The Garden Dawdler New questions from Rory and I’m ready to answer them. What is one of your deepest desires or fantasy? [Inspired by Fantasy Island] Sadly, traveling in time hasn’t worked out for me. Yet. Maybe tomorrow? When was… Read More ›
Drawings
LIVING WITH A WELL
Last year by this time, our toilets were not filling properly. We knew we needed rain, but it took almost four months with no rain until finally, in October, the rains began. This region is not a dry area. No… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK: TWO BIRDS
Just to see if I could still do it, I draw a couple of birds: a nuthatch and a baby House Finch. It turns out I can still draw. My hand doesn’t appreciate it, but if I don’t press too… Read More ›
FIRE AND ICE – Robert Frost
He was our “local” poet. I have always loved his poems, but even more since I moved to New England. He understood this place and its people. We have a portrait of him taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt hanging in our… Read More ›
GHOSTS IN THE CEMETERY
I’ve been drawing ghosts in our graveyard since March. Finally, Halloween — All Hallows Eve or perhaps for some, Samhain — has come! The stones in this cemetery date back to the early 1700s. Surely there must be at least… Read More ›
THIS WATER BELONGS TO YOU AND ME: LIVING WITH GROUNDWATER
Today I saw that the toilets are not filling properly. I thought (I hoped) it was just my toilet, but it’s also Garry’s. We really need rain and soon. Two months with no rain is a very long time in… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 88 – CATBIRDS
The weather is getting to me. Going outside? Not happening until the heat breaks. Breathing is hard and grass pollen is up. So, in the face of the climate change that I keep hearing isn’t really here and yet it… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 87 – BLUE JAY
I keep rediscovering the same thing: no matter what you see in the “bird book” or online, birds, even of the same species or from the same nest don’t look quite the same. The last Blue Jay I drew had… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 83 – HAPPY CHICKADEE
In this picture, you might notice that the chickadee does not have his little feet on the ground, yet he is also not flying. In the picture, he was hopping from one part of the feeder to the top of… Read More ›
LONG WHITE NECKS
Cee reminded me today of ducks and then I remembered swans and specifically, sleeping swans, floating on the pond with their long necks and heads tucked under a wing. And how those necks are so long, they don’t have to… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 86 – CAT IN THE GRASS
It looks like a cat. I’ll improve with practice. It’s the first cat’s face that looks catlike. For some reason, this picture looks better on paper than it does in the photograph. The colors blend together well on paper, but… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 86 – A ROSE & 2 BIRDS
FIRST SUCCESSFUL ROSE AND TWO IMPERFECT BIRDS I have had a really hard time drawing a rose that looked like a rose. This annoyed me because I’m pretty good with flowers, even complicated flowers. But for some reason, roses with… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 84 – FEAR
AN ILLUSTRATION AND A FIRST It was a new “Provocative” question from Fandango. I was looking for a picture that showed fear. Everywhere I looked, it was someone else’s work. Drawings, photographs, posters. None of them seemed any better than… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK: MY SIX MONTHS
A HALF A YEAR OF SKETCHES The best sketches of each month since I started in January. My development has been a bit bumpy and lumpy. Still, six months into the project, I thought it was time for a review… Read More ›
PHOBIAS AND FEARS
Fandango’s Provocative Question #172 The nature of a phobia is its irrationality. I theorize if you developed the fear over time, you probably had a reason. It might not be a sensible reason, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. Something… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 83 – CHICKADEE TOO
Another chickadee with different colors and a slightly different shape. There are at least four different chickadees in this state. The black capped chickadee is the state bird and he has a white stomach. The other three have varying levels… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 82: TUFTED TITMOUSE
We have many of these little birds nesting in the hedge at the back of the yard. I don’t know how many times they breed per season, but there are always a few fledglings trying out our daily feast. I’ve… Read More ›
SKETCHBOOK 81: RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS IN A TREE
I haven’t done anything in a couple of weeks, but it’s been a busy couple of weeks. Today, I settled down and drew the two “married” Red-Bellied Woodpeckers.
SKETCHBOOK 80 – GERBERA DAISY
I wanted something bright and I found a daisy. I thought it was orange, but after a while, I couldn’t make up my mind if it was more red or more orange. I wound up drawing in in both colors.
SKETCHBOOK 80 – GOLDFINCHES
I’ve drawn a lot of Goldfinches. That shouldn’t be much of surprise since they are one of the most common birds I see at my feeders. They often feed in flocks and nest in the hedges at the back of… Read More ›
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 