Painting from the Canoe

I have almost no signal up at camp, so no photos, unfortunately. We tend not to take our phones in the canoe, anyway, more in the interest of having a peaceful getaway than because we are worried about upsetting. We have a lovely big stable canoe. We load her up with canvas bags with our painting kit, a thermos of tea, and the dog, and paddle across the lake to the swamp or up behind the islands, looking for a shady spot with a breeze to keep the bugs down. We have a particular favorite under a big hemlock that works well midday. The dog naps while we paint. So far, we've managed to dissuade him from hopping out to go after the occasional chipmunk or squirrel. We see sunfish nests and loons flying by under water and the occasional turtle. Most of our early morning choices with shade seem to be next to blueberry bushes. The dog loves blueberries (so do we) and keeps barking at us to please pick some for him. It's pretty heavenly.