On February 4th a water pipe froze and burst in the studio, where Dad's watercolors are stored along with my paintings. The photo above shows two waterlogged and frozen rugs we tossed out to dry in the sun - and then it snowed again. One of Dad's watercolors, dating from World War II, was lost, so this image is a kind of memorial. We were lucky that it was only one painting, plus a beautiful print by my California friend, Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, and a number of (replaceable) picture mats that were damaged. The studio itself had had to be dried out, the walls punctured to release dampness, the sink cabinet below the burst pipe replaced, the walls rebuilt, etc. In all, an upsetting but not catastrophic event, well covered by insurance. Dad's painting of Missouri barns and fields, though, is gone for good.
