MORE TRAVELS
but this time not so far afield. We went to visit friends who are renting a house at Cape May Point. They invite us every year and we always enjoy the visit. This year we were particularly lucky in perfect weather and also in the perfect viewing conditions at the Cape May nature preserve, which some years is so thickly grown with reeds and cattails that it makes walking the paths like walking through a maze. This year we got vistas! It was a lovely day. That little black blob is a red-winged blackbird sitting in the topmost branch of a tree.

I'm reminded of how every year a painter acquaintance of mine barters for a week's "rental" of a friend's vacation home (nobody I know unfortunately!) The vacation-home-owning folks always request a painting of the vacation house or its environs, which are all apparently stunningly beautiful. My acquaintance is happy to magic up the required painting between bouts of relaxing and family fun. What a sweet deal for all involved...although I suppose how sweet depends on how nice the vacation house is and how art-loving its owners are. Anyway, if anyone is interested in attempting a similar barter, you know how to contact me! ;-)