Eden Vineyard, Alva, FL

This morning, the climate was good. The weatherman said at least there was no rain before noon and the highest temperature was only 90 degrees. I drove along SR 80 (Palm Beach Blvd.) I tried a couple of small lanes but ddn't have much luck. Well, not exactly. At the dead end of a road named Herzog, there was a big house with a covered corridor surrounding it on all four sides. On the drive side there was a covered staircase leading to the second floor. Underneath there was a car and all kinds of stuff scattered around in disarray. There were even cables or ropes hanghing from second-floor railing. I noticed the different planes, which contrasted each other in lighting, were very paintable with reflections from many things such as the top of the car, the staircase, etc.. I almost wanted to move stuff from my trunk to set up when I didn't feel very safe and the disorderly mess at the dead end of road gave me a creepy feeling and reminded me of the fierce dogs I once ran into. So I stopped and drove back onto SR 80.

Before long I saw the Eden Winery sign and remembered that I had been longing to go there but never had a chance. Therefore, I exited SR 80 and turned in Little Lane. There was a winding country road inside with puddles of water here and there from last night rain. I was early and there was not a soul in this place. At the end of the road a sign says "Open Daily 11 AM -- 4 PM". It was only a little past 8 AM, not quite one hour after daybreak in Florida. I immediately saw there was a shed next to the winery retail store. I stopped my car and took my painting kit out of the trunk. Of course, Adam and Eve were not there and must be somewhere in the vineyard having fun. It was very bucolic and, when I was setting up, two cows came to be nosy and almost touched my palette with their nose. I told them that the paint I used was chemical and might be hazardous to their health, so eventually they went away. I was glad I caught the light of the morning sun on the shed and everything it touched upon. Hope you like the painting.