From My Sketchbook:
Sunday, July 3rd and folks were beginning to gather at the Band Stand near the boardwalk for the upcoming evening concert, which was to begin shortly. The band members too were arriving and setting-up, and getting warmed up in preparation for the night’s performance of waltzes, pop pieces, stage and movie hits, as well as holiday favorites composed by John Philip Sousa.

It had been a hot day at the beach at the State Park on this 4th of July weekend, and now as the sun was setting lower in the sky the air was becoming balmy and comfortable. People were milling about the boardwalk where I was sitting on a wooden bench, protected from the jostling crowd around me by a wide, painted concrete boarder of a raised flowerbed. Happily I was ignored by most folks as they vied for choice seating locations, came and went from the many food eateries, or were part of the grand promenading that was moving before me like an unchoreographed parade, with everyone seemingly going back and forth from one end of the boardwalk to the other.

Above I had said “protected,” but that is a relative term whenever you are out with a sketchbook and are drawing, or have your easel up and are painting. “Children.” Children are the exception, there is no protection from children. There is no barrier that will deter their curiosity and sociability and unlike adults, they are unfazed in walking right up to you and unabashedly say: “What are you doing?” and then they launch right into sharing about their own art making, with additional questions, and they will toss in a critique of your work as well. They are fun. This quality of openness is one of things I enjoyed about teaching in elementary school.