Today is the one year anniversary of my partial knee replacement, and I’m happy to report that I am totally pleased with the result! Several falls when I was young damaged the cartilage, and my long ago first year in SoCal – with experiments in downhill skiing, roller-blading, disco dancing (you get the idea) – exacerbated a long history of occasional pain. So major surgery (before they were doing arthroscopics) in my twenties scraped the minisci and gave me another 45 years of bearable mobility. But it was time for the last resort last spring, and my doctor did a fantastic job.

In three weeks my sister and I will be off to Scotland and Yorkshire, and my newknee will get a true test on the challenging hills of Edinburgh. And with our travel and accommodations booked, it’s now time for the fun stuff: organizing our painting kits and choosing wardrobes. We often travel together, including Ireland in 2018, and are very compatible “on the road”. We both enjoy “urban sketching” and “plein air painting”, so Scotland should be a perfect inspiration for our creativity: green mountains and lovely lochs, castles and historic city views. Check back for samples of our artmaking!