The Brooklyn Bridge & My Stupid Injury

Today was so busy.... I'm still catching up on assorted things from this week, and I was up early for 2 hours of errands.

And despite temps of 89 F, I wanted to get out and paint.

I also wanted to go somewhere new(ish), so I went down to the seaport and painted the Brooklyn Bridge.

I haven't been over here for a few years.

The park area along the East River isn't nearly as nice as the park on the Hudson... it's a bit seedy and some people live there, but it's ok in the daytime.

I wouldn't go there alone at night. 

(Hudson River Park is definitely safer and I have no worries there at nighttime.)

I really don't do well in this heat... it's difficult to focus and the bridge is a bit intense.

Maybe I'll come back and do this painting again in cooler weather.

The East River was being an asshole and kept spraying my palette and the painting.

Fuck you, East River!

8x10 Oil & The East River, 2 full hours on this one.

After painting I went over to the boathouse.

Because of time and also the nasty hot weather, I took the train instead of going for a nice walk.

The A/C platform at Fulton Street will always be Broadway Nassau to me!

*********

I have a VERY stupid injury, the extent of which I discovered while IN the Hudson River.

Yesterday morning I pulled an ab muscle...... getting out of bed. I felt it happen.

Holy shit I must be getting old.... is this the start of throwing out my back when I sneeze or something?

Well, fuck!

I'm in good shape, I'm strong for my size, my weight is great, how the F did I injure myself..... getting out of bed?

So anyhow, after being spit on by the East River, and the general nastiness of the heat, I went on the water and then IN the water. Which felt amazing!

I can self-rescue in a Prowler in about 6 seconds.

........I cannot self-rescue right now, oh my god it was so painful!

So, I had to swim back to the dock pulling my boat with me.

Thankfully I can swim, that doesn't bother my pulled muscle.

But I can't launch myself up.

My fabulous boathouse people threw the word "hernia" at me but that's very scary and also I truly don't think it's that.  Everything feels fine, it's just a few certain movements that really hurt. Plus I felt the muscle pull.

So, I'm going to rest for a week and next Friday I'll see about self-rescuing again.

I can still paddle just fine, but I will not go alone in the mornings this week... bummer.  

I won't do that if I can't self-rescue, that's dangerous.

It also means if there are trips I can't go until I can self-rescue again.

Who invited the thunderstorm?

This week has been quiet.

Even though my camping trip was great, I have been a bit dysregulated.

Maybe more on that later, but everything is ok, as ok as it could be.

I have been working through some stuff and learning about some stuff relating to CPTSD, which I wish I knew about decades ago... but actually the info wasn't readily available and still is hard to find so.....

CPTSD is Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  It typically comes from child abuse and neglect, abandonment, and unstable homes. It can also happen from abusive relationships.

It is different than PTSD which is usually event-specific, while CPTSD is from an ongoing repeated traumatic circumstance. It affects brain development in early childhood. It also affects a person's nervous system. I think my entire biological family has it, even the ones who aren't actively mentally ill.

Anyhow I'm finding some answers to some things that I have never found clarity on, so it is a process and I'm a little close to sensitive things right now. This whole year- since November- one thing after another, emotionally speaking.  Is my emotional system going through a huge purge or something? 

Phew, it's a lot.

Maybe more on CPTSD later.

So I have been out-of-sorts a little bit.

There was a 103 Deck boat class tonight.

I did it last year but wanted a refresher, since deck boats are a little more involved than sit-on-top kayaks.

Well, someone invited a MASSIVE thunderstorm to class, so we did the whole thing on land.

New Jersey disappeared...again

Self-rescues in the water will happen on Friday.

Morning & Noon

I slept so well again! 

The hammock is the best thing ever!

After getting some morning tea, I went on a hike to find a good painting spot.

This morning I wanted to paint water, so I went on the Pond Loop Trail.

Except I somehow got off trail and ended in a rough spot with a great view.

