A day with Andrew and Christina

Dear Diary,

What a fantastic day we had in Rockland and Cushing, Maine!  And such a long drive.  We spent 6 hours in the car!  But it was all worth it.  The day was perfect, warm but not unbearable, and the ever present sea breeze made for ideal touring weather.  On our arrival in Rockport we had a delightful alfresco lunch of lobster rolls and lemonade, a good start.

The exhibit of Andrew Wyeth's watercolors and drawings was wonderful.  His work really must be seen in person.  I have never seen a book or reproduction that does it justice...very powerful.  There was also an exhibit of photographs of the Olson House by various Maine photographers which I found especially  interesting.

Then, it was off to Cushing, about a half hour away, to see the Olson House.  I have been to the house before, years ago, but when I visited it wasn't open so this was my first time inside the iconic structure.  I was not disappointed.  There has been no attempt to "fix it up", the peeling paper and cracked plaster was left.  The rooms were devoid of furniture for the most part and there was a decidedly haunting aspect to the space.  The sea breeze and lovely light filled the rooms.  I can see why Wyeth was so drawn to the place.

I decided to do a black and white study of the ell of the house as my main photograph, inspired by the exhibit I saw.  I've included as an extra a color version of the whole house.  We wandered down to the family cemetery where Christina is buried.  Andrew Wyeth chose to be buried there too in 2008.  Now, I can't wait to finish my book about Christina and Andrew.  The literary tie in to the day couldn't have been more perfect.  Today I will work on more of the images I made yesterday.  I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday.