Beautiful scenery and a lobster dinner… yum!

Bernard and Kari gazing thoughtfully out over Frenchman's Bay.

Bernard and Kari gazing thoughtfully out over Frenchman’s Bay.

As most Mainers will happily tell you, the weather forecast frequently isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on (especially since we all get it on our phones now). The Maine coast is a maze of tiny inlets and peninsulas, which means a million microclimates strung together in a highly-complex blanket.

The weather appears to be gearing up to be fair, however, and as I write this a cloudless dawn is breaking. There is patchy fog predicted to move in tomorrow night. This can be quite lovely. But overall it is breaking mighty fair here at Schoodic.

Good Maine coast paintings include trees, rocks, sea and sky. We've got all of them here!

Good Maine coast paintings include trees, rocks, sea and sky. We’ve got all of them here!

The first thing I do when arriving at a new location is scout painting sites, even when I’ve been there before. Places change over the seasons, especially after a winter like last year’s. I’m pleased to report that Frenchman’s Bay and the Schoodic Peninsula are just where I left them, although the pavement patches indicate it was a tough winter on the roads.

Wild blueberries are ripe now.

Wild blueberries are ripe now.

Usually I do this scouting alone or with my monitor. This year, Bernard and Nancy had already checked in and were willing to ride around with Kari and me.

We talked to a tall, burly fellow working on a commercial fishing pier. He turned out to be an IT professional doing an installation. A nice man offered to let us paint the harbor at Corea from his property. We climbed up and down rocks and took pictures.

Michael chooses a lobster!

Michael chooses a lobster!

At six, the class met up for a lobster feast. I had ruminated on ice-breaking ideas all afternoon, but it turned out that there was no ice. A friendlier group of painters would be impossible to find anywhere.

The food was grand—potato salad, a corn and black bean salad baked beans, lobster, chicken, corn on the cob, watermelon and strawberry shortcake. We talked and laughed and had a few glasses of wine.

Far nicer weather than when I was here in January.

Far nicer weather than when I was here in January.

Then the mosquitos came out, accompanied by a few raindrops—just enough to tell us it was bedtime.

*In completely unrelated news, I got this spam through my blog this morning:

“Do you want to make an excellent investment and to get an iconic classic car for your collection and for your fancy trips? If so, we can offer you the iconic 1938 BMW 328 Roadster as well as splendid 1925 Rolls-Royce, 1956 Jaguar XK140, 1958 Mercedes 300D Adenauer and 1965 Corvette Stingray Convertible C2 luxury classic cars….”

Any of which will go perfectly with my lifestyle, says the owner of a 2005 Prius with 226K miles and two broken springs from a decade of driving back of beyond.

I’m up on the Schoodic Peninsula in beautiful Acadia National Park, teaching. Interested in next year’s Maine workshop? Email me.

Carol Douglas

About Carol Douglas

Carol L. Douglas is a painter who lives, works and teaches in Rockport, ME. Her annual workshop will again be held on the Schoodic Peninsula in beautiful Acadia National Park, from August 6-11, 2017. Visit www.watch-me-paint.com/ for more information.