I am not sure what it is about my demeanor or appearance that makes people want to give me things but as I write this there is a bushel, not one or two dozen, but a bushel of raw oysters in the bed of my truck.
On Thursday Jason and I left for our paint trip to Atlantic Beach, NC and spent the day driving, arriving in Atlantic Beach around 6:30 that evening. Next morning we wandered aimlessly as you typically do looking for a place to paint and getting our bearings until we stopped at Callico Creek where we were met by Vision Gallery owner Lee Dellinger and painter Jimmy Craig Womble. After a painting, we stopped by the gallery where Lee helped with maps, locations and the name of the coffee shop.
The next morning with our maps in hand we got busy. However, the tone of my day was set when after getting my subject picked out, a nice group of boats, and having the drawing and about half of the painting done, a gentlemen drove in, backed up and parked what looked to be about a 16 foot box trailer right in front of my boats. It blocked everything. Scrapped it and moved on. Another plein air story. Speaking of which, Marc Delassio happened to be in town and painted with us today and we started telling plein air stories and he beat us all with, "they filmed a porno movie where I was painting one time." He said another painter there was complaining because it had broken his concentration. Really?
Anyway, today while we painted I was painting by a commercial shrimping/oystering/crabbing boat when the owner pulled up and told me a diver would be arriving shortly to change the prop on his boat. While this was taking place he and I conversed and I got to watch a diver change a prop on a boat the whole time continuing to paint. Oh, did I mention his 10 year old son had just gotten an automatic pistol bb gun for his birthday and was standing next to me ripping shots off into the bay as fast as he could pull the trigger? 350 to be exact. That's all he brought and was out by the time he left. Right before the boat owner left he said," you gonna' be here awhile?" I said yes and about 20 minutes later he pulled in with a bushel of oysters with my name on them. He opened a few there on the dock and between us we may have eaten 15 but it didn't even knock a dent in a bushel. I know on the last trip I was given some beets that I promptly traded for Mike's Hard Lemonade but I'm afraid the oyster trading may not be as easy. But ya' never know.
5 comments:
Now, where did you say you are, Kevin? . . . And, more importantly, where exactly is the bushel of oysters? . . . I can be there in about five hours or so if you need any help in disposing of those raw bivalves. I'll even bring my own horseradish and hot sauce! Just keep those guys iced til I get there :>D
Hi Kevin! I'm looking to seeing those boat paintings from you and Jason. Thanks for keeping your readers posted! Sounds like a great trip!
So now you two are like the walrus and the carpenter from Alice in Wonderland, right? (That's the best comment I can come up with about the oysters because the thought of mucousy, organ-laden raw mollusks makes my stomach twist!!)
I looked up the poem to refresh my memory...it's actually pretty cute. Here's the link: http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/The_Walrus_And_.htm
Lisa
I can't wait to see your paintings!! Great opportunity to also paint a bushel of oysters. Ha!
I hope you are going to have more classes this summer. I am painting away, but I need your landscape expertise.
Had much fun, Kevin! Great hanging with y'all and hope you made it back ok. Tell Jason I conquered the red beast today. Still eating those oysters, too! Talk to you soon, the Mawk
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