This was the day of the annual Fall Festival at the Howard County Conservancy. We had a great turn-out last year and this year was just as much fun. There were 5 of us there: Maria M., Mary, Elena, and Elaine, and while we all selected painting spots on the west side of the Montjoy Barn, we each took a different compass point to focus on, and the results were all wonderful. We got started early, before the Festival itself began, so we were all well into the painting process by the time the crowds arrived. I had enough time to finish my piece, “Early Autumn,” before I had to leave for home to wash up, change, and get back to the Conservancy to take the afternoon shift at the Artists’ Gallery show in the Gudelsky Center: I’d set up signs that morning directing Fall Festival visitors inside to see the show, “Vanishing Howard County,” and four of us from the Gallery were on hand all day (in two shifts) to answer questions and make sales. An exhausting day, but very successful! We’ve been very lucky with the weather this year (OK, except for the god-awful heat in July & August), and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of October.