I am painting for #30×30 today!!! But I’m working on a set I post all together, so; here’s a flashback to our trip to the beleaguered town of Baie Saint Paul.

For the second year in a row we joined a group of plein air painters up in the Charlevoix region.

Last year I brought oils, which you can see here; but this year I had #30×30 on my mind, so I brought the watercolors. This was my first serious painting session (other than a few life classes) since last year’s #30×30 marathon.

Every year I feel like – I wonder if I can still paint in watercolor? I suspect that feeling will never go away – even though we don’t say, Do I still know how to ride a bike?

Click the grid for a gallery view!

It was unseasonably warm, which was lovely for painting, but certainly felt strange. I had multiple parka’s and my -30c arctic boots in the car, but this year they didn’t even come out of the trunk.

I was happy for the opportunity, but it felt foreboding. There were a more than a few dinners where we toasted climate change :/

A few days after we left, the area was hit with devastating floods. Two volunteer firefighters lost their lives in a rescue operation. The highway was swept away, meaning the auberge where we stayed would have been cut off from town. You’d have to drive half an hour to the next town up-river, or take the range roads around a big circle.

Of course, there hasn’t been any follow-up in the news, so I’m not sure the situation now. But many people will have walk-away level damage to their homes, some of these being generational farm houses that are built on low lying land.

Sorry for that dour note. But, maybe you’ll be inspired to come visit rural Quebec and enjoy the food and hospitality! They will appreciate the visitors in the coming years.