Watercolor Workshop Part 1: Dorm Life and the Boomers

Watercolor Workshop:  Carl Purcell's Summer Snow

Ephraim, Utah's Snow College is the location of Carl Purcell's Summer Snow, a two week workshop for aspiring watercolorists.  Fairbanks watercolor friends Sherry, Dawn, and Phyllis, along with New Yorker friend, Jan, met up with me here after my visit in Parowan with my parents (see my previous post).  We are all attending Carl's workshop and co-habitating, dorm-style, in a nearby student apartment complex.  Dorm-life again, after all these years, can be a challenge for us baby boomers.

However, the Park Place student apartment complex turns out to be quite a bit nicer than the student housing I remember from my college days so long ago. 

There is even a pretty little stream running through the complex, alongside the volleyball court, outdoor hot tub, club house, fitness center, gazebo, basketball court, and lush lawns.

Sherry and Phyllis talk to Susan, another workshop participant from Park City, Utah.

Jan and Dawn chat in our apartment dining area.  The apartment has a full kitchen, but lo, there are no utensils to be found.

There are two bedrooms and one bath downstairs, and four bedrooms with two baths upstairs.  Plenty of room for five boomer chicks, set in their ways.

First order of business is a trip to the Ephraim Wal-Mart, where we load up on food  and some assorted pots and eating utensils.

At check-out we almost have heart failure.  We eat light, but we eat healthy, which is obviously not the frugal Ramen noodle and frozen pizza fare of our younger years.

The mondo receipt, which we promptly misplace of course, so there is no turning back now.

Heading out of the store with our booty, and

squeezing it all into the car trunk is a totally awesome feat for our age group.

The first day in Ephraim is a windy one, with gusts up to 40 mph.  We decide to check out an elusive lake on the far side of some farm fields, which unfortunately turns out to be a mirage.  

However, Phyllis gets a complimentary hair re-do thanks to the wind, and we have a good laugh at her expense.

Next post coming soon:  

Watercolor Woes and Wows, showing some of the great stuff Carl does in his workshops.  Stay tuned.

~Betsy