tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16809016817380050782024-02-19T06:47:36.567-08:00Field Notes from Alex's WonderlandArt. Birds. Nature.
Maybe a dachshund photo now and then. Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.comBlogger819125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-43855639327624242942022-10-09T11:38:00.000-07:002022-10-09T11:38:03.933-07:00So Long, and Thanks for All the Fun!<p>I am officially declaring this blog defunct. My interest in keeping it up has waned far too much. </p><p>I do occasionally post photos (art, birds, dogs) to Instagram at: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shrubstepper/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/shrubstepper/</a></p><p>Thank you to all loyal readers over the years for stopping by!</p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-45858757345208096502022-09-19T05:00:00.001-07:002022-09-19T05:00:00.179-07:00Just Another Good Omens Needlepoint Done<p>It's nice to have something to do while watching baseball games on TV, and I watch a lot of them (the Twins and the Mariners). Needlepoint projects are perfect. I can spread the supplies over the coffee table and just stitch away, and I don't need to fret too much about losing my place in the complex patterns because with baseball games you only need to look at the TV when you hear the sound of a bat making contact with a ball. Yay!</p><p>I've done three needlepoints during this year's baseball season, all images of my favorite characters from <i>Good Omens. </i>Two of them were 35,000 stitches, and the latest one that I just finished was 62,000. Wahoo! </p><p>Here's the photo I used for the pattern -- it's my own colored pencil drawing of Aziraphale the angel holding his beloved books:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdRMwwze5Q2u5o9rv_ULZJFjTrGhLMW-cH0QUNdJKr6Je-QIl3VVVc2xnYV3NDHYVMNizYLLFWWpk7QR6l6HwDSZ_3WOmCY36zNPp17fe0n655Z7cxpOcJUQ2dkVhDthDnudKzoXLP69S-ZuNehhjjIc3EkFaErq5tBK_trDhKv6JjpYxMcsYo5FM/s500/100-ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdRMwwze5Q2u5o9rv_ULZJFjTrGhLMW-cH0QUNdJKr6Je-QIl3VVVc2xnYV3NDHYVMNizYLLFWWpk7QR6l6HwDSZ_3WOmCY36zNPp17fe0n655Z7cxpOcJUQ2dkVhDthDnudKzoXLP69S-ZuNehhjjIc3EkFaErq5tBK_trDhKv6JjpYxMcsYo5FM/s320/100-ref.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Very complicated!</div><div><br /></div><div>And here is the needlepoint, which looks a little skewed here because the stitch tension tends to warp the canvas a bit as one goes along. I'm currently in the process of blocking (straightening) it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMPH6nmFE84Gsc_CcjY6Q9r5JvbkesuxwgqdwPcaxrk_fzQ-i9DyMC6J91BueFqMrzOSE7r8FbyRXv-avv_Dt7bwA4n3p5hvr7BAggFU-rZaUKMrp9Iipo_LgIcj5O_eO0uNV4v0hKzbjUuuh0AMOXBjGTu7Vgg4_pbsBRyIYkHJDpRHSeQgsQ0Cm/s889/azibooks-month42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="874" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMPH6nmFE84Gsc_CcjY6Q9r5JvbkesuxwgqdwPcaxrk_fzQ-i9DyMC6J91BueFqMrzOSE7r8FbyRXv-avv_Dt7bwA4n3p5hvr7BAggFU-rZaUKMrp9Iipo_LgIcj5O_eO0uNV4v0hKzbjUuuh0AMOXBjGTu7Vgg4_pbsBRyIYkHJDpRHSeQgsQ0Cm/w427-h434/azibooks-month42.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><p>Next I'm going to do Crowley, with wings. It's also 62,000 stitches, which will definitely get me through the playoffs and the World Series and far beyond!</p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-74229862772578257822022-09-05T05:00:00.001-07:002022-09-05T05:00:00.168-07:00In Which I Ignore the Zoom Group Art Choices<p> As I believe I've explained here before, but for the benefit of any imaginary new reader out there or just old forgetful readers, I do three virtual art sessions a week via Zoom with four friends. On Wed/Fri we choose a photo to work from, and on Mondays we can work on whatever project we like.</p><p>About a month ago, for the Monday project, I decided to do something that would take more than one Monday -- a painting of Aziraphale's bookshop (yes, that would be Good Omens <i>again</i>). I came across this pre-production photo, which had lots of fabulous details and wonderful lighting:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4iGwhxujBHiz9Fb8TwgqAojBAf-IDpnwrc7UtcqETuKUjIOGhMTip5-qWLnG161QqiQT6GGaD7t8vjaaN9ib_-ai-Kehodonx_5AuGKH0SjAPATCiSo01Uld1vtN0xawGbddRCxZvkd4jlO1dzF5sMBROnhOt-rgdAMc_sEZ-pdXnCO6UBkV-csW/s653/1d.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="540" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4iGwhxujBHiz9Fb8TwgqAojBAf-IDpnwrc7UtcqETuKUjIOGhMTip5-qWLnG161QqiQT6GGaD7t8vjaaN9ib_-ai-Kehodonx_5AuGKH0SjAPATCiSo01Uld1vtN0xawGbddRCxZvkd4jlO1dzF5sMBROnhOt-rgdAMc_sEZ-pdXnCO6UBkV-csW/w309-h373/1d.png" width="309" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We never actually see this view in the series itself, as some furniture was changed or moved around, and that gorgeous staircase top was never shown. (We've been promised a view of the upstairs in the upcoming second series, so maybe it will turn up then.) </div><div><br /></div><div>I decided to use Strathmore mixed-media tanned paper, as it had worked well for an earlier piece I did of the bookshop -- this one, in fact:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldLnuaVr-DA8tK5T21LSBJ3SJ1XGV4u1OJJqTbFyhOAHRCdZ9O5kAdievn1N2O6-u2hVQWAUcYzhz-WyPuzd7hDb_9H3d51ratZpV6kwrLfDCxraDtv4bGOCnUMfrAlcmS1-h4j0ie3RPM7B5aHD6GwxxywGDDgx8OzPuFsOygtPjyHU_JKfN4Sba/s831/1a-bookcrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="831" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldLnuaVr-DA8tK5T21LSBJ3SJ1XGV4u1OJJqTbFyhOAHRCdZ9O5kAdievn1N2O6-u2hVQWAUcYzhz-WyPuzd7hDb_9H3d51ratZpV6kwrLfDCxraDtv4bGOCnUMfrAlcmS1-h4j0ie3RPM7B5aHD6GwxxywGDDgx8OzPuFsOygtPjyHU_JKfN4Sba/w372-h310/1a-bookcrow.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Well, as things turned out, the toned paper wasn't really necessary, as I wound up covering every single inch of it. But I enjoyed working on it, as it has the smoothness needed for fine detail work, with just barely enough of a surface texture to allow for some watercolor blending. <div><br /></div><div>I started with a simple pencil sketch to place the basic objects, and put in a few details in brown ink. And then I used white gouache to add highlights, and watercolors for the rest of this very complex picture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here you can see the start of those details, and the simpler sketch:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHZDscFNxew92gw_HZdbY3KgsHsvg25qeZG2nPD1xP8yP6VLZvcrfPDmCb1ZFQhz0bab1LB5FOz_Z1pDxwYu0xEWouzjXfgiyBK30JndrsYA45gx7-OjoFRHd90WIC9zP_EGvVoKtthPVpzZku5F5ShiKurkKWev0ysj9adTJC0v7IbuCg3C7H5k4/s826/1e-bookshop-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="678" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHZDscFNxew92gw_HZdbY3KgsHsvg25qeZG2nPD1xP8yP6VLZvcrfPDmCb1ZFQhz0bab1LB5FOz_Z1pDxwYu0xEWouzjXfgiyBK30JndrsYA45gx7-OjoFRHd90WIC9zP_EGvVoKtthPVpzZku5F5ShiKurkKWev0ysj9adTJC0v7IbuCg3C7H5k4/w366-h446/1e-bookshop-1.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The piece is 8" x 10". I used VERY VERY small brushes to get the fine details, especially in the staircase top and railing, and for the books. (Most of the books are about 1/16" wide!) This is the smallest brush I used (<i>Princeton Velvetouch 5/0 Spotter</i>):</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUWlE93PB3ZKpQi9DJHMU2qpCRlxe8FZ0WbyrBXfMBw4g8xSKpYlEru4IR7RxD7TSPJld-C8ttghy_NIqCERqbYMZKosnvMbbei5k6F3jCKGWIWtSaEJA5F_DPEK-JPggks6dsgcaCFILnkN_toJKvS87efiEXeCN8jEPeYwxoMkFl7kWECkIEl9o/s889/1e-bookshop-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="683" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUWlE93PB3ZKpQi9DJHMU2qpCRlxe8FZ0WbyrBXfMBw4g8xSKpYlEru4IR7RxD7TSPJld-C8ttghy_NIqCERqbYMZKosnvMbbei5k6F3jCKGWIWtSaEJA5F_DPEK-JPggks6dsgcaCFILnkN_toJKvS87efiEXeCN8jEPeYwxoMkFl7kWECkIEl9o/s320/1e-bookshop-2.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I wound up enjoying the process so much that when the Wed/Fri group sessions came around, I often ignored whatever picture the others chose to work on, and just kept painting away on the bookshop. And I worked on Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun too!</div><div><br /></div><div>Most days I could only handle about an hour of painting. I had to enlarge the original photo 300-400% to see the fine details, and would work on one or two square inches at a time, and go bug-eyed after a while. Also, the tiny brush can't hold much paint -- perhaps 1-2 strokes -- so I was constantly reloading it. It was quite slow-going! </div><div><br /></div><div>It all took a month to complete, and I love the results:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7es4Yj5ZuTkLGwjfgjHn5s7RXnEHclEqmZlzq3vID4hjEbVd0LTCe5_K6nV1l4wdqdLCdMNUAVZN4tedhxz2CF3Ql7BHGod9yE54KkUexBE6fIxZXjRrfvQuafmBK8BrSAWfi3xjR79UVd6xZkcX6ISPYQaFpCAkNhMLBsML0uwbeOB_LFOfae7Yt/s888/1f-bookshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="721" height="501" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7es4Yj5ZuTkLGwjfgjHn5s7RXnEHclEqmZlzq3vID4hjEbVd0LTCe5_K6nV1l4wdqdLCdMNUAVZN4tedhxz2CF3Ql7BHGod9yE54KkUexBE6fIxZXjRrfvQuafmBK8BrSAWfi3xjR79UVd6xZkcX6ISPYQaFpCAkNhMLBsML0uwbeOB_LFOfae7Yt/w407-h501/1f-bookshop.jpg" width="407" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now I don't have a Monday project...hm...I wonder if there are other photos of the bookshop that would be fun to do? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wait and see!</div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-59289170725400965972022-08-29T05:00:00.001-07:002022-08-29T05:00:00.164-07:00Pelican Post (just that -- a pelican!)<p> On one of our riverfront walks, I spotted a pelican swimming in close to shore. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFt_FoLyEKC9Z4rMO6s7bpgJIB_m-cIcpHA3NstYA1t0JVqGKEA04Ik-6YmP6Tjm0FYGn3nE758iLvtjJ0Hvhy7HKRJ1tVkbkEXKq0GaRfW9cNNervIETUYGQA28XCQftbyS4iy3XyE0h-db3vRi6Nz61K6wCKLWweL6I5WdrzQU3sm2QMmNXcU6_/s2591/2=pel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2510" data-original-width="2591" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFt_FoLyEKC9Z4rMO6s7bpgJIB_m-cIcpHA3NstYA1t0JVqGKEA04Ik-6YmP6Tjm0FYGn3nE758iLvtjJ0Hvhy7HKRJ1tVkbkEXKq0GaRfW9cNNervIETUYGQA28XCQftbyS4iy3XyE0h-db3vRi6Nz61K6wCKLWweL6I5WdrzQU3sm2QMmNXcU6_/s320/2=pel.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It has seen something that got it excited.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiTmZe30wp4DtZfI3QDBzM3X_qX7D3S9pMYFgax93qr95HJSJCGqwUvZBQtsV_kfOvn4oV6J34_iUu25YddkaJrDs_71TFOSd-ZolWaItcWa2HgZ-xIjYP6ksBXFQnXaFCUte-gcK1M1J6BWZaaY7i8Lu6uQrbh5sx20WH42TQwxJM-HKi6KWUris/s2928/2a-pel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2928" data-original-width="2194" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiTmZe30wp4DtZfI3QDBzM3X_qX7D3S9pMYFgax93qr95HJSJCGqwUvZBQtsV_kfOvn4oV6J34_iUu25YddkaJrDs_71TFOSd-ZolWaItcWa2HgZ-xIjYP6ksBXFQnXaFCUte-gcK1M1J6BWZaaY7i8Lu6uQrbh5sx20WH42TQwxJM-HKi6KWUris/w287-h383/2a-pel.JPG" width="287" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A dead fish! Oh joy. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmRqCstICKKdHhVvs2F7lYb1lsPdRVlJMXuIk5ydj9yb3UpxRR4r-RHevnKj2RG6jPiHntJs3vHEOAukJU8I_JakcTnVAcoKPsxZb6CalR_BY0cU6Ms1z-GGPxr4Jc6kNdtV86dqdbsgm-e-8Gj4qFC5arHJLKzHJr7gJXe-R6lZIT7TdcjfNTHm3/s2804/2b-pel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2528" data-original-width="2804" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmRqCstICKKdHhVvs2F7lYb1lsPdRVlJMXuIk5ydj9yb3UpxRR4r-RHevnKj2RG6jPiHntJs3vHEOAukJU8I_JakcTnVAcoKPsxZb6CalR_BY0cU6Ms1z-GGPxr4Jc6kNdtV86dqdbsgm-e-8Gj4qFC5arHJLKzHJr7gJXe-R6lZIT7TdcjfNTHm3/w348-h315/2b-pel.JPG" width="348" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The pelican tried about a dozen times to get the fish down...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IKCnCT8WoztVpFbz9cJOU3DPWE354KVfhsZjLUlz0qSpvrF1QrvIweP1Sud5TT2-atMMZjSowmt6Ef4ycQSykSiHtLHxRss0QInA8JY-McSWb514BMN10ahMYbSMRPHPeTJ1fZb2h0nOI3qjjonLm7_It9G1Sjvwk1O85P9o1mi47ttKe7UZou4N/s3756/2c-pel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2892" data-original-width="3756" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IKCnCT8WoztVpFbz9cJOU3DPWE354KVfhsZjLUlz0qSpvrF1QrvIweP1Sud5TT2-atMMZjSowmt6Ef4ycQSykSiHtLHxRss0QInA8JY-McSWb514BMN10ahMYbSMRPHPeTJ1fZb2h0nOI3qjjonLm7_It9G1Sjvwk1O85P9o1mi47ttKe7UZou4N/w437-h336/2c-pel.JPG" width="437" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>But no matter which angle it tried, nothing worked.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVD5f6QS8iEAYi39H6qeEyTFrMbeMq7qDgTMXKXbSKjZCI-ka-hnlXdoCrjvlWq9DBwz5yGI91noA0HA2LUXySitotL298GYaWkt5OslxUo55wJonHnHTklkSLO1LvFldpyKkZKoT3JB01yEWMV-WQCTO4PdxGCuBUvIqjI3xaYErKlPyMW55GY-s/s2857/2d-pel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2631" data-original-width="2857" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVD5f6QS8iEAYi39H6qeEyTFrMbeMq7qDgTMXKXbSKjZCI-ka-hnlXdoCrjvlWq9DBwz5yGI91noA0HA2LUXySitotL298GYaWkt5OslxUo55wJonHnHTklkSLO1LvFldpyKkZKoT3JB01yEWMV-WQCTO4PdxGCuBUvIqjI3xaYErKlPyMW55GY-s/w347-h320/2d-pel.JPG" width="347" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The fish was simply too big to swallow.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI-dGRAs3PRKUBrfNHNsIoh7UAC-O9XNl3GAxjqpvNIPCFCRDTokdCS5M2CFpbtmCUuT8jszHkRedbkinTzPVaz5hqqn7f0oIR8v09Zk3Yi5ZRlIJOgTOPxqtWImrshdtoq4N0tlZkvPyGMTQPuT4u8LIj_eKARgt_oaqDxDgSXB811uEBgDtgZxA/s3426/2e-pel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2674" data-original-width="3426" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI-dGRAs3PRKUBrfNHNsIoh7UAC-O9XNl3GAxjqpvNIPCFCRDTokdCS5M2CFpbtmCUuT8jszHkRedbkinTzPVaz5hqqn7f0oIR8v09Zk3Yi5ZRlIJOgTOPxqtWImrshdtoq4N0tlZkvPyGMTQPuT4u8LIj_eKARgt_oaqDxDgSXB811uEBgDtgZxA/w434-h339/2e-pel.JPG" width="434" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The poor pelican eventually gave up and swam away in search of smaller prey.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrawiKD7zLjXwx2HwG6psWpwaASZGQUjAWF73jSGZJgHGAi-5WHO1izn6Ju9s3VietuhrcVHat7Y6M8OXLWtlPg83qZ5czd3olxSeWAi3Os-aYY2lkL1wo79giWOVDI16NgaBttFOn2EyzYABgpGvJB23ggfQ3R6AjIm9imyhnjvRWKCCBVwqKdZ9/s3170/2f-pel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2721" data-original-width="3170" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrawiKD7zLjXwx2HwG6psWpwaASZGQUjAWF73jSGZJgHGAi-5WHO1izn6Ju9s3VietuhrcVHat7Y6M8OXLWtlPg83qZ5czd3olxSeWAi3Os-aYY2lkL1wo79giWOVDI16NgaBttFOn2EyzYABgpGvJB23ggfQ3R6AjIm9imyhnjvRWKCCBVwqKdZ9/w370-h318/2f-pel.JPG" width="370" /></a></div><div><br /></div>That was the most exciting thing I saw last week, and it was pretty darned swell.</div><div><br /></div><div>So that's my update for now. See you next time there's something cool to post about, and until then, stay safe, and stay happy!</div><div><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-10265041954393313032022-08-22T05:00:00.001-07:002022-08-22T05:00:00.154-07:00Art Catch-up Plus Fightin' Coopers<p>The weekly Zoom art practice session with friends far away continue. We started these virtual meetups back in the Summer of 2020 as a way to stay in touch and have something fun to do during the Great Pandemic. There are currently five of us participating regularly -- three friends from N. Seattle/Shoreline area, one from near Chicago, and me. </p><p>We did twice weekly art practice sessions until Tina, the organizer, retired earlier this year, and have now added a third day. On Wednesdays and Fridays, Tina shares her vast collection of images -- basically, stuff she liked on Instagram, Pinterest, et al, which includes lots of landscapes, buildings, plants, animals -- she has a good eye for images that might be fun to try drawing or painting. We spend some time agreeing on a photo we all can work with, and then we draw and paint that same photo in our own ways. We spend about 90 minutes on each piece, chatting away, and sharing our work at the end.</p><p>Here are some pieces I did from the past two weeks of these Wed/Fri sessions:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfpshTJCP-YATCx1nua6TptM6upkuONckEq-ANk4gbbN6DBadIQS9k8YZZxlYuEQiP_FA9TNGVcc1X4iOb-OKzTJd3DiZKbBx5zOf_v0FYIWN8lkeGS55PTpsSBRylDU__qb2y2sGC1TzFI6EejDdQagHtWwnH9Gs1SV6hiCHK2CTOBET13GxlW2s/s767/1a-flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="520" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfpshTJCP-YATCx1nua6TptM6upkuONckEq-ANk4gbbN6DBadIQS9k8YZZxlYuEQiP_FA9TNGVcc1X4iOb-OKzTJd3DiZKbBx5zOf_v0FYIWN8lkeGS55PTpsSBRylDU__qb2y2sGC1TzFI6EejDdQagHtWwnH9Gs1SV6hiCHK2CTOBET13GxlW2s/w273-h402/1a-flower.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Flower from the primula family, done digitally on the iPad using Adobe Fresco.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzaQ8jKmD6CPkb1RrVqhxTRkCfHiMHC37cbPAS0mRlvL4kjRdBwAc9iKj2zVuikTtKbIvgW629-QrNg5nx2wH3T7_AZrJ69RAXpJs_NQDv6u_Ewq7ZKoQK-L8Zhju1nbOqythEfGQScIR4uFBDKgSbz2uvxY9MKaQIKR2RA6y8_DSXJWzsUVBlkWE/s888/1b-barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="798" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzaQ8jKmD6CPkb1RrVqhxTRkCfHiMHC37cbPAS0mRlvL4kjRdBwAc9iKj2zVuikTtKbIvgW629-QrNg5nx2wH3T7_AZrJ69RAXpJs_NQDv6u_Ewq7ZKoQK-L8Zhju1nbOqythEfGQScIR4uFBDKgSbz2uvxY9MKaQIKR2RA6y8_DSXJWzsUVBlkWE/w321-h357/1b-barn.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We chose this pic because of the dramatic sky. I used watercolor.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48tmFVu-Qpf8nEnyAIkTbFP7pFCG-h8mujDlyb5ARtEbdS65UsTJ2S5hCxiWp4ESr3_DBPlRUHTK3sRx6JI8836hRj35E0zx3dCTiAkKY_ZMWkPrRgyymMiL7ltYF5IQBoruxx7x12gQXpqWzHbjdXSVEIBNeZgQoKyw57tv615hVP8QyMVPVkS97/s889/1c-mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="725" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48tmFVu-Qpf8nEnyAIkTbFP7pFCG-h8mujDlyb5ARtEbdS65UsTJ2S5hCxiWp4ESr3_DBPlRUHTK3sRx6JI8836hRj35E0zx3dCTiAkKY_ZMWkPrRgyymMiL7ltYF5IQBoruxx7x12gQXpqWzHbjdXSVEIBNeZgQoKyw57tv615hVP8QyMVPVkS97/w331-h406/1c-mountain.jpg" width="331" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Definitely the most challenging picture of late, which I also did in watercolor.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfEtpG1wepTjUDyWahAHH5zOiEYNo8_fVenxoui17chkx0pPLhIUnH4N-g-WeXci9WbEDAKeeEJQyNiJ0bceQ8EMo_Vyz2wnpYZJRClX4h06N7l_8QtuF4y0r2GuJS1ZI1hJ_IqIRcoOyQdfMRQyn32TTTeRgKYF0rOCdpnpUYGfgkJjGIfZzAo0T/s889/1d-japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="683" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfEtpG1wepTjUDyWahAHH5zOiEYNo8_fVenxoui17chkx0pPLhIUnH4N-g-WeXci9WbEDAKeeEJQyNiJ0bceQ8EMo_Vyz2wnpYZJRClX4h06N7l_8QtuF4y0r2GuJS1ZI1hJ_IqIRcoOyQdfMRQyn32TTTeRgKYF0rOCdpnpUYGfgkJjGIfZzAo0T/w303-h394/1d-japan.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Tina loves Japan, and has saved lots of photos from there. This is part of the Honen-In temple grounds in Kyoto, done with ink and watercolor.<div><br /></div><div>On Mondays, we have a session where we all work on our own projects, such as finishing up a piece, or a longer work that will take several weeks such as an oil painting etc. Recently I've been working on a drawing/painting on Mondays that will probably take a few months (unless I work more on it outside the sessions). It's a complex picture of Aziraphale's bookshop, which I'm doing on toned paper using a little ink but mostly watercolor and gouache. </div><div><br /></div><div>After three Mondays, and a few extracurricular sessions, this is how far I've got:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86fKBlr3kVTfJ2QOYuyLzKFlm4UNAP5VEJqLaArDVQRyz0QqhcY7s-01kFMG-XK2qJ6dOYXGop4LlmR6XuQfmyU9mkHdXjg7HE7WJZEBwguPvREUnhpbCj4c0bi3-yYZ3uhClBYj5jFWQTv-UglGq2lwbaVU6KfRTdMdZ_KWd8k7jVvponIAFtdl5/s888/IMG_20220820_072230474_BURST000_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="715" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86fKBlr3kVTfJ2QOYuyLzKFlm4UNAP5VEJqLaArDVQRyz0QqhcY7s-01kFMG-XK2qJ6dOYXGop4LlmR6XuQfmyU9mkHdXjg7HE7WJZEBwguPvREUnhpbCj4c0bi3-yYZ3uhClBYj5jFWQTv-UglGq2lwbaVU6KfRTdMdZ_KWd8k7jVvponIAFtdl5/w370-h459/IMG_20220820_072230474_BURST000_COVER.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's 9x12". Some of those books are 1/16" wide, and I've been using a teensy brush to paint them:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYaA-ZgjYI9D20-iqY0kTxSY7eyzWPeMJpnGlltRYMp4-8unx-_srAkRDvUDuRiINU0xnA9IUEguxZKJR1pYPmYjmfU-gTQmhRdIjM4PaMFHNwbtjIZXmk1X2S5s02_emdlf0FrK0dAodRM4Xfr_rLqtuv-gVI-s7CiKOC1PHxJd0sIK3AO-CXdzF/s889/1e-bookshop-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="683" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYaA-ZgjYI9D20-iqY0kTxSY7eyzWPeMJpnGlltRYMp4-8unx-_srAkRDvUDuRiINU0xnA9IUEguxZKJR1pYPmYjmfU-gTQmhRdIjM4PaMFHNwbtjIZXmk1X2S5s02_emdlf0FrK0dAodRM4Xfr_rLqtuv-gVI-s7CiKOC1PHxJd0sIK3AO-CXdzF/s320/1e-bookshop-2.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There are a whole lot more books to go...yay! <div><br /></div><div>So that's the art update. Now, on to the Fightin' Coopers!</div><div><br /></div><div>At one of our regular parks there have been two juvenile Cooper's Hawks hanging around, and one day we got a treat -- they were in a meadow, flying at each other in an aggressive manner. No blood was shed, it was more for show, apparently. Or possibly one had caught something the other one wanted -- we'll never know for sure. But I did get some good photos of the encounter, which lasted just about five minutes. