Herre in Fall

Herre in Fall

watercolor 30x40 2014

I climbed a short way up a small hill in Herre, careful not to slip on the mossy rocks, still wet with morning dew. I settled on a place to sit and intently lay in colours, enjoying working in the medium I hadn't used for some time. 

Aside from a ladybug that crawled across the paper, there were no distractions… until something kept bustling in back of me. I paid it no heed, rapt in my painting. Perhaps it was birds fighting. After a few minutes more I broke off my concentration. What was that crackling?  Smoke… was someone burning leaves? There was something noisy; the wood was really cracking. I walked closer, to get a view beyond the bushes and trees--POP pop POP! Firecrackers?  Then I saw flames shooting from a roof!

I gingerly climbed down the slippery hill to the road.  Panic and chaos.  Firetrucks began filling the narrow road, one, two, three, four, more and more.  After an hour or so I made it back to where I had lain my painting things. I worked a few minutes more, but found it difficult to concentrate. I'll call it done.