Too Hot For LongJohns
Week 4: Waitahanui River
Latitude: -37.83333
Longitide: 176.5999976
It was too hot for longjohns, but who was to know. It had been a cold wind blowing through us all for a few days, like Winter was nearly here. So we came out to sketch all prepared to ward off the cold drafts that seep through your jacket and up between your layers. We had beanies and jackets, vests and longjohns. We were prepared.
But we had prepared for the WRONG season!
This day was an Autumn picture-perfect, glorious sunny day with clear blue skies and virtually no wind at all. We were UNprepared for this surprise gift.
Starting at the river mouth we listened to the rhythmical slosh slosh of the gentle waves. Seagulls standing perfectly still for an age staring out to the far shores. Ducks and swans enjoying a gentle paddle in the still waters. All of us dotted around sketching the vista before us…
the bar and lake view…
turning 180 in the same spot and sketching the State Highway 1 Bridge over the Bridge pool.
Doug and Shirley had come to fish just to make sure that we had some people fishing. The recent bad weather had sent everyone back inside and yet, Waitahanui River is renown for it’s Trout fishing, especially Rainbow trout of really good size. To make our drawings authentic to this area we needed some fisherman doing their stuff. It made a good study for us all drawing moving people casting those lines out, the flash of light on the nylon skimming across the water, trying again to reach another eddy. Sadly for them there wasn’t much fishing luck, but they had lots of appreciation for their efforts to help our sketching.
Eventually though we also began to give up one by one as we got soo hot sitting by the river edge with as many layers as was decent already stripped off. One expiring sweetheart came over to say she was leaving as she just had to go home and take her longjohns off. Even the most awesome sketching opportunities and fantastic company need to stop when it’s too hot for your longjohns.
Next week we’ll be better prepared… hopefully.
Lynda Symons Artistry 