Truman (As Always), a Little Art, and a Lot of Wind

When I can't get out and about because of the weather, I can always snap photos of Truman, who is obligingly photogenic.  Here he is waiting patiently for his buddy Winston to come over:

He drapes himself over the armchair in such a ridiculous manner that I suspect he is part cat.

And here he is at Meadowbrook Pond Park, wondering, as usual, when we are going to turn around to go home:

There was a lovely Pied-billed Grebe on the pond:

And autumn foliage all around:

The weather prevented me from going out sketching, as it no doubt will for many months to come.  So I did a couple of practice pieces indoors, from photos.  These were from my journey to Great Britain back in 1982.

The beach at Aberystwyth in Wales:

Part of the gardens at Blenheim Palace:

And now for a more mundane update:  yard improvement occurred last week.  Back in October there was a very windy day here, and large sections of a shrub by my carport broke off, landing on the neighbor's driveway.  The shrub was a good 15 feet long and 15 feet high -- and even after the huge branches broke off, parts of it were still threatening to do more damage. 

So I forked over some money to a landscaping crew to take it out, along with a whole lot of blackberry and ivy vines.  Here is what the area looked like before they arrived:

And here it is afterwards:

The "before" view from inside the carport:

After:

My neighbor is a good guy who was very helpful about cleaning up the mess on his side.  I'm glad he can park his car safely in his own driveway now. 

This is how Truman felt about strange people making lots of noise in his driveway when the landscaping crew was here:

Winston was not terribly concerned.

Once again there is rain in the forecast for every day this week.  I signed up for an online art class that I've been wanting to take for some time:  Dynamic Detail in Pen, Ink, & Watercolor, taught by one of our own local urban sketchers.  It went on sale for $15 last week, which made me ever so happy.

So I hope that keeps me occupied on these rainy gray days.