While visiting my Sister, Pat Boehme, in south Florida over the Thanksgiving Holiday, we decided to hit some stores in Punta Gorda for Black Friday. Pat drove us to Fisherman’s Village which is a series of shops that line an old dock. The stores were all decked out with Christmas decorations. It was way too early for me to consider sketching Santa or Reindeer. I walked the length of the dock, looking in all the shop windows without much interest. I decided to sit outside behind the shops and enjoy the view of all the boats. Later this month there will be a nautical parade where boats are decorated to the hilt with Christmas lights. Stringing lights from masts certainly would make for simple Christmas tree shapes.
One of the boats motored out from its moorings while I sketched. A man was behind the wheel shouting out orders and a woman was on the bow coiling up some ropes. She was in a bikini. The warm beautiful day made it difficult to imagine that Christmas was right around the corner.