a neigh-bor

Today’s ink sketch was done from a photograph I took early last month when temperatures were still over 90°. This rescue horse living next door has a very white face; the fly mask is for protection from UV rays. The mask is no longer needed with our cooler days in the 70s, but the large horses have been moved away to a different area.

There was a wire fence separating my corgi and the horse but I chose to not draw it in. Whenever this particular horse saw her out in the pasture, he would run over just to be near her. He would calmly nibble the grass while she sniffed around. Maybe picking up on the gophers’ and moles’ gossip.

Skye (aka “Baby”)

Our dear friend Miss B.J. lost her beloved husband (our pastor, Gary) just over 2 years ago. This wee chihuahua, Skye, was Gary’s constant companion through his illness — then B.J.’s since then. She was one of the few chihuahuas I’ve known that was sweet and loving to all who met her. B.J. used to take her to visit a nursing home, dressed up in one of her many outfits. She even had her own biker jacket to match Pastor Gary’s and Miss B.J.’s!

Sadly, we heard yesterday that Skye had died. I have no photos of her; I found a sympathy card online but it was too large. It said exactly what I wanted to say, so I sketched a rough copy for this card. Not my own original design, but I hope it comforts our friend.
 

sketching with friends

After spending a week in the Wichita area, we headed up to Excelsior Springs, Missouri to visit our dear friends, Kate and Joseph. Sharing tea and cookies with us were some of her whimsical “Little People”. After returning home, I sketched Duran hugging his dragonfly from a photo.

The four of us (and my corgi, Butters) later headed to Isley Park where Kate and I used to sketch springtime wildflowers. There, I drew a wonky sketch of the shelter’s fire pit — and Kate snuck a photo of me when I wasn’t paying attention!

have some pie?

Our friend, Eugene, had a shoulder replacement surgery on Wednesday. But before he went to the hospital, he arranged to send me a piece of my favorite coconut meringue pie from Chappell Hill Bakery and Deli (they also have really yummy barbecue!). I am blessed with the most amazing friendships!

one final sketch from Kansas

 

We spent our Saturday in Kansas visiting friends and family in El Dorado, starting with Ron and Sharon who live in a log cabin near the lake. Sound a bit like us when we lived in our own log cabin here in Texas? Ron is also a very talented cabinet maker; his woodshop makes Bill’s look like child’s play!

I was very surprised to see this tin-man! Standing between 9 and 10 feet tall, it had been at the city library (one of my favorite places — I have not found another library quite like it) as long as we had lived in El Dorado. What I did not know was that Ron had built it as a senior in high school, some 49 years ago. When the library was going to get rid of it, Ron was able to save it.

other wall stuff . . .

I’ve been a bit too distracted this past week to get much sketching done — or to finish sketches already begun. Among other things, Bill and I rearranged our furniture to fit our new space a wee bit better. 

To go with yesterday’s embroidered picture of our favorite Arizona mountain, here are some of my favorite pieces of art now hanging on our walls.

These two original watercolors are by our much-loved friend, Kate — aka Cathy Johnson. I bought them for Bill years ago while still living in a vintage apartment because he loves old barns and farmhouses.

The next two are by our friend David Krenzer from Kansas. He gave Bill the original oil painting of cows knowing how much he loved it. The print of sheep and shepherd is from an oil painting he did onsite during sheepdog trials in Utah.

Anyone detecting a theme here?

not busy enough . . .

What with packing boxes and moving stuff one load at a time to our new place, maintaining yard and landscaping at both residences, showing cabin to potential buyers, trying to keep up with sketching . . . I decided that I wasn’t busy enough, so I took on a bit of knitting.
Our sweet neighbors’ baby #2 will be arriving any day and I wanted to make something for him. These bibs are knit of the same 100% cotton yarn that washcloths are made of. After use, simply dampen it and use it to wash the baby’s face and hands. And head, if he learns to eat like our son Jason did, who loved rubbing food into his hair while laughing.

this morning in Lyons

We met with friends for breakfast this morning in Lyons, TX and I began to draw what became a very wonky ink sketch while waiting for my tea to brew. Color added later at home . . .

Macy’s track meet

 Our young friend, Macy, asked Bill if he would come to her track meet held in Giddings yesterday. He often goes to watch her play volleyball and basketball but this is the first track event we attended. In the past 5 years, Macy and her brother Blake have become like additional grandkids to us.

I began this sketch sitting on the end of the bleachers — we were early and things hadn’t begun yet. Macy saw us from the field and came to give us both hugs. But I had to finish later at home as I had forgotten a white pen to do the lines of the running track.

Macy placed # 2 in the Girls Junior Varsity high jump! The # 1 position went to her teammate. In fact, their school, Caldwell High School, did very well overall.

never too old . . .

I sketched our friends Billie and Macy from a photo I recently snuck of them at church. 16 year old Macy, at about 6 ft. tall, is never too old to sit in her mama’s lap for a snuggle!

