Plein Air @ Carmelite Monastery Santa Clara CA 加州風景寫生
I was a little bit behind schedule, arrived the location about 10:40 AM. This was a place I wanted to painted for a long time. It was closed to the public since the pandemic. Happy to see the gate was open, but I decided to paint the front gate. The neighborhood was quiet in the morning. I was standing in the walkway in front of the house under a tree. The lady lived in the house was nice, she was busy in and out. First drove her car back with groceries. I guessed another women was her daughter and grand daughter. Then put her helmet on and went bicycling nearby. Later, she and a guy went for a walk. They both were not young, how could she have so much energy? Each time she was checking out my painting. The bell rang many times, the sound brought my feeling back to the old days. I painted until a guy came out to close the gate, and the road started to get busier. Before finished up, the nearby restaurant owner came by to introduce himself and see my work. He told me that he and his wife (forgot her name, not good to remember people's name) owned the restaurant since the 1960s... He asked me if I was going to put the 1000 number on the gate. I didn't care at the beginning, thought he had been working their for so many decades, I'd better put the number on, just because he cared....Tired and nice day painting outdoors, and to know the friendly neighborhood. (July 2 2021)