Early Afternoon, Summer Solstice 2009

Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

Laura and I will be out tonight celebrating our twelfth anniversary, and the chances that tonight’s sunset will be painted or posted tonight are exactly zero. It’ll be up tomorrow. If you’re out to dinner tonight in Locust Dale, Virginia, at a place that styles itself as the Inn at Meander Plantation, I’m the guy stepping away from the table at about 8:30 and going outside with a pencil and pad in my hand.

Since I’m not going to be broadcasting on this frequency tonight, I thought I’d try to leave a little something from the day – this was painted between 1:30 and 2:00, almost exactly 12 hours after the solstice. The view is in almost the opposite direction of the sunset, southeast, toward the Southwest Mountains.

It’s a near-perfect summer day, much like 12 years ago, except that day was hotter, over 90, and there was no A/C – no electricity – in the little St. James Chapel (Garth Chapel) on Garth Road. Our first dance, at the reception at White Hall Vineyards, was to a recording we had made of ourselves singing “Memories Are Made Of This” – and, as you can see, so they are.