Oh, Quarantine. In the past 2 months, as the world and my family and friends all worry about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are turning to art and music for comfort. Each year, my family and I travel to upstate New York, to the Adirondacks, seeking relief from the summer humidity of Virginia and a breath of fresh mountain air.

As a child, I traveled to the Saranac Lake / Lake Placid area of the Adirondacks every summer. My family and I stayed in a simple cabin, but the vacation never felt simple. It included boating, camping, fishing, hiking mountains, and horseback riding and it was such a happy place for all of us. As I have become an adult raising my own children, my husband and I wanted to continue this vacation tradition.

But with the quarantine and travel restrictions in place since March, we have no vacation plans for the Adirondacks this year. And it breaks my heart. Every time I have entered those mountains, I have breathed a sigh of relief, and just when I need that feeling the most, I can’t have it! My kids so much enjoy the Adirondacks that they tell their friends about our trips and I feel so proud to help in creating these memories for them. We’ll all going to miss the mountains this summer!

So one recent afternoon, I sat down and tuned out the worry. With a slice of cold press paper and my full set of watercolors, I began mixing colors and laying out this beautiful Autumnal scene. Lakes, mountains, fall foliage, oh my! Let’s just say that the peace and joy I felt upon completing this little painting forced me to frame it an hang it above our mantel in the dining room.

Maybe we can’t vacation and escape to the mountains this summer, but every time I walk by this painting in my dining room, it’s like I’m there anyway.