Four Days

 

My favorite view through the woods of Mike and Andi's house, from the bedroom window at the little house next door where we stay.

 

View of the back field where we have played wide games on deep blue and firefly-lit summer nights.

 

Back to that hygge spot on the sofa, this time with Smokey hugging Andi's ankle and Rosie snoozing nearby.

 

And more of the same.  No one, including me, wants to move!

 

On to Waterbury by train to see our friend Ann in her new cozy apartment-- a bowl of light balanced among tree limbs!  A's places are as good as museums for wonderful objects to draw.  Here are a Vietnamese hand broom, a Velveteen Rabbit of a donkey that was A's first plush toy as a baby, and a tiny silver shaker from Thailand that is filled with exotic spices.

 

Here's one paper plant pot with lemon tree seedlings that A grows from seeds from grocery store lemons.  A ceramic olive oil jar  from the kitchen is on the right.

 

On the left is a small ceramic salt bowl from A's kitchen.  On the right is a hand-lettered sign from the wall of a cafe in Maplewood (which I squeezed in to this page for my friend Annie, who sent me the 10,000 drawings slogan from a wall three years ago, and thereby launched me on this journey).

 

A took us to the lovely Red Hen bakery, where this large fish paper lantern is suspended from the ceiling.  It was from the town's River of Light festival and had been made by one of the bakers.  Also made by a baker:  this delicious fig-anise roll, to die for!

 

A couple of last minute Waterbury sketches--

 

And onto Maplewood again by train.  On the left is part of the frozen/slushy dam at Bellows Fall, VT.  On the right is a passenger standing ready to get off the train at New Haven.

 

Two guys having a smoke break out on the chilly train platform.

 

And in Maplewood it's spring!  P and I strolled through the park this morning amd saw duck couples in the lagoon-like stream.

 

And blooming crocuses!

Rainy Morning with Fire

 

We're all lounging on the sofa.  Outside it's gray and chilly and a little rainy.  Perfect day for a fire.

 

Bill the bearded dragon is allowed to join us on the sofa.  The dogs and cat take his presence in stride.

 

Tallis is practicing for his lesson this afternoon.

 

Eventually some of us slide onto the floor in front of the fireplace for a couple of rounds of Carcasonne.  

Lovely Chickies and a Guest Blogger

 

Mike's chickens are diverse and beautiful.  Here are (clockwise from top left)  a Delaware, a Buff Orpington, a Production Red, and a Silver Laced Wyandote.

 

Above are a big Kosher King rooster and a Delaware plus a goofy drawing of a little hen sitting in a corner of the coop, maybe a Silver Laced Wyandote.

 

And here's a page of Delawares.

 

Up in the left corner is a Tic Tac that I drew as a demo for 8 year old Barno, who is starting 100 drawings!

 

This is his drawing #6.

 

And his drawing #3.

 

He likes his drawing #13 because he was figuring out how to depict transparency.  I can't wait to see his #100.

Enfield

 

Drawings from around Enfield, including snuggling dogs and a small birdhouse.

 

Various sketches of Barno

 

And one of the perpetual xmas trees--

Maplewood then on to Enfield

 

We went to Turtle Back Zoo near Maplewood yesterday, and here are some highlights:  it's a well-done zoo, with large fields and environments for the animals, some of which are rescues.  In the bison area were four or five beautiful bisons.  This small bird was nearby.

 

 

The greater rhea looked like a small emu, and the capiburra like a very large groundhog.  Good speed drawing practice , also practice drawing with a child tugging at my arm!

 

A sad - looking little donkey in a yard with a few ponies.  Does anyone go to the zoo without children in tow?

 

One of Nate's favorites, an injured bald eagle. The rest of these are quick sketches from Amtrak waiting room at Penn station.

 

This woman was frantically reading fb newsfeed and showing outrageous items to her friend, who was hunched over her own phone.

 

Since everyone nearby was staring at a phone I got lots of practice drawing hands clutching phones and readers!

 

On the Road to Maplewood

 

Airport drawings from this morning, when we were expecting to take off at 9 for our direct flight to Newark on Allegiant.

 

As we were taxiing the plane suddenly lurched and stopped.  The pilot came on and told us a gauge was faulty and had to be checked.  So we sat for a while , then ended up with all of us having to get on another identical plane.  

 

Finally in the air and only two hours late getting to Maplewood.

 

Nate drew and cut out and I sewed this little voodoo doll.  Then Abby drew and I cut out and sewed a mermaid doll.

Tangerine Peel Augury

 

Today someone brought a bag of tangerines to wonderful crit group.  Gradually little tangerine peel sculptures arranged themselves on the table in front of each tangerine eater.

 

As I drew them Words popped into my mind and I jotted down a fortune for each person based completely on the configuration of the peel.  A couple of people rearranged their peels while the meeting went on;  so I drew the revised arrangements and did a second, augmenting augury.  

Thai Food

 

Broccoli, sprouts, lime, spring rolls, green onion, celery

Tight Focus on Non-Political Jesse

 

 

 

Quisling Quiz: Who Belongs on this Page?

 

How great that Vidkun Quisling had a name that so perfectly sounded like the noun that came to mean what Quisling himself actually was- a traitor, a snitch, a puppet of an occupying enemy or would-be occupying enemy.  

Birds Singing Like Crazy

 

On the East River Trail early this afternoon I rounded a bend and heard a chorus of birdsong  that was as continuous and space-filling as the spring peeper peeping that will soon be filling the night air down in the ditches along the college road.  Hundreds of little black birds!  I quickly sketched in a branchload and then drew two crows that were listening from an adjacent tree.  Down in the chickenyard the big rooster watched while two hens had a fierce fight.  Another hen ignored them while she scratched in the dust.  Up near the crows was what looked like an abandonned squirrel's nest,  and over by a small wetland area stood an old bird hide.

Mamas and Babies and Mountains and Nuts

 

It's one of the tamer pastimes that I can think of, but watching seed pods and nuts shrivel and shrink and plant themselves is soothing in a sort of minor way.

 

The herd is at the end of the block with a half a dozen babies!

Soon There Will Be Lambies!

 

Whipping past the white barn on curvy Riceville Road I glanced at a flock of pregnant sheep!

 

As luck would have it the only paper I had in the car was an old car-related envelope.

 

But I had one of my magic pens and a few minutes, so I quickly sketched these mamas.

 

Soon we'll have lambs!