The Story of This Painting

It was not a dark and stormy night, but rather a brisk October afternoon in Oregon's Wallowa Mountains when Steve, son Jordan, and two friends made the nine mile hike from Wallowa Lake to Ice Lake.

At 7.500 feet, Ice Lake is generally a June-October venue, because the rest of the time, the trail disappears in the snow. While the men were hiking, they were passed by a local visitor, who runs -- literally runs -- up the trail and back once a week, to stay in shape.

"Up by the lake, in the sun, it was warm, almost balmy, but you're never fooled by that," Steve says. "Once that sun goes down or behind a cloud, you're reminded of the difference that altitude makes in the temperature."

And no matter how warm it gets in the sun, Steve was not tempted, like Jordan and his friend, to jump in the water and swim.

"It wasn't a very long swim," Steve remembers.

"There is a sense of sacredness about this place," Steve says. "It's not a place where you shout, or play a radio. Rather, you contemplate the light on the water, listen to the silence -- and you can listen to silence -- and feel the simultaneous warmth of the sunlight and cool of the breeze on your skin."