Big Sigh

Ahhh. So, I finally made it to Maine and I can tell you already, I love the workshops! When I arrived, unfortunately, there was a mixup in my housing, so they upgraded me to an off-campus B&B---which is such a beautiful little place. You can tell that the owners really take pride in it. The downside is that it's off campus, so I have to call the van to pick me up.

We had a brief meeting with Joyce tonight to introduce ourselves. And I am breathing a huge sigh of relief. Our class has a good mix of pros and amateurs, so I don't feel horribly outclassed. And Joyce is super nurturing, so I don't feel as much anxiety about the class (At first, I was intimidated by the people I was meeting at dinner and at the B&B. Most were serious artists, there to take the master classes.) But everyone is super friendly, not a hint of competition--which is a relief!

During our brief meeting, these are the things I can look forward to this week:

Our own personal Canon rep. No kidding, this guy is going to follow us around with two huge suitcases of Canon bodies and lenses for us to try during the week. Just our class (there are other canon reps for people to borrow from at the main campus, but he'll be the only one following us into the field). I am afraid of what this will do to my bank account.

Wine and cheese at Joyce's house. We'll get to see her studio set up and have some nice social time.

And some serious prep work on the part of the workshops. They've hired the models, scouted the locations, etc. We are in for a serious treat.

Oh, and apparently in Maine I look like I'm 22. Everyone I talk to thought I was in the teenage program or just out of college....until I start talking about my job, and then they get very confused until they ask me how old I am. I'm not sure if it's a compliment, but I'll take it.

On the down side, it's unlikely that I'll be posting pics this week, as we're not allowed to ask for an internet release from the models until after the workshops are over.