On an Indian Summer kind of September day, I spent a day in Connecticut's Chatfield Hollow State park to paint and to experience the New England woods near a quaint old fashioned covered bridge spanning a little creek.

The finished painting recalls not only the day and the warm sunlight happily speckling the sides of this old covered bridge, but also preserves the experience of being in nature with a  lot of people . The true highlight of the day for me was meeting outgoing walkers, hikers, sight-seers. It was so nice to chat with friendly locals and out of state visitors who were open, curious, and friendly. 

In 2022, the bridge seems to me to be a timely metaphor of safe passage back and forth (you can even stand in the middle!) between two opposing banks. It's like an open-minded exchange with another person---it's about forming connections and being willing to see the other side. With the bridge, the two sides of the river can be experienced and known, with a smile two people can similarly start to connect and know. Both the structure of the bridge and the idea of being open-minded and inviting conversation with someone new may seem quaint and old fashioned sometimes, but there is definitely something uplifting and timeless about both this old structure and the idea of friendly discourse, even over deeper and more turbulent waters.