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUayHM8ErC1mYrWl4MQX-bEwmYsD3f4fZXVbpjS6P4LeL4dF0I8ZccPd7_edVu0W-X1aSZtHg7DlLDqwA9Culn2SAMV5b6dxd3hNgaZQdlPlJY_CIXksPLB_1H74D5S_NvpJPmSc8kKVvxIdyXSbLGQmCeUVI4Yg61zSis24c_lphc_zJuTgHd0J9/s3330/2a-ch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2287" data-original-width="3330" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUayHM8ErC1mYrWl4MQX-bEwmYsD3f4fZXVbpjS6P4LeL4dF0I8ZccPd7_edVu0W-X1aSZtHg7DlLDqwA9Culn2SAMV5b6dxd3hNgaZQdlPlJY_CIXksPLB_1H74D5S_NvpJPmSc8kKVvxIdyXSbLGQmCeUVI4Yg61zSis24c_lphc_zJuTgHd0J9/w449-h309/2a-ch.JPG" width="449" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3esjFFMs98uFnB3K9in-KBsWJhvQfIt8ZFMaau1AMF1jVuFSN0vcYrt6lkhWUbY5TJf58jbSMG_2Qh19a5izvN0BVvky1AfgJU8zMiawWpH-LBA_eyFo2DbmzhLJeimLImsiKdO9BtaWN0CU4kPwkaJ5T7M-p2GM8kbtL9HBfsWq7Aj-IaKvDaFxG/s1524/2b-ch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1524" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3esjFFMs98uFnB3K9in-KBsWJhvQfIt8ZFMaau1AMF1jVuFSN0vcYrt6lkhWUbY5TJf58jbSMG_2Qh19a5izvN0BVvky1AfgJU8zMiawWpH-LBA_eyFo2DbmzhLJeimLImsiKdO9BtaWN0CU4kPwkaJ5T7M-p2GM8kbtL9HBfsWq7Aj-IaKvDaFxG/w427-h347/2b-ch.JPG" width="427" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The two birds often displayed what's called "mantling" behavior, where they spread their wings over prey to protect it from greedy siblings et al, but there was no sign of any prey (I looked over the area after they left -- nothing but grass).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJXklItYi3x4WJgMwjM9P7Sr3KHCgj1yvzAT-Z72t6tS7mRZYIGNM0mny0Pr_2Eu8vQamVuTxCyS3KwcRLcw34n6UdduEH4m1bl1_xKrC8A3Q6niJArHt5DQ0j2lgfkGnqLcq0VctqTWcAel_AvUWqK_RubQrg04cp9eIYPWge_s6_kN5KHQKM6So/s2750/2h-ch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2215" data-original-width="2750" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJXklItYi3x4WJgMwjM9P7Sr3KHCgj1yvzAT-Z72t6tS7mRZYIGNM0mny0Pr_2Eu8vQamVuTxCyS3KwcRLcw34n6UdduEH4m1bl1_xKrC8A3Q6niJArHt5DQ0j2lgfkGnqLcq0VctqTWcAel_AvUWqK_RubQrg04cp9eIYPWge_s6_kN5KHQKM6So/s320/2h-ch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-o6bN45dEvfmp3KeuF6hOvQTrGENM7hkElH-jhCEo9wH7H7MIWZuARLj3exUh3i7ZmwTxiup9sr8XiLV49qNaXniIPqku8d4NOXO2ubvgVAq28o_CSrZ4y7-95AmlQ-ZPoDzvVt5V7NhccY0uWIuoBTWPK8re0H5XHMIlM6NYqGPj6UFDleXQM0d/s2318/2c-ch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1871" data-original-width="2318" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-o6bN45dEvfmp3KeuF6hOvQTrGENM7hkElH-jhCEo9wH7H7MIWZuARLj3exUh3i7ZmwTxiup9sr8XiLV49qNaXniIPqku8d4NOXO2ubvgVAq28o_CSrZ4y7-95AmlQ-ZPoDzvVt5V7NhccY0uWIuoBTWPK8re0H5XHMIlM6NYqGPj6UFDleXQM0d/s320/2c-ch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>They mostly just spread their wings and yelled at each other, as siblings do:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfUTHAYxaa4lkYuFgwNnnsrJQxAyaMSsM5W5eHvEyj3bPsJ3tNTr8PyoViUC5vi00HKNp9DlFxexYNfZmRAwz4bud17CvdvHSL7DA3CrEelXISg9E1ymr7e0dVq9Zv7t2cIjjfdiizlL6m9rMwq7M3A7a-1TCOxI07iqlWaUr2ZWx8BhflAC4OtMC/s1955/2d-ch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1955" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfUTHAYxaa4lkYuFgwNnnsrJQxAyaMSsM5W5eHvEyj3bPsJ3tNTr8PyoViUC5vi00HKNp9DlFxexYNfZmRAwz4bud17CvdvHSL7DA3CrEelXISg9E1ymr7e0dVq9Zv7t2cIjjfdiizlL6m9rMwq7M3A7a-1TCOxI07iqlWaUr2ZWx8BhflAC4OtMC/w460-h263/2d-ch.JPG" width="460" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There was an occasional respite...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIZPkbe29_7BWzS2dITnzNOiXA0-bNtmwGtU7vJdcRhQm9N4mDA14Hq3Sw5PAKyT245La54U5Q5WhAnMYfzF3Hnl2RC4YK60Tm24f5Q3EUY2ETaj9ri07ZBaAF14lZY61yFQsmR_UnXcZG9YtnD6MlGnQSn1CooNuTtEL1PTUq77fz7NXrGQ1m5DC/s4223/2e-ch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2508" data-original-width="4223" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIZPkbe29_7BWzS2dITnzNOiXA0-bNtmwGtU7vJdcRhQm9N4mDA14Hq3Sw5PAKyT245La54U5Q5WhAnMYfzF3Hnl2RC4YK60Tm24f5Q3EUY2ETaj9ri07ZBaAF14lZY61yFQsmR_UnXcZG9YtnD6MlGnQSn1CooNuTtEL1PTUq77fz7NXrGQ1m5DC/w397-h236/2e-ch.JPG" width="397" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>But they quickly got back into the fray.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4f7nQO4akCPGsNDpcNedRSVsRfbdMWUZxauXzdBKBBP5jhtfHVUbeXOGQUcwh5f2aMGngRll5LK1QBcGpfGCUS5wNd_dQwEPqKNVYC-gBFBC1uYnCKsAoJEDZAMcCZBHNmwl6cmCdEZAep8_IcAOBUD_zGAs-20D3kH7s8IAOztXfQ0d0d9ebQCA/s2986/2f-ch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1893" data-original-width="2986" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4f7nQO4akCPGsNDpcNedRSVsRfbdMWUZxauXzdBKBBP5jhtfHVUbeXOGQUcwh5f2aMGngRll5LK1QBcGpfGCUS5wNd_dQwEPqKNVYC-gBFBC1uYnCKsAoJEDZAMcCZBHNmwl6cmCdEZAep8_IcAOBUD_zGAs-20D3kH7s8IAOztXfQ0d0d9ebQCA/w455-h289/2f-ch.JPG" width="455" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Note how incredibly puffed out the lower hawk is -- trying to look as big and fearsome as possible by fluffing out those feathers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Possibly they are having territory disputes, and soon one or both will need to move on to new areas to set up their own hunting grounds away from both each other and their parents. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Glad I had such good timing on what started out as just another dog walk. Five minutes earlier or later, and I would have missed the whole encounter. Yay!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all for now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope you are all doing well out there, wherever you are!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-91832165606105799232022-08-08T05:00:00.001-07:002022-08-08T05:00:00.183-07:00Brief Crow Update<p> Just a brief update on the crow I helped rescue. If you read last Monday's post, you'll remember that a young crow in my yard was limping, and that I was able to shoo it into my garage. Volunteers from a wildlife rescue group came to get it:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidssFqSBP-bly7KIJiqFz0xcHDGRQ3UM3KgZqhM60SN2nDv8fy2584qWhlTXluyTeZMc-FPRLaA_CWVry10rtp34ctkRRfQQTP9Av0Q4K_solEsXvB-GX1jP5gQNmDutjH8iCpphPnNvf98bN1WAcBjPnO4_vkBUsHluJRD7M3NynAryKbmeNigyEM/s392/2d-crow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="392" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidssFqSBP-bly7KIJiqFz0xcHDGRQ3UM3KgZqhM60SN2nDv8fy2584qWhlTXluyTeZMc-FPRLaA_CWVry10rtp34ctkRRfQQTP9Av0Q4K_solEsXvB-GX1jP5gQNmDutjH8iCpphPnNvf98bN1WAcBjPnO4_vkBUsHluJRD7M3NynAryKbmeNigyEM/w386-h302/2d-crow.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><div><br /></div>They took it to a wildlife rehabilitator, and a week later I received this from the rescue group folks:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fxKBShq8AOEv_nRLhib3xtj5VMuNvvhKIJzw61BA84-B_MFmalK4lOXajw9R2H3ZmmkKWH4mH8mkV34BUFebHYRXWIDJzEjnLxysGmYQoh75JxbtUECqVNWIFMsbeN9vBoB8vVArmAuPlFhxHdlKDR64nj2KMzUpQNrKpWT8ghO0agzlQ8j6XbdZ/s810/crowupdate2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="706" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fxKBShq8AOEv_nRLhib3xtj5VMuNvvhKIJzw61BA84-B_MFmalK4lOXajw9R2H3ZmmkKWH4mH8mkV34BUFebHYRXWIDJzEjnLxysGmYQoh75JxbtUECqVNWIFMsbeN9vBoB8vVArmAuPlFhxHdlKDR64nj2KMzUpQNrKpWT8ghO0agzlQ8j6XbdZ/w411-h472/crowupdate2.jpg" width="411" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After he's fully recovered, he'll be released back by my house to rejoin his family. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hurrah!</div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-84840754598359411952022-08-01T05:00:00.001-07:002022-08-01T05:00:00.163-07:00How to Rescue an Injured Crow<p>Last week there was a young crow hanging out next door at my mother's home, which got stuck in a window well, and that was very exciting for everyone. Well, mostly for me, as I was somehow tasked with extricating it, as it was too young to fly. I made a ramp, the bird got out, and hopped away and out of sight.</p><p>Later, the same crow turned up in my front garden, and it was limping. Somehow, it had become my problem once more. So this time, I decided it was time to call the experts, as I know better than to try handling a wild, injured bird. I got my car out of the garage, and encouraged the crow to hop inside the garage by waving a big stick at it, and then closed the garage door. It's climate controlled in there, you see. Then I called the wonderful <i>Blue Mountain Wildflife</i> nonprofit, which rescues all sorts of critters. Two lovely people came within half an hour to pick up the injured crow. Yay!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Inside the garage with the pan of water I provided</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_OcbHg_5eVNXDha0ebTzFtKUXJWodC9yZ5E1u0Bf4knHvPEdoBYb5cImF9rqOAp5o3UbM2ie5ZtKto_rESZUpfy2ElxPzrRimkMvK7bKYhLVyOOmUMDJ3yGLTbiInjsBWF3ZZIqo5p191CzUHgdz9RDo6cVt23UAzIOO8umtjHZbweO5rSiLanAF/s1083/2a-crow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="1083" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_OcbHg_5eVNXDha0ebTzFtKUXJWodC9yZ5E1u0Bf4knHvPEdoBYb5cImF9rqOAp5o3UbM2ie5ZtKto_rESZUpfy2ElxPzrRimkMvK7bKYhLVyOOmUMDJ3yGLTbiInjsBWF3ZZIqo5p191CzUHgdz9RDo6cVt23UAzIOO8umtjHZbweO5rSiLanAF/w401-h330/2a-crow.jpg" width="401" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The Pros </b>("Crows can bite really hard," one told me. He seemed to have firsthand experience.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIFm0Fb7KNBrFuIWmK2GCminUNBAaVyNt4zhRjH02mf1fRyTXLEh1Cgn7ugbUAGmDm6KDD0ffjMJZ_9yG_QMXBe9Mob1lsrSZb0quYrz7LymFXOqOQiXTJpZKCXnrufhadKs4NNrR-x5OgV4WF7GgxVxGRkH9ML7mPlQt3cyjOtV9yTC2D5BTjAWl/s1053/2b-crow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1053" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIFm0Fb7KNBrFuIWmK2GCminUNBAaVyNt4zhRjH02mf1fRyTXLEh1Cgn7ugbUAGmDm6KDD0ffjMJZ_9yG_QMXBe9Mob1lsrSZb0quYrz7LymFXOqOQiXTJpZKCXnrufhadKs4NNrR-x5OgV4WF7GgxVxGRkH9ML7mPlQt3cyjOtV9yTC2D5BTjAWl/w384-h298/2b-crow.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Success with the net!</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41JTs5tQdlp9v8ivlmBkcMbFxEo7xGEZM_i-REP0dpXVkR0eTMrEMGOopcFbKBDpi68nwYE8f2-FqPTg5sVKPDVSL0Ys6nIPGWmKiCEadMmI2GOEYgKp3Xd-yg1c2nYZZQEVT5r31NT87nLbOt1xRZVkAyzH-RKswX7Qh72KDuMWkHLLLtMV7S1lR/s932/2c-crow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="932" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41JTs5tQdlp9v8ivlmBkcMbFxEo7xGEZM_i-REP0dpXVkR0eTMrEMGOopcFbKBDpi68nwYE8f2-FqPTg5sVKPDVSL0Ys6nIPGWmKiCEadMmI2GOEYgKp3Xd-yg1c2nYZZQEVT5r31NT87nLbOt1xRZVkAyzH-RKswX7Qh72KDuMWkHLLLtMV7S1lR/s320/2c-crow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Heavy gloves needed to pick up bird</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnqij9KPSRikL9cq5EkqGXB8axOlrW44EaCGUG2CZg0jeyBC7ZNH1KT_YKLRv261rkTaI-LjqskdUdCpYE7JkfbuI_CGIIBFjKoRYpDjyX3vVf_fzVGJGO5tWE9LZ77xhM2FaYQryH0Jywo6eU4N6o-TzsUlDhpS7yZtdiqhSzG1xj7E8Fxm3wYAW/s1044/2d-crow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1044" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnqij9KPSRikL9cq5EkqGXB8axOlrW44EaCGUG2CZg0jeyBC7ZNH1KT_YKLRv261rkTaI-LjqskdUdCpYE7JkfbuI_CGIIBFjKoRYpDjyX3vVf_fzVGJGO5tWE9LZ77xhM2FaYQryH0Jywo6eU4N6o-TzsUlDhpS7yZtdiqhSzG1xj7E8Fxm3wYAW/w392-h306/2d-crow.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><div><br /></div>They transported the bird to a local wildlife rehabilitator, and if it can be healed, then the crow will be returned to its family here in our neighborhood. Whew. <div><br /></div><div>It's always something.</div><div><br /></div><div>Otherwise, nothing much is going on here due to the annual excessive heat that we get every summer. A week or two of 105-115 temps, which means walking the dogs at 7am, if at all, and spending the rest of the day inside with the AC going full blast. </div><div><br /></div><div>I did get some drawings done:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtftpLevT3aNGHaGogSLVB97JbycEkqAVCW5DWBD6aMUvAUuttTHzjWHSlJ4-pq9Ip0P2N_dIz8K1HVPclYNUaQbxKX5iDBVKTgycphFDW2m3OxrCY8Phs9jIe2v7xd2QwVtYtkPIHzRy97MOWtOMa47iuK2ju_D-cE56xA5MZq3mg8_m1mkJEu84/s841/1a-kyoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="620" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtftpLevT3aNGHaGogSLVB97JbycEkqAVCW5DWBD6aMUvAUuttTHzjWHSlJ4-pq9Ip0P2N_dIz8K1HVPclYNUaQbxKX5iDBVKTgycphFDW2m3OxrCY8Phs9jIe2v7xd2QwVtYtkPIHzRy97MOWtOMa47iuK2ju_D-cE56xA5MZq3mg8_m1mkJEu84/w306-h415/1a-kyoto.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Temple in Kyoto (ink)</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_DHIx5eE0r0HxVZi2loQKtST6LTswH8tshGNgjEdNekvyDpEoJ7qOSDMxVl0IOKG7kSSCBFl7BpCgbbTOwL0Kj9pwXCnK1nd3c5Apg3dJXoeg1aaqmSyFrzV5gvS0JLHUMD_tSov7G1tzUe5Og6AeYaewJXkEH9hj6jpl1QTjpLyK2HnzEw6o-8I/s889/1b-door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="610" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_DHIx5eE0r0HxVZi2loQKtST6LTswH8tshGNgjEdNekvyDpEoJ7qOSDMxVl0IOKG7kSSCBFl7BpCgbbTOwL0Kj9pwXCnK1nd3c5Apg3dJXoeg1aaqmSyFrzV5gvS0JLHUMD_tSov7G1tzUe5Og6AeYaewJXkEH9hj6jpl1QTjpLyK2HnzEw6o-8I/w286-h416/1b-door.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Colorful doorway (watercolor)</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORlMc7A-Jdu0o7iiUr6DPw2XoOpClThM1Avx8mKAMRI2DGuanJ1-b4Iu1wUVbkAXWDxi_s2Fp5NihMYqI3QIwB-cpOiSs2_UzTPh06ZRCLhe4CT3-a4m6-xCWLZ9wufDeVJQu7TYPgTTSIA4lQwHEmBriAvy--PB4vTatJEODfvyllIIcDtgjKGkd/s1124/1c-france.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1124" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORlMc7A-Jdu0o7iiUr6DPw2XoOpClThM1Avx8mKAMRI2DGuanJ1-b4Iu1wUVbkAXWDxi_s2Fp5NihMYqI3QIwB-cpOiSs2_UzTPh06ZRCLhe4CT3-a4m6-xCWLZ9wufDeVJQu7TYPgTTSIA4lQwHEmBriAvy--PB4vTatJEODfvyllIIcDtgjKGkd/w424-h335/1c-france.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Village street in France (ink, watercolor, and gouache on toned paper)</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBt0_K9WRy4HR9C_hSRU1xa7syhKKHx2HrK1R3ZuLh0kzx8G3_9i_HDD-Ga4XfJBpqXtOOnGnHeiTqafhWcKkiUjwDas5EHUqi9kHZHi6cmq9u4XIgOvh4srEzqu8-739hneI4AxNX4WPcdfh8v5zh08lGHi4mTMdZ2a9wuZcIIQyFB-j9FZCIjEN/s889/1d-jizos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="760" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBt0_K9WRy4HR9C_hSRU1xa7syhKKHx2HrK1R3ZuLh0kzx8G3_9i_HDD-Ga4XfJBpqXtOOnGnHeiTqafhWcKkiUjwDas5EHUqi9kHZHi6cmq9u4XIgOvh4srEzqu8-739hneI4AxNX4WPcdfh8v5zh08lGHi4mTMdZ2a9wuZcIIQyFB-j9FZCIjEN/w340-h397/1d-jizos.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Statues in a Japanese forest (ink, watercolor, and a bit of gold leaf)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">And last but not least, an update on that needlepoint I'm doing of Aziraphale. Here is the picture I used for the pattern (my own colored pencil drawing):</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODZjJJHCVnbp9a6ikrT6kxzwC_olNH9WlZI3FmaZzeyW-rZYNRm_kHKHHn7j7gOng5BLuJbSl0_tXWDKd8LM2GY0_2dtmExE5tRouwGegBS_7ekvzr-G4CsusDPcNKGGB8P1IScBMf5aLE_MhAdJePGVEDBzPm0zK7BNAWalvCZT8WxvXie_9ffXs/s500/100-ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODZjJJHCVnbp9a6ikrT6kxzwC_olNH9WlZI3FmaZzeyW-rZYNRm_kHKHHn7j7gOng5BLuJbSl0_tXWDKd8LM2GY0_2dtmExE5tRouwGegBS_7ekvzr-G4CsusDPcNKGGB8P1IScBMf5aLE_MhAdJePGVEDBzPm0zK7BNAWalvCZT8WxvXie_9ffXs/s320/100-ref.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><div><br /></div>After two months of work, here is where I'm currently at:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtZqIXpU2cLofOVNDnvPv2MBdxw2rQ52m2Wgkui3ImrqS60CinrYqQaPF9E2hnW8fgD1u0rbSxD5bbMY92FwWnVHRiHbrVfixVp2y3LaQcTcU7AAtMBV1khluecfTLwc5HFmTs_6TeDbAprqBhiHf3n42_KNBBBf2X0P1FKfVcpDpMwZd1LkoqA7f/s889/azibooks-lighter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="809" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtZqIXpU2cLofOVNDnvPv2MBdxw2rQ52m2Wgkui3ImrqS60CinrYqQaPF9E2hnW8fgD1u0rbSxD5bbMY92FwWnVHRiHbrVfixVp2y3LaQcTcU7AAtMBV1khluecfTLwc5HFmTs_6TeDbAprqBhiHf3n42_KNBBBf2X0P1FKfVcpDpMwZd1LkoqA7f/w323-h355/azibooks-lighter.jpg" width="323" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Halfway, more or less! A little over 30,000 stitches completed. Now that the bottom half is done, it's time to work upward from the center, and give the poor angel a head!<div><br /></div><div>That's all until next time (whenever that might be).</div><div>Hope you are all enjoying your summer (without 115 degree days!).</div><div><div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-56866832874822141952022-07-18T05:00:00.001-07:002022-07-18T05:00:00.152-07:00Blog Schedule<p>I'm going to stop posting here every week. Instead, I'll wait until there's something worth posting -- maybe only putting something up every other week, or even once a month. Just depends on whether I take a photo or three of something fun, or have enough new art to put up here. </p><p>Whenever I do post, it will still always be on a Monday, so that's the only day anyone needs to check up. </p><p>Just two drawings from this past week:</p><p>Chess pieces in ink and water-soluble brush pens on toned paper</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFlfbHxJHmU-pB7Jhdua5w3U7-fK4Hk3iLII8SoR-4j_fCyb-kR43IsPbGI2MKceiXqTFVZ7Jkm-WuhIBNrd1P8IJd_uW3D39q-tM5ivv3lEB28AJHHc9cevDujr7mD8eh9S3XXTCH1zybHYSNx22O15hK40rQmhdOUsaF4XdM6hvOOismPIKhh-h/s889/1a-chess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="735" height="447" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFlfbHxJHmU-pB7Jhdua5w3U7-fK4Hk3iLII8SoR-4j_fCyb-kR43IsPbGI2MKceiXqTFVZ7Jkm-WuhIBNrd1P8IJd_uW3D39q-tM5ivv3lEB28AJHHc9cevDujr7mD8eh9S3XXTCH1zybHYSNx22O15hK40rQmhdOUsaF4XdM6hvOOismPIKhh-h/w370-h447/1a-chess.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Tree frog in watercolor</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOie9-0NAGMy8g5Yja0m-p_OrMwzhNjqyChSOWK4xbmDFbkFBJY1hUQpnRhsVa0Lkn7k-FQzsBkkPcEMUR3Ng5HA5nfMxB-qiFGVvLg5pD0VlWw2Z2ZihlOWgNT6Bx-1shy8ton5Voj1L0q9iOR5Hc1bvirY8BAK3fVZyCxKpbszuv574LsqpzVUY/s889/1b-frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="556" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOie9-0NAGMy8g5Yja0m-p_OrMwzhNjqyChSOWK4xbmDFbkFBJY1hUQpnRhsVa0Lkn7k-FQzsBkkPcEMUR3Ng5HA5nfMxB-qiFGVvLg5pD0VlWw2Z2ZihlOWgNT6Bx-1shy8ton5Voj1L0q9iOR5Hc1bvirY8BAK3fVZyCxKpbszuv574LsqpzVUY/w325-h520/1b-frog.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><p>Hope you are enjoying your Summer out there!</p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-3950180102312802982022-07-11T05:00:00.001-07:002022-07-11T05:00:00.152-07:00Nothing to See Here<p>Sorry, I didn't do anything this week except the usual stuff and there wasn't anything to take photos of during the daily riverfront walks. So the only things to share today are the two drawings done from the group art practice sessions. </p><p>This is an abandoned industrial site (no idea what) in New Zealand, done with ink and watercolor:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoN72LaBaFT5MuRi-Vd01jArJD9Ic72qvVDbdB6-tb-1PLl0TTtpE0MLpbgph_m_y5-bU4uqf4gRf1Ho6FzkoaRGPFwKfw1r8kCVxv7kiDgzs2RpeI11-CgXGiXHa-FYG8argbzHd59fFKQyiL1ZMRFw-pnxZzccfeZq39lH6Pd4wcv_c2rmcKIkM_/s889/2a-doom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="671" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoN72LaBaFT5MuRi-Vd01jArJD9Ic72qvVDbdB6-tb-1PLl0TTtpE0MLpbgph_m_y5-bU4uqf4gRf1Ho6FzkoaRGPFwKfw1r8kCVxv7kiDgzs2RpeI11-CgXGiXHa-FYG8argbzHd59fFKQyiL1ZMRFw-pnxZzccfeZq39lH6Pd4wcv_c2rmcKIkM_/w373-h493/2a-doom.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We got a bit out of our comfort zone for the other session, when we decided to try doing a portrait. No idea who this is -- she just turned up on a Google image search for "interesting faces". I used colored pencils.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rJNRL12-PUDig0MpaytSfynOdtNCou4UYzfqUcEYw_1ay3_NwzZbeAVxFIGgRyIBD5Eke5tRJqaYAKOvWQ06rcD5wbzSk14dTWGQMc34g3VqbO5xQh532DV9A4HllqrgmCZ6hTDGmLctp9MXJ_cl8JNg7_yz5v7_mQikVide4NL1PSq8A8K_b3fA/s889/2b-portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="605" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rJNRL12-PUDig0MpaytSfynOdtNCou4UYzfqUcEYw_1ay3_NwzZbeAVxFIGgRyIBD5Eke5tRJqaYAKOvWQ06rcD5wbzSk14dTWGQMc34g3VqbO5xQh532DV9A4HllqrgmCZ6hTDGmLctp9MXJ_cl8JNg7_yz5v7_mQikVide4NL1PSq8A8K_b3fA/w280-h410/2b-portrait.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Other than that, we survived the horrible Fourth of July noise, although Pippin had some rough moments. This is a pic of him during the worst of the bangs and booms, clutching his stuffed toy:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyLxtk6J8qUiDUry9KsjN0mVHrMrnoVogLMCA90R4Y4QkgbKtbMInYbjGCA-N6uTWHPn7XbyJ2W403rN701s6ckZ-xb_oEuDf7gD6C5hUGR1YFd-qFE7BD3gIbgUn_3zucd67i6KKKtcIYg9fd6Ah-4PMIV2j11XPAy2FRSJZQs4cmljOFcTYPkAs/s889/1a-pip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="768" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyLxtk6J8qUiDUry9KsjN0mVHrMrnoVogLMCA90R4Y4QkgbKtbMInYbjGCA-N6uTWHPn7XbyJ2W403rN701s6ckZ-xb_oEuDf7gD6C5hUGR1YFd-qFE7BD3gIbgUn_3zucd67i6KKKtcIYg9fd6Ah-4PMIV2j11XPAy2FRSJZQs4cmljOFcTYPkAs/w330-h383/1a-pip.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><div><br /></div>He was NOT happy. Neither was I. DOWN with FIREWORKS! <div><br /></div><div>Don't worry -- Pippin recovered nicely. Here he is a few days later at the groomer:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8NpdRy-6Kdoxk3sGpjD-14MiZcTffrBkNJwaN5WCjChRRIT3VGoHKkpeyVIYTaE0CAkbATBQJ9Fx6VOHoe2DIxxg0Qm0rUyk3bdwgoP2vHzCf4UxjNC8gc8zVgMGF5rMVpbT8aP70Pd2-EKIFLEZqTe6FcsCRbw4kuOuk5iHvaTpUX_cSpz5_v00/s879/292598151_463030962489538_3822690910651313520_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="843" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8NpdRy-6Kdoxk3sGpjD-14MiZcTffrBkNJwaN5WCjChRRIT3VGoHKkpeyVIYTaE0CAkbATBQJ9Fx6VOHoe2DIxxg0Qm0rUyk3bdwgoP2vHzCf4UxjNC8gc8zVgMGF5rMVpbT8aP70Pd2-EKIFLEZqTe6FcsCRbw4kuOuk5iHvaTpUX_cSpz5_v00/w385-h401/292598151_463030962489538_3822690910651313520_n.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Okay, back to my needlepoint project. And the other usual stuff.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have a good week out there!</div><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-19692571893242461482022-07-04T05:00:00.001-07:002022-07-04T05:00:00.150-07:00Going for a Walk <p>I've been getting out and about more lately, and have been putting in my miles, mostly along the riverfront, though last week I encountered an obstacle:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBx0XXbhyav3TMIT4hJaspSC9rd6-8pgbfVF94a2s4XouqcvyrOhATSMiobD-oWlKQo1DnFRXM5VvRNMlFfRPduDRSL2BEOBTnYd66GXzSKN931Oj1EOv5ukVKZc4UY4J4yP0VduXkXD2b1I5gSjM44-EyQCVM22_u7QkZjhASpe1x5ogiX5PbrDq/s568/1a-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="512" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBx0XXbhyav3TMIT4hJaspSC9rd6-8pgbfVF94a2s4XouqcvyrOhATSMiobD-oWlKQo1DnFRXM5VvRNMlFfRPduDRSL2BEOBTnYd66GXzSKN931Oj1EOv5ukVKZc4UY4J4yP0VduXkXD2b1I5gSjM44-EyQCVM22_u7QkZjhASpe1x5ogiX5PbrDq/w393-h437/1a-water.