Headed for Hawaii

My friend Kazuko’s, 7x9½" watercolor

I can think of only one bad thing about having friends and that is losing friends, either because they move away or pass away.

Wednesday I returned from a two-week vacation in Minnesota. I was there last year and would have held off going for another year except for one thing. My dear friend Kazuko is moving later this month from a Minneapolis suburb to Hawaii to be closer to her son. Unless my ship comes in big time, I don’t foresee any trips to Hawaii in my future. So this may have been my last chance to see her; certainly this warranted my trip to Minnesota.

I did the painting right after finishing a wonderful Japanese meal that she’d prepared for us. The best view of her house was from across the street in a neighbor’s driveway. She saw that they were treated to sushi afterwards, so I wasn’t to worry about trespassing.

The painting will be my going away gift to Kazuko, so this one will one day hang in Hawaii. This painting in winter with snow would have offered a greater contrast to the Aloha state. Don’t ask why I don’t relish the idea of plein air painting during a Minnesota winter.