Capitola-by-the-Sea

C generously invited me to join up with her watercolor class this morning. The topic was Painting Gray Days: Seascapes, the perfect assignment for our coastal foggy mornings. The idea was to use a limited palette and lots of water to get a subtle range of tones and an almost abstract rendering--no drawing! I am happier with my photos than my painting, although it was a good learning experience, a technique I've never tried before. It was all I could do to keep my pen in my bag, and avoid sketching in trees and people and flowers and architecture and what all. 

Being in Capitola always makes me feel like I'm on vacation, even though it's just the next town over. It has a sweet old-fashioned vibe, local merchants and restaurants, and a small pleasant beach--a very good combination.