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Columbia River was so high (from mountain snow runoff) that one of our favorite paths was partially covered with water:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DKH99eJ2tzrDnyHfyOkyr9FH2hZfMdAQsip7hoT0N9KDQnI65sHkDd4z37-HutCV5jNEgno7bvWz3yrzhEx4QSIaRs-Ap0J9kTg6xsKmvgatKoLoIx0qoVBAaxxG-bvaXU73smsB45w5ngUkSDZalOvAgWso7L7-QyjS9VLjfJH2VgVNOrLQgR_v/s913/1b-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="913" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DKH99eJ2tzrDnyHfyOkyr9FH2hZfMdAQsip7hoT0N9KDQnI65sHkDd4z37-HutCV5jNEgno7bvWz3yrzhEx4QSIaRs-Ap0J9kTg6xsKmvgatKoLoIx0qoVBAaxxG-bvaXU73smsB45w5ngUkSDZalOvAgWso7L7-QyjS9VLjfJH2VgVNOrLQgR_v/w474-h325/1b-water.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And the beach was gone! There is normally an 8-foot wide sandy beach at this point:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJ5EeLL6ro8cDWXDRBOkAlk3rhzTZyXNbXT3P6aoDMFikdcEy0aUMtYcSo0kY9IdsI0eIrM4XJx2-izjjL-rmlxx1MdVqnJphUzh9TbTM0IVolZAHJSQshLY507I8mhrPJy1_WW5ySEkZYEUaz2NQM6z5rprBnT8cTuaeKgz729_r95CnOdS1G0v0/s889/1c-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="667" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJ5EeLL6ro8cDWXDRBOkAlk3rhzTZyXNbXT3P6aoDMFikdcEy0aUMtYcSo0kY9IdsI0eIrM4XJx2-izjjL-rmlxx1MdVqnJphUzh9TbTM0IVolZAHJSQshLY507I8mhrPJy1_WW5ySEkZYEUaz2NQM6z5rprBnT8cTuaeKgz729_r95CnOdS1G0v0/w289-h385/1c-water.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The water level has gone down now, nearly back to normal. </div><div><br /></div><div>The temperatures have been rising, though -- we're hitting the 90s regularly now, and even got over 100 once. So I have to get up and get going by 7am to beat the heat. Yay.</div><div><br /></div><div>But despite the rising waters and rising temps, I managed to hit a personal goal last week: 1,000 miles in one year!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikykPEueNB4D-jHH5ysjbUIrW0elpxoK42s-_ECts9Vz5eQm7aPqQ3N6JiRcEZG5Z5ZHnrdPKVMHJ_QbLR9FwriW_TCKt8uJdLUJiHyDyLBUlKz6K77MRaJr1OfEkAFr3wUHoLg721ZQhu8hbanpMC0_OYdmTqiRlFsjNXNoB9kfe8pzHQeXhOM387/s1112/2a-pacer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="720" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikykPEueNB4D-jHH5ysjbUIrW0elpxoK42s-_ECts9Vz5eQm7aPqQ3N6JiRcEZG5Z5ZHnrdPKVMHJ_QbLR9FwriW_TCKt8uJdLUJiHyDyLBUlKz6K77MRaJr1OfEkAFr3wUHoLg721ZQhu8hbanpMC0_OYdmTqiRlFsjNXNoB9kfe8pzHQeXhOM387/w268-h414/2a-pacer.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The <i>Pacer Adventure Challenge</i> app helped motivate me a great deal. They offer virtual walks all over the world (which you can follow using Google streetview), from short ones (a 13-mile stroll around London, a 26-mile walk around Bangkok <i>et al</i>) to medium ones (49 miles in Iceland, 54 miles in Honolulu) to long walks (105 miles around Mont Blanc, 135 through the Colombia coffee plantations).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've virtually walked all those and many more -- I've done 19 virtual walks in one year. It was hardest in winter, when it was too cold or too snowy or too icy, and sometimes I walked inside my house for a mile or two, which is VERY VERY BORING. But I managed to keep moving, as noted by the app's stats:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTVgvaXyLbn0eRxE1IqvUXXLJDaGLJsRRl2LKagjhbqowrzpzD_avnjRx0FUMN8hezCg3hnLT7eN7pikrdcYD8PwEL77XqxmSaoy54GbX9zPy_fspg3iTa-QPbeJMFs_1J6DHp7tTI3k8sBeInSMtUyjJuH87FX0dWJtjG1fuSC9KGDvjTxoH9rMn/s624/2d-pacer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="580" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTVgvaXyLbn0eRxE1IqvUXXLJDaGLJsRRl2LKagjhbqowrzpzD_avnjRx0FUMN8hezCg3hnLT7eN7pikrdcYD8PwEL77XqxmSaoy54GbX9zPy_fspg3iTa-QPbeJMFs_1J6DHp7tTI3k8sBeInSMtUyjJuH87FX0dWJtjG1fuSC9KGDvjTxoH9rMn/w371-h400/2d-pacer.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I even earned a special pin for completing at least one walk on each of the seven continents:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbRb9rWn4AkAKh8egYPsAr8lM6qY3hdg8qoZmKj3D06RNKWyLzQCQp0mUT32WFIIZYFVx2T3txVYCTOxJyDv6yKUAA8SCwv9pS8D8e8HiNC2VYRknC41IFyGsc_aiAiUluzW24t5EbhfRfpItS1IDkUiP3Hn0gjdppA6L6UEZ9DAG4Nr4llGI1Ncs/s890/2f-pacer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="890" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbRb9rWn4AkAKh8egYPsAr8lM6qY3hdg8qoZmKj3D06RNKWyLzQCQp0mUT32WFIIZYFVx2T3txVYCTOxJyDv6yKUAA8SCwv9pS8D8e8HiNC2VYRknC41IFyGsc_aiAiUluzW24t5EbhfRfpItS1IDkUiP3Hn0gjdppA6L6UEZ9DAG4Nr4llGI1Ncs/s320/2f-pacer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I shall try to keep up the walking even as we head into 100+ degrees here for the Summer. Yay.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, on to the artistic side of things. Here is the one sketch I liked this week -- some sort of hook that I assume is attached to a boat at the other end, but this was all we got to see in the reference photo. I used ink, water-soluble colored pencils, and watercolor to get the various textures:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZqGBRM359skjsjLqjMP2lwx1junqFZSEmCkdxQwchejzSzg6yRRPUw3LpzunXja5nt6j7bLCrhUs4P8FFKRJPEnsGnEXA90rzZB8PSaSmXuWo4ypEkUU1Ut_eOSWzpMA0NJUPgcsACdEmvAXqFjgITI7ROQgrJoh_sYiH1hv8mKWu0dqSDYsNNm6/s942/4a-hook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="942" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZqGBRM359skjsjLqjMP2lwx1junqFZSEmCkdxQwchejzSzg6yRRPUw3LpzunXja5nt6j7bLCrhUs4P8FFKRJPEnsGnEXA90rzZB8PSaSmXuWo4ypEkUU1Ut_eOSWzpMA0NJUPgcsACdEmvAXqFjgITI7ROQgrJoh_sYiH1hv8mKWu0dqSDYsNNm6/w421-h397/4a-hook.jpg" width="421" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I didn't like the other sketch our Zoom group did, so nobody gets to see it. Hah.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But I did enjoy working on my newest <i>Good Omens</i> needlepoint project. I used my own colored pencil drawing as the reference this time, of Aziraphale:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6PlEBMbAZWavP4sMDrGIci9pkoJZ7edVnsfjbi5KOt9D6-TD0H8CeN05H_NClxvieGWaajDzRMhxdlQiR3p22jTAwezQEYRKyzpGvLJ-Fq2vRO-wNxTBJpnYGsZZ__XfVZAQ7y-QN6LgftZt1S243Kfidq7l4lKqfgIDh5EJdGH5qq-eaXJkMpfN/s500/100-ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6PlEBMbAZWavP4sMDrGIci9pkoJZ7edVnsfjbi5KOt9D6-TD0H8CeN05H_NClxvieGWaajDzRMhxdlQiR3p22jTAwezQEYRKyzpGvLJ-Fq2vRO-wNxTBJpnYGsZZ__XfVZAQ7y-QN6LgftZt1S243Kfidq7l4lKqfgIDh5EJdGH5qq-eaXJkMpfN/s320/100-ref.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The chart was produced by putting the photo through the free pixel-stitch.net program. To get the level of detail I wanted, the chart required 61,920 stitches! (My previous three needlepoints were all around 35,000.) Yikes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, well. I decided to try it anyway. Usually I work from the top down, but I realized the larger size would make that difficult, as the worked canvas would get too bulky as I rolled it down (I hate using frames). So I worked out where the center was, and started from there, working downward first. This is how far I've gotten after one month (15,000 stitches):</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQFZ-Z4uknM7WIfAvh1iUYrtdwtNJThaL8i9_MJDdlTUnw75OpHYLzfeiQu_Qv2UpEZ92ZCTjUjN9eu742XpsAFqU7ViiAekGEMU-t1-Ecb4BhTFUPjf9JAZ_8zJqU8kyC1zR2ZW3UNMeBYoWSCfyy0yZnoe2CAEwBlqK1bXqX5VnFeBYQ3rkhqKS/s888/100-row6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="854" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQFZ-Z4uknM7WIfAvh1iUYrtdwtNJThaL8i9_MJDdlTUnw75OpHYLzfeiQu_Qv2UpEZ92ZCTjUjN9eu742XpsAFqU7ViiAekGEMU-t1-Ecb4BhTFUPjf9JAZ_8zJqU8kyC1zR2ZW3UNMeBYoWSCfyy0yZnoe2CAEwBlqK1bXqX5VnFeBYQ3rkhqKS/w366-h380/100-row6.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Assuming I'm able to keep up that pace, it should be finished by end of October. And then I have another project in mind...of Crowley...that's also 62,000 stitches. What larks!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, that's the report for now. Have a great week out there, everyone!</div><br /><p><br /></p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-41629448954202144242022-06-27T05:00:00.001-07:002022-06-27T05:00:00.203-07:00The Comforts of Home<p>Those who know me well are aware that I do enjoy home decorating a great deal. They also know that my tastes run to the unusual, eccentric, and eclectic. For example, here are two pics of my living room, which is full of things not seen in most ordinary (and boring!) homes:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfeqjTlopRKxW8O8iCYmAHGEsYzXAdASxY8oqdbtHKCrhRN5qW4h4eVJcWGseQZ3e0oi9ixXQBzZ5MWsFSs-SJNfbFHe9G8xgnzQFwqUpVSL9ygyYVy1TThtapiZmDxO2e8djgDJbYVMhF7jx0USd6BbZFYmDFmtZqPBvVAHul7f1IPHDjY24gzPW/s850/0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="850" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfeqjTlopRKxW8O8iCYmAHGEsYzXAdASxY8oqdbtHKCrhRN5qW4h4eVJcWGseQZ3e0oi9ixXQBzZ5MWsFSs-SJNfbFHe9G8xgnzQFwqUpVSL9ygyYVy1TThtapiZmDxO2e8djgDJbYVMhF7jx0USd6BbZFYmDFmtZqPBvVAHul7f1IPHDjY24gzPW/w462-h339/0a.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00_2s_4AMcco-ahCK_BhuGoGgMr6SfQHK4u3vCLFnl8OnXhSyHw7b3ot7VkVyfRVCvyYEJPD_fmRVaLWdjMSCMoybb7ixRlecHknqec70zFLt5iKeULMqrqXDDnwIBkH1J3CabHWmQXompzLK3hCPz6TC7Ew6eizCIu-hQoJ2eiPOU9qzQWCk7QX7/s624/0b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="573" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00_2s_4AMcco-ahCK_BhuGoGgMr6SfQHK4u3vCLFnl8OnXhSyHw7b3ot7VkVyfRVCvyYEJPD_fmRVaLWdjMSCMoybb7ixRlecHknqec70zFLt5iKeULMqrqXDDnwIBkH1J3CabHWmQXompzLK3hCPz6TC7Ew6eizCIu-hQoJ2eiPOU9qzQWCk7QX7/w380-h413/0b.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><p>I mean, every non-boring home should have a candelabra, right?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTXvW-E6MxsFfxoFfC86C_fhjEqxgBFAWtRH984M6ihn7kGQj0iP5Z1CdwpuvbuIxYaEYamXNtWJ_ye15QQGZVS3V1uUDPbX2yoRKaS3B0fZEh1xLgvF7JGOzB4UY8yLro8IXmo4xJNupZoOs-ZcKohGjdVk_QPD2zYbuQBSZSwAuaoJs6VqzRrGq/s624/0c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="465" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTXvW-E6MxsFfxoFfC86C_fhjEqxgBFAWtRH984M6ihn7kGQj0iP5Z1CdwpuvbuIxYaEYamXNtWJ_ye15QQGZVS3V1uUDPbX2yoRKaS3B0fZEh1xLgvF7JGOzB4UY8yLro8IXmo4xJNupZoOs-ZcKohGjdVk_QPD2zYbuQBSZSwAuaoJs6VqzRrGq/s320/0c.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><p>And a statue of Shakespeare:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKNeb9kRZclR0m3cN8jvLWJf_Nq3OZhNmkxcAdRGn1tvWq4gBT5JJb6dtLrovEjvULBySWsW6w5wCazTWS53M8qcIRzTmmLA_kdOe-1aeCovMSMH2OostnmIzb3VpZQuqOkfvecOZYZem1ywF74kWzlKhtHKIW5hw405VKOxmb72Q1wERm81-FLHs/s567/0d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="465" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKNeb9kRZclR0m3cN8jvLWJf_Nq3OZhNmkxcAdRGn1tvWq4gBT5JJb6dtLrovEjvULBySWsW6w5wCazTWS53M8qcIRzTmmLA_kdOe-1aeCovMSMH2OostnmIzb3VpZQuqOkfvecOZYZem1ywF74kWzlKhtHKIW5hw405VKOxmb72Q1wERm81-FLHs/s320/0d.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><p>And a unique plant stand on which to place your unique obelisk:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EeQzlHBZigzo0CDsJbloEUiDhihScQrf6tSph3Kv5xEPb78UKGQCHEYYwQOlxM_lgswFdh--uzjgoFBXmw9K9gJt4M14c4GyrPNWVlOc-tPoLIsx0KBdJCXLnmGEjZiOoSoFW_fM7yKDEbl181sk6lC5mZd-8Ql-zs22ifT-4EG052mi-ig8uZNU/s568/0e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="233" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EeQzlHBZigzo0CDsJbloEUiDhihScQrf6tSph3Kv5xEPb78UKGQCHEYYwQOlxM_lgswFdh--uzjgoFBXmw9K9gJt4M14c4GyrPNWVlOc-tPoLIsx0KBdJCXLnmGEjZiOoSoFW_fM7yKDEbl181sk6lC5mZd-8Ql-zs22ifT-4EG052mi-ig8uZNU/w166-h405/0e.jpg" width="166" /></a></div><p>In order to acquire these fabulous things, I like to haunt the antique shops, and we have some good ones here. And last week, a<i> </i>new one opened in the Uptown Shopping Center, one of my fave places to go, as there are two large antique malls there plus several smaller shops.</p><p>The new one is called <i>Gleaned Antiques</i> and it's small, just one owner, but she has a good eye for fun stuff at great prices. For just $100 total, I picked up these three finds:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvGQZQS_mi9k3tBOQsNa2qd2s14pzsKSsk1oGphtCscLSkFepQ4MMYG66W4W_HFa7-_q8xm83Yajc5mlktN77XgJMYhkOH99BOB4tOhIbui_xyguLDQ2p7d3VIUBBRSZTlWRA9k7a73HZAHl5ntMMz23vG3Sbhxtykwb9NFyXQdLHBumYoxyM19IF/s625/1a-antique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="602" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvGQZQS_mi9k3tBOQsNa2qd2s14pzsKSsk1oGphtCscLSkFepQ4MMYG66W4W_HFa7-_q8xm83Yajc5mlktN77XgJMYhkOH99BOB4tOhIbui_xyguLDQ2p7d3VIUBBRSZTlWRA9k7a73HZAHl5ntMMz23vG3Sbhxtykwb9NFyXQdLHBumYoxyM19IF/s320/1a-antique.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Miniature sundial (about 4")</b></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnSHQLCyFwAN6mPVfGQ-kMzhV5_bdBUjmKsk8ZGPaiQsOAmioHDIsDqXbpS5WPfprGicvstSqW6hCSnonYVoIT2nN5BeSTTnzdTgbNrCcqFs2eQ18XnCLGi4qMP04rAG2M_i2K4-ZOurBlfVtxcS7FkCSFCN97Ax4RfZXIJRfeYC0sGe4ccqoYtQR/s568/1b-antique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="448" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnSHQLCyFwAN6mPVfGQ-kMzhV5_bdBUjmKsk8ZGPaiQsOAmioHDIsDqXbpS5WPfprGicvstSqW6hCSnonYVoIT2nN5BeSTTnzdTgbNrCcqFs2eQ18XnCLGi4qMP04rAG2M_i2K4-ZOurBlfVtxcS7FkCSFCN97Ax4RfZXIJRfeYC0sGe4ccqoYtQR/w283-h359/1b-antique.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Fabulous candlesticks</b></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6xvyzzcXTOSnbYuLNlodwwvvDLrWM90AcsuIVMoexMKPP-bJEpcWZRS4TXhCdGYce7ASeApRa6uHjFGJ7fyO9j51F9t4BiMaCmeu3EKD7gq44U_hwqEkchr3RTFczZQFBp4yb1p1QS9j0wpH0jOPtnUj-pxCv0_3WIJ8M0H4ELAUfRSiGPHd33x4/s568/1c-antique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="446" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6xvyzzcXTOSnbYuLNlodwwvvDLrWM90AcsuIVMoexMKPP-bJEpcWZRS4TXhCdGYce7ASeApRa6uHjFGJ7fyO9j51F9t4BiMaCmeu3EKD7gq44U_hwqEkchr3RTFczZQFBp4yb1p1QS9j0wpH0jOPtnUj-pxCv0_3WIJ8M0H4ELAUfRSiGPHd33x4/w303-h386/1c-antique.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Globe with Atlas!! I love the colors on the globe.</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">I also hit up one of the large antique malls, where I spotted what looked like a charming painting at a distance, of a typically English village scene, but upon closer scrutiny, it turned out to be a needlepoint! And a very nicely executed one, too, I must say. It definitely came home with me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxNYp6Q4RYanArqffNhTMPya6IpQ8XOf50Y3SDNUirmKPe-9owOcpuwgulVhZUJS4cEOz3SwN6ThBLMn7NoGZX4W-wEpi5uQbPG3IKzNbuGmL63eJ88ZFzs9O_-uEjD832B8f_dX25VI4o9MpCu7LCO-U2Cn6LCQ7L3SK8JksGxXTpKfdmZQTA6oJ/s719/1e-antique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="719" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxNYp6Q4RYanArqffNhTMPya6IpQ8XOf50Y3SDNUirmKPe-9owOcpuwgulVhZUJS4cEOz3SwN6ThBLMn7NoGZX4W-wEpi5uQbPG3IKzNbuGmL63eJ88ZFzs9O_-uEjD832B8f_dX25VI4o9MpCu7LCO-U2Cn6LCQ7L3SK8JksGxXTpKfdmZQTA6oJ/w389-h338/1e-antique.jpg" width="389" /></a></div><p>And finally, at that same mall, I found this unusual triptych mirror. I'm not a general fan of mirrors, and the only ones in my house are in the bathrooms, but this one just spoke to me. "I'm unusual!" it said. "And eclectic!" So now it is mine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH85ytuGkytDX7XttItZ1VD7w_w4Yf8Qe8u9xlWDk_3LAPOa3_1_YvcJ4h7TAoqTFQr5He2yOQ-jxXjtx5Ye_nxjFX5s03HdrMSOViToW9Mh6x86WL-hN_URSM81p2c01EK24f9s-xjrqIlwAirdhy3sX-VBvVBZEoPoke_QDLlwkvWXXbmT-_KIsy/s678/1f-antique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="678" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH85ytuGkytDX7XttItZ1VD7w_w4Yf8Qe8u9xlWDk_3LAPOa3_1_YvcJ4h7TAoqTFQr5He2yOQ-jxXjtx5Ye_nxjFX5s03HdrMSOViToW9Mh6x86WL-hN_URSM81p2c01EK24f9s-xjrqIlwAirdhy3sX-VBvVBZEoPoke_QDLlwkvWXXbmT-_KIsy/w331-h301/1f-antique.jpg" width="331" /></a></div><p>Many of these items are now gracing the headboard in the guest room, but eventually they will migrate to other spaces. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihoEzjjGjME2f1BD7vwqs5hHcXUd1P7qfuwTITfsiWDx1YveudWwwK7tZDBoXpYJhB__fleNlVX2NGmEzA_llXbcf7o6spwC1yaz0nuMGCIG33m4TfsQA4vwzCMKLS9RgctqapK6sARP774Zm7ygN-kSskqsgN9uJ82Pc-GQkOBIClq0T9U3n82yZ/s1089/1g-antique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1089" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihoEzjjGjME2f1BD7vwqs5hHcXUd1P7qfuwTITfsiWDx1YveudWwwK7tZDBoXpYJhB__fleNlVX2NGmEzA_llXbcf7o6spwC1yaz0nuMGCIG33m4TfsQA4vwzCMKLS9RgctqapK6sARP774Zm7ygN-kSskqsgN9uJ82Pc-GQkOBIClq0T9U3n82yZ/w428-h246/1g-antique.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So that was fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Someday I'm going to do something with that guest bedroom, something wacky and eccentric, but it will have to wait until I figure out what that something is. Wait and see!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Otherwise my week was pretty normal. On our dog walks we noted that the Columbia River is still above normal levels (from snow-melt runoff in the Cascades). Here are some trees that are usually out of the water:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuYeNhbKcxmm_t_XeYr7D9o5h1p458Srfh1KiS4MfZ3CqqZxl2431wX2eOBNpdnlbr_KLrG8VUJS2hg293PEAE0uJmTaDg8G2bXGN96PvfFo4Arp1Hfe5FwruB2aQHJeGTdXT4lXwuWuS6ygk9mbPgRozwlOn97Ynytx2l6vOYI03tUVkE8CsrPoX/s625/2a-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="469" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuYeNhbKcxmm_t_XeYr7D9o5h1p458Srfh1KiS4MfZ3CqqZxl2431wX2eOBNpdnlbr_KLrG8VUJS2hg293PEAE0uJmTaDg8G2bXGN96PvfFo4Arp1Hfe5FwruB2aQHJeGTdXT4lXwuWuS6ygk9mbPgRozwlOn97Ynytx2l6vOYI03tUVkE8CsrPoX/s320/2a-water.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yOFnl8J3FfYoL9IycDs5-ZzVXZDs8KzPBoYfhKdckLhgziEw4AdrxswbqUj3L50_IYwVQx0ZCkOPYqQOmrQKli0YuOrnZeOEFMmH8QkWbr-n8SFmWdq4Cvnuiia60NgpFEuRssW4Bq8loY-x20WkYa_EPtM7IDX_sr6VK3po4ounh9RdfyC-jkai/s568/2b-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="457" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yOFnl8J3FfYoL9IycDs5-ZzVXZDs8KzPBoYfhKdckLhgziEw4AdrxswbqUj3L50_IYwVQx0ZCkOPYqQOmrQKli0YuOrnZeOEFMmH8QkWbr-n8SFmWdq4Cvnuiia60NgpFEuRssW4Bq8loY-x20WkYa_EPtM7IDX_sr6VK3po4ounh9RdfyC-jkai/w301-h375/2b-water.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghG8ri7lu2HMbMygQ5CaxHiQifT_qub7_IKkOD42bMMZqNW6ccZ8S4YQ1EK6GUNZE5B9G_jBj4zbfJa43shRlvWR1_w_uM25P6b3cj7Trw5vdxXFl_azzRKRPqwCs18UHrZM3AAdnDI98jbkM1-9rit-kZSp7yanYr5lsKx2eyvKSS2IzHXhAEyqDJ/s758/2c-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghG8ri7lu2HMbMygQ5CaxHiQifT_qub7_IKkOD42bMMZqNW6ccZ8S4YQ1EK6GUNZE5B9G_jBj4zbfJa43shRlvWR1_w_uM25P6b3cj7Trw5vdxXFl_azzRKRPqwCs18UHrZM3AAdnDI98jbkM1-9rit-kZSp7yanYr5lsKx2eyvKSS2IzHXhAEyqDJ/w373-h280/2c-water.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><p>The temperatures are climbing upward now, after a rather cool Spring. It should get into the 90s and even over 100 this coming week. A good time to cool off:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztZ12FY4Gasf2e3Z7s2PWF1ctB-l6q02z8i3Otu5SXxV_GURISDNQw8-VnXOuU_7QJNpsL6u7DnxjFHGC3hbBkx6fioXVv0_ED8FlNwtEOUX5uoO88XapGxJd2jI_mV5tnFfjuSiQkEhO5RUyTQvrbU1fUfvgUJ-BaObSLtkisIwlwFBW6gVQXVjV/s758/2d-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztZ12FY4Gasf2e3Z7s2PWF1ctB-l6q02z8i3Otu5SXxV_GURISDNQw8-VnXOuU_7QJNpsL6u7DnxjFHGC3hbBkx6fioXVv0_ED8FlNwtEOUX5uoO88XapGxJd2jI_mV5tnFfjuSiQkEhO5RUyTQvrbU1fUfvgUJ-BaObSLtkisIwlwFBW6gVQXVjV/w369-h277/2d-water.jpg" width="369" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On another walk, we spotted this quail on the trail:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRyjJI6KFdJSlfNTtTXMCgS8sKQvYFVK-x-ILfJUpw3XskE3VW9lfeI0ezmnPl-hkTFp9BrgtXAn88z5QmQtPe9CfDEe8DvqbmsJdoB-T8GTYJssQdAmrJvGnMvsYaEHTYT-LjNJUsY_G1DJENJcFXtRuSPDMvTaNIBip3hm0ZJVAZ1xFLqaiFRWI/s1800/4a-walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1567" data-original-width="1800" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRyjJI6KFdJSlfNTtTXMCgS8sKQvYFVK-x-ILfJUpw3XskE3VW9lfeI0ezmnPl-hkTFp9BrgtXAn88z5QmQtPe9CfDEe8DvqbmsJdoB-T8GTYJssQdAmrJvGnMvsYaEHTYT-LjNJUsY_G1DJENJcFXtRuSPDMvTaNIBip3hm0ZJVAZ1xFLqaiFRWI/s320/4a-walk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>And more evidence of the high waters -- those little clumps of vegetation in the middle of the river are actually the tops of brush and trees which are part of an island, currently submerged:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzinn1fRJNJ31hw_gZyRGS_N2R_BGoN0q9S7QI8W3bH3Rr7L_SPOtHRi5_nPVlAbi4hPLbHlebLWitQ5Uex-Xjd0rMIaPxiODpCqUQbvlM-kkIFf3wBgfndsJ_C0JZrpl0aMRctKhf4z-DAyFwKSdxKgjcAn7DLn7LYmrhq_lxFqQXfNK8IjZuf-i/s2460/4b-walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1533" data-original-width="2460" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzinn1fRJNJ31hw_gZyRGS_N2R_BGoN0q9S7QI8W3bH3Rr7L_SPOtHRi5_nPVlAbi4hPLbHlebLWitQ5Uex-Xjd0rMIaPxiODpCqUQbvlM-kkIFf3wBgfndsJ_C0JZrpl0aMRctKhf4z-DAyFwKSdxKgjcAn7DLn7LYmrhq_lxFqQXfNK8IjZuf-i/w505-h314/4b-walk.jpg" width="505" /></a></div><p>Luckily, there is a dike, and the riverfront trails stay nice and dry.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAf-_DxHmFwo0NpNtGPMA5p9EcaXUI8v59dOpdO7EBHDjCPrKcxYkXocror2o3ZLtYPEid1LGPPXURIvLRtqDc2tfy2uxf2TtfpVJLSTwnPLNDjQFvGLZ8ayKVHtLOW9OgxsoHCeUUpH6_QsyQf4eZYV1MJfFgyOhRp49G-ODverhiBFvAh19eiDF/s1800/4c-walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAf-_DxHmFwo0NpNtGPMA5p9EcaXUI8v59dOpdO7EBHDjCPrKcxYkXocror2o3ZLtYPEid1LGPPXURIvLRtqDc2tfy2uxf2TtfpVJLSTwnPLNDjQFvGLZ8ayKVHtLOW9OgxsoHCeUUpH6_QsyQf4eZYV1MJfFgyOhRp49G-ODverhiBFvAh19eiDF/w366-h275/4c-walk.