In Shenandoah National Park

Friends and family sometimes jokingly refer to me as "Mario" (Andretti) when characterizing my driving style. But today I just putted along very deliberately through the beautiful scenery that is Virginia in the spring. I've passed through the state numerous times on my way to North Carolina or Georgia, but I've never taken the time to really explore it other than the national monuments around the DC area.

The north entrance to the park, near Front Royal, Virginia

The first leg of my trip began this afternoon with a trip down Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive. Although I live in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, the briskness on the high ridges and overlooks along the drive took me by surprise. At elevations of approximately 3200 feet, the temperature dipped a full 15 degrees below where it had been in West Virginia and the foliage still hadn't emerged in many areas. But in the valleys and lower elevations, the white dogwoods and redbuds were absolutely amazing.

One of the many beautiful vistas from along Skyline Drive

Due to construction on Skyline Drive (the roadway dates from the 1930s and they're rehabbing it in the central area of the park this year), I detoured out of the park onto highway 211, which was also stunning in its beauty. I arrived in Staunton early this evening, grabbed a quick dinner, and headed out again to scout some locations for landscape source material.

It's clear, it's crisp, and as soon as the sun disappears it becomes colder than I was anticipating for this location at this time of year, although I realize that this weather is well within the average pattern for this area. Tomorrow I'm going to head over to the Wintergreen / Nellysford area, and as the weather warms I'll set up my easel and see what results. Stay tuned.

In Philadelphia

Market Street in Center City Philadelphia creates a "river of light"

I took advantage of the unseasonably warm and sunny weather this weekend to dash down to Philadelphia and gather some source material for new cityscape paintings. The more familiar that I become with the center city area of Philadelphia, the more I like it. I regret that I didn't have an opportunity to visit the Museum of Art on this trip, where I like to stock up on books just as much as viewing the current exhibitions. But I had a wonderful time walking the city and admiring the beautiful spring foliage. The city is about 2 weeks ahead of us here in central Pennsylvania in terms of the blooms and buds. It's always fun to watch the scenery change along the Pennsylvania Turnpike as I make the descent out of the mountains. Watch for some new works inspired by this trip over the coming months.