Cool Spring

Overall - it's been a cool Spring. Easily the slowest Spring I can remember - slow being good.

Often the trees and plants start blooming, it heats up to 80something - and it looks like summer in a matter of days. Not this year. It seems like the redbuds have been blooming for a month. Around here the flowers are still on a lot of redbuds but the leaves are also coming out.

I noticed that the Sycamores are one of the last types of trees to get leafed out. Their leaves are still light green and barely open.

I have noticed that Willows have been about the first to come out in the Spring - but I never noticed which are the last.

The dogwoods are still blooming, our peonys are out - but others are not.

April 23rd and 25th were over 80 - but that's been it so far.

Today was sunny and about 70 - quite a lovely day.

Sycamore Land Trust Paint Out

I was painting today at the Sycamore Land Trust Paint Out "Art for all Seasons" at the The Touch the Earth Preserve.

It was a pretty nice place and a beautiful day. As it turned out it was rather a windy day as well.

This has been the longest lasting Spring that I can remember. It's mostly a matter of not getting hot. It seems that often - a normal Spring around here lasts a week at most. The leaves start to bud out and then it gets up to the 80's or so and that brings the leaves out. I always really liked the stage where the leaves are starting to come out and there are many shades of light greens and such. It's also the time of redbuds and dogwoods. It's been great to have this state of nature continue a little while.

Anyway - I went to the paint out. I didn't see anyone else out there painting. I did talk to the lady who lives across the street and saw her lady slippers and such. She showed me the pawpaws in bloom at the SLT property.

I settled on painting in the open field. In the morning I liked the view toward the cedars - which were practically in silhouette with the white-budded bushes (autumn olive?) in front and a few Springy looking trees scattered around in the background.

It went pretty well - I managed to catch the painting more than once as it nearly blew over in wind gusts.

After that one was done - it took about 3 hours - I decided to paint another one since I was out there. I was painting fairly small - 18x24". So I went back and took the opposite view - toward the hill. This time I got the easel anchored better - got through the whole painting - and then as I was trying to position it to take to the car - a wind gust blew it over on my head (fortunately I had a hat on). So I had to try to fix it. I ended up fixing it up a bit more after I got home.

The Turning Weather

Wednesday it was nearly 60 Degrees out. I painted at McCormick's Creek. There were a few icicles near the falls, some ice on the steps - not any Spring growth yet. But it's close. Lots of water from snow melts and rain coming down the falls.

Yesterday was another 60 degree day. We had had some things pop out of the ground what with having intermittent warm days. But yesterday got more things going. A greenish tint to some willows - they are among the first to go green. Also some daffodils and crocuses decided it was safe for their leaves to come up. Of course there have been snowdrops and early risers. I thought it may have looked like a yard of yellow something north of the IU campus yesterday.

I took a little hike along Griffey Lake. As I was walking I heard noises getting louder and louder as I got closer. There was sort of a wet lands area - it seemed to be frogs, toads, bugs, birds - but I couldn't see any animals or insects.

There are some trees there that look nice without leaves - I'll have to go back before it changes too much.