I grew up in Reno, spending every summer first in Tahoe until I turned 16, then up at Donner Lake. Since leaving my home at 21, I have lived all over the United States, then settled in Napa, CA 21 years ago. There are worse places to be during this year of the virus, and I can think of only one place that would be better, and that would be Donner Lake.

This painting was done last August when I was visiting my sister. I got to stand on the pier and paint the little cove facing where their cabin sits. In these strange times we are living through, I find comfort in knowing this too shall pass, and that the Sierra Nevadas will last forever. Or at least as forever as I can imagine. This little painting, done on a hot August day, is a reminder that Donner Lake is still there, and whether filled with people as in last August or mostly empty like now, it is more than inviting, it is waiting like the rest of us, for when we come back.