Palms on the Crystal River
Pontoon Boat Tour with Divers
Refuge Island
Artist Thelma Hilmes
Afternoon Sky
5x7 inches
Notes From My Residency
Thursday was a departure from the routine. I had a visit from my friend Thelma Hilmes from Gainesville. She is a fabulous artist too. We had lunch at Crackers By the Bay on US 19. The service was a little slow but that wasn’t the wait person’s fault. She was good. We both had a large, tasty hamburger. Mine came with cole slaw and fries, both good.
After lunch we went on a boat tour of the river and we got to see several manatees. We were surprised at the level of development on the river. McMansions everywhere. It was kind of sad to find that so little of the river is left in its natural state. The only areas undeveloped are the Crystal River National Wildlife Preserve and the outer islands in portions of the river. They are quite beautiful and it is easy to imagine how special this part of Florida once was. Touring the preserve from the water gave me a very different perspective. I would love to do that again with a group of painters, anchoring in front of an island for an afternoon.
I arrived back at the Daly house in the heat of the day and enjoyed some down time. At 6 PM I went out on the porch to do this little study. I had great fun listening to Billie Holiday, Etta James and Louis Armstrong while I painted the evening away. The time is slipping by quickly. More to come….
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