Plein Air Painting, getting away from it all .

Drove out to a botanical garden in Ann Arbor MI to do some outdoor painting, since the weather seemed promising for the day. The route I took deliberately avoided highways, so I actually passed some really picturesque rural areas. Barns, horses in fields, haystacks rolled up  and arranged in neat rows, old farmhouses abounded . I wanted to stop so many times and just paint there, but continued on to my planned destination.  The views I passed   were really so different than the area where I live, which is also  pretty, but manicured, carefully trimmed and landscaped.  I enjoyed seeing this area which was so naturally scenic along more rural roads, where the land is used as an integral part of living...farming and all that goes with it. The painting was part of this beautiful day, but I think I selected the only vista that really displayed a good view for a painting .

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