I only wish I had done better with the skin tones, and the ink began running a bit in Macy’s face and hand. Oh, well . . . It’s just a simple sketch.

Macy

Normally I feel a bit too intimidated to sketch people at church. Besides, we sit up front where I only see one family plus the pastor — and he changes expressions too fast to capture!

But last night I was jotting down notes and between that, I just started drawing Macy, our pastor’s beautiful granddaughter. She has the most gorgeous face, classically beautiful like Audrey Hepburn. And she’s tall (15 years old and over 6’) yet moves with such grace! Very athletic too.

another game for Macy

After going out for a seafood dinner, Bill and I went to another of Macy’s basketball games today. School classes have not yet resumed but the Lady Hornets met the Navasota team . . . and lost horribly. They scored 6; the other team earned around 38, I think. Sometimes it just happens.

During the game, I drew the team mascot in my journal.

Shirley’s hand

Our friend Sandie is dealing with some very tough stuff. Her mother Shirley, a good friend of both Bill’s and mine since we were teenagers, is living with dementia. Her husband George is also on the downward slide, but not as deep as Shirley. And hers is a “mean” form; she says cruel things to her daughter that she would never say or mean if her mind was lucid.

Sandie recently posted a photo on Facebook that I used to sketch this memory in my journal.

old geezers

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Bill and his buddies from church meet in Lions, TX for coffee. And a bit of breakfast for those who wish it. We affectionately refer to them as the “old geezers”, though a couple of them are only in their 50’s. Sometimes wives come along —

Yesterday I went with Bill, as we were heading to doctor appointments directly afterwards. (him, for pain management medication, and me for scalp psoriasis — my hair once fell out due to this and I still fight it at times). As we drank our coffee (make that TEA for me), I did a continuous line drawing of the things in front of me. My “critics” mentioned that I forgot the spoon next to these things which the waitress always brings with my hot mug of water, even though I never stir anything into my tea. I bring my own tea bags and she keeps bringing me mugs of hot water.

a continuous line

Sometimes a black line is all that is needed . . . . So after drawing the things on the diner's table yesterday while breakfasting with friends, why did I feel the need to add a bit of white gouache? Perhaps I just like the effect of black and white on colored paper.

sketching at church

Wednesday evening I tried drawing a couple of friends at church --- capturing a likeness of friends and relatives is always hard for me! Maybe because it's so hard to put their personalities on paper, maybe it's simply a fear that the person being drawn might be offended.

This didn't get posted earlier due to unreliable internet and phone signals. We have recently had torrential rains here in central Texas. Our own cabin has remained above the flooding, though there was a 'river' running through our patio at one time.

travel essentials ready to go . . .

. . . except that I found no time to actually sketch. We traveled to Arkansas to help a dear friend (actually we adopted her as our sister) move her parents, both dealing with dementia, to Kansas. And that was quite an adventure!

An example of what we walked into: the day before the movers were scheduled to arrive, our friend's dad yelled at her, saying he told her to pack up the kitchen stuff --- every plate she put into a box, her mother took out and placed back in the cupboard, telling her to stop or she'd slap her.

But we eventually got things packed up, with the help of a very gracious team of movers, and helped them get settled in their new house in Kansas. Then a quick trip over to Wichita to see my mom and then visit my dad & step-mom. We even got to spend time with our dearest friends from El Dorado and Bill visited several old work buddies --- we squeezed quite a lot into one day.

All I got sketched was the first pages of my new journal, showing the supplies I packed in my bag. But I took photos to draw in the book now that we are again home, to document the trip. It is a very long drive, made longer when an 18-wheeler crashed with a cement truck north of Dallas, closing a main freeway right as we were coming up to it. 

40-mile-an-hour winds literally blew us home as well, complicating the load in the back of the truck, a small industrial metal lathe that was given to Bill. And 7 petrified wood "rocks" that I kept from Arkansas for a new rock garden I'm putting in. Of course, they are what Bill said was tipping our weight over the maximum allowed in his truck!

no blood moon for us

Last night there was an extremely close "blood moon" event and the best viewing in our area was to coincide with our leaving snacks & movie night at our church. Unfortunately, clouds hid all but the faintest moonlight during the actual eclipse. I painted a facsimile of the moon early this morning since I didn't see the real thing.

Sometimes I don't draw anything at all as I listen in at church, but yesterday I found myself sketching during both Sunday school's discussion about blood moons in prophecy and during the later church service.

sketching in church

Although I have "captive models" to sketch at church while listening to the message, I seldom do so. These are people we have grown to love dearly and I never seem to capture their essence. 

bottle rockets & firecrackers

My friend B.J. has a delightfully creative imagination --- she and her husband Gary joined our daughter and us yesterday for a Fourth of July dinner. She told us ahead of time that she was bringing the fireworks. Which turned out to be these yummy edible bottle rockets and firecrackers!