Diana, 36 x 24" Oil on panel.

Our first stop was New York. We pitched our $15.99 tent along side Lucy and draped the tarp over for extra coverage. I was impressed and surprised at our initial good thinking. Diana would continue unpacking camping supplies as I got the fire going. Then rain. Hard rain. and lightening that shook the ground and made our nylon tent seem like nothing more than... a nylon tent. It was this time, in the midst of electricity jolting through the hot, dark, heavy air, that Diana turned to me and admitted that this had been her first time camping... ever. We had a lot of miles ahead of us.

She is the Boston girl and I am the Maine girl. She is more scared of rabid animals in the woods, and I am more scared of strange people in the city. She is more useful with a map, I am more useful with a jukebox. Her: darts, Me: pool. Her: vodka, Me: whiskey. A dynamic duo to say the least.

Our cabin was sufficient. Small, cold and dirty; it was everything an Alaskan cabin is supposed to be. We liked it. We really, really liked it. My family acted as though they had stepped foot inside a great Alaskan pioneer landmark. If admission was charged, they would have happily paid. Diana's parents, however, never would have thought to slow the car down. The looks on their faces, when Harry and Sharon climbed into our cabin: scoffed with shock and horror. Sharon waited in the car from then on out. But Diana has never let her parent's preference for luxury and comfort mold hers. I commend her for that.

She is more traveled than most Americans. A book worm. A good pair of sweat pants is key. Greek. So Greek. She calls her dad Har, short for Harry. (And when her dad sneeze it really sounds likes he is saying, "AH-SHIT!") Level-headed, except when a bird/bug flies/hops/swoops anywhere near her vicinity, then she reacts spasmodically.

Smart, beautiful and classy. She carries a confidence that makes her intimidating to men. When and if they do muster up the guts to speak to her, they had better make it good; she is not one to flatter or even appease a sloppy introduction. However, a well-read gentlemen with an easy smile stands a good chance.

She works at "The Italian Home" with kids with behavioral disorders. This is going to make her a really good mom one day. Her job requires a toughness that she delivers well. This will make her a good mom, but a tough one. Her husband will be the softie and the cook. Her home will be practical and worldly- splurging on useless things like fancy china wont be a priority to her, instead, authentic relics, weaved tapestries and bulky boxes from all over the world will adorn her home. There will always be ice cream in the freezer.

Her portrait next to the others may seem out of place: the others are hard, rough and worn where Diana's is soft, composed and elegant. But this is how Diana contrasted in the midst of Homer, making it not only appropriate but necessary to present her comparatively. Her face is the most developed of all the portraits so far. bold thalos, veridian, ochre and burnt sienna. Bright white too. Hair back, with a pretty scarf. Finished.