Don't Bug Me

You all know that I love being outdoors (though not in a camping/hiking sort of way -- it's more of a Stroll in the Park or Visit the Seashore or Lounge in the Garden kind of way).  And we've had splendid weather this summer for getting out and about, and for the most part, I've enjoyed every minute of my wanderings.

And then there was Sunday.

Okay, mostly it was fine, but here's a thing about enjoying the outdoors which I occasionally forget:  sometimes insect repellent is your friend.

The Seattle Urban Sketchers met at the UW Waterfront Activities Center where the canoes get rented out.  A lovely spot -- but I had a daft moment that morning and left my camp stool behind.  Luckily, I found a bench with a view of the dock where the canoes were lined up like metal sardines, and did a large two-page ink sketch there:

Unluckily, the entire time I sat there, a bee zipped in and out and around the bench, causing me to flail and wave my arms a lot.  I blame any wonky ink lines on this encounter.

Having tired of the bee, I wandered down the Montlake Cut path until I found a nice view, and sat on a handy stone wall.  After a bit of sketching, I looked down to see a large ant crawling towards me.  I gently brushed it away.  A moment later, I noticed a second ant coming from the other direction.  And a third.  And a fourth...I'm sure you can see where this is going.  They were everywhere.

I did not finish that sketch.

So I went for a walk.  It was a pleasant walk, and I ran across these lovely madrone trees -- I adore their bark:

I wanted to sketch them, but there was no place to sit and they were on the side of a road.  So I ambled onward until I spotted a lone, canvas-covered sailboat at the end of a dock, and a handy, very wide fence post to sit on.  And for once, there were no bugs!

Whew.  Then I headed back to the canoe area for the meet up where we shared our drawings.

I'm kneeling, second from right in the blue tee-shirt and baseball cap.

It was an okay outing all in all, but I felt a bit annoyed at myself for forgetting the camp stool, which would have saved me from a great deal of buggy irritation.  So I got home, greeted Truman, went out into the back garden with him, and sat down on a lawn chair to relax.  I was wearing Capri pants -- and when I glanced down at my bare legs, I saw a spider calmly perched in the middle of my calf.

!!!!!!!  Jiminy, can't a nature lover get a break?!?  Bugs!!!

Oh, well.  Without the bugs, there wouldn't be any nature to enjoy.