#2054 "The Opinicon"

I strolled the grounds of the Opinicon Resort after my meeting with new owner. I enjoyed a complete tour of the facility and the setting at Chaffey's Lock is always beautiful. They have ambitious plans to return the property to and beyond its former glory. It is a big job to achieve while carefully preserving the ambiance of the old while complying with the building codes of the present. The Opinicon will become a destination and hopefully more patrons will come to realize the uniqueness, history and the beauty of the area.

There is a lot of painting material at the Opinicon. This view is through the pine and oak forest up the main entrance to the Resort. This is the path you would follow to enjoy ice cream from the store at the end of the lane. The long red seat is the Liar's Bench. This long seat was the place where fishermen swapped stories - some of which might have been true but most were greatly exaggerated. Tthe tall trees cast very long shadows across the scene.

I painted this on a very rough surface not wishing to include too many details while hopefully capturing the nostalgic charm of the place.

I paddled to the Opinicon when I became a teenager for the first time to get ice cream from the store beside the Liar's Bench. . I paddled there many times again on dates with my future bride... and then again with our kids. I taught the kids how not to rub the paddle along the side of canoe and to stroke silently. You saw more nature that way. Something of quality need not change with the times. I have known this place for a lifetime.