Click image to read right page.

I’ve been anticipating this full moon all month. After missing the opportunity to paint last month’s full moon eve, I was determined to capture this month’s.

I was expecting the same overly large looking moon. Not so! I wonder what determines that optical illusion?  What ever it is, it wasn’t working this time – at least not here.

I had envisioned painting the moonrise from the 18th tee box at our neighborhood golf course, but when we arrived, the scene was dull and lifeless. The haze from the day’s heat (heat index of 101 degrees at 3:30 pm) was hanging on.  Rob and I rode over to number 9. Enough time had passed and the moon was strutting it’s stuff.  We parked in the middle of the bridge that crosses the marsh that’s between the 9th green and the club house. Happily I painted 🙂 A great way to celebrate Flag Day!

Rob had to work the evening of the full moon, I was on my own. I parked on the bridge a few minutes before 9 pm. At 9:03 I caught the first glimpse of the moon behind the tops of the trees that border the marsh along 18. I quickly set up my chair, secured my book light and journal page to my foam core board, and by the time I was ready the moon had cleared the trees and most of a cloud. No moon reflection on the water yet but the lights from the houses on the other side of the 18th fairway twinkled through the trees.

Ut oh, my book light fell off and now it’s not working and the moon is high enough that the water is absolutely beautiful and I can’t see a thing!!  I turned on the cart’s lights but that’s toooo much light…. Ahhhhhhhhh!

I quickly packed my stuff and chair into the golf cart and drove back to the house for a flash light.  Note to self: always carry two light sources!!

The moon and water were even prettier when I arrive back. This time I decided to paint from the cart. It was almost high tide. The spring tides have been quite high the last few nights and water was already starting to cover the dirt cart path where the bridge ended.

As I painted the scene I heard a very slow, methodical woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh of the water – the same sound you hear when you’re walking in the water.  Oh, a visitor? In the water? My tiny flashlight beam didn’t help me view the landscape, neither did the moonlight. Spooky! Then I realized is must be our neighborhood deer. I see their tracks in the marsh mud at low tide all the time. Sure wish I could have seen them, though.

I so love when full moons and high tides coincide. My wish is for everyone to experience the magic of moonlight on water – especially calm water. It’s soul stirring.