One of my favorite spots to stop by in St. Louis is the Hill Antique Mall. I've found some great prints there, a silk nightgown, and a set of 8 McCarty bowls for a ridiculously low price since they were out of the geographic range where people know what they are and how much they're worth. This time I found some Payne's grey cowboy boots just my size. And for the first time I stayed for lunch. Oliva is the restaurant sharing a building that has a truly enticing patio with an old school arbor that makes me think of Greece (though clearly they're thinking of Italy). So many happy flashbacks, especially since I'm in the midst of revisiting my summer in Greece for my ongoing memoir.

It had been raining off and on, so I had most of the patio to myself, but I was lucky to get to sit and paint the arbor with only a drop or two landing on my page. The clouds protected me enough that I could sit across from it and get the view instead of engulfed underneath it. It was a crazy busy scene with a ton going on, but it was fun to dive in and do my best. I used Diamine spring green ink with a dip pen and watercolor on top in my biggest sketchbook. The staff were so hospitable and excited on a slowish day to see what I was doing. One kind woman took my photo once I was finished and sent it along. The meatball sandwich was as fantastic as the ambiance, so I will definitely be repeating this experience next time I'm in town.