This is a very buggy painting; the bugs like solvent more than they don't like bug spray.  I was completely covered except for my face and hands so they didn't get me!

6x8 oil

Breakfast on the fire:

I couldn't just do three paintings when I had 4 panels, so around noon I did my 4th painting to complete the set. Another 40 minute 6x8 oil:

The dining hall:

I liked how the flowers were glowy against the dark wall.

The rest of the day was swimming and hanging out with boathouse people.

It was nice to have all my painting work done.

There was cat at the Sloatsburg train station:

Morning & Dusk

I can't believe how well I slept in my hammock!

Hammock with wet clothes from last night's swim....

And without.

More people are arriving around 10:45.

Of course the morning plan was get caffeine and paint, and that's exactly what I did, nice and early.

This painting was done about an hour after sunrise.

It was a fun painting to paint, and took about 40 minutes.

Dense woods foliage can be a challenge with composition, and this probably isn't my best one, but I'm still happy with it.

6x8 oil

The breakfast fire:

Then more people arrived.  

I went kayaking with some of them.

It was a nice day- nice people, nice food, nice nature, and just good to be here and get away for a bit.

Right at dusk, before dinner, I did another painting.

It's another 40 minute painting...the light changes so fast!

When I started painting the light was very golden, then at the end hints of pink appeared so I added it in.

6x8 oil

Aside from the box and tripod, this is my entire camping set up.

Everything fits in my small day pack.

All 9 tubes of paint fit inside my belly river box.

If I had to pare it down I could take 4 tubes, but I didn't have to so I didn't.

Sometimes people will pre-load a 7 day pill container or something, but I don't do that for 2 reasons:

1) I don't want to run out of paint, and I don't know what colors the situation will call for and

2) I use some VERY expensive paint and once it's out of the tube it's pretty much done. Yes the WiIlliamsburgs and Vasaris stay open for quite a while but I just think there is more potential waste and of course oxygen exposure and I prefer just taking tubes.

But Jessica, you might say, Why are you taking such expensive paint camping?

You could just bring cheaper paint.

Yes, yes I could do that.

but.... my snob paints LOVE to go outdoors and also I like using my expensive paint.

It handles differently and is so strong.

The Williamsburg cadmiums and cobalts aren't too terrible, they are about $33/tube.

(Williamsburg has an excellent Cobalt Turquoise PG 50) 

That tube of Vasari cobalt turquoise (it's a PB 36 but very close to PG 50) is $71.

It is so lovely to use!

The other thing about Vasari is once you are used to their prices, Williamsburg is affordable by comparison!

Aimee took my pic while I was painting.

Note to C who commented about it- if you are reading this which I do not know- large public group situation. And yes you still have to respect my wishes about this when I visit. It's a very big deal to me, it always will be, and this boundary needs to be respected. If you care about me at all you will continue to honor my wishes, even if you don't like or understand it.

Good boathouse people.

Tonight I did not go to sleep at 1am again....no midnight swim for me!

10:30pm came around and I was done for the day!

(Also was sooo looking forward to nesting in my hammock.)

The Amazing Hammock

This weekend is a boathouse camping trip!

A few of us went up to Harriman State Park today.

Sunday is the day open to all volunteers.

I need more nights in the woods in my life, so I invested in a camping hammock.

It is my favorite thing.

It is ridiculously comfortable!

My goal is to be able to go alone for a night or 2.

Some pictures from Friday night:

My hammock, with the adorable mini-hammock underneath to hold my gear!

Dinner... it was perfect....

There were 4 of us on Friday night.

We went for a midnight swim which was extremely fun.

I slept so well in my hammock..... like blackout sleep!

More after work beach painting

Today was a good day to go to the beach.

The water is warm and next time I might go for a quick swim before painting.

I feel like my ocean paintings need a lot of work........ I'm not unhappy with the painting but I always kind of miss the mark of what I aim for.

8x10 oil, Rockaway, just above Beach 116th.

I love the water.