In March 2009, despite my fear of flying, I flew to Idaho to attend a landscape painting workshop.
My first flight took me to Utah, where I was questioned by a burly security agent because I foolishly stored my paintbrush in a PVC pipe in my backpack. They realized I was an inexperienced flyer, gave me a long lecture, and then I boarded my connecting flight to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The flight to Jackson Hole was on a small turboprop plane, which did nothing to help my nerves. I later learned that turboprop planes cruise at lower altitudes than jets and are more susceptible to turbulence, noise, and bad weather.
Needless to say, the air was bumpy, and my heart lurched with every jolt.
Once we happily touched down, I dragged all my gear to the nearest car rental and then drove across the border to Victor, Idaho. My destination was the studio and hometown of the renowned landscape painter Scott L. Christensen.
I had attended two previous workshops with Scott, but this trip was a salon rather than a workshop.
The salon was an intensive week-long painting experience with Scott and another painter, Don Howard. Don and I stayed in a guest room above Scott's 6,000-square-foot artisan studio. Scott painted every day, performed demonstrations, showed us slides of great books and masterpieces, and let us paint in the studio and snowy landscapes. In the evenings, we enjoyed exquisite home-cooked meals and conversations.
If it weren't for my wife, I might not have gone on the trip.
Due to my fear of flying, I came up with endless excuses not to go. I complained about the cost. The time away from work. But each time, my wife shook her head.
She said, "Pack your bags, John, you are going."
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