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><p>As for artistic endeavors, I did this quick copy of a 1920s drawing of an Egyptian scene:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqj6MgSrtJs-gfXp6yNROsLh65ZXlMI2kvHO97gImoAKGVzX01oQYBimrzRuDz99_YSw-6SyWW4Fr-8SJ6q4XFBguAJ8q_kSTch_JvQG74nZxEHnByVGb0YvtT8LMDhES40PTXOc8uI5fxcDiDi8SbrVzbuKg2hOaj0cmcrimuAbXUYj7a5jPwJIsA/s858/3a-egypt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="858" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqj6MgSrtJs-gfXp6yNROsLh65ZXlMI2kvHO97gImoAKGVzX01oQYBimrzRuDz99_YSw-6SyWW4Fr-8SJ6q4XFBguAJ8q_kSTch_JvQG74nZxEHnByVGb0YvtT8LMDhES40PTXOc8uI5fxcDiDi8SbrVzbuKg2hOaj0cmcrimuAbXUYj7a5jPwJIsA/w404-h294/3a-egypt.jpg" width="404" /></a></div><p>I spent a lot more time on this wonderful vulture, using ink and watercolor:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3L_KQaU52ZsJm6LVfcW7m1psklKgD08LdquDt53WZqomneoibX7Cso7TimIy3m_uQiperi-WyU7yxKYrwpjmKyxHyS0vaD6kbqqpQf8Q9xvyW6hbM3cx7sCg2VoFrIZdSBz2-VkFTPyVQyTReALw56sSrew2xlCaTZa5d02NOFrCc7JnZqJHcJrv/s568/3b-vulture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="483" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3L_KQaU52ZsJm6LVfcW7m1psklKgD08LdquDt53WZqomneoibX7Cso7TimIy3m_uQiperi-WyU7yxKYrwpjmKyxHyS0vaD6kbqqpQf8Q9xvyW6hbM3cx7sCg2VoFrIZdSBz2-VkFTPyVQyTReALw56sSrew2xlCaTZa5d02NOFrCc7JnZqJHcJrv/w333-h392/3b-vulture.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><p>That's all for now. Probably won't be out and about much this coming week with the high temps, but you never know. </p><p>Stay safe out there, everyone!</p><p><br /></p> <p></p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-52646638628386313942022-06-20T05:00:00.001-07:002022-06-20T05:00:00.152-07:00Farther Afield<p>The Hounds and I ventured out of town for a short jaunt! Wonder of wonders. We drove up to Ellensburg (about two hours one way) for the annual <i>Dachshunds on Parade</i> event which hasn't been annual since 2019. </p><p>But first, the usual Other Stuff has to be got out of the way. </p><p>We've been out walking by the river more often, as the grass pollen has calmed down. There has been so much runoff from the snow in the Cascades that the rivers here were near flood stage at times.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VDgV0PM8-aM6vVsUGFn0erdsao4f_-uRXOUqrN1suCUs3o8vVZxY3RJTpTYmwSSxj3AdO6vmqo--mKzoeR1s0oIQK16xB6wSU4ggLtSgOXIHpkSUcvRb8znusUd1meIlRiR02B45NoSx0-Ic1ui3zBthILwCRuYTNSGSmem2s52zwa4DFKQQYJYx/s507/1a-river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="507" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VDgV0PM8-aM6vVsUGFn0erdsao4f_-uRXOUqrN1suCUs3o8vVZxY3RJTpTYmwSSxj3AdO6vmqo--mKzoeR1s0oIQK16xB6wSU4ggLtSgOXIHpkSUcvRb8znusUd1meIlRiR02B45NoSx0-Ic1ui3zBthILwCRuYTNSGSmem2s52zwa4DFKQQYJYx/w366-h263/1a-river.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The sign in the pic above is normally completely out of the water. Fortunately, the river boats were still able to dock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7Szy_zr3RfCWfiSjAfnTsR1jUBSlKjgF4STwIeReSHV4rACzTO41fvUrgqcHN9PfEpTp02A8aPNJYDoiBXwv34T82AUrR6FnR2JgBKglPtpimOl3JiQ7dNdCBFC-rOacn3aFXtnKZ4Y8skM11OISEsTwWoT3EnDAScQcViNleLqQwu0paEc9TeI5/s758/1b-river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7Szy_zr3RfCWfiSjAfnTsR1jUBSlKjgF4STwIeReSHV4rACzTO41fvUrgqcHN9PfEpTp02A8aPNJYDoiBXwv34T82AUrR6FnR2JgBKglPtpimOl3JiQ7dNdCBFC-rOacn3aFXtnKZ4Y8skM11OISEsTwWoT3EnDAScQcViNleLqQwu0paEc9TeI5/w359-h269/1b-river.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCD3N4uA3kqRwJh482Wsg1PQsHJPioquC9xYLZBm3dREjfXUSlKJxdhK65coJpiJonjLiUGIJ9LEJY3cn-TVQy4g7K8wgvscxdL-bl9AZgaEPFPRDTfufzl8vBbObLpDLVOya72Fu9Aq3AyJYyJy29KzEeZUphweIcj5tqareA73DrOtV9qkftUUu/s788/1c-river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="788" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCD3N4uA3kqRwJh482Wsg1PQsHJPioquC9xYLZBm3dREjfXUSlKJxdhK65coJpiJonjLiUGIJ9LEJY3cn-TVQy4g7K8wgvscxdL-bl9AZgaEPFPRDTfufzl8vBbObLpDLVOya72Fu9Aq3AyJYyJy29KzEeZUphweIcj5tqareA73DrOtV9qkftUUu/w392-h283/1c-river.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>They wouldn't have been able to dock at this spot...one of the smaller boat docks nearby.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKR4W9oSS2a0URYItGtXz-1WLWHKlbxnhds_i-SlNG9JIGCKVeDQePP88Piaqa9KDIWsnERY7bLTVcnbxqMUs6Ow_SmAwcYLbJ7Iq2M2bwoQGdp0Cu7zrqDyvnYOV3yeJs-J4FlpxtdXvL0dBCs91ZM-xk_c8SB48Dy4wcC1wKnknC5MumKgTDYyf/s530/1d-river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="426" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKR4W9oSS2a0URYItGtXz-1WLWHKlbxnhds_i-SlNG9JIGCKVeDQePP88Piaqa9KDIWsnERY7bLTVcnbxqMUs6Ow_SmAwcYLbJ7Iq2M2bwoQGdp0Cu7zrqDyvnYOV3yeJs-J4FlpxtdXvL0dBCs91ZM-xk_c8SB48Dy4wcC1wKnknC5MumKgTDYyf/w284-h353/1d-river.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The water level had gone down a bit the last time we were there. Whew.</div><div><br /></div><div>In artistic efforts last week, I drew two views of some church buildings:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fEb96EjNkGlAwb6Nl80n2eZpqPZxIO-CgBM_5hHSBOGtMfephUmonRU4q5Zc5A2HoaIQ4XPt-7n5lcNvbTkmIElHn7gem1iw0hQR_MlNCPJlOze59giwpAPwSWi4ohnpny5LQk5IAdLjaY9OanM9NoVxaafZ42zLIpcB3ZYv7NU6JKD85FDX8bdk/s625/2b-church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="495" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fEb96EjNkGlAwb6Nl80n2eZpqPZxIO-CgBM_5hHSBOGtMfephUmonRU4q5Zc5A2HoaIQ4XPt-7n5lcNvbTkmIElHn7gem1iw0hQR_MlNCPJlOze59giwpAPwSWi4ohnpny5LQk5IAdLjaY9OanM9NoVxaafZ42zLIpcB3ZYv7NU6JKD85FDX8bdk/w278-h352/2b-church.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcTwRYcIQRwTqyBm79smHXALO3UG8sr6kGjm9d6PZgDVEEKuyWVqnhurO-2LtgXmqc6nBk-7tJJ1XqQd1nsyjMgJjVsoot-rhjCaLpEbLW_2WNfmsiwBZobBm1NRG5_mLzlPCcRybbmf6PYXDAR5I02a91CF7OT3rf6i9qAYKRwb3zANIi0UcIZtB/s568/2c-church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="461" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcTwRYcIQRwTqyBm79smHXALO3UG8sr6kGjm9d6PZgDVEEKuyWVqnhurO-2LtgXmqc6nBk-7tJJ1XqQd1nsyjMgJjVsoot-rhjCaLpEbLW_2WNfmsiwBZobBm1NRG5_mLzlPCcRybbmf6PYXDAR5I02a91CF7OT3rf6i9qAYKRwb3zANIi0UcIZtB/w281-h346/2c-church.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And this challenging picture of a crow taking flight:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XsP5LdUVwrMvbkqGM1vIcZyNIRaP7ejgWrhNnMP015mPuehotBkxjjl2dXVN6ir5jU4SyEL0mMkVHGREWWpMyZGsDxt6ydNSywL8wLoyNn1dyn7XKaCFJb77u9X-5uuTcSwNVhyVFy2SBqC6HWAMN2RS2PI__lwGf8l6vupD2PahUVS6idp4G9M0/s625/2d-flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="524" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XsP5LdUVwrMvbkqGM1vIcZyNIRaP7ejgWrhNnMP015mPuehotBkxjjl2dXVN6ir5jU4SyEL0mMkVHGREWWpMyZGsDxt6ydNSywL8wLoyNn1dyn7XKaCFJb77u9X-5uuTcSwNVhyVFy2SBqC6HWAMN2RS2PI__lwGf8l6vupD2PahUVS6idp4G9M0/w312-h373/2d-flight.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, now for the report on our little mini-adventure. <i>Dachshunds on Parade </i>is an event held in downtown Ellensburg which includes a costume contest, pet tricks contest, races, and of course, a parade of wieners. It coincides with the weekly farmers market, and takes place over three blocks or so.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmrynp2qjYZyqf-7pqAAJZ-ML4ixIaica9uNMUvw-QFw81zZryA3agziUi0z36PrLigH1RZOWYrHFXk-6WEjs5cZuTHw5FtyxINCkotNK8aUE2qNiVZDBAuhHhTxHQP7AekGRYbJke0jmCHBOkO1sgLcUxd3SnCPzUdtwV9UuGii4JR2bIOEoBGGk/s625/3a-eburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="469" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmrynp2qjYZyqf-7pqAAJZ-ML4ixIaica9uNMUvw-QFw81zZryA3agziUi0z36PrLigH1RZOWYrHFXk-6WEjs5cZuTHw5FtyxINCkotNK8aUE2qNiVZDBAuhHhTxHQP7AekGRYbJke0jmCHBOkO1sgLcUxd3SnCPzUdtwV9UuGii4JR2bIOEoBGGk/w286-h381/3a-eburg.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On Friday afternoon, I drove the Hounds up to our friend Michelle's vacation home in a town about 20 miles from Ellensburg. We had a lovely visit there with her and Winston, the longhaired English cream dachshund who was buddies with Truman when we lived in Seattle. Although they initially enjoyed seeing each other again, most of the time it was Pippin who claimed Winston's attention. Those two followed each other around a lot, and played a bit, while poor Truman just sulked in a corner. I suspect Truman was just unhappy to be away from his home.</div><div><br /></div><div>We stayed overnight, and on Saturday morning I drove to Ellensburg, with Michelle driving Winston there separately, so I could head on home from there after the event. We met up at the farmers market, where we scored some scrumptious cookies with chocolate and marshmallows in them. We watched the parade of wieners, and then joined in at the end to walk the last block or so. Then we enjoyed the costume contest, but did not stay for the other events. </div><div><br /></div><div>There were hundreds of dachshunds, of all coats and colors. The weather was perfect, around 65 and sunny. It was wonderful to attend such a fun and festive event after the two-year hiatus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a few pics (it's very hard to take photos in such a throng, but I tried my best!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Costume contest: the SS Doxie fishing boat:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbtJBWmu2Z_VCvcLlZ1Hj7RH1DyttWy112TV5vAiYnD2Xs1oaWh4pUdMFfuP3WxN0YXnX5DmO3ZrM5-hJBxpP8sBRgg7v0aqATRibIQ3bROiSVR5H7HLxn80v2dsUP2xLMhy52Frlw11q9iWX-RHmYXXjHyznQuzSui4vw2t3hw9a80OxWVGYcHVK/s809/3b-eburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="809" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbtJBWmu2Z_VCvcLlZ1Hj7RH1DyttWy112TV5vAiYnD2Xs1oaWh4pUdMFfuP3WxN0YXnX5DmO3ZrM5-hJBxpP8sBRgg7v0aqATRibIQ3bROiSVR5H7HLxn80v2dsUP2xLMhy52Frlw11q9iWX-RHmYXXjHyznQuzSui4vw2t3hw9a80OxWVGYcHVK/w440-h309/3b-eburg.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wiener dog chefs:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ANTV2JidSOuDjVLrd6h99rk2_zpAVuuNsgTAK2tBewR6F0DKohd_gJnrDvNmh8fBw5BSxTnoEr3z6ODC-b6Rh1jbz2WdMluD_zT8urv-kvw1tnzleKeRCwvewhgpB23e9u8vfnIGpm4t-8vEMjbcbndn8VNhxYRO7tJv0wpEjkTVGFy_I1gUEt6E/s568/3c-eburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="566" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ANTV2JidSOuDjVLrd6h99rk2_zpAVuuNsgTAK2tBewR6F0DKohd_gJnrDvNmh8fBw5BSxTnoEr3z6ODC-b6Rh1jbz2WdMluD_zT8urv-kvw1tnzleKeRCwvewhgpB23e9u8vfnIGpm4t-8vEMjbcbndn8VNhxYRO7tJv0wpEjkTVGFy_I1gUEt6E/w355-h356/3c-eburg.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Fred and Wilma Flintstone:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7m45itMaKdD4XEfBgNWmf-jkhKvY9oUYemfUSXuLQJC9WZdYKECucSrKGDaoa1WEShIYsMvPCmcYgTrxfUJuV01YqBWu88H3gaDlG9NbKu1z6NtT7reoaV8swY2iEWvh2tYi6a9JrY6xXenroCU7qnri4VZnL9AcCs9WBmS658zqTdBbBfspQVzi/s682/3d-eburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="682" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7m45itMaKdD4XEfBgNWmf-jkhKvY9oUYemfUSXuLQJC9WZdYKECucSrKGDaoa1WEShIYsMvPCmcYgTrxfUJuV01YqBWu88H3gaDlG9NbKu1z6NtT7reoaV8swY2iEWvh2tYi6a9JrY6xXenroCU7qnri4VZnL9AcCs9WBmS658zqTdBbBfspQVzi/w403-h336/3d-eburg.jpg" width="403" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Dachshunds on parade:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcd4zq3oS30YxpttijNODQ_RfO9nRr_zJl_ZJpaJ3eNhvthtwN8xxaRMteBwmrnGhYl2Y4o6BRop5WANYpyEid6ISvqa-W_vxvbN5dDHgH-EUfHIMjzo-XytGlQICYPxO2azjK1dEJVwbECiNHwSKmnSqGJqcDmyO66bpOkEtnxi_Dlg8r3DZBUhIj/s773/3e-eburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="773" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcd4zq3oS30YxpttijNODQ_RfO9nRr_zJl_ZJpaJ3eNhvthtwN8xxaRMteBwmrnGhYl2Y4o6BRop5WANYpyEid6ISvqa-W_vxvbN5dDHgH-EUfHIMjzo-XytGlQICYPxO2azjK1dEJVwbECiNHwSKmnSqGJqcDmyO66bpOkEtnxi_Dlg8r3DZBUhIj/w412-h302/3e-eburg.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Parade grand marshals:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPXg-UemDRacWMZhMi-zCVuIfE_5QBh4WGCIedausf3mCtH2fc4UuiRUp3PKaQCtZp8zaDeg6lmBoZpFwZyUEHz91rHBHBspT7Ny3eJYyBrsxwy8gZ8YvqopHUluZIRkdVMCke5-AOQ86LeZcECLj46vdJZrpI_KsRgp8xv3VdM8QG9t7xOpVC9Ai/s568/3f-eburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="446" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPXg-UemDRacWMZhMi-zCVuIfE_5QBh4WGCIedausf3mCtH2fc4UuiRUp3PKaQCtZp8zaDeg6lmBoZpFwZyUEHz91rHBHBspT7Ny3eJYyBrsxwy8gZ8YvqopHUluZIRkdVMCke5-AOQ86LeZcECLj46vdJZrpI_KsRgp8xv3VdM8QG9t7xOpVC9Ai/w300-h383/3f-eburg.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Winston, Pippin, and Truman relaxing at Michelle's place:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKd0AjeA63RXB_55jJGtZjcKER2eLruxfvz9rm7xc1BPgwH4dJtVa9n0DMAUeE8pkJu1Y-TUPczjW0Sl0cGvwXxlrhzxxwGOKwDHQBXt6xTTsWl_m4r3DiCI3OAOzWtksWYu41LrhhZvm6KAGbiEk-WoBuC0tdgqwBEpi_pmkM2iL1_DXuQ1DGZlHm/s807/3g-eburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="807" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKd0AjeA63RXB_55jJGtZjcKER2eLruxfvz9rm7xc1BPgwH4dJtVa9n0DMAUeE8pkJu1Y-TUPczjW0Sl0cGvwXxlrhzxxwGOKwDHQBXt6xTTsWl_m4r3DiCI3OAOzWtksWYu41LrhhZvm6KAGbiEk-WoBuC0tdgqwBEpi_pmkM2iL1_DXuQ1DGZlHm/w375-h264/3g-eburg.jpg" width="375" /></a></div><div><br /></div>That's all for now.<div><br /></div><div>Have a lovely week out there!<br /><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-89543204354899670542022-06-13T05:00:00.001-07:002022-06-13T05:00:00.174-07:00Defeated by Grass Pollen<p>I wasn't able to get out and about much this past week due to very high grass pollen which gave me horrible allergy attacks if I spent even a few minutes anywhere near a lawn. There is a lot of grass at our favorite parks, so I had to walk the dogs around the Uptown shopping center or other concrete-heavy areas. Sigh.</p><p>Even going into my own backyard was hazardous, though I did manage to snap these few pics of the lupine blooming:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHnOuUhhtNKIDeolfRqdosGh2M9HDgvPo3CuYUNH5_4pQP4WrEULHCwpS51r0qtXyvuX8LeVZFtCBky8jqmAABodbrevp479erqbDefK8Jcgdk3k5kjAQj2HkFhaxyZgoZ7l5KEw45ssdtW5WIM-0cFnG-r3ABpp8-aHy39PzEOlk4f1qHqagyFKu/s625/1a-lupine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="419" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHnOuUhhtNKIDeolfRqdosGh2M9HDgvPo3CuYUNH5_4pQP4WrEULHCwpS51r0qtXyvuX8LeVZFtCBky8jqmAABodbrevp479erqbDefK8Jcgdk3k5kjAQj2HkFhaxyZgoZ7l5KEw45ssdtW5WIM-0cFnG-r3ABpp8-aHy39PzEOlk4f1qHqagyFKu/w238-h354/1a-lupine.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhds4-myEJwMQol06HXtzkWryrnZcpFzPOs9zS0YuoDVw1ECdKhg07XBYuQmRO-lde_Ak6_DlRttyZ8Mk5H7-tDFPc_e5ANTJYwOpkyBbwTkcPhdzilMElNcHrnXzHvSx_IW3NEaol97CcjV7dvvhbVxa3tU36xC8R10-Cq5T9vuQrQ0t0z8JxIzsr/s282/1b-lupine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="267" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhds4-myEJwMQol06HXtzkWryrnZcpFzPOs9zS0YuoDVw1ECdKhg07XBYuQmRO-lde_Ak6_DlRttyZ8Mk5H7-tDFPc_e5ANTJYwOpkyBbwTkcPhdzilMElNcHrnXzHvSx_IW3NEaol97CcjV7dvvhbVxa3tU36xC8R10-Cq5T9vuQrQ0t0z8JxIzsr/s1600/1b-lupine.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The lilies in the front yard are looking good, too:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZtbmzXqCtcZNSzzbJsViMZTm5OUoIPDJFbDKOU-63Ic0bYwR_zSk30Gye6bvp2hpgtWmLUCDocfoMsZV6_jkWS5oKRhXs9wo20d6rQupbTKvHKHrlofTGHk343zzjANs7-7WnRgGEgcBXigG6vz4sCU9C-8WzVfGzH0ujlqLCaDKIFLqSBy7mOhS/s699/1c-lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="699" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZtbmzXqCtcZNSzzbJsViMZTm5OUoIPDJFbDKOU-63Ic0bYwR_zSk30Gye6bvp2hpgtWmLUCDocfoMsZV6_jkWS5oKRhXs9wo20d6rQupbTKvHKHrlofTGHk343zzjANs7-7WnRgGEgcBXigG6vz4sCU9C-8WzVfGzH0ujlqLCaDKIFLqSBy7mOhS/s320/1c-lily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, in dachshund land, I finally have a wonderful photo of Truman to share. Pippin is much more the photogenic one, and tends to get way more air time than poor Truman, who often looks anxious. But the groomer managed to take a pic of Truman this week that I just adore:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_t1yGpF68BYAidRinYcubffiSTDrk0Cdtl9s-hkQE1czSvejTcT0OkymiK8GertQ6Z2OjU7cQptEQXv90KdQADKr2hYnelbnUNYj3WQRKtxSEqPgiZVkd2fC0yr7Q-GSjxdkMpzwNcF26lvFtorEmICvRTT0uoybUQ1b0B6RLMcUlv-_NWoFQ7lr/s640/2a-truman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_t1yGpF68BYAidRinYcubffiSTDrk0Cdtl9s-hkQE1czSvejTcT0OkymiK8GertQ6Z2OjU7cQptEQXv90KdQADKr2hYnelbnUNYj3WQRKtxSEqPgiZVkd2fC0yr7Q-GSjxdkMpzwNcF26lvFtorEmICvRTT0uoybUQ1b0B6RLMcUlv-_NWoFQ7lr/w302-h378/2a-truman.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>He looks so confident! Possibly even ready to run for office. Vote for Truman! His platform is <i>Free Treats for All</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>When he got home from the groomer, Pippin had to sniff him thoroughly to make sure I'd brought back the right dog. He did definitely smell different, as in <i>clean</i>.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oVYqSYjeJOY1m5jr2LMhzsLG0V0RoLrXcW77TuwaOUYOoYYrqIW-0Xwp8osf_lsrT-rhIVQe2eVcjxPR2AYz7UVfkd18reqPPPnHWEDnXIO00lPp8Slccnb3tUgbQO01qCR50xas-ErKYweAApJ7xCGb8cVdzYnffDNZVfq9McKVRqn-GKb2pNYG/s833/2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="833" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oVYqSYjeJOY1m5jr2LMhzsLG0V0RoLrXcW77TuwaOUYOoYYrqIW-0Xwp8osf_lsrT-rhIVQe2eVcjxPR2AYz7UVfkd18reqPPPnHWEDnXIO00lPp8Slccnb3tUgbQO01qCR50xas-ErKYweAApJ7xCGb8cVdzYnffDNZVfq9McKVRqn-GKb2pNYG/w348-h261/2b.jpg" width="348" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As for the art projects this week, here is a lantern in a Kyoto garden which I did with grey ink and watercolor:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P9BuJyh1mMuX0w79oURolAPc8uQfi9qeUlUGjcv8p_3qpFzKQY82pC-pjLfkm1PhytSPKotKQAlFuFQnpzWa9r0qHesvJHb_03-i1fUYSYKfjaT7mYcOcMfAofXpC23o0so_QZlLDcNcQexY_hayXRtx2QQU_L_8I77rKmBTqpbC7r_lVv8-CwOD/s625/3a-lantern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="452" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P9BuJyh1mMuX0w79oURolAPc8uQfi9qeUlUGjcv8p_3qpFzKQY82pC-pjLfkm1PhytSPKotKQAlFuFQnpzWa9r0qHesvJHb_03-i1fUYSYKfjaT7mYcOcMfAofXpC23o0so_QZlLDcNcQexY_hayXRtx2QQU_L_8I77rKmBTqpbC7r_lVv8-CwOD/w282-h391/3a-lantern.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here is a reflective stream which I did with just watercolor:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MB4DXvhLZvzLIDTW2TM02_rID4VyPKjPnkfpWE-zx_itzLTB2SWV6j_QbipKLALF6NBgJvMRD4qhYV9svWgt8rygBHY5dxPN2aXPIn5b_bDK2g3awKp4DLZ0GhHXrLonySb7A6kkPkqEq2nlet1cTuSZSSqmuxnUHOjmsZKedqrad-mF83KCjDsv/s625/3b-marsh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="458" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MB4DXvhLZvzLIDTW2TM02_rID4VyPKjPnkfpWE-zx_itzLTB2SWV6j_QbipKLALF6NBgJvMRD4qhYV9svWgt8rygBHY5dxPN2aXPIn5b_bDK2g3awKp4DLZ0GhHXrLonySb7A6kkPkqEq2nlet1cTuSZSSqmuxnUHOjmsZKedqrad-mF83KCjDsv/w275-h376/3b-marsh.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, the custom frame I ordered for my <i>Good Omens</i> needlepoint arrived, and I put it all together, and it was perfect:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NVwo2UB63Zab_WXt62Gk6i4gdn4ojw_vM7QbtgYgSpLTBsl5qzDr4dHUzNFGCG9wRdv34qaF-tBmKMktdUyshlFd_xNoQF_S9YbO_ZkDtQYbZUUDSZH0AIs0EQVeeIM8nn7Fk9X4zU7ozg2YUoI1rQylu_k-KImWMtzlksEyV-nKgysNN_H3qu1s/s695/4a-np.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="695" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NVwo2UB63Zab_WXt62Gk6i4gdn4ojw_vM7QbtgYgSpLTBsl5qzDr4dHUzNFGCG9wRdv34qaF-tBmKMktdUyshlFd_xNoQF_S9YbO_ZkDtQYbZUUDSZH0AIs0EQVeeIM8nn7Fk9X4zU7ozg2YUoI1rQylu_k-KImWMtzlksEyV-nKgysNN_H3qu1s/w367-h300/4a-np.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here it is on the bedroom wall along with my oil painting of a daVinci angel and my drawing of Crowley in the bookshop which is hard to see but oh well. I'm always rearranging the dozens and dozens of pictures and art work on the walls in my home, so this will probably change at some point. But it will do for now.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUd6_xwsZzvKN5qLdwp9AVnVs5A9s8bixeebwyVVbq1ePE4Q0Nz3G8opOqKW-rqKpw8kvEZkj4wfXNqFAEdO-oIPgUsGz09xMe_z4MJ1IafRC_DisoTboOfY-zdf1Ck3cF06o5DSbM4ss6jPb6mTuIlN91bU_kfwX_pGjSX-EhT2W-f-RUcILumadh/s937/4c-np.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="937" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUd6_xwsZzvKN5qLdwp9AVnVs5A9s8bixeebwyVVbq1ePE4Q0Nz3G8opOqKW-rqKpw8kvEZkj4wfXNqFAEdO-oIPgUsGz09xMe_z4MJ1IafRC_DisoTboOfY-zdf1Ck3cF06o5DSbM4ss6jPb6mTuIlN91bU_kfwX_pGjSX-EhT2W-f-RUcILumadh/w494-h300/4c-np.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><div><br /></div>That's all for this time. <br />Have a great week out there!<br /><p><br /></p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-76950808939047864652022-06-06T05:00:00.001-07:002022-06-06T05:00:00.150-07:00Did I Say No to More Needlepoint? Hm....<p>The first time I did a <i>Good Omens</i> needlepoint, it was very very hard and took a lot of time but I loved the picture, and the results were totally worth the effort.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMvALGt-Y0XQ1PhLetKIYkG2OJB4mASug8fE2tvZ5irFiKPuWK1tJFhmDR-DFENY0o5fWXud70hk5q8hITh-O0sbrH0TN8TAFub4Yd1WuvmhPcAxwhoczUSs9h6uUGWdAzkiZA9H24FhYeDNzz6uhEi-pMrux8CDCcWhlTd_B_811TgftCoRrMgvk/s627/z-FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMvALGt-Y0XQ1PhLetKIYkG2OJB4mASug8fE2tvZ5irFiKPuWK1tJFhmDR-DFENY0o5fWXud70hk5q8hITh-O0sbrH0TN8TAFub4Yd1WuvmhPcAxwhoczUSs9h6uUGWdAzkiZA9H24FhYeDNzz6uhEi-pMrux8CDCcWhlTd_B_811TgftCoRrMgvk/s320/z-FINAL.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So I did a second one. It was nearly as difficult, and took nearly as long, but instead of loving it, I wound up disliking the picture so much that I almost gave up at the two-thirds point. I did finish it, and then swore that I'd never do another needlepoint.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi6ZBVX-8VR9lmUtRDLvz5LBRvX6y5rzWjHSiQMsrVj_JwsYQUESGRcEJttSUCeIu1y1ah4Tpa4e4qees0XkPtC3g8Q23Jw2-tqmr23QvmhovDCx5OQJxLf8gmXONVDOPk9UaOKFhkmLbiPkIMzcqvoLHjLJrM52I1xWlf4HShZM7wxDIheu4ggrn/s797/2b-azi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="797" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi6ZBVX-8VR9lmUtRDLvz5LBRvX6y5rzWjHSiQMsrVj_JwsYQUESGRcEJttSUCeIu1y1ah4Tpa4e4qees0XkPtC3g8Q23Jw2-tqmr23QvmhovDCx5OQJxLf8gmXONVDOPk9UaOKFhkmLbiPkIMzcqvoLHjLJrM52I1xWlf4HShZM7wxDIheu4ggrn/s320/2b-azi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well...guess what?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, I did a third one. You see, I had already purchased all of the supplies for it, and it seemed a shame to let those go to waste. And the picture was considerably less complex, which made for much easier and faster stitching. