Jetlag or Culture Shock?

watercolor pencil and water in sketchbook 14.5 x22

Gorgeous day today. Looks like spring in Columbia, South Carolina.  

I walked around the area near my hotel but it was pretty dead because it is the weekend and this is a downtown (no residents) area. Lots of bars and restaurants, which I assume will liven up as the evening wears on, but I will be long asleep by then. , but where are the cafes? 

There was a little Starbucks across the street, but it was full of old ladies with nametags. (Well, Imay be an old lady, but I am not wearing a name tag in public!) 

There is no one on the streets walking. There are hardly any crosswalks...like only every 3 or 4 blocks, and then you have to push a button to get permission to walk and the light immediately starts counting down from 20 seconds and that's all the time you have. I missed it the first time because I thought it was counting down to when I could walk.  Then I had to wait another 5 minutes for another 20 second light!

 The buildings are beautiful and I spent a long time on the grounds of the capital.  I should have painted the scene above, the colors were incredible. That little tree in the front is bright pink. So many different kinds of trees and they are all so tall! And lots of squirrels. I had forgotten about squirrels. Very busy little animals.

The workshop begins tomorrow.  I'm ready.