Mom's birthday card & a church sketch

Today is my mom's birthday. This is the card I painted for her this year. Our daughter introduced me to an incredibly detailed series of historical fiction by Diana Gabaldon and I in turn introduced my mother to them. The first book has been made into a TV series that premiers this week. Doune Castle in Scotland is standing in for Castle Leoch in the series; I thought Mom might enjoy a sketch of it.

I also did this quick sketch at church on Sunday, adding a bit of color later at home. The wife in the sketch had gorgeous hair reaching past her waist when we met them this spring; she recently had it cut to donate the hair to be made into wigs. Still gorgeous but I wish I had sketched her earlier.

We are really enjoying our church and the people there. Awesome place to worship our Lord.

Dallas road trip

For my birthday (not till next month), our daughter invited me to join her friends in going to Dallas to hear our favorite author, Diana Gabaldon, on a speaking tour promoting her latest book "Written in My Own Heart's Blood". What an amazing, generous, and beautiful woman she is! A highly entertaining story-teller, both in print and in person.

It was an amazing time just hanging out with Kristen and her friends. Lovely young women! These are the same friends who, along with their husbands, went to Scotland together last year, sharing a rented house on Loch Ness. In fact, one of the husbands said to be sure and thank Diana Gabaldon for their trip to Scotland --- it came about after reading the Outlander series.

Before leaving for Dallas, I had a large cup of Earl Grey green tea and one of Mikala's lime cookies.

I sat in back so I could try sketching Kristen.