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the photo I used:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezspftFF5nrXA6icK3rdGU-6GjgswcudHxchjXAb5wPcwUzTZDHrcFzIiZ70tQuvqxPRg4l01AjnmuqTNPKIT0-REuyl_6FMgrgR4Ww0KpLgN4kKMiBsJRofAaSH87_CyDx7lM_PejWF_TrhFttpLPxka-bcdH_P6EFabuwaFMjbniBaPA0JreKSX/s828/2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="828" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezspftFF5nrXA6icK3rdGU-6GjgswcudHxchjXAb5wPcwUzTZDHrcFzIiZ70tQuvqxPRg4l01AjnmuqTNPKIT0-REuyl_6FMgrgR4Ww0KpLgN4kKMiBsJRofAaSH87_CyDx7lM_PejWF_TrhFttpLPxka-bcdH_P6EFabuwaFMjbniBaPA0JreKSX/s320/2a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was the same size as the others, around 12 x 15" and 35,000 stitches. There were 52 colors.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tJGMQPtpKFbZ33JN-hFad4QaRwzDoI942xtdeMJ1chnZ-RCYaCQ2aTM0pqp5luWArJ0uCC1j6LVVKgxBgx0TWRkHsQV7NO1YyR0nlVHWztaB282UoRMDp3MQuE3fXyjp4lKDzLqf5CN0c-7bDhWoDdo4zhWJjPB404CFe6534sNoL9f6j2jTpUp1/s841/2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tJGMQPtpKFbZ33JN-hFad4QaRwzDoI942xtdeMJ1chnZ-RCYaCQ2aTM0pqp5luWArJ0uCC1j6LVVKgxBgx0TWRkHsQV7NO1YyR0nlVHWztaB282UoRMDp3MQuE3fXyjp4lKDzLqf5CN0c-7bDhWoDdo4zhWJjPB404CFe6534sNoL9f6j2jTpUp1/s320/2b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The only seriously difficult section was Aziraphale's bow tie:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tf-BHi3ZTdfdMwdNsIfzxWSqwQJxPOlIXRWBwEwvgrOp8U57OMu65WhnL9ydDWyjv3C7oUKPUS7yEcqHoEAP9o2rXz_0374Uxqr4Ri8bX94qAMkOxrkEd7MaWpQJP7LzOKoe9M9IMAmV3StaHvsY3ht40Is7woXJWoiyxdGWFGT8PXxLV7G61eba/s702/2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="702" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tf-BHi3ZTdfdMwdNsIfzxWSqwQJxPOlIXRWBwEwvgrOp8U57OMu65WhnL9ydDWyjv3C7oUKPUS7yEcqHoEAP9o2rXz_0374Uxqr4Ri8bX94qAMkOxrkEd7MaWpQJP7LzOKoe9M9IMAmV3StaHvsY3ht40Is7woXJWoiyxdGWFGT8PXxLV7G61eba/w354-h261/2c.jpg" width="354" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of it was easy enough that I breezed through it 59 days, averaging 600 stitches a day. (The previous two averaged 300 a day.) </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the finished needlepoint:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwybHcdOLRu8T2WDEjULBrPtOdsOCkxnu0mZIRAQB-MoxyvL3_TbJxc4phPTofhhdjq_V7qHLp2rh_RqIGJLlZVlWaemFIN8V-0Fj0M10Lhauz6eZU5ZPyNFXpnBk-R7McSIBUGhgaTvmBsdEVi7dAL3sxplTmhOh2Jj3tyRbugV_BtlupOTfJ-Slx/s853/azicrownp-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="853" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwybHcdOLRu8T2WDEjULBrPtOdsOCkxnu0mZIRAQB-MoxyvL3_TbJxc4phPTofhhdjq_V7qHLp2rh_RqIGJLlZVlWaemFIN8V-0Fj0M10Lhauz6eZU5ZPyNFXpnBk-R7McSIBUGhgaTvmBsdEVi7dAL3sxplTmhOh2Jj3tyRbugV_BtlupOTfJ-Slx/w470-h344/azicrownp-final.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Anyway, I enjoyed that one a lot. It's a nice way to watch baseball in the evenings, because I can just sit on the sofa with all the supplies on the coffee table and stitch away, and I only have to look up at the TV when I hear the crack of a bat. Win all round.</div><div><br /></div><div>Needless to say, I have a lot of supplies left over...hm. Wonder what I should do with them?</div><div><br /></div><div>In other artistic endeavors, we had our usual art practice sessions over Zoom. This one is my more typical style -- ink and watercolor, very realistic, which is what I like to do:</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDmnYVKioSoE-GpVDx8iPKsfRbV2PoSy07cMaJRfxjc4u3ry47Innfq0MBtDTvoKG-JwnfIePZRfGp5BRh2JiSlwUQobDc88lczHmBa6TL1bA9PPOqqn4cZ7U9CiQ_Z7ny9v1nWc6LociXMx8R2Zpi1wbj08Opb6VlpmYnvbB0zVDLlXV_R7m54zq/s625/3a-cliffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="554" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDmnYVKioSoE-GpVDx8iPKsfRbV2PoSy07cMaJRfxjc4u3ry47Innfq0MBtDTvoKG-JwnfIePZRfGp5BRh2JiSlwUQobDc88lczHmBa6TL1bA9PPOqqn4cZ7U9CiQ_Z7ny9v1nWc6LociXMx8R2Zpi1wbj08Opb6VlpmYnvbB0zVDLlXV_R7m54zq/w318-h358/3a-cliffs.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The other one, however, turned out a bit differently. You see, the group chose this photo to draw/paint, and I found it less than inspiring:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBkDEXDr9kjkadWLJEI7DCUfQl5Aj2XCTkaeN0igU4RtYufWEBdZBWv8IdDyMjSDUsYeWdUK4HReHJ4_Ied8kJHG_aDwB_ZJ_nAhNp1M9qLuGmaKHRWmYeLdIExvinInJKas9RtsZGoLgQJMHmPn4p9UjgRbQjT5lXdYKqdLjqZQs1HWLXWD2ncmN/s1988/3b-bicycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1988" data-original-width="1516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBkDEXDr9kjkadWLJEI7DCUfQl5Aj2XCTkaeN0igU4RtYufWEBdZBWv8IdDyMjSDUsYeWdUK4HReHJ4_Ied8kJHG_aDwB_ZJ_nAhNp1M9qLuGmaKHRWmYeLdIExvinInJKas9RtsZGoLgQJMHmPn4p9UjgRbQjT5lXdYKqdLjqZQs1HWLXWD2ncmN/s320/3b-bicycle.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>So I decided to have a little fun with it...and proceeded to go wild and crazy by deconstructing the window and the bicycle in a colorful modern art fashion:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTo4dwRI02ZFjDgoR3IYwvbKQgKoVVX89DWGBz7L-kQRBCoN5Asxd0p_a_HUR2j2G-5UKN8kZTwAbexntI5CSaInsXth_WMtRB9JhU4onl2WTrsEy1Qi4hxnEN4NsvTZAlnpi_-FrUumkj42dFfZbLHHMlsrfrK0iPelO_5hPnqobg4f3kjMGWpM5/s568/3c-bicycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="529" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTo4dwRI02ZFjDgoR3IYwvbKQgKoVVX89DWGBz7L-kQRBCoN5Asxd0p_a_HUR2j2G-5UKN8kZTwAbexntI5CSaInsXth_WMtRB9JhU4onl2WTrsEy1Qi4hxnEN4NsvTZAlnpi_-FrUumkj42dFfZbLHHMlsrfrK0iPelO_5hPnqobg4f3kjMGWpM5/w346-h372/3c-bicycle.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><div><br /></div>People seemed to like it a lot. Don't know if I'll ever do that sort of thing again, but you never know!</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now. Have a great week out there, everyone!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-11353516895018074352022-05-30T05:00:00.001-07:002022-05-30T05:00:00.156-07:00Garden Update and a bit of the usual other stuff<p> Most of the two dozen+ perennials I added to my little backyard garden strip are surviving, and some are even blooming, along with the roses I planted last year. Yay! And the roses out front, which came with the house, are also doing quite splendidly:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIv5DzRzTLlrgnsmeXsCDQw0AMj5s-qBsL_Nu5JdorSEbi965vGJV1vJOMO8DovUWZJD6Hqk7gwuh2mRSM-8g8yS6K49nPBzkObRbv0vBiZjakPBj9c-Is3cgZYtkuHn7ZZuOk9_1hlKTaaKRKOIzTQQ28IePu0bVFb6BnlBdout7_IhNzx3uu3Q98/s883/1a-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="883" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIv5DzRzTLlrgnsmeXsCDQw0AMj5s-qBsL_Nu5JdorSEbi965vGJV1vJOMO8DovUWZJD6Hqk7gwuh2mRSM-8g8yS6K49nPBzkObRbv0vBiZjakPBj9c-Is3cgZYtkuHn7ZZuOk9_1hlKTaaKRKOIzTQQ28IePu0bVFb6BnlBdout7_IhNzx3uu3Q98/w401-h284/1a-flowers.jpg" width="401" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pippin likes to check out the plants in the back yard from time to time:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0IxMsNc6Tr_AA4S95EzdTgKcnMojXZuGdq1_keVfFE_viigUHkoanUZ4CD4M71WuIz9BGQw7wo4LFtF7sAwD7YzP_R6QzlMIXo6ZQk0ibOi2LbL9u80ZBfXTf4ewq-LShUzQnGLdYaOqeuryOgmCQpDdvq3JMXAb7gdCru3giCBtTlkK77UVUeK3/s790/1b-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="790" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0IxMsNc6Tr_AA4S95EzdTgKcnMojXZuGdq1_keVfFE_viigUHkoanUZ4CD4M71WuIz9BGQw7wo4LFtF7sAwD7YzP_R6QzlMIXo6ZQk0ibOi2LbL9u80ZBfXTf4ewq-LShUzQnGLdYaOqeuryOgmCQpDdvq3JMXAb7gdCru3giCBtTlkK77UVUeK3/w365-h262/1b-flowers.jpg" width="365" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is one of the roses I planted last year:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLq1IeUMghu6QhEn1n-gutwpfLOjaedvaaaLgA6v6Nc1Qy8F8D1E8a69KeMeS467uiEKQyV8wMxRbAEY6tStShBGO9BxTB0HOgS2Mh40D20iLLDfd83LWVkTeNxm6o3tDo4CiiMYzaFmbmWmPDTsf0meixnXo-zHaNMp-3kIvWLdqxSAjgR-CBvdj4/s721/1c-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="721" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLq1IeUMghu6QhEn1n-gutwpfLOjaedvaaaLgA6v6Nc1Qy8F8D1E8a69KeMeS467uiEKQyV8wMxRbAEY6tStShBGO9BxTB0HOgS2Mh40D20iLLDfd83LWVkTeNxm6o3tDo4CiiMYzaFmbmWmPDTsf0meixnXo-zHaNMp-3kIvWLdqxSAjgR-CBvdj4/w359-h283/1c-flowers.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm afraid I've forgotten what this perennial is...I tossed all the labels....</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie82gsEvCZwjCD83gMf6nq-cKshh1LyKuzcuVSUcFLBJ_t4tqEEiiirlGdH7RgnPWuyz2b0xFYYXRNIvbBdOmpUeHUGFYFzyzk90E27JP0BVI8QtmJZy1nO0Ggj6Rnug1vx218B6WZyIs4uJEdThuk4tAoZPzONdsHavt5JF-4-_PXC2OlaA-i8snl/s568/1d-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie82gsEvCZwjCD83gMf6nq-cKshh1LyKuzcuVSUcFLBJ_t4tqEEiiirlGdH7RgnPWuyz2b0xFYYXRNIvbBdOmpUeHUGFYFzyzk90E27JP0BVI8QtmJZy1nO0Ggj6Rnug1vx218B6WZyIs4uJEdThuk4tAoZPzONdsHavt5JF-4-_PXC2OlaA-i8snl/s320/1d-flowers.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another rose that I planted is a floribunda called "Carefree Wonder":</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8a3Ez5TS8Rv85atUnia0FofcyFwvalhAK_Mi1lQmtz-FAi5RtOTcbrmP2RzDzzbbypptK0CQaPjtB7bzmhi__ZCjxcG9fRrarcv6kefJnkfCjOwHvrChp3Q7l_vNzIluNHX-ayyI-ztQnYr5l_JT0aqoWJjSPvCMDI_Xrr57HwCufqVwU3x53Huo/s690/1e-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="690" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8a3Ez5TS8Rv85atUnia0FofcyFwvalhAK_Mi1lQmtz-FAi5RtOTcbrmP2RzDzzbbypptK0CQaPjtB7bzmhi__ZCjxcG9fRrarcv6kefJnkfCjOwHvrChp3Q7l_vNzIluNHX-ayyI-ztQnYr5l_JT0aqoWJjSPvCMDI_Xrr57HwCufqVwU3x53Huo/w370-h304/1e-flowers.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One morning while inspecting the garden, I ran across this delightful little critter -- it's a jumping spider, and I do mean <i>little</i>, because this is way zoomed in. I don't think it was even half an inch long.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3t9iLAHhURZCJuHd6QIcOtZbscTgAFzacRPSDpdNwj-lFnhcextrgzdJDgyaEdUsNZVspNUKYTvs4PgBPxtwpFQFeUJGIjGwcy8s1r4jixWplCCHjGaladRQAXuWAB0NwlgWmY_FnpYAaZg3AasbGm4UGaQJoVEVMayyuWPdaoW16X04VsBftv0O6/s1355/1f-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1355" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3t9iLAHhURZCJuHd6QIcOtZbscTgAFzacRPSDpdNwj-lFnhcextrgzdJDgyaEdUsNZVspNUKYTvs4PgBPxtwpFQFeUJGIjGwcy8s1r4jixWplCCHjGaladRQAXuWAB0NwlgWmY_FnpYAaZg3AasbGm4UGaQJoVEVMayyuWPdaoW16X04VsBftv0O6/s320/1f-flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the clematis:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimc6VDA7RXX-cz68vvOY-orwWHzb-I03E1JkVgMCB-WeBahvsFBFs9b5mKnPb-zaROYUnEC2irl1CBUScU8W7iuvi5v0ERGAF1CQSY7ivGUXNlcW4qeOi9S35jvjxVZb6YVgNtQmWTnVATGWYboY3asi3eccLRXkecIae9_bdEvjla66WfsgAzIthO/s631/1g-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="489" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimc6VDA7RXX-cz68vvOY-orwWHzb-I03E1JkVgMCB-WeBahvsFBFs9b5mKnPb-zaROYUnEC2irl1CBUScU8W7iuvi5v0ERGAF1CQSY7ivGUXNlcW4qeOi9S35jvjxVZb6YVgNtQmWTnVATGWYboY3asi3eccLRXkecIae9_bdEvjla66WfsgAzIthO/s320/1g-flowers.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here is Pippin relaxing in the garden:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj458z7Jh0mYqYKoRQKklGVH5wUgA7lt6FjmDOo_q4L0dBYvmVIukSzjLL9QFcC2-EgJrtthe_vb10qptYYcqL6VvKZQqo5AzJ1WkQhUDsuLkrXfNn-nGqehM-AahlNqxFNP1-R7-H_KESurRuBW89_GYIDJMScXxaGlUzgXll84d3WXD6tOX1miNW7/s849/1h-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="849" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj458z7Jh0mYqYKoRQKklGVH5wUgA7lt6FjmDOo_q4L0dBYvmVIukSzjLL9QFcC2-EgJrtthe_vb10qptYYcqL6VvKZQqo5AzJ1WkQhUDsuLkrXfNn-nGqehM-AahlNqxFNP1-R7-H_KESurRuBW89_GYIDJMScXxaGlUzgXll84d3WXD6tOX1miNW7/w349-h286/1h-flowers.jpg" width="349" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>More flowers are slowing starting to bloom so there will be another update soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now for the Usual Other Stuff: here is a drawing of an alleyway on the island of Santorini:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNGBWlXWOf68cHGlWswqmI3gDWtLJrXerxzSSqhpYLc7-9f6l6Ubco4SNYAdHqLDeWt9wO2vsD3BgFPre-MBeIO-XGyl_yHyKbhQSHEjtMSN3amuushT0LFknyr1LMwrooYrn3W7kUWgPZ-7_KCq7HGfsiPWaJNmpd-90cUmyNgdyReE--eUDjK2u/s625/2a-santorini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNGBWlXWOf68cHGlWswqmI3gDWtLJrXerxzSSqhpYLc7-9f6l6Ubco4SNYAdHqLDeWt9wO2vsD3BgFPre-MBeIO-XGyl_yHyKbhQSHEjtMSN3amuushT0LFknyr1LMwrooYrn3W7kUWgPZ-7_KCq7HGfsiPWaJNmpd-90cUmyNgdyReE--eUDjK2u/s320/2a-santorini.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here is an ink-and-watercolor sketch of some badlands area of unknown location:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaQB4mk0IPt5FCbiMk1f-ntPwSB3oedWndzIZkPL38aE68tJpg1fxx_Jq7_-RqbDNLidzn79n9rQPSV9IUerkYWtAc6hUqdZpZPSdcwJK996XfznmU4APMJsD4aT1_irHUFNIsbOs-qTsBjAoRWsn5vkLIM5ycXc39S_4sjEYo6R9PqxPR_4s8Nku/s625/2b-rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="570" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaQB4mk0IPt5FCbiMk1f-ntPwSB3oedWndzIZkPL38aE68tJpg1fxx_Jq7_-RqbDNLidzn79n9rQPSV9IUerkYWtAc6hUqdZpZPSdcwJK996XfznmU4APMJsD4aT1_irHUFNIsbOs-qTsBjAoRWsn5vkLIM5ycXc39S_4sjEYo6R9PqxPR_4s8Nku/w326-h357/2b-rocks.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And now for not-so-usual stuff: on Thursday I drove to Yakima (about an hour away) to check out a used bookstore. It was fabulous:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTNovTMgZa65EHARleBT-y37Kq487xCP1qFyCHEqysroeO4QCihwcbSOwCoP35zY_uiBFnsjvYaNe4Ga1sbXHyzGwgl1JOmVjVnx8YS6d9K37g506HU8QZeRj-8qiWCs5Au8bBCv-Z6w3rWlOjF7sQrd-OIvMr8cBmEiuqunrFDbGM7g1EtAN1iBb/s833/3a-yak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="833" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTNovTMgZa65EHARleBT-y37Kq487xCP1qFyCHEqysroeO4QCihwcbSOwCoP35zY_uiBFnsjvYaNe4Ga1sbXHyzGwgl1JOmVjVnx8YS6d9K37g506HU8QZeRj-8qiWCs5Au8bBCv-Z6w3rWlOjF7sQrd-OIvMr8cBmEiuqunrFDbGM7g1EtAN1iBb/w387-h290/3a-yak.jpg" width="387" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>They also had a lot of antiques mixed in:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30Pbsd19eOjQHE9ovLOfzkzoInu0XM_aELYhWQTQNQrUjSpFFZpP7X0qpavIxE8hg1_0QVmASebZNj4x9GjzEFssdlt1MHbQ6awAUZkbUk7vMKKCOlwmVEvX8hxe2hbAsFlqYklURGGL60GuRrUmgmB4NR94UQvfRkHN81yWvnlRr1OgDA384vEN2/s758/3b-yak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30Pbsd19eOjQHE9ovLOfzkzoInu0XM_aELYhWQTQNQrUjSpFFZpP7X0qpavIxE8hg1_0QVmASebZNj4x9GjzEFssdlt1MHbQ6awAUZkbUk7vMKKCOlwmVEvX8hxe2hbAsFlqYklURGGL60GuRrUmgmB4NR94UQvfRkHN81yWvnlRr1OgDA384vEN2/s320/3b-yak.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBQNS7jvjbDX-xnMDJ_EHTn15s43lACZiFP0LULY3ZRLVqrxAkP-PQDPmkSJYipv19j5vF7ZH8VopS6rnHeiutbpcg_q0dwZLBS_cgaKDPMc0_EYPNWD-hQhJFmW09YkzHUHVaSVKyWRIu3a_yUWtbsoGLo6j9tKsqiWADrWNIcPitXpxxuJoLkRs/s758/3c-yak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBQNS7jvjbDX-xnMDJ_EHTn15s43lACZiFP0LULY3ZRLVqrxAkP-PQDPmkSJYipv19j5vF7ZH8VopS6rnHeiutbpcg_q0dwZLBS_cgaKDPMc0_EYPNWD-hQhJFmW09YkzHUHVaSVKyWRIu3a_yUWtbsoGLo6j9tKsqiWADrWNIcPitXpxxuJoLkRs/w377-h283/3c-yak.jpg" width="377" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Parts of it reminded me of Aziraphale's bookshop in <i>Good Omens</i>. I liked it very much, and bought a few books (though I didn't get any of the antiques).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHhqZMmxo8YFynKx5zp0mNlNwsUcZr5pSRz_ZmEPOVUO5uaLFRjjkVYfqwcDEX-wUz7Qop7hicfYneo1E183WLWknq7duIqe-g4dEPdgR5gcdKjRbN8a067_lPq6mHb2bNpQdzQlgK5fTUhydzk0u8ROXHpZ8ntBs83lR-Ksb3tPmLQU1ISLoLysa/s833/3d-yak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="833" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHhqZMmxo8YFynKx5zp0mNlNwsUcZr5pSRz_ZmEPOVUO5uaLFRjjkVYfqwcDEX-wUz7Qop7hicfYneo1E183WLWknq7duIqe-g4dEPdgR5gcdKjRbN8a067_lPq6mHb2bNpQdzQlgK5fTUhydzk0u8ROXHpZ8ntBs83lR-Ksb3tPmLQU1ISLoLysa/w393-h295/3d-yak.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Back to the more usual stuff: wiener group walks! On Saturday the dachshund club walked at Chiawana Park in Pasco, while one of the riverboats sailed past:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsWKPxXwxTVyCorKJfWeRdLa7avhXATACylxLMxoClOdBLyvOBFthraALU7HKIEaAb4Ya-dAA5T2v_zHNPFywDmQEh0S1RT70nYHzn-nnug3NDY-EwgyHYn1ABKhQ4b9uG7jgvW-Od-Coqf4hqH6HQubok4-jDQyJczl4_XGB7xJq5qJ2hpak4zOF/s1800/4a-wwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="1800" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsWKPxXwxTVyCorKJfWeRdLa7avhXATACylxLMxoClOdBLyvOBFthraALU7HKIEaAb4Ya-dAA5T2v_zHNPFywDmQEh0S1RT70nYHzn-nnug3NDY-EwgyHYn1ABKhQ4b9uG7jgvW-Od-Coqf4hqH6HQubok4-jDQyJczl4_XGB7xJq5qJ2hpak4zOF/w395-h274/4a-wwalk.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pippin's girlfriend was out of town, but we met a new dog: a longhaired blond named <i>Winston!</i> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA0nKpwHXCxCXWenWpauzLXF7Zur83L9lAU6shn47UvDOPsnlRPNA4_w8g73vLH8HEFABU-psUJypGaHr422FgtMo_MRStHb3Up1JGCAZUIwKP-m75PBfYrbfzFEyNYvtgWs1w_j2aAAIE3BJS4rBa4Wy0hvm7WPHqckKgePiCmoMVAKo-jYfEEpJ/s833/4b-wwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="833" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA0nKpwHXCxCXWenWpauzLXF7Zur83L9lAU6shn47UvDOPsnlRPNA4_w8g73vLH8HEFABU-psUJypGaHr422FgtMo_MRStHb3Up1JGCAZUIwKP-m75PBfYrbfzFEyNYvtgWs1w_j2aAAIE3BJS4rBa4Wy0hvm7WPHqckKgePiCmoMVAKo-jYfEEpJ/w365-h274/4b-wwalk.jpg" width="365" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Truman's best buddy up in Seattle is also a longhaired blond dachshund named Winston. How cool is that? Pippin liked him, too:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQMYGN0bAZ7PpfA9EajdCC7MUtmgxh_fC0FPV47baQchb6PPvk3XIjwUqvPAnzR370fGBLDnuIWh-JaqfOlH0u2JJrJaxvw3xiUhRQ6huwx6DIb6dGpbcXk_4KUmKNEaxNcgkx0OC75LYJ2yhbIg1jCsnrqlDVMsQ8Gnzcs2xaSS-H0cGrEyPIqSH/s758/4c-wwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQMYGN0bAZ7PpfA9EajdCC7MUtmgxh_fC0FPV47baQchb6PPvk3XIjwUqvPAnzR370fGBLDnuIWh-JaqfOlH0u2JJrJaxvw3xiUhRQ6huwx6DIb6dGpbcXk_4KUmKNEaxNcgkx0OC75LYJ2yhbIg1jCsnrqlDVMsQ8Gnzcs2xaSS-H0cGrEyPIqSH/w369-h277/4c-wwalk.jpg" width="369" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So that was fun. <div><br /></div><div>And that's my report.</div><div>May you all have as usual or unusual a week as you want to have!<br /><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-41831397182009383482022-05-23T05:00:00.001-07:002022-05-23T05:00:00.164-07:00Into the Wild...Well, Okay, Into Wenatchee....<p>Day trip! Last Tuesday I actually ventured forth from my beloved bubble (AKA "home") for a day-long road trip that took me and a Friend Who Shall Not Be Named all of 119 miles northwards, more or less, to the 35,000-population city of Wenatchee.</p><p>The main target was Ohme Gardens, which I'd vaguely heard of as a lovely spot and a star attraction of the area. This was a private home decades ago, which the owners donated to the county, and which turned out not to be what I consider a "garden" at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z-XoTTV8eMrouUPrvmI8ufrjvF9M5zL9ARubSYpACl6YU1nTTF6y0QJZzZb34LEhZDpgJfvX30RGCdNF6jaz-6ZW2bGEtfXTdaNZWQXuhMczccGtf9zgmCSPxlxr2ixLuDf_NSpJsh7gqQ8yacunl0BmzS-2nv_2ZbtmmvnCtnPwa8Tgnh0oZ6_Y/s1800/3a-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z-XoTTV8eMrouUPrvmI8ufrjvF9M5zL9ARubSYpACl6YU1nTTF6y0QJZzZb34LEhZDpgJfvX30RGCdNF6jaz-6ZW2bGEtfXTdaNZWQXuhMczccGtf9zgmCSPxlxr2ixLuDf_NSpJsh7gqQ8yacunl0BmzS-2nv_2ZbtmmvnCtnPwa8Tgnh0oZ6_Y/w387-h290/3a-ohme.jpg" width="387" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, it was nine acres and a mile's worth of stone paths and steps on a steep hillside with evergreens and wildflowers. No flower beds, no flowering shrubs, nothing but trees and rocks. Lots and lots of rocks.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2klLSsueTLZWRYh_6A9Jkyy4hy3kieiSJvxKqMo84kc4x-9xCpTNPrOTuNgFnZchffz08kSQ4wfyR-JpF2-eEtuLKT33mLbs465IFYZLpl4i13XuPoanu86gF5SKAhiLChf1wtvm96HRsszmeBlAzbMFoue4ntE-N_a_gntNaXopwPCOdAvWaaIXC/s1800/3b-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2klLSsueTLZWRYh_6A9Jkyy4hy3kieiSJvxKqMo84kc4x-9xCpTNPrOTuNgFnZchffz08kSQ4wfyR-JpF2-eEtuLKT33mLbs465IFYZLpl4i13XuPoanu86gF5SKAhiLChf1wtvm96HRsszmeBlAzbMFoue4ntE-N_a_gntNaXopwPCOdAvWaaIXC/w365-h274/3b-ohme.jpg" width="365" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There were several manmade pools scattered up and down the STEEP hillside:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EIcHpxWfYQXkaYobD7X4-1KXtirUZp-WirYba7Zk5D_oq5NGPyVhR7FPBJLXqhwLKX0NWtAx3X-3Vva1TcRXEB5Kj_5wJdM4f5_oLq7m18l51B6gG2P9kY-MgPcYuBMw5AF0xILL1sspBXqL3AUJcswoY50cLmO9dTpWwLLXjEMTIxTu3VyYJFIY/s1200/3c-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EIcHpxWfYQXkaYobD7X4-1KXtirUZp-WirYba7Zk5D_oq5NGPyVhR7FPBJLXqhwLKX0NWtAx3X-3Vva1TcRXEB5Kj_5wJdM4f5_oLq7m18l51B6gG2P9kY-MgPcYuBMw5AF0xILL1sspBXqL3AUJcswoY50cLmO9dTpWwLLXjEMTIxTu3VyYJFIY/w357-h268/3c-ohme.jpg" width="357" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I will admit that the viewpoints were grand, but it was not my idea of a garden, and with an $8 entry fee, it was rather on the disappointing side of things overall.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjIUzzAOB_HxCQcTc0axsoyXkoCpke5EgL7cZL96pIJPchlIciN1OvPZCdkmkb-Ks8cBAMyA6rxYMJSCLQcc28ASKjDz9V4B87pehNrEMoAc_cimj1zRsNdkxOU24Lr2cqnR-_5MrRUYYopPKggNk1Ef6-3eyTca3B4LYvZGV9YTJv1sZ7H0P1eHF/s1200/3d-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjIUzzAOB_HxCQcTc0axsoyXkoCpke5EgL7cZL96pIJPchlIciN1OvPZCdkmkb-Ks8cBAMyA6rxYMJSCLQcc28ASKjDz9V4B87pehNrEMoAc_cimj1zRsNdkxOU24Lr2cqnR-_5MrRUYYopPKggNk1Ef6-3eyTca3B4LYvZGV9YTJv1sZ7H0P1eHF/w360-h270/3d-ohme.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And there were an awful lot of stone steps. So many steps that we were offered the use of hiking poles at the entrance. Naturally, I have my own walking staff, which I made good use of, but the Friend Who Shall Not Be Named borrowed one of the poles and even then refused to go down some of the VERY STEEP paths (not shown...this is a mild one).