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Haven't posted for a while because I was in Michigan for ten days. We just got back and I'm starting to unpack.

All the heat you've been reading about is so much more than true. 102 degrees with 95% humidity in Ann Arbor the day we arrived. Yikes! It cooled a bit as the week went on and we headed up north where it was bearable. We even got a bit of rain.

I had to be a little creative with the times and locations where I painted - mostly because of the heat.

The state has been a little short on rain so things were a bit dried out around the edges. But compared to Southern California it was very, very green.

Here are a few of the studies I did over the week. I'm still sorting through the sketches and studies but this is a little sampling.....

Some of these paintings are available at my Daily Paintworks gallery.

Gray Day

6 x 8 oil on canvas panel

This was a very gray day. It rained quite hard later that evening.

Hidden

6 x 8 oil on canvas panel

There were still a lot of wildflowers in spite of the drier weather. I was disappointed that there were only a few black eyed susans around but there was still plenty of color!

Lakeside Dunes

6 x 8 pastel

This was done one evening right outside the back door of the cabin where we were staying. There's not much water showing but this is on the shoreline of Lake Huron.

Sturgeon Point

6 x 8 pastel on sanded paper

Most people come here to see the lighthouse (almost behind me as I painted this) but I was fascinated with this view across the lawn - looking out on the big lake.

Tawas Bay

8 x 10 pastel on sanded paper

This was done at the home of another well know lighthouse. Not surprising, I decided to face in another direction and paint this gorgeous view looking south across Tawas Bay.

Sun Streaked

6 x 8 pastel

This is a veiw along the Au Sable river - at a place were I often go fly fishing earlier in the summer. This time the hot weather was showing in the dried grasses along the path. The morning started out pleasant but by the time I finished this it was pushing into the 90's again. Back to the Lake!