My evacuation to the east wasn't just to watch the hurricane from a safe perspective. It was also a "you gotta see the baby" mission. Kennedy was born to my best good friends, Scott & Kristina Miller while I was in China. She's adorable!

The winds haven't let up since yesterday, but the water dropped two feet. The rain is intermitent and very strong. My friends in Louisiana did not fare as well. I'm hearing reports of power out and cell towers down. Y'all be safe! Check in when you can!

The high tide brought the bay up into the parking lots and over the road in a few places. We aren't getting much rain at the moment. It's sunny and hot now, with humidity thick enough to drown small animals. The wind is still pushing westward, bending the palm trees and irritating the pelicans. A…

Big wind drove big waves onto Pensacola Beach this morning. The eye of Gustav hit southern Louisiana this morning as a category 2 hurricane. We are out of the eye, but definitely feel the power of the storm.

Big waves today on Pensacola Beach as Hurricane Gustav churns through the Gulf of Mexico. Pensacola is slammed with evacuees, as are all cities outbound of Louisiana. The skies are dark, but the dramatic clouds and big surf make for a beautiful landscape from my perspective just outside the danger zone. I hope all my…

We crawled through the night in evacuation traffic, eastbound on I-10 to Pensacola Florida. It only took 11 hours from Baton Rouge, but we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunrise on Pensacola Beach. This is Gustav's leading edge, swirling northwest as it bears down on the gulf coast.

About a week and a half ago I was in Yangshou China watching the cormorant fisherman. It already seems like a world away, but the image is fresh in my imagination. I'm certain I'll be visiting this scene often. We loaded up and turned east out of Baton Rouge. We made it to Slidell Louisiana…

Baton Rouge turned out to be a high-intensity workshop. We squeezed three days of painting into two long ones and everybody decided to evacuate. Gustav held out for the weekend, but seems determined to come this way eventually. It made this group paint furiously with nervous and fun energy. Some real talent in this bunch.

Teaching is such hard work, but so gratifying! I always get best students! This is about half of my Baton Rouge workshop. The other half is either painting or boarding up windows! Me, I'm happy to keep doing what we've been doing!