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRgZLJwVAu24ydAMnWiLLdwULQl4YQD-WJ0EDBEwu1kakk9Z0D0EtkRoh6OInCr4wCI1tpJKIzuHwJolup3yzfBV7PFqFHtxQxQGDz-1bqm_gVvmjrL1-8qmwW8dVi9SvRDriq-A3hfgBHNTpRBsQWvfRDoF8XqvduGzdtpn1G4pSDswX22x_zJEz/s1200/3e-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRgZLJwVAu24ydAMnWiLLdwULQl4YQD-WJ0EDBEwu1kakk9Z0D0EtkRoh6OInCr4wCI1tpJKIzuHwJolup3yzfBV7PFqFHtxQxQGDz-1bqm_gVvmjrL1-8qmwW8dVi9SvRDriq-A3hfgBHNTpRBsQWvfRDoF8XqvduGzdtpn1G4pSDswX22x_zJEz/s320/3e-ohme.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>That's her up at the top of those rocks, refusing to go farther:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5Rp8wrlXT67KdXzkLegvp2AYcXPJFEZAU9YKUYX7xvE1I405XhG8eak2butSu9_Vcf1IN-VnjwGVWwxBVFsyYJpLC2fFpU4liYtKSTt3LORGV3t89xZgdc1tjustrCYo_wRE6BI_RaAcBBoZCxIbQNDhWsmpWTi3F4p1RnONHl0aLWUBTqAp_Cgm/s1800/3f-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1800" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5Rp8wrlXT67KdXzkLegvp2AYcXPJFEZAU9YKUYX7xvE1I405XhG8eak2butSu9_Vcf1IN-VnjwGVWwxBVFsyYJpLC2fFpU4liYtKSTt3LORGV3t89xZgdc1tjustrCYo_wRE6BI_RaAcBBoZCxIbQNDhWsmpWTi3F4p1RnONHl0aLWUBTqAp_Cgm/w412-h327/3f-ohme.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The pools had stone benches to rest on, which was a really good idea.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbIjQUQhmrJIO6xvYUpNicDDI_8F8zMljVsmeyxWX4YFGK1rfBaP8-xTlq9oV_egG8bpRFye1VyO7K27JuB6oHnfnZn1alUk-YwTiJNU9j3IBJkC-G26PsEGGy-NXxM7mrxiEgFhOLyqVRJaAl8R3h28TeKCej_zYSgQg8WOtsy3oBXZbedj4R94O/s1200/3g-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbIjQUQhmrJIO6xvYUpNicDDI_8F8zMljVsmeyxWX4YFGK1rfBaP8-xTlq9oV_egG8bpRFye1VyO7K27JuB6oHnfnZn1alUk-YwTiJNU9j3IBJkC-G26PsEGGy-NXxM7mrxiEgFhOLyqVRJaAl8R3h28TeKCej_zYSgQg8WOtsy3oBXZbedj4R94O/s320/3g-ohme.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After an hour of playing mountain goats, we scrambled on out of there and returned to the city proper, more or less. The reason the Friend is not named is because she turned out to be the world's worst navigator, and despite having both the GPS directions on her phone AND a physical map, she got me turned round on wrong streets going the wrong way so often that eventually I just started doing the opposite and managed to get where I wanted to be.</div><div><br /></div><div>My long held belief is that the person driving (ME) focuses on the road while the passenger's duty is to navigate. The Friend admitted, halfway through this little adventure during which I spent around six hours behind the wheel, that she had "a very bad sense of direction." Ah. Good to know. Even better to know it BEFORE heading off into the hinterlands where you've never been before and where the city planners decided logical street signs were optional.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ahem. Okay, so we survived, obviously. And after I took over navigational duties, we even got to our next destination -- downtown Wenatchee.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStsr03ds0xsrn6mez32LIMVjN5FTBLgciFfcP78ilqbME4_gX6_rvpRQpHmHLUFLw61dk5pKpaOPNKJcmJiEbOeMCR2CpCHp_n9yinV1h6cvxg8TCEjc5BEKsBOCdOFCCNccbfTuolgsOHPCJ39XfvRhOV_w8weSDZ_Cn1uHXMYF775TBFiS_eiTx/s833/3h-wen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="833" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStsr03ds0xsrn6mez32LIMVjN5FTBLgciFfcP78ilqbME4_gX6_rvpRQpHmHLUFLw61dk5pKpaOPNKJcmJiEbOeMCR2CpCHp_n9yinV1h6cvxg8TCEjc5BEKsBOCdOFCCNccbfTuolgsOHPCJ39XfvRhOV_w8weSDZ_Cn1uHXMYF775TBFiS_eiTx/w367-h275/3h-wen.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There we encountered my next mild disappointment -- the public market. I'd been told by other friends who shall not be named that it was a fabulous place full of fun stuff. What I found was a few restaurants, wine (which I don't drink), beer (which I don't drink), a tiny amount of fresh produce, a handful of gift shops of no distinction whatsoever, and a cheese shop where I couldn't buy cheese because I hadn't brought a cooler.</div><div><br /></div>Sigh. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1j0dH3t8MmlU2slphXTJzQSyTo8nHs5JDt5s2kKOjA2yW_17YsK2gBOirFnVuu40csuEUNeGDFZw13Zn1Qj1JlfXRDAvW2iQBo_EhOKLtrR8HZsdEHdm78yzoyA0whZMSws3ddMkczSmr7YFaLJ4ssx3dWAz3gWhckbO6j-9j3UhqyeEkJsSnuAA/s758/3i-wen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="758" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1j0dH3t8MmlU2slphXTJzQSyTo8nHs5JDt5s2kKOjA2yW_17YsK2gBOirFnVuu40csuEUNeGDFZw13Zn1Qj1JlfXRDAvW2iQBo_EhOKLtrR8HZsdEHdm78yzoyA0whZMSws3ddMkczSmr7YFaLJ4ssx3dWAz3gWhckbO6j-9j3UhqyeEkJsSnuAA/w380-h248/3i-wen.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the restaurants had outdoor seating, so at least we got lunch, which I'm happy to say was excellent, and which The Friend duly paid for. On the way out, I had a hankering for a small something in the way of chocolate for dessert, and spied some handmade truffles at one of the gift shops but naturally, just as I approached, a customer standing in the narrow aisle right in front of the truffles started coughing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Double sigh. I left without chocolate. HOWEVER, lest you think this was the Day Trip of Doom All Round, wait! It wasn't! Things began to turn towards the better when we went in search of an antique mall that I had reconnoitered online beforehand. It turned out to be <i>just as advertised, </i>unlike the garden that was not a garden. It was, in fact, stuffed full of fun and fabulous objects from days of yore.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I91gg9_krEh_E_plol0UaN6FQ5IyhLie0tts8mr_I7jFUzdH7NZ4AKjzTr9wFQby6g6yGJ3ueE6rdV2q0lF5CinCLKMFZEBI-TlYfRMoaXSqHTPg_gq6e4WvchLDoYXXMYmpCIHf63HuOYAtecTznclSCJ1JtRuUtNLPDL9RBrfehovKVpVC3H2-/s568/3j-wen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="471" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I91gg9_krEh_E_plol0UaN6FQ5IyhLie0tts8mr_I7jFUzdH7NZ4AKjzTr9wFQby6g6yGJ3ueE6rdV2q0lF5CinCLKMFZEBI-TlYfRMoaXSqHTPg_gq6e4WvchLDoYXXMYmpCIHf63HuOYAtecTznclSCJ1JtRuUtNLPDL9RBrfehovKVpVC3H2-/w314-h379/3j-wen.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I was fascinated by this cookie jar set from <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, which had ten in all, for a mere $2500 total:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeQRROsRbFS7JI94nMHMPVsMz_HGBcsDABpIU8qJHGAAgOtUFiOBJmaiBXIS6R5AuvC0bGExjR3XH6CI2GcJ6GBT6dRnPrurfuz6gsQafsnLirT4PEJRbtVnQsrSlqCmbz5glF7N0KeB7bIXkqbdwKp-_JplXsW_UdehMQVPD3w3nf5cLGCBUaxN2/s1107/3k-wen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1107" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeQRROsRbFS7JI94nMHMPVsMz_HGBcsDABpIU8qJHGAAgOtUFiOBJmaiBXIS6R5AuvC0bGExjR3XH6CI2GcJ6GBT6dRnPrurfuz6gsQafsnLirT4PEJRbtVnQsrSlqCmbz5glF7N0KeB7bIXkqbdwKp-_JplXsW_UdehMQVPD3w3nf5cLGCBUaxN2/w366-h188/3k-wen.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk6ny3FoYs-v7dy5_M9LhipzEU_XP_5FVa45uA4iUrQSxneIgUqLJXTutnSdwWpv4Nf5ZBI_cZ7FATemyXxM0CGvG4nxbYXo0vAd2azfHOCJ-3_-zk2909T8Sr-s2lXIqKbbFliMi7doahLakZBug30E9sGwPDhGA-y5HGbW1rGer1slec3F45ace/s568/3l-wen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="529" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk6ny3FoYs-v7dy5_M9LhipzEU_XP_5FVa45uA4iUrQSxneIgUqLJXTutnSdwWpv4Nf5ZBI_cZ7FATemyXxM0CGvG4nxbYXo0vAd2azfHOCJ-3_-zk2909T8Sr-s2lXIqKbbFliMi7doahLakZBug30E9sGwPDhGA-y5HGbW1rGer1slec3F45ace/s320/3l-wen.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I did not buy them. I'm not that fond of the movie. But there were also books!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-BXhBsJ5W-RYRrj39b60kvvciW8FxcMTeDphKfIWiRAd6hYZgqrRYdf5GF0JeSYtNMOR4rNf8ZBAlWGZuxZuombEjxT9roKd2iWQKUUnmyDvinrBdkDvlecTtN3OVj3FG-hD7a-qR7FZLFePgNAea-RC87xD0cDmrcZR8wgw3NrQdnwZF1d5PB6M/s758/3m-wen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-BXhBsJ5W-RYRrj39b60kvvciW8FxcMTeDphKfIWiRAd6hYZgqrRYdf5GF0JeSYtNMOR4rNf8ZBAlWGZuxZuombEjxT9roKd2iWQKUUnmyDvinrBdkDvlecTtN3OVj3FG-hD7a-qR7FZLFePgNAea-RC87xD0cDmrcZR8wgw3NrQdnwZF1d5PB6M/w378-h284/3m-wen.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I did buy these two books:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwXdIKs_OMNVp0obkAOm2FwFIKJKR8PnLGwZn4Gwz5uPePJhJ--LlA9VG3alZM2oIqR8uXrJVrIAOZLYN6gQg1xfQQlz6u9IaHzYd3oWlVzVYRerGHc_RdCZokQGIBfvozOEGwer4toRGiUu56LqS27pRML5u5SprR3HU5x4JVer1Luoa74-JEKBT/s568/3n-wen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="393" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwXdIKs_OMNVp0obkAOm2FwFIKJKR8PnLGwZn4Gwz5uPePJhJ--LlA9VG3alZM2oIqR8uXrJVrIAOZLYN6gQg1xfQQlz6u9IaHzYd3oWlVzVYRerGHc_RdCZokQGIBfvozOEGwer4toRGiUu56LqS27pRML5u5SprR3HU5x4JVer1Luoa74-JEKBT/w249-h361/3n-wen.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And I bought these two marvelous pelican salt and pepper shakers, seen here on display on my kitchen windowsill. Wahoo!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_BwZR8jj7RBwlgEr3H61FgvooDTH4-ymZoCJEG0_K25khYLbov0KWOCoGnQLz9l7t9f-OtLiFRztaXd6i27XoX7yMnDybMlCYPpH8jdLC5cPC2iU-a_rU5X3rF4cTBBXLBHhY9SgXiSB0a9fjxkDso9pfm8aZ0F_dcVh4Y88BuspjbVtgxizGFXa/s735/3o-ohme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="735" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_BwZR8jj7RBwlgEr3H61FgvooDTH4-ymZoCJEG0_K25khYLbov0KWOCoGnQLz9l7t9f-OtLiFRztaXd6i27XoX7yMnDybMlCYPpH8jdLC5cPC2iU-a_rU5X3rF4cTBBXLBHhY9SgXiSB0a9fjxkDso9pfm8aZ0F_dcVh4Y88BuspjbVtgxizGFXa/w340-h262/3o-ohme.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><p>Serendipity struck as I was searching for a parking spot on the crowded downtown main drag of Wenatchee where the antique mall stood -- I couldn't find one, so I drove around the block to park farther away, and right by that parking spot was a used bookstore that I didn't know about. Whee! So I dragged the Friend in there, too, and I bought three more books, AND the place was selling HANDMADE CHOCOLATES. Score!</p><p>They were absolutely scrumptious.</p><p>Then we drove home. Wenatchee is not reachable by normal, simple routes. You have to navigate a series of odd turns and backroads and at one point you have to drive east for several miles in order to go west and that sort of nonsense, and you have to do things like that for a good hour before you manage to get to a sensible highway that goes where you actually want to be. So, having experienced The Friend's map-reading skills on the way TO Wenatchee, I decided that on the drive FROM Wenatchee that I would ignore the bulk of her instructions and just wing it on my own sense of direction.</p><p>Most likely, if I had not done so, we'd be in Seattle by now.</p><p>Next time I get a weird urge to go on a road trip, I will be taking the Hounds instead. They have wonderful senses of direction (<i>HOME IS THIS WAY). Yup.</i></p><p>Okay, so that was the big adventure for the week. Nothing else happened other than the usual dog walks, the usual Looking at the Egret on the Riverbank, and sketching. </p><p>This first sketch is a view from the French village of Ternand. I have an acquaintance who is an ex-pat living in Lyons, and she likes to wander around exploring places when she's not working, and she likes to post photos to her Instagram, and the sketch group enjoys checking out those pics for possible drawing material. She has a good eye for fun details like this downspout:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJCx4n9NwNCop8dUZp8qWHbQsgXgLVGkYlzHfykmXsAfuRwnfz2jx3XNwtLgkw3-t7N_jZyXEt7Xlt699OxUzlsBjEeS6_P8x_ZgJayTkDsTg9BSMnGq3qODrdXEqMdLN_Zq1WoB4Bhc_YycR5w8CFso0ETqECrnlaO7maktDNCq726OSlPJA9uU9/s625/2b-downspout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="475" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJCx4n9NwNCop8dUZp8qWHbQsgXgLVGkYlzHfykmXsAfuRwnfz2jx3XNwtLgkw3-t7N_jZyXEt7Xlt699OxUzlsBjEeS6_P8x_ZgJayTkDsTg9BSMnGq3qODrdXEqMdLN_Zq1WoB4Bhc_YycR5w8CFso0ETqECrnlaO7maktDNCq726OSlPJA9uU9/w280-h369/2b-downspout.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div><br /></div>She also likes to venture farther afield and is currently visiting the Greek island of Santorini, so expect to see some of those views here soon.<div><br /></div><div>For the other drawing session, I wanted to use the gray toned paper again, and found this lovely gargoyle image. This turned out quite nicely -- I used black ink pens and some water-soluble brush pens in various gray shades, along with a bit of white gouache:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzumRa-xHtcDzbpDEP9wyzXqGgYzfGwLppIwtiRKkVeS4wO9qbDw3dk2ikQ8HXFMBmnGfxnR-WAzBUXgO6gm8ECsypM-bPigFGX18estgqBxp8YgTTienzxOlP606sxWPTmoQG0Z4LXa9gmzOQ5Tp17lEbVGpHbgUUXA1bHtb6h08KF0EMEe4eVnK/s568/2a-gargoyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="431" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzumRa-xHtcDzbpDEP9wyzXqGgYzfGwLppIwtiRKkVeS4wO9qbDw3dk2ikQ8HXFMBmnGfxnR-WAzBUXgO6gm8ECsypM-bPigFGX18estgqBxp8YgTTienzxOlP606sxWPTmoQG0Z4LXa9gmzOQ5Tp17lEbVGpHbgUUXA1bHtb6h08KF0EMEe4eVnK/w292-h385/2a-gargoyle.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This coming week I have no plans to go anywhere, and hope to enjoy hanging out in my little bubble away from the World and away from Mildly Disappointing Places.<div><br /></div><div>May you all have a lovely week ahead, and may you not make any wrong turns!<br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-29762219445060374572022-05-16T05:00:00.001-07:002022-05-16T05:00:00.166-07:00Back to the Refuge<p> It's been a while since I visited the McNary National Wildlife Refuge (which is about 11 miles away in Burbank). I tend to avoid it in Spring because it gets quite buggy, but one day last week I felt like venturing farther afield, and there was a light breeze, which can keep down the bugginess, so I tootled off.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_4FQi76R1QguwxFD_rFB0V3ZEsVdfwJPrUmSpAqA1nznHTu3Bn_mQUphTSxrVKytcP0Yl3vPu3ocCwp3XHaXtRCQgTWFQb87s3JhQ3hz9uWxM1uvb1lB_GUZ5DSSrJtnHthc1LmQqdyCUiJwiJ93SqrJK0en2kocyB6KJUkP-IoFyMEVad9vsP7p/s1800/2a-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="1800" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_4FQi76R1QguwxFD_rFB0V3ZEsVdfwJPrUmSpAqA1nznHTu3Bn_mQUphTSxrVKytcP0Yl3vPu3ocCwp3XHaXtRCQgTWFQb87s3JhQ3hz9uWxM1uvb1lB_GUZ5DSSrJtnHthc1LmQqdyCUiJwiJ93SqrJK0en2kocyB6KJUkP-IoFyMEVad9vsP7p/w426-h286/2a-nwr.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It turned out to be quite a lovely day, with nearly no bugs to speak of, and more birds than I anticipated seeing. One of my faves was out on the water -- the Ruddy Duck, with its fabulous blue bill and perky tail:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlsda_M6rMs9iG6pfubIZcgvarmkEftxj544tV3anGq1RBrG26UYePRoOc1NnBJ5R1-UHTsMdACY0qFGeP7Brxc0LIuWiGqWByIGsWki8n_hXuyy7L7_yhvCLfdsrJh3TUmIkkLlfn8XwK43Qojzp6zbelRLNQ-ysA3zWI_8vlPebZ_DcW8FW_U3A/s1595/2b-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="1595" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlsda_M6rMs9iG6pfubIZcgvarmkEftxj544tV3anGq1RBrG26UYePRoOc1NnBJ5R1-UHTsMdACY0qFGeP7Brxc0LIuWiGqWByIGsWki8n_hXuyy7L7_yhvCLfdsrJh3TUmIkkLlfn8XwK43Qojzp6zbelRLNQ-ysA3zWI_8vlPebZ_DcW8FW_U3A/w359-h333/2b-nwr.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzkhrsCSpg-rRdNakKv-50ycP7EbV-Azkm5AnPrt_bv1PdI6XfD99uE4jqJoE78Tzb3QMkPQcRXCg4vQvO4tF1DEbtwvBvsH_G4F1PG34CERnEcs_PCujv94qErBq_bEw5g_EIJQ7xuiWC02wdDzUjTvU7GgbOdRQ7JBdzRmKqYGeANnqkBqMD2Jj/s2169/2c-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2169" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzkhrsCSpg-rRdNakKv-50ycP7EbV-Azkm5AnPrt_bv1PdI6XfD99uE4jqJoE78Tzb3QMkPQcRXCg4vQvO4tF1DEbtwvBvsH_G4F1PG34CERnEcs_PCujv94qErBq_bEw5g_EIJQ7xuiWC02wdDzUjTvU7GgbOdRQ7JBdzRmKqYGeANnqkBqMD2Jj/s320/2c-nwr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Nearby was this Cinnamon Teal:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvP_k6WU6Bc3jm9cXKikTWzSYZcTddvbAyGN8XQEy-jVVNU6pTQf1D-1sOzw9G7ofpKeXB-_7rRYbA4KRuyorMABWQC6EqWH5VW0C6aIn6aqvZjQ1EYIlBGcK6_tt6FRYk9WjNFXNyqVhJ5t_vUOdJ-jT7KAXt6e7GFTE1QntZrob-emTZaRpZDcr/s1800/2d-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1800" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvP_k6WU6Bc3jm9cXKikTWzSYZcTddvbAyGN8XQEy-jVVNU6pTQf1D-1sOzw9G7ofpKeXB-_7rRYbA4KRuyorMABWQC6EqWH5VW0C6aIn6aqvZjQ1EYIlBGcK6_tt6FRYk9WjNFXNyqVhJ5t_vUOdJ-jT7KAXt6e7GFTE1QntZrob-emTZaRpZDcr/w377-h245/2d-nwr.jpg" width="377" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There were plenty of Yellow-headed Blackbirds in the reeds:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNv7K9uJGInLjdxpPk1IWhC0RXQVY2sEDrAkK2UlgDNZM9pJ5Z6GO3R5ArlaSruutkfzFEHrSBtZXL93-_i-6pDGch3v4I-I6t-mG_ECaoLz-4VfEPqHNUcDnroaB1Scah6CYJoehFJ7dYnvxsSixhTw05uPkIVHe1i4jDp7S9SSW65giF0FQoWN9/s1848/2e-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1848" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNv7K9uJGInLjdxpPk1IWhC0RXQVY2sEDrAkK2UlgDNZM9pJ5Z6GO3R5ArlaSruutkfzFEHrSBtZXL93-_i-6pDGch3v4I-I6t-mG_ECaoLz-4VfEPqHNUcDnroaB1Scah6CYJoehFJ7dYnvxsSixhTw05uPkIVHe1i4jDp7S9SSW65giF0FQoWN9/s320/2e-nwr.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The highlight, though, was an avocet that flew in and landed on the path, and strolled about for several minutes. I had never seen one of these splendid birds completely out of the water before. Check out those legs!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfsADZv-1qEMaw5kKxiouj8okd6D3UqkXq2eDndh01dDr2pVNmUsC9GhIBrmzcWh5pJ_DXN9ew4a0m-w6QYLEaDsT_2axnu3ozNvKZBs1Go3ZD6S0lE-cg2KZ4URjJNIQCH3h-Yip55NOk2ODZnCT16REkXBypojhckj82fwNyAQpXul27_Z5CiK4/s2175/2f-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="1710" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfsADZv-1qEMaw5kKxiouj8okd6D3UqkXq2eDndh01dDr2pVNmUsC9GhIBrmzcWh5pJ_DXN9ew4a0m-w6QYLEaDsT_2axnu3ozNvKZBs1Go3ZD6S0lE-cg2KZ4URjJNIQCH3h-Yip55NOk2ODZnCT16REkXBypojhckj82fwNyAQpXul27_Z5CiK4/w272-h346/2f-nwr.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Normally I only see them wading or swimming.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw7KB6tSdrv8aXDO3BOQBT1S-BBdpzpLLCfiCKLr848n0qoJuZ8S1FzBnuCWXWft6ON7ecLS9395a91Pdl9BRj2nqStX6Hesi7GC95Yfkch5qgoVa7Ow_nI0yzyIocNWyH8F7RWsbGFxK_j4Fb9JfHI7m6vYuQNx5GkgFmL40KDgpXubiAtbZD60H/s1913/2g-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1913" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw7KB6tSdrv8aXDO3BOQBT1S-BBdpzpLLCfiCKLr848n0qoJuZ8S1FzBnuCWXWft6ON7ecLS9395a91Pdl9BRj2nqStX6Hesi7GC95Yfkch5qgoVa7Ow_nI0yzyIocNWyH8F7RWsbGFxK_j4Fb9JfHI7m6vYuQNx5GkgFmL40KDgpXubiAtbZD60H/s320/2g-nwr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I had stopped at a park nearby to look for Ospreys on a nesting platform there, without any luck, but got to see one flying overhead instead:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_xc7Ovp6sWvkt-tW3aSwZ0GHAfbRHDgl-tnAKQXpDnsYvF-17AlgI2byCX4IM5unYv-Ocb7KIr2P0HtgtpgU2nB82pRlnN2yUESze5_psnz3rHFr49BIxtpHpi3PF7V0XhjnnFk4XZOTnIKD5KlCUr5HaUimdkze2hoKp_hMWzG7I_zmz5k-FZeD/s1009/2h-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1009" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_xc7Ovp6sWvkt-tW3aSwZ0GHAfbRHDgl-tnAKQXpDnsYvF-17AlgI2byCX4IM5unYv-Ocb7KIr2P0HtgtpgU2nB82pRlnN2yUESze5_psnz3rHFr49BIxtpHpi3PF7V0XhjnnFk4XZOTnIKD5KlCUr5HaUimdkze2hoKp_hMWzG7I_zmz5k-FZeD/w353-h285/2h-nwr.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And the Barn Swallows were busy swooping about -- I was happy to have one land briefly:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBR1y8Q5FB-euiImKQAYz0dBxtPzj1eTjyuxt9QypOTvfRZm5Xkeggj_Kj2AsVoOf5w5IUhCPGbxwD6RIYHDQDPKyYz3LZlP7qu14FB8GCAYqFHrDBA9zNwaSB5geb1f6h0Kl6wsOUg-Gl7N6kP0xjxtg5CA7tDqzZ0t0AFfwUYXTOC_zGQt8ZXmx/s2250/2i-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2162" data-original-width="2250" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBR1y8Q5FB-euiImKQAYz0dBxtPzj1eTjyuxt9QypOTvfRZm5Xkeggj_Kj2AsVoOf5w5IUhCPGbxwD6RIYHDQDPKyYz3LZlP7qu14FB8GCAYqFHrDBA9zNwaSB5geb1f6h0Kl6wsOUg-Gl7N6kP0xjxtg5CA7tDqzZ0t0AFfwUYXTOC_zGQt8ZXmx/s320/2i-nwr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I had brought lunch along, and Truman and Pippin and I enjoyed a rest on the refuge headquarters balcony, where I ate and they watched attentively.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXW35c8Ds7h0n8ujFq6HBrm8cIM8mfKbyfRTqR-nhu6Z4BM-EmabI2F23nUzTZM4q7LRNzPAFpaL2PScqeHOUmkgxkgb9J1kmmJXksnl27NLhvgQ5oIKjli5yelm-VKXY_prPu_oDerZrIbdtsbJ5AmRCitMZ4GBZ9vL9Z96zOClWI6P_kqi10xWB/s1800/2j-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXW35c8Ds7h0n8ujFq6HBrm8cIM8mfKbyfRTqR-nhu6Z4BM-EmabI2F23nUzTZM4q7LRNzPAFpaL2PScqeHOUmkgxkgb9J1kmmJXksnl27NLhvgQ5oIKjli5yelm-VKXY_prPu_oDerZrIbdtsbJ5AmRCitMZ4GBZ9vL9Z96zOClWI6P_kqi10xWB/w358-h269/2j-nwr.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwM5Tzg4DyyvqkPAZnumny93waGtmhCXHeRHC0-YTEG_aC9NK-X6VfG3b92r38x_iXFW7hM3QvKXdOaAGdJJ8_jw0tY9xdV1I0Kdf2ZNzre-as7oCo4aewZXnZvMmQ4QzoNOIiu2sevJVijSevXzvoij-7-i9nnNSEnXn_ymFV4c6bWZ31SJeY4iy/s1800/2k-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="1800" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwM5Tzg4DyyvqkPAZnumny93waGtmhCXHeRHC0-YTEG_aC9NK-X6VfG3b92r38x_iXFW7hM3QvKXdOaAGdJJ8_jw0tY9xdV1I0Kdf2ZNzre-as7oCo4aewZXnZvMmQ4QzoNOIiu2sevJVijSevXzvoij-7-i9nnNSEnXn_ymFV4c6bWZ31SJeY4iy/s320/2k-nwr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwLPKfADmO8uoWix1YyPr23bABd7n1TJ9P46_GNYYMZGvCbJH272TdORrUHnDGOLQsbtQvSTXe8G7aqkmEQAYa5bgWyq5C0zKyFF3EQSNR0FgD1x9nvfQNnQVKizYv2u7lLXEUuoayafnrcF6i6ofEfu7GJyntFgM7AOOcNPpzHJ4BD82_mumYlyh/s1800/2l-nwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1800" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwLPKfADmO8uoWix1YyPr23bABd7n1TJ9P46_GNYYMZGvCbJH272TdORrUHnDGOLQsbtQvSTXe8G7aqkmEQAYa5bgWyq5C0zKyFF3EQSNR0FgD1x9nvfQNnQVKizYv2u7lLXEUuoayafnrcF6i6ofEfu7GJyntFgM7AOOcNPpzHJ4BD82_mumYlyh/w347-h292/2l-nwr.jpg" width="347" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On a different outing, closer to home, I spied this lovely female Common Merganser on the Columbia River:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhlPsnwpoo40eJmYFhqYQO2qnB_gHzBMwfO1zy0b3EbmdVZD8Uf1ebz8rbwgKlxuZQQpL7vPMWobVvYebvQNQml5U4ILd3n_ZuaCsVkhVl3GPDM3XOgz-8MVZ_9692RA5gKhkXwiMMbkORaVGp_FREDs52bCBCBds5ulir27w8mCAkUvLCARo7bXi/s2068/3b-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1727" data-original-width="2068" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhlPsnwpoo40eJmYFhqYQO2qnB_gHzBMwfO1zy0b3EbmdVZD8Uf1ebz8rbwgKlxuZQQpL7vPMWobVvYebvQNQml5U4ILd3n_ZuaCsVkhVl3GPDM3XOgz-8MVZ_9692RA5gKhkXwiMMbkORaVGp_FREDs52bCBCBds5ulir27w8mCAkUvLCARo7bXi/s320/3b-lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And the Great Egret that's been frequenting that riverside park was back fishing several days last week. The fish it catches are rather on the small side. Here's a pic of one:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tj8wrpt2DNP7vzNkgXhAX7HIGk9tNs6ymYXYQYLVdqyh1WBkFheilAVBcbE5dzzSUMu9mQHc8thGmhIf5Cq_t11yJvfcWqjM6ueJFMKmZVdX_TFKqqvJEryQ6hKO0QkxB91d6rbusnagsWbZ1IGqPM3mCEGb9VF-AQdzjRzceVewYytRTBUvmBfh/s822/3c-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="822" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tj8wrpt2DNP7vzNkgXhAX7HIGk9tNs6ymYXYQYLVdqyh1WBkFheilAVBcbE5dzzSUMu9mQHc8thGmhIf5Cq_t11yJvfcWqjM6ueJFMKmZVdX_TFKqqvJEryQ6hKO0QkxB91d6rbusnagsWbZ1IGqPM3mCEGb9VF-AQdzjRzceVewYytRTBUvmBfh/s320/3c-lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Last but hardly least, on yet <i>another</i> outing to a different park on the Yakima River, I got to see this delightful Lark Sparrow -- it was eating a dandelion.