When I arrive each morning, I study the mural and decide the order of business for the day. On Day Three, the first item of business was to hang a banner on the back of the truck. (Thank you, Trail Guy, for the most excellent suggestion!)

The second item was to move the truck out of the way of the lower hill. No, wait! It was to get the truck closer to the wall, with the tires on the curbing. Tricky business. I have to stand up while inching backward in order to see the curb in the mirror. I’m sure I make really funny faces, and I keep climbing in and out to see if the tires are straight. Makes me feel macho to climb in and out of a giant diesel truck. The steering wheel is probably bigger than the tires on my car.

Close enough? 

Then I stand on the ground to figure out what needs to be attended to first. The trees waaay up on the side of the hill needed to be un-blued, but I could only reach so high. Then the hidden item, a coffee pot, had to be hidden better. Next, the trees on the right side of the piled up snapshots needed to be regreened.

After that, it was time to move the truck back again so I could tackle the detail on the lower foreground hill.

I started on the left, just scribbling, then refining the scribbles.

It was a very good day painting, in spite of the realization that this foreground hill is throwing off my estimate of 3 days per panel. The entire mural has 4 panels, and my very optimistic estimate is 12 days of painting.

Look at Day Three’s list of things worth remembering:

1. It was cloudy, not hot, so I was able to paint until 4:30!
2. I met some people from Linden, Washington, who were full of compliments for Exeter. (Perhaps they haven’t been there in August. . . )
3. Bob and Elainea stopped by and brought me some sunscreen that resembled curds and whey. We laughed a lot. He is also known as My Favorite Customer, and she is my A Student.
4. Betsy came by and brought me two chocolate chip cookies.
5. Stephanie came by without knowing I was going to be there, just showing off Exeter’s murals to a visiting friend. She was one of the leaders on my Israel trip last summer!
6. The man who built my studio stopped by on his way to get a hair cut. (I almost asked him which hair, but refrained).
7. Allen stopped by, and I got him to do a little painting. We took photos on his phone so IF he approved of any, he would send one and I would post it. So far, no photos. He always makes me laugh.
8. Charlie The Fireman stopped by and said, “You missed a spot”. It only took 3 days for someone to say this. (He said that he always gets asked what is the grossest thing he has ever seen.)
9. I met Stu, a plein air painter from Marin County, here working in Tulare Co. for awhile. His hobby is painting, and he is interesting, kind, and quite good.