Sometimes the Magic Works and Sometimes It Doesn't

I had every intention of going out to sketch stuff this past week, when the weather was nice enough to do so.  Honest, I did.  Yet somehow it didn't happen.  How is it, you may ask, that the retired person with nothing to do manages to not do stuff that she wants to do?  Well, I'll tell you.

Monday
Partly cloudy, upper 60s

I took the dogs to Magnuson Park.  I thought about sketching there, honest, I did.  It was a bit cloudy, though, and still only 57 degrees at 9am when we arrived.  So I didn't.  I went home and baked chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies instead.  There were errands and visits from neighbors and other stuff in there, none of which contributed to my growth as an artist.

Tuesday
Sunny, upper 70s

Clearly I had no excuse with such nice weather not to go sketching.  I took the dogs to Richmond Beach, but it's a small place where I've sketched many times before, and I found walking around to be much more alluring than plonking down in one spot to draw.  Besides, the Hounds needed their exercise, right?  Right!

Pippin was intrigued by the crabs.

 

Truman never passes up a chance to get wet.

Wednesday
Sunny, got up to 80!

I took the Hounds to the Montlake Fill for a birding walk, and I even tossed my sketching supplies into their stroller.  It's the intention that counts, surely.  But then I ran into Connie Who Practically Lives There, and she was in a chatty mood, so I chatted instead.  And saw a bunny!

And a wee Killdeer chick!

And then it got too hot to sit outside, so that was that.

Thursday
Partly cloudy, upper 60s

Thursday is Doggie Daycare Day at Dog End, when Winston and Chloe come over.  I stay home to take care of them, so no going out to sketch.  I footled around with some paints at home, doing a few practice exercises--that almost counts, yes?? 

Anyway, I decided to take photos of the garden, as there are lovely things blooming there now:

I love roses.

And poppies.

This is a huge shrub, a snowball viburnum.

The volunteer foxglove pop up wherever they please.

The two climbers are making their way up the arbor -- this one is Dublin Bay.

And this one is called The Magician.

The Hounds enjoyed exploring the garden, too.  Here we see two dachshunds admiring the buttercup:

And now three...

And four!

Friday
Partly cloudy, upper 60s

Once again, I had intentions about sketching...truly, I did.  I took the Hounds to the UW campus for a long walk around the whole place, and I even tossed the sketching supplies into their stroller.  But somehow I got distracted -- first, a visit to friends in the Stat Department, then a look at the heron colony on campus, then somehow we wound up shopping at the University Bookstore.  I don't know how that all happened.  There was no sketching involved.  Besides, it was a bit cool.

Saturday
Partly cloudy, upper 60s

Aha--an actual sketch outing!  I actually went out with Tina and Nicole to the Bothell Country Village for the express purpose of drawing things!  No dogs!  No distractions!  Warm enough!  And I actually sat down and sketched things!  Honest, I did!!

And the things I drew (two old buildings with lots of clutter on their porches) were boring and complicated and I wound up disliking them and the sketches were crappy to boot.  I had wandered all over the complex searching for something inspirational and not finding it and thus I wound up drawing stuff I didn't really care about that much and I was Not Pleased.  Then, just as we were leaving, I noticed a small pond with lovely plants and sculptures and stuff that would have been the perfect subject. 

But we had to leave.  Thwarted!  That time my lack of success was clearly not my fault.  I think.  Maybe.  Sort of.  Dang.

Sunday
Mostly sunny, low 70s

I took the Hounds to the Fill for a birding walk, and ran into Connie Who Practically Lives There, and her gang of bird counters, most of whom I know, so we chatted a lot.  And birded a lot.  And there just simply wasn't any time for sketching. 

Instead, I admired this Western Wood-Pewee, of the flycatcher family, who was just passing through:

Next, I admired a juvenile Red-winged Blackbird waiting for someone to come feed it:

A male blackbird was walking on the lily pads, turning up the edges, looking for insects.

And after he'd gathered up enough bugs, he flew over to take care of Junior.

And finally, I admired this butterfly, which I later learned is called a Lorquin's Admiral:

I can hear you thinking, So, it was sunny and in the 70s, and I'll bet it didn't take you all day to watch birds, so what about the rest of Sunday, hm?  What excuse do you have for goofing off all Sunday afternoon, eh?  Tell me that!

Well, okay, here you go:

What can I say?  It was sunny, it was 70 degrees, and the Seattle Mariners were hosting my second-favorite team, the Minnesota Twins for a matinee game.  Thus endeth the Week of Not Sketching Much, the week where the Magic Didn't Work, the week of puttering and footling around and dinking about and watching the Mariners win yet again. 

It was a fun week, even without art.

But I'll try to do better next time.  Honest!