The working weekend in the mountains was really great. We had gone out to Bath Co., VA to explore and stay at a friend's cabin. The house was wonderful. Private, great views, spacious, well-stocked, with lots of thoughtful and artistic details. It even had a secret staircase behind a bookshelf which led to a crow's nest. The kids, of course, slept in this spot. The first day was a bit rainy, so we drove around a lot and took lots of pictures of beautiful vistas. I set up my easel and did a few oil sketches from some of the views from the house.


The second day was a bit more productive, in terms of gathering information. We went on a great hike by a river, complete with picnic. We discovered that Bath County is really beautiful. Some fun facts: 89% of it is covered in forest. Something like 50% of it is owned by the US Forest Service. It also has the most water of any county in Virginia, with lots of rivers, streams and lakes. I felt like I've just tapped into the surface of what's there. I got a ton of photos to work from, but I may just need to go back to get more.