We are at Topsail Beach, North Carolina, for my husband’s family reunion. This beautiful part of the country, with its gorgeous beach, warm water, and steady breeze, makes an excellent setting for a week-long get-together.

And it is a fabulous setting for sketching; it seems that everywhere I look, I see a potential sketch. My favorite scene today was a journal writer perched on the boardwalk leading across the dune, her skirt moving with the wind. I liked her air of focus amid all the beach action.