday morning to paint. It was one of those early fall mornings, with a welcome chill to the air. We'd had several days of rain and more predicted for the next few days. Camp Dearborn was virtually deserted, so we were treated to the sounds of birds. The trees are just beginning to change color here; only a very few hints of the gaudy colors to come. Golden rod in full glory, purple asters blooming wild. I picked some wild elderberries and we all tasted some. The only sounds of civilization were the occasional cars that drove over the bridge (in the background). Some of us got in a 2nd painting, although we were rushed by the sounds of approaching thunder to the west.

The rest of the group left for lunch when the rain hit. I drove down the road to my favorite park, Proud Lake, and waited out the downpour under a picnic shelter. It's a treat to be alone in a park in a thunderstorm (especially when you're sitting under a shelter). When the rain let up, I took my umbrella and basket and hiked through the woods, hunting grifola frondsa and sulphur shelfs, both edible mushrooms.