our Texas-style water meter

Our log cabin is part of a small country community that shares a water well, and this is Bill's and my water meter. A big rock and plank of wood cover the access hole.

our game day

I had a grandkid day with Jayna, Josiah, and Judah playing Legos, Wahoo, Yahtzee, and Webkinz after they spent last night with us. They went home this afternoon and I drew some of the games left on the footstool. 

Jason and Carrie came yesterday to celebrate Bill's birthday (a few days early -- his actual birthday is on Monday), with Jayna baking him a German chocolate bundt cake (very, very good!). Then today, Bill headed to San Antonio, helping a friend move his brother to a new apartment.

When we moved to Texas, Bill said this was the last move he'd make. But since then, he has helped move friends from Arkansas to Kansas, moved our son Jeff to a new apartment, moved son Jason's family to a new town, and now this friend's brother today. Never say never again!

Inktober cup of tea

After early voting in Brenham this morning we planned on running a few errands, one of which was a visit to The Book Nook, our local used book store. But they open at 10:00-ish . . . emphasis on the "ish". So we walked around the downtown area, ending up at Park Street Bakery for coffee /tea. One of the few places that actually offers a selection of hot teas! Even though they are only from tea bags, not loose-leaf tea which has the best taste. Hey, I'm thankful just to get a hot cup of tea without the need to carry my own tea with me!

I began using the second of a set of three Field Notes memo books, which are easy to carry in pocket or bag. The cup and teapot were drawn with Noodler's Lexington gray, Platinum Carbon black, and Uniball Signo white gel inks, then I  added a bit of white gouache.

today's inktober sketch

I jumped right in, drawing this odd-looking rock with black ink in a calligraphy pen and brush pens with Lexington gray and brown inks . . . then wished I had first plotted the shapes out with a pencil. Not very accurate, and the gray and brown inks went down a bit too dark. Afterwards, I added a bit of buff titanium watercolor and some white gel pen.

I found the rock among the river rocks at the edge of our patio --- it immediately brought to mind The Scream painting by Edvard Munch.

And this is the final sketch in this small Field Notes Memo Book. It came in a set of three; the others are a muted red and a turquoise blue.

La Carreta's, another view

This is along one outer wall of La Carreta's Mexican Cafe in Nacogdoches, TX. Bill took a photo of the old Pepsi sign so I could sketch it later. We both remember Pepsi being more popular than Coca Cola when we were kids, but now it's rare to see Pepsi being served around here. Of course, in central Texas it is all "coke" -- order a coke and the waitress will ask "what kind?" Apparently "coke" is synonymous with "soda" or "pop".

Inktober, Monday and Tuesday

On Monday, Bill brought me a dead dragonfly he found on the ground to draw. One of the unexpected pleasures we have discovered since moving to central Texas has been the swarms of dragonflies that eat up the area mosquitos. And so many colors! Red, blue, green, and even black & white zebra-colored! They are amazing creatures and it's sad to find a dead one.

Tuesday we made an unexpected drive to Nacogdoches to help our son Jeff transfer some things to the person buying it from him. His car tires are not safe for out-of-town driving and the money for the items will help pay to fix that. He's busy with his new job but it takes time to catch up for the period of time when he was unemployed. And soon he will begin grad-school.

Our favorite Mexican restaurant in Nacogdoches is La Carreta -- an old water tower grain bin (Bill informed me of my error!) perched on the roof makes it easy to find. I planned on adding watercolor to the sketch but this particular brown ink melts a bit too much even after it dries. It is a Monteverde cartridge made to fit Lamy fountain pens. A beautiful brown, but not as useful for water-soluble ink & watercolor sketching as J. Herbin Lie de The brown ink.

weekend sketches

Thanks to our friends Jonathan and Tay, who were unable to use their tickets, we went to the Celtic Thunder concert in Houston Saturday. Awesome music! While we waited in line, an elderly man in a kilt waited in front of us. I drew him and the group's name on this page but nothing else that night --- it was dark and I was enjoying the show. But afterwards, I added loose sketches of the guys from Internet photos. 

Then I drew this bit in church Sunday morning . . .

Giddings courthouse

The historic Lee County courthouse in Giddings, TX has recently been restored. Whenever we've found ourselves in this town between Brenham and Austin, we have driven by to check the process. It really is a beautiful piece of architecture!

I drew this with a Sailor Fude de Mannen pen and the black ink cartridge that came with it; when it empties, I will fill the cartridge with water-resistant ink instead. I had this just as I wanted it and laid it open on a footstool to dry. Bearcat then came along and decided to taste the paper with his tongue, resulting in a smear. Weird cat!

a bit of sweet tea

I planned to sketch outside Thursday while the grandkids were in school, but it was just too sticky-sweaty-humid-hot. Plus I have been fighting seasonal allergies, which make my throat sore from draining sinuses. So I brewed some peach tea, sweetened with Carrie's granulated honey, then poured it over ice. When I am at Jason and Carrie's, I usually use this large mug for tea -- the art is from silly "scary" cartoon movie I've never seen, but I like how large it is.

Often, I like to paint in the shadows before adding color washes. This was sketched with a Lamy Joy 1.1 calligraphy nib and Platinum Carbon black ink.

hospitality fruit

I arrived at our son's home in Beasley . . . to an empty house. Carrie was at the library studying and Jason & the three kids were at church. They live in a very lovely, peaceful site on the edge of town --- a hay field is beyond their back yard! Later, Carrie challenged me to draw her pineapple. I'm not sure she realized how slowly I sketch, even for loose sketches. Eventually I let her cut it up.