Folding Easel

I have long been a fan of the folding easel. I mainly use the smaller ones to show off my favorite pictures all over my house. My philosophy is that any free table space should have a photo of a loved one on top of it. It just goes a long way to make you happy. I have been playing with the idea of trying my hand at some painting though, so I may require a whole other kind of contraption.

	Lightweight Folding Easel with adjustable Holder, 31"x31"x63", Black (LLR75682) Category: Easels and Easel Pads List Price: $29.50 Sale Price: $18.60
	Item #: LLR75682. Folding easel folds neatly into zip card satchel for easy storage or travel. Adjustable display holders lock into place anywhere on easel legs. Easel can hold materials up to 5 lb. Customers also search for: Lorell,Easels,Adjustable Display Folding, 035255756822

	Dalite Display Easel D305-PORTABLE (6 Feet) Folding W/chart Clamp Gold Anodized - Dalite 43165 Sale Price: $145.70
	Dalite Display Easel D305-PORTABLE (6 Feet) Folding W/chart Clamp Gold Anodized - Dalite 43165

	Dalite Display Easel D305-PORTABLE (6 Feet) Folding W/chart Clamp Black Powder Coat - Dalite 87023 Sale Price: $173.00
	Dalite Display Easel D305-PORTABLE (6 Feet) Folding W/chart Clamp Black Powder Coat - Dalite 87023

	POSTER EASEL DR250 6FT FOLDING/GOLD ANODIZED List Price: $150.00 Sale Price: $117.99
	POSTER EASEL DR250 6FT FOLDING/GOLD ANODIZED

	Dalite A-frame Easel Heavy Duty Folding Black/silver Anodized - Dalite 43153 List Price: $330.00 Sale Price: $287.10
	Dalite A-frame Easel Heavy Duty Folding Black/silver Anodized - Dalite 43153

	Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Folding Princess Castle with Royal Wooden Family and Deluxe Castle Dolls Playset List Price: $175.00 Sale Price: $94.95
	Melissa and Doug 1263 Folding Princess Castle. Decorated with regal accents, this wooden play castle is fully assembled and ready for royal play! Features two removable turrets, balconies and a flying buttress, an arched walkway, towers and a working drawbridge! Castle is hinged for easy wide-open, imaginative play or convenient to close for compact storage...

	P'Kolino Multi-Use Art Easel Sale Price: $99.00
	Please specify color choice (white or orange) in order. Watch your child's creativity soar with this multifunctional creative space! This playfully smart art easel can be used as: a traditional easel a chalkboard a whiteboard a puppet theater Two "coloring-book scenes are included to use as backdrops when this clever easel is in puppet theater mode...

When I was a young man, I always used to love going to the park. I could stay there for hours and just watch the world go by. People just fascinate me, I guess. There used to be a whole cast of regular characters that would show up there to do the same thing that I was doing, in their own way. One of them was a painter. She would go to the park with her folding easel underneath her arm, carrying a case of paints, and brushes in her other hand.

The folding easel she had looked like it would be a little bit cumbersome to carry around, but I admit that I hate to lug anything at all, so I'm biased. She would always wear jeans with paint on them already, and tie her hair in a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes while she worked. On sunny days, her blond hair sort of looked like a little halo to me when the sun hit it just right.

She always set herself up in that same place in the park. It was in the middle of this tree lined walk. The blond woman would stand there and watch for a while as all the people passed by, then she would open her case of paints up and start.

I would usually try to sit behind the spot where she always was. I loved to watch her paint. She was so confident while she was doing it, like no wrong could happen on that canvas. Sometimes she would paint the people she saw, sometimes the scenery of the park, and sometimes a creation would come together for her as if she just pulled it from the air. I always wanted to talk to her, but I never got my nerve up enough. I was younger then, as I said, and sometimes nerve takes a while to develop.

Now I want a folding easel of my own. I want to go back to that spot, and set it up, and do no wrong for a while. Looking back on my life, with its share of mistakes, like everyone else's, I think it would be very nice to do no wrong, even if only for a day. And maybe somewhere in the back of mind, I'm hoping that she'll still be there just as she was. I'd talk to her now. I'm older.