There is a house above us on the hill that has been empty for a little over a year. The residents got old and went the way of all flesh, but the family can’t stand the idea of letting the house go. So, it is becoming a vacation rental, and granddaughter of the residents is whipping it into shape. She is a very dear friend, and I had the joy of helping her arrange the furniture and hang the art. I love doing this.

We rejected quite a few pieces with faded prints, irrelevant subject matter, or just not up to snuff for a variety of reasons. This left gaps that needed filling, so we went down to my studio (used to be a trail but hasn’t been used for many years and probably is snakey, so we drove) and selected four paintings.

I would do anything for this friend and had no intention of turning it into a business arrangement, but then she pointed out that vacationers might possibly be interested in buying the paintings. They are all too large for the shops in town that sell for me, so with no upcoming shows, might as well put them in a place where they’ll get seen. This arrangement hasn’t worked for me in the past, but it does work for the rental across the street, owned by the brother of a local artist (and managed by my friend’s mom).

The house wasn’t ready for photos, so I can’t show the pictures in place. But I can show them to you here, and we can feel happy and hopeful that they will sell.

It was a fun afternoon, because doing a project with friends is always a great way to spend time, getting to be with this very special friend (now 32, friends since she was 9) and getting to gussy up a house—a most totally excellent way to pass an afternoon! Her grandpa used to use the term “most totally excellent”. (°±°)

We ended our time together enjoying this sunset on G’pa and G’ma’s deck.

The house is listed on AirBnB, called The Gathering Place. It is big, two story, roomy, with a big deck looking at the Sierra Nevada (opposite direction of the sunset photo.), in case anyone is interested.