I took the opportunity to walk the neighborhood and take lots of photos. Taking photos as reference helps me decide where I'd like to return and do a plein air painting. The first thing you need to decide to begin a landscape painting is "where" and "what". Sometimes this can take longer to figure out than creating the actual painting. I find that taking photos helps me see the edges of a painting and decide what the focal point should be. If I have a photo reference taken on a beautiful day I can return and create an ink drawing (even on a not so good weather day) and then use the photo as a color reference.