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpPYI8HBrh82mK-wh4iXiFRFkyqs4QcPuH6FnbDP6y2lW3zbgP6kiFEEUPJFeGgONX4MP9krVrRYAVMb5JmNiy2OX8SQC-qrLMQ_SeLwb91B2GwjKGttM4iolWcT-NReW_pZRW7QLi-xjRalzXfZ88PkoRxJrXu_pHhyOdABz7Gagr657e-pSgqru/s1474/3d-larksparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1474" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpPYI8HBrh82mK-wh4iXiFRFkyqs4QcPuH6FnbDP6y2lW3zbgP6kiFEEUPJFeGgONX4MP9krVrRYAVMb5JmNiy2OX8SQC-qrLMQ_SeLwb91B2GwjKGttM4iolWcT-NReW_pZRW7QLi-xjRalzXfZ88PkoRxJrXu_pHhyOdABz7Gagr657e-pSgqru/w392-h271/3d-larksparrow.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It seems appropriate that after such a birdy week, one of our art session pictures should be a heron:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcSI4XUu5wXMN9ceSkkNa1LZPwGWh0ZEy3B5uJRc44ShHxLOcm6jDtYqHVbXQAphr4euboseagETirbhDwSHgMCkzNxOzdF-S-_0PPSrG4680S3GHoT1yZo9TYnABcP7S5d8qxJb01dSUy-VT68vMv83qSwXhYjKfVIDEFLRY9D_hwvv16GisnSQ7/s625/4a-heron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="467" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcSI4XUu5wXMN9ceSkkNa1LZPwGWh0ZEy3B5uJRc44ShHxLOcm6jDtYqHVbXQAphr4euboseagETirbhDwSHgMCkzNxOzdF-S-_0PPSrG4680S3GHoT1yZo9TYnABcP7S5d8qxJb01dSUy-VT68vMv83qSwXhYjKfVIDEFLRY9D_hwvv16GisnSQ7/w289-h387/4a-heron.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The second session pic was <i>not</i> a bird. My fellow Zoom artists chose a picture of a fungus to draw, which I did not find inspiring. I decided to do a google image search for lighthouses, one of my favorite subjects, and found an unusual one to try. It's a still from a 2019 film called, simply enough, <i>The Lighthouse</i>. The picture was dark and gloomy and menacing, with no details in the figures. I had a good time drawing this, using ink and watercolor on gray toned paper:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6qhZyHmLwfke96XncJqaHe2Oj9HgBjMCx-6Sq85YpNBA85dsjGzwmW-Hr3Jp5aCF0gq6GMMhZXPID322tu6HVP8g-Crf-zoXC8idwM-uBMW_VDlBAWZMwBnC3VapSlQ-6x9kJ2qqyTU6hllzZXnzO24NnXg5cXkeJW08msOrG4sxnDSJDkLb8-yT/s625/4b-lighthouse2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="569" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6qhZyHmLwfke96XncJqaHe2Oj9HgBjMCx-6Sq85YpNBA85dsjGzwmW-Hr3Jp5aCF0gq6GMMhZXPID322tu6HVP8g-Crf-zoXC8idwM-uBMW_VDlBAWZMwBnC3VapSlQ-6x9kJ2qqyTU6hllzZXnzO24NnXg5cXkeJW08msOrG4sxnDSJDkLb8-yT/w336-h369/4b-lighthouse2.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Quite different from my typical drawings!</div><div><br /></div><div>That's it for the roundup. Have a great week out there!</div><p><br /></p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-29393557030996763182022-05-09T05:00:00.001-07:002022-05-09T05:00:00.165-07:00in Which the Weather Cooperates<p>It was not exactly <i>good</i> weather last week, but between the rain showers and the 20mph winds, the Hounds and I managed to get out and about, and we had some lovely walks. One thing I like about Spring here is that it signals the return of the Great Egrets, who spend their winters much farther south. We had most excellent views of several of these magnificent birds on our walks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUbRcgIxNAW5TEf5QidVKwMV238TUsrhs3sNIFCGjpoYkXLDzlKD7IXOuUJsFOccg3omtQwcsWunU6RGaO-tavAMBhzdsaiCHOwzxQe-STNSVxRYf4Sifze-AHm_CdwsYz0wvKVXCOf5K2P2PFoswVTMMAXYuuUwLldYQVMpDjl4vUyiZsvH9rqzO/s1800/3a-egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1568" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUbRcgIxNAW5TEf5QidVKwMV238TUsrhs3sNIFCGjpoYkXLDzlKD7IXOuUJsFOccg3omtQwcsWunU6RGaO-tavAMBhzdsaiCHOwzxQe-STNSVxRYf4Sifze-AHm_CdwsYz0wvKVXCOf5K2P2PFoswVTMMAXYuuUwLldYQVMpDjl4vUyiZsvH9rqzO/w317-h364/3a-egret.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, actually, <i>I</i> had excellent views. Pippin and Truman expressed utter indifference. They prefer to chase the sparrows in their back yard.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6vVybvHUUIChULIF6vjM8gp1F7MfGPmyzSyXSMAGSvdRWyuwSEOsv9LMrbHukh3F2WIbPMOo0DnzJzSL6_uttPVrOv2f62SzIa6FhvmiPZPsges9vVWVUUL8eNTat8sg6EZebP3EQIjYFZnM-rRSjP8yA-rBalqvb-ExLgbQf10pwUw1_CSfs6cW/s1660/3b-egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1660" data-original-width="1413" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6vVybvHUUIChULIF6vjM8gp1F7MfGPmyzSyXSMAGSvdRWyuwSEOsv9LMrbHukh3F2WIbPMOo0DnzJzSL6_uttPVrOv2f62SzIa6FhvmiPZPsges9vVWVUUL8eNTat8sg6EZebP3EQIjYFZnM-rRSjP8yA-rBalqvb-ExLgbQf10pwUw1_CSfs6cW/s320/3b-egret.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On several different days there was an egret fishing at the same spot in one of our favorite parks.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAGY_gq_l4Z_-fF-u8ESHAEXyH5oD9l1xJpp2XB7z1lxN5Wl1Un005q2rdESHOpVO4bvVmM_mFKfo9YrddYFF35-GYNgAZsGObkT0QtG-HgiF-9-905f31jgh3-n26WPZlPwQV6tNFoLh9kiDYPCiIRpv5d5_-SmdXabbnBHH8oYfj4c43M2zj0OX/s2400/3e-egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="2400" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAGY_gq_l4Z_-fF-u8ESHAEXyH5oD9l1xJpp2XB7z1lxN5Wl1Un005q2rdESHOpVO4bvVmM_mFKfo9YrddYFF35-GYNgAZsGObkT0QtG-HgiF-9-905f31jgh3-n26WPZlPwQV6tNFoLh9kiDYPCiIRpv5d5_-SmdXabbnBHH8oYfj4c43M2zj0OX/w395-h236/3e-egret.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At one point the bird seemed to notice our presence, and stretched its amazing neck for a better view.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqWgNneyXgYcS2nin9FK_lGV4PRhj82fQA7MLuruiOXg1q25nNdWkS5wI4xhNTPiqEzg_-pzDkN-7u-onkM-4vG_MsYNYuYEgqJFrPNqceHb2wspLjnOX9sjfbFQ56H4t2UMf_y9EYrmnSuNQTxnBqqiA8l0YpE7Y0a1jKCTbERJQ-2-z6R-phAat/s2034/3g-egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2034" data-original-width="1194" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqWgNneyXgYcS2nin9FK_lGV4PRhj82fQA7MLuruiOXg1q25nNdWkS5wI4xhNTPiqEzg_-pzDkN-7u-onkM-4vG_MsYNYuYEgqJFrPNqceHb2wspLjnOX9sjfbFQ56H4t2UMf_y9EYrmnSuNQTxnBqqiA8l0YpE7Y0a1jKCTbERJQ-2-z6R-phAat/w213-h363/3g-egret.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o7HDh3PQ0LqJ2bx-41h0nNv7vHEce4jfff-t4HYfqQ2470BUhhuLngz9fRgReLdgW97nJ9dU7oJ56kuOdfD7gIjFwonCywH-biXoK8rDbx9j0C-2bY1sZSOVR_NfiWxHTZOO59jL0P2It1AZMhdgnK3D2W7s9eRhX4Sb_rg_QTdzzGMJQZfdUK9d/s1640/3ha-egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="1640" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o7HDh3PQ0LqJ2bx-41h0nNv7vHEce4jfff-t4HYfqQ2470BUhhuLngz9fRgReLdgW97nJ9dU7oJ56kuOdfD7gIjFwonCywH-biXoK8rDbx9j0C-2bY1sZSOVR_NfiWxHTZOO59jL0P2It1AZMhdgnK3D2W7s9eRhX4Sb_rg_QTdzzGMJQZfdUK9d/w344-h335/3ha-egret.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It didn't seem perturbed by us, but when a second egret arrived, the first one took flight.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L-1YSsz4dDukQ375qQiSARtbzETF5S9IGBFEes3Ok7Qxu0CXwFDoYUeVNA3er5j_s0gD_SgSZtkNc8a0Oy7tKsDz03XvTc6O3DSY3iTcIhGjxom1m8HGB3cBwFOdjT_a0i8f24OVQd_oOeQKbS5JAiE5r9tK-RahCGskeYAzrx410anpmMZiFPhr/s2200/3j-egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1669" data-original-width="2200" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L-1YSsz4dDukQ375qQiSARtbzETF5S9IGBFEes3Ok7Qxu0CXwFDoYUeVNA3er5j_s0gD_SgSZtkNc8a0Oy7tKsDz03XvTc6O3DSY3iTcIhGjxom1m8HGB3cBwFOdjT_a0i8f24OVQd_oOeQKbS5JAiE5r9tK-RahCGskeYAzrx410anpmMZiFPhr/w346-h263/3j-egret.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I also enjoyed watching a Red-tailed Hawk soaring high overhead.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNu5xBKq9nZL9aq25SOwRdfm_VZVBQ2Xebt-9_YUSw4viSXPoHExxJpsJFOLfwScTg6nMD2rV9R1lMht2kijj0DimmnnOKQ8pPu5iIEGt6enP0B_BgCXPNDapQfFautE60x5A5JL4Rx71XNxJhm4bttQxn2MPRqw-6Dfq6RWp89Cr-0eOehA7FpV6b/s1261/3k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1261" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNu5xBKq9nZL9aq25SOwRdfm_VZVBQ2Xebt-9_YUSw4viSXPoHExxJpsJFOLfwScTg6nMD2rV9R1lMht2kijj0DimmnnOKQ8pPu5iIEGt6enP0B_BgCXPNDapQfFautE60x5A5JL4Rx71XNxJhm4bttQxn2MPRqw-6Dfq6RWp89Cr-0eOehA7FpV6b/w347-h293/3k.jpg" width="347" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On another day, we visited Columbia Park, which is a bit farther away. We don't go very often, but it's always a pleasant place. In addition to the wonderful river views, there is a large pond:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yGi9UjFMDR5jb7fjyvCgr7yPIL_boDDejiFPWq8JeTTjE99aVYFkGJcpbhZjXq8YYWSYoWCcwelUC0sXFhOXtvMX4j2Frh1UpZFFrmiQWSFSx0Ydk3F0sMs1GPlVv2797m8EqMhbLbUz-hO8PA6HzRDsrp-LLxvjszc4CngqfFkEk252bpP_7ByM/s1800/4a-colpk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yGi9UjFMDR5jb7fjyvCgr7yPIL_boDDejiFPWq8JeTTjE99aVYFkGJcpbhZjXq8YYWSYoWCcwelUC0sXFhOXtvMX4j2Frh1UpZFFrmiQWSFSx0Ydk3F0sMs1GPlVv2797m8EqMhbLbUz-hO8PA6HzRDsrp-LLxvjszc4CngqfFkEk252bpP_7ByM/w372-h279/4a-colpk.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A lone pelican graced the waters. They are also migratory.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcundC9qJIYZV4xAtEN4SBM9z-KKV6KDFmbEbE45KR_DtJ9pCUPw0AeYMvWrGuynSGHhC-S9rwAgITT8U61hzv0YH2Ic-HuPUsU_7iOo0BDp3RRraoumfsFBdE8jow_Ca-T9lvjG_jIwbTBbqb5N482NuzYaPPLLzSDQNozmvdASoDayt4CALPimwW/s1800/4b-colpk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1383" data-original-width="1800" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcundC9qJIYZV4xAtEN4SBM9z-KKV6KDFmbEbE45KR_DtJ9pCUPw0AeYMvWrGuynSGHhC-S9rwAgITT8U61hzv0YH2Ic-HuPUsU_7iOo0BDp3RRraoumfsFBdE8jow_Ca-T9lvjG_jIwbTBbqb5N482NuzYaPPLLzSDQNozmvdASoDayt4CALPimwW/w358-h275/4b-colpk.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the riverside, we were treated to a view of one of the riverboats navigating beneath a bridge:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioh5B9zwJKQQXCQQoPa_7pZaDmvNuSi6KsH6EHgJYIYS71vZVz2hM2RotZgavyD0Q0SNBWOBHzuZmyz1DXc9MNxrgWQSWqFpZ1GBExH2bGqcprj15btls5tIzZ12oAUtVbTJ2d3BPFLRL5rtolMzMeDWRRgf7hoaPuQZqM2J4qjfXjyK_Fi2D7c2Xg/s574/4c-colpk2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="574" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioh5B9zwJKQQXCQQoPa_7pZaDmvNuSi6KsH6EHgJYIYS71vZVz2hM2RotZgavyD0Q0SNBWOBHzuZmyz1DXc9MNxrgWQSWqFpZ1GBExH2bGqcprj15btls5tIzZ12oAUtVbTJ2d3BPFLRL5rtolMzMeDWRRgf7hoaPuQZqM2J4qjfXjyK_Fi2D7c2Xg/w423-h291/4c-colpk2.jpg" width="423" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_H5mrPurLAVFjx5_12db4YrKz_Td1yrcsPGPyi15LypOhdkHnlZY8V9WglOc8QVSPPL53veIQLN5zF7MSaJfRRz6C7owbHPXyaIT8unzCPmbWKDGmnI9Z8smwgMAqblvu696Gfpz10cXkC051s5ir5gVpHd7e-DivylrmaCHkonAFU-j8HNW2LXh/s926/4d-colpk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="926" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_H5mrPurLAVFjx5_12db4YrKz_Td1yrcsPGPyi15LypOhdkHnlZY8V9WglOc8QVSPPL53veIQLN5zF7MSaJfRRz6C7owbHPXyaIT8unzCPmbWKDGmnI9Z8smwgMAqblvu696Gfpz10cXkC051s5ir5gVpHd7e-DivylrmaCHkonAFU-j8HNW2LXh/w398-h298/4d-colpk.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>During our walk, we found this lovely stream that runs from the pond to the river:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWJLL-5xsjz1IDeSPiEuu7ekWM9TgRjxdhNblKeWej1RM7r6dVn-StlzeIpKhH6edIAul9rf6kak26nr0BOydk4Kedzb1QOcKw_mFgqkf24QYaL6NNqvKNqv45VRonvYw1HCLEtBiSyU4f45OxX8sKrcdQ7YtUsZ924uKDz8X9_B8IZQd3z_cFBp-/s895/4e-colpk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="895" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWJLL-5xsjz1IDeSPiEuu7ekWM9TgRjxdhNblKeWej1RM7r6dVn-StlzeIpKhH6edIAul9rf6kak26nr0BOydk4Kedzb1QOcKw_mFgqkf24QYaL6NNqvKNqv45VRonvYw1HCLEtBiSyU4f45OxX8sKrcdQ7YtUsZ924uKDz8X9_B8IZQd3z_cFBp-/w371-h262/4e-colpk.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And there was an enormous tree -- dachshund in stroller provided for scale!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27yz2AH7pGkeWc3M_tNoc9QgyXlbf3fIvoi2pNRCOx6bd2gC20EHVPFSFivCL_IVmBKtaJDgeX0OHucjGrRjxpOKltgAe8k62i65DRXaJHdoU5n5YLnUAjXns_bC5OJY2qlWt4HUWFzytIpqXO_RC-2wqn4-mYDkXNxQcKSSu4OtLJ2ZjtoJ3_min/s841/4fcolpk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27yz2AH7pGkeWc3M_tNoc9QgyXlbf3fIvoi2pNRCOx6bd2gC20EHVPFSFivCL_IVmBKtaJDgeX0OHucjGrRjxpOKltgAe8k62i65DRXaJHdoU5n5YLnUAjXns_bC5OJY2qlWt4HUWFzytIpqXO_RC-2wqn4-mYDkXNxQcKSSu4OtLJ2ZjtoJ3_min/w404-h303/4fcolpk.jpg" width="404" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are two bonus pics of the amazing Great Egret:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCiGrwKlL541lr1u1d9zaW5w-u5fjIJii1z-tAjCLF9dKbyhn2o1-_Vx8K8B0Pqxbc7TdEJcVnUEvUmEwwZBp7DXtnER19Rb1-Q3Bvp8Oa_37FrXCcG83D16f3azPNGYhEaHx4GzhlqBrA4y38NAGeW_VAU6oTTPoMDJODNfUQbUqAyVzERHMNODm/s2200/5a-bonusegret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1985" data-original-width="2200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCiGrwKlL541lr1u1d9zaW5w-u5fjIJii1z-tAjCLF9dKbyhn2o1-_Vx8K8B0Pqxbc7TdEJcVnUEvUmEwwZBp7DXtnER19Rb1-Q3Bvp8Oa_37FrXCcG83D16f3azPNGYhEaHx4GzhlqBrA4y38NAGeW_VAU6oTTPoMDJODNfUQbUqAyVzERHMNODm/w355-h320/5a-bonusegret.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUBDVlTroEAWNFIzMO8pFcrg46m1eDfEH8hK5c9sc16cEJu_HcvbIFujCgxc5QkNHeI5HAYTmvFkJGSYBhlOUALxBAGt7qR1wJ6s65r_ZyW--y28xuMAOMvcBTeTpSFgnoAhJf5y9cfPYIMEtZFjUZSyLIsB8HDkw6DwA4UAkb-JNpssC9U1Bvffm/s1959/5b-bonusegret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1907" data-original-width="1959" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUBDVlTroEAWNFIzMO8pFcrg46m1eDfEH8hK5c9sc16cEJu_HcvbIFujCgxc5QkNHeI5HAYTmvFkJGSYBhlOUALxBAGt7qR1wJ6s65r_ZyW--y28xuMAOMvcBTeTpSFgnoAhJf5y9cfPYIMEtZFjUZSyLIsB8HDkw6DwA4UAkb-JNpssC9U1Bvffm/w331-h323/5b-bonusegret.jpg" width="331" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Okay, that's plenty of Nature for this post. Let's look at the art I did last week.<div><br /></div><div>For our Monday "freeform" session, I chose a pic of Harlech Castle in Wales, did a quick pencil sketch, and used watercolor to paint it, as usual. It wasn't that detailed, but it turned out fine, and I do like the clouds:<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltEGZGVEQbrflXij4yogpl396vXu9B9Ygd3Qhb5Oz3r5lWmAM5Bi9EQko0vgHnjI1qt2xc8nD4CindIGBwFuOO1KNZLSDfkFAExjcbISnaacHmCel2KnzVb2SeeD0WZtnAHJaI_bbtLDUfojtUmTkINSa5-MRNDPhTxzHrpSF1inNI5ra1RGrvze9/s2400/2a-harlech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="2400" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltEGZGVEQbrflXij4yogpl396vXu9B9Ygd3Qhb5Oz3r5lWmAM5Bi9EQko0vgHnjI1qt2xc8nD4CindIGBwFuOO1KNZLSDfkFAExjcbISnaacHmCel2KnzVb2SeeD0WZtnAHJaI_bbtLDUfojtUmTkINSa5-MRNDPhTxzHrpSF1inNI5ra1RGrvze9/w388-h261/2a-harlech.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On Wednesday we chose some peculiar rocks in a badlands area, under a full moon. I used both ink and watercolor. I enjoyed trying to capture the shading on the rocks:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk_bpq_HQ0M4eQ8rL54L-S113SY13-I0VIo2F8kFdl51fwrPh4ETqtbNiu6L64dGAzgKymNmw6m2HHoMHni6M2xWLzlH6GIlo5t-xQs5Z1v6mb5r1rUR5UPeFLJ4E-WvjRfq4s_-jcekFgvIE-g4uZfgn_8L-pkUjVzBQhx2Vj19mCT8v3BUX0JYS/s694/2b-badlands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="655" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk_bpq_HQ0M4eQ8rL54L-S113SY13-I0VIo2F8kFdl51fwrPh4ETqtbNiu6L64dGAzgKymNmw6m2HHoMHni6M2xWLzlH6GIlo5t-xQs5Z1v6mb5r1rUR5UPeFLJ4E-WvjRfq4s_-jcekFgvIE-g4uZfgn_8L-pkUjVzBQhx2Vj19mCT8v3BUX0JYS/w348-h369/2b-badlands.jpg" width="348" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For our Friday session we opted for a rhino close-up. I did a careful pencil drawing, then spent a lot of time on an ink drawing, and finished it off with some watercolor:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7YuowyPtSCp6Yf60fCIkiTPkGQW9B8o1LILrnYqclxfjYu0gOMGxpWfokHu-FTTF8lp6CVM2rdLxwVnu9WfEZrFrjPb__pZi5aK6z2rTLUljCocB-afVVEySyYzIatJWG2ohCcQC91MVRcdAWpD6o86z6eqW5oSEKdabaf4q5eY-RuHk9WJfnq7r/s694/2c-rhino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7YuowyPtSCp6Yf60fCIkiTPkGQW9B8o1LILrnYqclxfjYu0gOMGxpWfokHu-FTTF8lp6CVM2rdLxwVnu9WfEZrFrjPb__pZi5aK6z2rTLUljCocB-afVVEySyYzIatJWG2ohCcQC91MVRcdAWpD6o86z6eqW5oSEKdabaf4q5eY-RuHk9WJfnq7r/s320/2c-rhino.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><div><br /></div>That's all for this past week. There are signs of life in all the plants I put in my garden, so perhaps next week there will be a flower update. </div><div><br /></div><div>Have a wonderful week out there, everyone!<br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-4910432162865053192022-05-02T05:00:00.001-07:002022-05-02T05:00:00.162-07:00 Rainy DaysI live in a desert. Well, technically, it is a "semi" desert region, or semi-arid, or shrub-steppe. The basic idea is that it isn't supposed to get a lot of RAIN (though it gets more than a true desert). Typically, we get 7 inches of rain a year. Most of it, apparently, over the past two weeks.<div><br /></div><div>In other words, I'm using the weather as an excuse for not posting anything of an outdoorsy nature this time. All you're going to get is some watercolor paintings and one required adorable dachshund pic.</div><div><br /></div><div>My friends and I have three drawing sessions a week. For two of them, we choose a photo to draw. The third meeting is freeform. We can work on anything we like. The trouble is, I don't like anything. Except Crowley and Aziraphale from <i>Good Omens.</i> As you all should know by now, I've drawn pretty much every single image of them from the first series that could possibly have any interest whatsoever. And the second series won't be aired until sometime in 2023. So I am utterly uninspired, which makes that third session rather challenging.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ah, but this past week, I had an idea! My idea was this: <i>steal from someone else</i>. This is often a good fallback when you have no original ideas of your own. So I stole from my fellow art session friend, Jocelyn. She likes to add things to any landscape she finds a bit dull, and most often she adds a pterodactyl or two. Why, I could try that. And I did.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a landscape I drew during one of our regular "choose a photo and all draw it" sessions. Clearly, it needed some livening up:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWqAy8anKGBzwuyzsS1Tt3xL7CxTQzqGoEROsx1gOIXPpihEFgwfhRbVutCKk3rgPqpj3Y3QkrACY8EVnw8CmqrlGLjbmvxbl7-k3vCvB9Mj0ayJULQ_MxyhyqS1uC5qDq9TCOZrPAMCFrJpXw8umHSPXe7TqnwfB2eHw3f_FAYg6s0yHSHkEezJM/s651/1d-hatrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="478" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWqAy8anKGBzwuyzsS1Tt3xL7CxTQzqGoEROsx1gOIXPpihEFgwfhRbVutCKk3rgPqpj3Y3QkrACY8EVnw8CmqrlGLjbmvxbl7-k3vCvB9Mj0ayJULQ_MxyhyqS1uC5qDq9TCOZrPAMCFrJpXw8umHSPXe7TqnwfB2eHw3f_FAYg6s0yHSHkEezJM/s320/1d-hatrock.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I livened it up by giving it a pterodactyl:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx69tGybRnVOgcqwNw4-sU1fErR-ianXjxrcFOx7CTxCxCVBCB9ZbTZRuamTuYA59zDO-vXZmjjOH9iB1yEs7bAKwSHYA-_RjVV5jt295D3yhX_Ot3xr6_m2HaANKWACQugOcVqtiBzMClIsU0DhuoQR1xq5KbqAmYru616C-z1F2XK5CgsIIj6up9/s663/1a-ptero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="585" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx69tGybRnVOgcqwNw4-sU1fErR-ianXjxrcFOx7CTxCxCVBCB9ZbTZRuamTuYA59zDO-vXZmjjOH9iB1yEs7bAKwSHYA-_RjVV5jt295D3yhX_Ot3xr6_m2HaANKWACQugOcVqtiBzMClIsU0DhuoQR1xq5KbqAmYru616C-z1F2XK5CgsIIj6up9/w343-h389/1a-ptero.jpg" width="343" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A clear improvement, if you ask me.<div><br /></div><div>And here is a boring lighthouse which I painted some weeks ago in a rather messy fashion:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexfTfEPZ7j_zq7R5YYSJimXROB2_Dg6Q-Ikm0WL6H9jsYhL7BGgbztvRXJhfHR046IpZIeY3vELHBMkdOp4cpduda5TFwANSNLZt9p4ced22JCat4weDTPICbobdoQnGeMBWyCoq_zk11P70fD-iMUQ4vKOLHEccvRjHpvtydnTb8ev1hHup8LHWW/s694/1a-lighthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexfTfEPZ7j_zq7R5YYSJimXROB2_Dg6Q-Ikm0WL6H9jsYhL7BGgbztvRXJhfHR046IpZIeY3vELHBMkdOp4cpduda5TFwANSNLZt9p4ced22JCat4weDTPICbobdoQnGeMBWyCoq_zk11P70fD-iMUQ4vKOLHEccvRjHpvtydnTb8ev1hHup8LHWW/s320/1a-lighthouse.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It obviously needed a kraken, right? Right!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYGGf0ifi5a173XwF8HuTbkSvLYRaLwcaoIgqJ9x4FNQKlJ0yZhOKXu6ykCSFF0HF6eYRkw6cCiBZQzVX86kxlq8eUJFPU7L4_Zo31D_gPD-9n3oZhnhr-CUCU1-3jl_25F-UZmOZW4JlwWrtj1taDSyZOT2o6mjLquxrMFBszDMLcYG3KVB-LRC9/s631/1b-kraken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="456" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYGGf0ifi5a173XwF8HuTbkSvLYRaLwcaoIgqJ9x4FNQKlJ0yZhOKXu6ykCSFF0HF6eYRkw6cCiBZQzVX86kxlq8eUJFPU7L4_Zo31D_gPD-9n3oZhnhr-CUCU1-3jl_25F-UZmOZW4JlwWrtj1taDSyZOT2o6mjLquxrMFBszDMLcYG3KVB-LRC9/w288-h399/1b-kraken.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I had a lot of fun with that one.