Every year for the past four years I’ve taken one of my boys to a weekend camp in Cazadero. It is one of my favorite traditions. Those days are spent screen-free and dirt-full. We stop in on the way in for ice cream at Nimble and Finn’s. We take our ice cream down to the river and we throw stones. Sometimes we skip stones. But mostly we do what I call “kerplunking”. It’s what you do when you’re not quite skilled enough to skip stones. It’s all about getting the most satisfying sound. When I get tired of kerplunking I turn to collecting and stacking. The stones here are worn smooth, with the most beautiful shades of gray and tan. Some are marbled or striped in a perfect way that only nature could create. The shapes in this painting remind me of those beautiful stones. Of the sounds of the water’s edge. Of the importance of taking time to sit with your favorite people and throw some rocks in a river.