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also did a plain old drawing without amendment, during one of our regular sessions. This is a colorful bird from the Amazon, called a Golden-collared Toucanet:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBBPqpoGZ1KknN2Fs7FXpS1gy_zrrYXYBAb-rbXRjcck0tz9ZSZAOqeE6R7Q2UR7QfStzxJ-vk6h7jrDQ0sE5A5E5JzMR_6hUOv8vub3cZPOPHUcpRJto6-N456r61e6mN4yT1H1wqOy9qGoEpYbDmGEKxeVqG1aNp1RO9jaKyyZGS4ebX58E0DZi/s642/1c-toucanet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="538" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBBPqpoGZ1KknN2Fs7FXpS1gy_zrrYXYBAb-rbXRjcck0tz9ZSZAOqeE6R7Q2UR7QfStzxJ-vk6h7jrDQ0sE5A5E5JzMR_6hUOv8vub3cZPOPHUcpRJto6-N456r61e6mN4yT1H1wqOy9qGoEpYbDmGEKxeVqG1aNp1RO9jaKyyZGS4ebX58E0DZi/w329-h393/1c-toucanet.jpg" width="329" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>That is all I've got to share this time. Oh, except for the required cute dachshund pic. Here it is: Pippin asking for a belly rub.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj7wsD7Qn6a-hTWeWFTApX5XXWmNeikE4e_rPG-ilBizY24Z7Nhdf3w5EY_Sf--XeiUMBOtCTXf9Q4Hnx_djGlurWsH3v_oK5xOePmLy4bpRsD4XdH5SqNlwjIKjT3n5aoeG752nUSMDEIgnjZCvFk7KgeqMYJibAYLEmBw9Dc9nPYakQXBcnqvM8/s652/2a-bellyrub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="652" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj7wsD7Qn6a-hTWeWFTApX5XXWmNeikE4e_rPG-ilBizY24Z7Nhdf3w5EY_Sf--XeiUMBOtCTXf9Q4Hnx_djGlurWsH3v_oK5xOePmLy4bpRsD4XdH5SqNlwjIKjT3n5aoeG752nUSMDEIgnjZCvFk7KgeqMYJibAYLEmBw9Dc9nPYakQXBcnqvM8/w358-h347/2a-bellyrub.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><br /><div><div><div><div>He got one!</div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good and sunny week out there!</div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-26802067864152539992022-04-25T05:00:00.001-07:002022-04-25T05:00:00.176-07:00A Bit of This and ThatToday I'm going to start with the art and end with wiener dogs, with a bit of nature in between.<div><br /></div><div>So, one habit I have is to get excited when my friends show off their new art supplies and what they can do with them, which causes me to order the same art supplies and try to replicate what they did, often with dire results. Often I give up after one or two butchered attempts and the new supplies wind up in the Closet of Forgotten Obsessions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes I persevere, though, until I get at least <i>one</i> result that I like. Take toned paper. Toned paper is, as one might surmise, <i>not white</i>. It can come in many colors, but most often the best results are produced on tan, gray, or black paper. One of my friends had some toned paper. It looked like fun. So guess what I bought some months ago?</div><div><br /></div><div>And this time, I've had some success, and it has yet to find its way from the Dining Table That Is Now an Art Desk into the Closet of Forgotten Obsessions. You may recall the tan toned paper that I used for this lovely bookshop drawing:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lsowFZECKUS5xut64MMdxSZTSuvx7_5OPUORTyHqpXOWZXeyXhem0d0NhWSehP0vzg8dTmCztLlWYhoGzfOJ9Y13hpSqmf3lIpUdHCYMOZjDAWMWJt50oHa35PYx_zVr7TNTofnMLF5ydCJ5s53BCs_tReav2HzvFrSzFVjq7spLXj4kdbeOCbTu/s831/1a-bookcrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="831" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lsowFZECKUS5xut64MMdxSZTSuvx7_5OPUORTyHqpXOWZXeyXhem0d0NhWSehP0vzg8dTmCztLlWYhoGzfOJ9Y13hpSqmf3lIpUdHCYMOZjDAWMWJt50oHa35PYx_zVr7TNTofnMLF5ydCJ5s53BCs_tReav2HzvFrSzFVjq7spLXj4kdbeOCbTu/w360-h300/1a-bookcrow.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I did a couple other things on this paper that I liked, and then I did several things that failed miserably, and I was close to giving up when, while ordering other stuff online, I noticed a pad of gray toned paper and thought, oh well, why not? Maybe gray will work better...you never know.<div><br /></div><div>So I got the gray toned paper and played around with a picture of a seashell and wound up with this:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliWmXE785cp576IMrQlLXuHQ21lWPCO3svymNByVfHe6mH15N3kQWJ1GCD8vH0dT97Gkjajwn_7SfE6l6kXpsD4e-zzbfnJpLFStiNzRZXcFpAZY5HaMS_vuHgjFa7H64tSw2pYr5VsnvAxDLmf_8MFDs3bVsEMkv5ZLZpZ7KRhBrh9SQuNJHSCFi/s694/1a-seashell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliWmXE785cp576IMrQlLXuHQ21lWPCO3svymNByVfHe6mH15N3kQWJ1GCD8vH0dT97Gkjajwn_7SfE6l6kXpsD4e-zzbfnJpLFStiNzRZXcFpAZY5HaMS_vuHgjFa7H64tSw2pYr5VsnvAxDLmf_8MFDs3bVsEMkv5ZLZpZ7KRhBrh9SQuNJHSCFi/s320/1a-seashell.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. The idea is to use white ink for highlights, black ink for shadows, and leave the color of the paper for the middle values. I haven't quite got the hang of it all, but for now, the toned paper is staying on the Dining Table That Is Now an Art Desk. Yay.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then I returned to something that is much easier for me to use -- watercolor. I love watercolor because I've been using it for decades and I know how to mix the colors I want (most of the time), and I know what it will do when I blend wet-in-wet (mostly most of the time), and I know what will happen if I try dry brush or lifting out techniques (some of the time). And knowledge is power! I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, we had our usual two Zoom group art practice sessions, where we choose a photo and all draw/paint it and at the end of 90 minutes or so we Share Our Work. The session pic was of a shrine thing in Bali somewhere (we get these from Instagram or Pinterest <i>et al</i> and they're not always labeled well).</div><div><br /></div><div>I drew the shrine and rocks first in brown ink with a lot of detail which was subsequently lost with the watercolor washes but oh well, it made me happy and took up some time. Then I did wet-in-wet for the sky, with some lifting-out for the clouds. Then all it needed was some washes of color for the water, building, rocks, and beach. DONE!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yQB9We2HFyk3jcaGzx_7Qgw-3YNFnU48mm0ogFr2yxIYFAlRrWeMmdrzn7mSykVTeUER8lnsGRk-waF74nTyEmXk9fuvt50jbolweLuDYruRqLWuQ62DTapBFXUsB059adDIVH4KQYRNECgvWiUdn4yY4mgf8c7yjVKiw1oBSHP7M_Y3OtGEOyJ7/s889/1b-shrine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="889" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yQB9We2HFyk3jcaGzx_7Qgw-3YNFnU48mm0ogFr2yxIYFAlRrWeMmdrzn7mSykVTeUER8lnsGRk-waF74nTyEmXk9fuvt50jbolweLuDYruRqLWuQ62DTapBFXUsB059adDIVH4KQYRNECgvWiUdn4yY4mgf8c7yjVKiw1oBSHP7M_Y3OtGEOyJ7/w421-h329/1b-shrine.jpg" width="421" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Our next session's pic was more complex -- a hillside in Tuscany. It had clouds, a misty background, a bit of fog in the middle ground, pesky cypress trees and a house in the foreground. And green. Lots and lots of green. I did not use any ink, just did a quick pencil sketch and then went straight to watercolor, using a LOT of wet-in-wet and lifting out. There's a technique I use that's hard to explain, but I'll try. It involves putting plain water across a section, say, the middle ground hillside, then brushing a medium value green onto it, then using a paper towel to dab out where the misty foggy lighter areas should be, quickly, and then using a smaller brush to dab in bits of darker green where the trees are while that initial color is still damp and hoping it blends okay. Let it dry, then add details as needed. Seemed to work well for this piece.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ckQ28lGRUvxgFHUH41KyAvBKJGfFMar7mco5Pz6eWoX8NARZYyF2J1EZrqDtHJgPJlwMKLl0z0iJ-zVGs8aSRLZ2Z6zC2Isr5rrijOvLJifmVIYydjb3zlKOki3a8_zuYz9DxpPbqZrX1q1mIgomJuxHwsX00kAM9jRiXPF_NK-HYgstJTayZdOJ/s694/1c-tuscany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="581" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ckQ28lGRUvxgFHUH41KyAvBKJGfFMar7mco5Pz6eWoX8NARZYyF2J1EZrqDtHJgPJlwMKLl0z0iJ-zVGs8aSRLZ2Z6zC2Isr5rrijOvLJifmVIYydjb3zlKOki3a8_zuYz9DxpPbqZrX1q1mIgomJuxHwsX00kAM9jRiXPF_NK-HYgstJTayZdOJ/w354-h423/1c-tuscany.jpg" width="354" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, I've gone on long enough about art and its challenges. On to nature!</div><div><br /></div><div>Things are starting to bloom at my house. Here is the dogwood in the front yard:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj795llT3MeCE1X_W7dey2dfLlF1y6q9XTdUC10xywEeUanyuZyGLFi_0PB802uwt3vRWA9mrH-HtaQP36jbtwoNWEJ0BCakJPDUBkunUgxhGg9Ss25a9T0WT0-hmravd-r1U8ZcngFz_NYUor9SVpWBCo6NrNBiB9o1HYnnmtLgFswzaM13ttYVGPv/s631/2a-spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="470" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj795llT3MeCE1X_W7dey2dfLlF1y6q9XTdUC10xywEeUanyuZyGLFi_0PB802uwt3vRWA9mrH-HtaQP36jbtwoNWEJ0BCakJPDUBkunUgxhGg9Ss25a9T0WT0-hmravd-r1U8ZcngFz_NYUor9SVpWBCo6NrNBiB9o1HYnnmtLgFswzaM13ttYVGPv/w291-h391/2a-spring.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And the lilac:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4MmERuwNVxs2Yxr79EvHddbbchCfKcmjtwYPkTntu1FOBEGmJEk-h-SBUMS0_8VvZ8f6FPy3-HG7i4_8vdka4tBKtd2PXashbwryIsv31_KTEcKJT9sxRCXl30U4mOAgvGsA35NsXrnfIG0OcndM19pPjYtYe1uMhd6OtF0oh2yTYrKdFGYu49NK/s631/2c-spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4MmERuwNVxs2Yxr79EvHddbbchCfKcmjtwYPkTntu1FOBEGmJEk-h-SBUMS0_8VvZ8f6FPy3-HG7i4_8vdka4tBKtd2PXashbwryIsv31_KTEcKJT9sxRCXl30U4mOAgvGsA35NsXrnfIG0OcndM19pPjYtYe1uMhd6OtF0oh2yTYrKdFGYu49NK/s320/2c-spring.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In the back yard garden, after fretting over a late snow/frost, I was pleased to see some of the newly planted perennials surviving, like this columbine:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGxZ8CWUHsNTrGoe-dQn3f2jUbSVEuAKAmlmgRvlrdYvieG5hhSzD-nNkGK5KCV7pKSuDStXloScPoZzRLd7YAhq11MWCG3-6ZMOfO8tC7qLfVdHgs3QTkiNo2wJeXOg_3cX4cueVpwsVMT9oVPNWgS0j3qCY1qCYQZkh1b49MTvw1JAFhTKf5iOS/s631/2d-spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="569" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGxZ8CWUHsNTrGoe-dQn3f2jUbSVEuAKAmlmgRvlrdYvieG5hhSzD-nNkGK5KCV7pKSuDStXloScPoZzRLd7YAhq11MWCG3-6ZMOfO8tC7qLfVdHgs3QTkiNo2wJeXOg_3cX4cueVpwsVMT9oVPNWgS0j3qCY1qCYQZkh1b49MTvw1JAFhTKf5iOS/s320/2d-spring.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The penstemmon, delphinium, lungwort, and lavender all survived the record-breaking Spring cold snap. Whew. Now I am waiting to see what the other plants do. Presumably, there will be Black-eyed Susans sometime this summer, and roses, and liatris, and clematis, and phlox, and more lavender and oh gosh, just lots of things. Wait and see!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMypHLeHWBv900rfR4Q544y8pAr4oaViBE0GxWmdz3BLic5KOIhZ_o654er9bveqizO6wl134U9d3TZqSUCH3qWVk-DEtHkAQ4jBlm5t-Gm5KuEOxQctGj5XzjyfWy3r_TZQP1qoOKv0PNK3kUVa4HUeUaRV4vPBOO7Uzgh7HtihJemDzqdZfIrdLn/s631/2e-spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMypHLeHWBv900rfR4Q544y8pAr4oaViBE0GxWmdz3BLic5KOIhZ_o654er9bveqizO6wl134U9d3TZqSUCH3qWVk-DEtHkAQ4jBlm5t-Gm5KuEOxQctGj5XzjyfWy3r_TZQP1qoOKv0PNK3kUVa4HUeUaRV4vPBOO7Uzgh7HtihJemDzqdZfIrdLn/s320/2e-spring.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The natural world beyond my home was also splendid this past week. Here is a view from one of our usual walks along the Columbia River:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dVvt6xghvlTxXkHVCpfBOOJuLXvvKeUxUJwk_Ni8evPP-O0jN2Xc1V5cszHcNrRXW3vruuHeSZmqm9mj72Eub8nGjOTveGGlgESNuC9pOGiW8fc04xI4erUQt6Eemn6tIcr3TVfMskJbxOuc0qb4uilJA4r-sudtJJ_umRKbS-ubDe3KElSn5KIy/s1800/4a-riverbirds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="1800" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dVvt6xghvlTxXkHVCpfBOOJuLXvvKeUxUJwk_Ni8evPP-O0jN2Xc1V5cszHcNrRXW3vruuHeSZmqm9mj72Eub8nGjOTveGGlgESNuC9pOGiW8fc04xI4erUQt6Eemn6tIcr3TVfMskJbxOuc0qb4uilJA4r-sudtJJ_umRKbS-ubDe3KElSn5KIy/w420-h296/4a-riverbirds.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We had a bonus Great Blue Heron sighting:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1mdjyOJNqdegq5JIeC51hh7MYpSXTOlf5Ls3ioDX7R9uLZzujlR7PyoRy-egLXD7rSUHcms7eSV3vuRBP2USQrJbnaxiTH43vS7dW1INBd-KNVz3oAC9-sr8ugf4ztCMIsgKqlr7seTRBT_TXprRm464fHY5Z4dOjtTEo4Z9_TSrmnT6DJE0Qhq3/s1800/4b-riverbirds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1724" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1mdjyOJNqdegq5JIeC51hh7MYpSXTOlf5Ls3ioDX7R9uLZzujlR7PyoRy-egLXD7rSUHcms7eSV3vuRBP2USQrJbnaxiTH43vS7dW1INBd-KNVz3oAC9-sr8ugf4ztCMIsgKqlr7seTRBT_TXprRm464fHY5Z4dOjtTEo4Z9_TSrmnT6DJE0Qhq3/s320/4b-riverbirds.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And another sign that Spring really is here now -- a migratory Yellow-rumped Warbler:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7dSsiMhRACT-0rEmw0_Pyf30D74NWN5c8PJCnCmwrbznWQjaJzJqyTkNn-yHziFink5nHu8rLilNEeBdwdwUpyVI5fDERI9F1aUMWdp3KAFYshv_imYXtnzJsW84_UDIFrVaCEv3JBOoeUtlOzTmV-JaIieGyNEtGV74WkbEpIV4jqcMIG-CqVKT/s1504/4c-riverbirds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1504" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7dSsiMhRACT-0rEmw0_Pyf30D74NWN5c8PJCnCmwrbznWQjaJzJqyTkNn-yHziFink5nHu8rLilNEeBdwdwUpyVI5fDERI9F1aUMWdp3KAFYshv_imYXtnzJsW84_UDIFrVaCEv3JBOoeUtlOzTmV-JaIieGyNEtGV74WkbEpIV4jqcMIG-CqVKT/s320/4c-riverbirds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And now, finally, what you've been waiting for: wiener dogs!</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a lovely Spring day for the weekly Dachshund Club walk, and while Pippin's girlfriend Madison was not there (she was visiting Seattle), there were plenty of other dogs to keep him entertained.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIkZbtlW0FUpjP9vllM5_zDjo3vzFdzKUH7-3cdcoZqh7E2u72z7B3aCGYySdtodziSZU5yjf3LD4P884lK4XHgWM5-YX2VG-xJiYK7Xmzgvy_dFiz8BGq60WJb9bs8KwkTSuT4-4m21Jf9PcKMMaCDF06BOjk7clSyndw7fvPq_8HUj4Vvs0-THK/s926/5a-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="926" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIkZbtlW0FUpjP9vllM5_zDjo3vzFdzKUH7-3cdcoZqh7E2u72z7B3aCGYySdtodziSZU5yjf3LD4P884lK4XHgWM5-YX2VG-xJiYK7Xmzgvy_dFiz8BGq60WJb9bs8KwkTSuT4-4m21Jf9PcKMMaCDF06BOjk7clSyndw7fvPq_8HUj4Vvs0-THK/w416-h312/5a-ww.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There was even a Truman lookalike! The dog at the top is NOT Truman. He's at the bottom:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy9cSmp52G5TLZ-WuBdOLB0-xdaI9y39urvcB6621pCSCNJOxMgeD2G1k05pcmiy4NG0aQhH7fIqX2O8eR2FtkAkO8kCwDpX8tLQRHa_XI71ZkOUCOLEZNmgyMD35WfCD6PTj9qXk57ZQ16LzrxUOy13D_gag_I3hxRrA32ALMexGZ7VjTiXAT_2r/s631/5b-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="473" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy9cSmp52G5TLZ-WuBdOLB0-xdaI9y39urvcB6621pCSCNJOxMgeD2G1k05pcmiy4NG0aQhH7fIqX2O8eR2FtkAkO8kCwDpX8tLQRHa_XI71ZkOUCOLEZNmgyMD35WfCD6PTj9qXk57ZQ16LzrxUOy13D_gag_I3hxRrA32ALMexGZ7VjTiXAT_2r/w269-h358/5b-ww.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pippin was momentarily confused and went to give the Faux Truman a kiss:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxzLR0meSgWH4YeigebYv-pbRU7kDaDnwVgO_QTvbaJHri60mTizVyZ3UshItLXk3FFR7I8pizbXO5iaJgWPsjeqV5HlkKE6-pgbjji4AZuw1588xCyzGxGYZ0Qy64hPbrqtei_wczGb3HywEdPpxvRrNKmuVrmmrKtCy1X9JGO4bW7btVwlGMIkG/s631/5c-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxzLR0meSgWH4YeigebYv-pbRU7kDaDnwVgO_QTvbaJHri60mTizVyZ3UshItLXk3FFR7I8pizbXO5iaJgWPsjeqV5HlkKE6-pgbjji4AZuw1588xCyzGxGYZ0Qy64hPbrqtei_wczGb3HywEdPpxvRrNKmuVrmmrKtCy1X9JGO4bW7btVwlGMIkG/s320/5c-ww.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Real Truman was worn out by it all, and this is how he spent that afternoon:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9a3Js0J1dQEpwUvOB6Q_3RL2nNfY9I_0pam_boXowjD_eTv6rm7mGY8-vSxZkE2abO_Rjzg6hAfmd5qbwCPg-I9MhAgYLR1m0uUO1he-gtufRIjFoiOxgiqCDvCdWX2WynKe4BUpeQ2_8qI5ZbWkjIjwLolScj-mmmuiGtcb7gkn2KsQK5LgEUFB7/s631/5d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="473" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9a3Js0J1dQEpwUvOB6Q_3RL2nNfY9I_0pam_boXowjD_eTv6rm7mGY8-vSxZkE2abO_Rjzg6hAfmd5qbwCPg-I9MhAgYLR1m0uUO1he-gtufRIjFoiOxgiqCDvCdWX2WynKe4BUpeQ2_8qI5ZbWkjIjwLolScj-mmmuiGtcb7gkn2KsQK5LgEUFB7/w262-h349/5d.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Such a sweet boy.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all (and that was plenty!) for this past week. </div><div><br /></div><div>Have a lovely time out there, everyone!</div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-53640435338848186272022-04-18T05:00:00.001-07:002022-04-18T05:00:00.174-07:00Nothing Doing<p> For one thing, we had SNOW this past week, and it was COLD, and there was NOTHING to do but sit around staring at the wretched weather from the comfort of the living room. Sigh.</p><p>We also got quite a lot of rain, and I did get out at least once to check out the storm clouds. We even got a walk in between the showers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnofMtMsdTnbNuQ1D-IGJOYbU91rjSiewbiSKCsQkU2IFeXl0hidjgFpgP5hlok_AXTaoGKnYotdCidz-qir3uJv_E48bZI0XawQo5SKcCgHqnIwNlCeN4_E42oV2G9xND-ZvyRA4GaS0hs1L93sr_NLP__JvB-inwCA6DsGVWRQRdSp3t11uPCvRo/s1800/1a-storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnofMtMsdTnbNuQ1D-IGJOYbU91rjSiewbiSKCsQkU2IFeXl0hidjgFpgP5hlok_AXTaoGKnYotdCidz-qir3uJv_E48bZI0XawQo5SKcCgHqnIwNlCeN4_E42oV2G9xND-ZvyRA4GaS0hs1L93sr_NLP__JvB-inwCA6DsGVWRQRdSp3t11uPCvRo/w380-h285/1a-storm.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPzegw6X3XwmbYjvCueoPupRBpVdnlQBGSyQYTFjcyeptKlwoIMCii4oYp-RSqyFxfhSdD_vSLF0uGiVDxWAKd3rTTsOcnYEI6ddalaxspvdIcFOFQ-_G5VfsbiH1RUqmJec7xr-Ee0983bhNzKqTMXIdLqjoQ6NUT2S9BaEyvWIHRyimOhivSaIr/s1800/1b-storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1350" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPzegw6X3XwmbYjvCueoPupRBpVdnlQBGSyQYTFjcyeptKlwoIMCii4oYp-RSqyFxfhSdD_vSLF0uGiVDxWAKd3rTTsOcnYEI6ddalaxspvdIcFOFQ-_G5VfsbiH1RUqmJec7xr-Ee0983bhNzKqTMXIdLqjoQ6NUT2S9BaEyvWIHRyimOhivSaIr/w273-h364/1b-storm.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Even though I don't like the rain, these passing storms do turn out some excellent thunderclouds.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtqwpSQFPXQPJH-7EkPaJeJXPmL6kFOflyi_bXBC_R5H48Dfq09UeCBLmvBkeYE_MantLwFH97NLUlK4v8dcOJC0tcJDTD1IpNcIPsKi-chJeGo1AzaySfkcfZlX7yldcBFr1y60oYAlTqtxQUSLRglsi6aWfiqVVNDcNchjQui3a1KUYmMLmp6X8/s1800/1c-storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1736" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtqwpSQFPXQPJH-7EkPaJeJXPmL6kFOflyi_bXBC_R5H48Dfq09UeCBLmvBkeYE_MantLwFH97NLUlK4v8dcOJC0tcJDTD1IpNcIPsKi-chJeGo1AzaySfkcfZlX7yldcBFr1y60oYAlTqtxQUSLRglsi6aWfiqVVNDcNchjQui3a1KUYmMLmp6X8/w334-h346/1c-storm.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII8sCkc2vS9cymusf625Nhtd5HlZOcsv6tDlgXflfMw81isZhJYMrQ06Ti7C5XOGfe2xSn1ri32S78zukv8y9kYfVSQM-5k-4_0uSiwr2SnbN4fAMa5jL7j5ytdM22aQODkz89Ef3ol84RD7C5U8SeYRNmplMjXdu4XGwLOl5Gkf_vm3sc8eKr-Uy/s3234/1d-storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2207" data-original-width="3234" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII8sCkc2vS9cymusf625Nhtd5HlZOcsv6tDlgXflfMw81isZhJYMrQ06Ti7C5XOGfe2xSn1ri32S78zukv8y9kYfVSQM-5k-4_0uSiwr2SnbN4fAMa5jL7j5ytdM22aQODkz89Ef3ol84RD7C5U8SeYRNmplMjXdu4XGwLOl5Gkf_vm3sc8eKr-Uy/w404-h275/1d-storm.jpg" width="404" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>So that was it for my week's activities: went for one walk to look at clouds. Yay.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for the art sessions, I hated one piece and loved the second piece, so here's the one I liked:</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICuZ2TwsuM354I1mlrVKeG_Gd8wihku25mZzvkpz97w9Sm-BLkYDjoHaFhuCXy43Xtv7X4zPO6EkU9Rf5v9zBmTf453cYS9eVYgO1_XFAS5xILSMtZBYMi8EEHcsrpsuIM6gnhvLap4iGhrp4P-n0hcc5BaVqPGkNyQ0BDJ_MxZSfsuclYSyKUDib/s678/2a-medwindow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="467" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICuZ2TwsuM354I1mlrVKeG_Gd8wihku25mZzvkpz97w9Sm-BLkYDjoHaFhuCXy43Xtv7X4zPO6EkU9Rf5v9zBmTf453cYS9eVYgO1_XFAS5xILSMtZBYMi8EEHcsrpsuIM6gnhvLap4iGhrp4P-n0hcc5BaVqPGkNyQ0BDJ_MxZSfsuclYSyKUDib/w261-h380/2a-medwindow.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The most important news from this past week, though was that Friday the 15th was Truman's TENTH birthday! My, how time flies. And what wonderful times they have been. We hope to have many many more years together!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LgGA9LBilb92P66BgTcKtguOwxUQFGje8OKaF0FK9QWUstidxYTdWw1cJz3iymI0mV9F65uW7N6IZY0ZqqX1kytSUEmCs1hm7Jk1aih051WEZmT8EJzjk9DYV3O8hp7lDIX4Y5qpW17zu4SRF5qP-ZgCiIRg0pWy_8hy_wBXJuG4raPzOnztDBY5/s765/3a-bday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="765" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LgGA9LBilb92P66BgTcKtguOwxUQFGje8OKaF0FK9QWUstidxYTdWw1cJz3iymI0mV9F65uW7N6IZY0ZqqX1kytSUEmCs1hm7Jk1aih051WEZmT8EJzjk9DYV3O8hp7lDIX4Y5qpW17zu4SRF5qP-ZgCiIRg0pWy_8hy_wBXJuG4raPzOnztDBY5/w375-h341/3a-bday.jpg" width="375" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As for Pippin, who is usually so photogenic, well...he went to the groomers and she put bunny ears on him for his post-session pic. I got the feeling he did not approve:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Emyb49l4ts80cekhSEu5QmBXP1RCOPkcn1ML2sqG5lKfGL6deAcP9YZJtIhdh9yOgfMbO_axL6sylvdeuDzVa22b833kMWf6OdNzacNekDax_8l577JE3712Mnc_bm-BkeOFme4f3IXpduaoBV1sf-IEUFj4QEL_snpU4rekVRhKOsGRjbx1cBpq/s1160/3c-poorpip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="993" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Emyb49l4ts80cekhSEu5QmBXP1RCOPkcn1ML2sqG5lKfGL6deAcP9YZJtIhdh9yOgfMbO_axL6sylvdeuDzVa22b833kMWf6OdNzacNekDax_8l577JE3712Mnc_bm-BkeOFme4f3IXpduaoBV1sf-IEUFj4QEL_snpU4rekVRhKOsGRjbx1cBpq/w351-h410/3c-poorpip.jpg" width="351" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I'm hoping we will have weather that is more like Spring this coming week, and that we will get Out and About. <div><br /></div><div>May you all have a lovely and SPRINGy week out there, too!<br /><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-74338197896720016312022-04-11T05:00:00.001-07:002022-04-11T05:00:00.160-07:00Blown AwayOne day last week the forecast said, <i>Southwest winds 25-35mph with gusts as high as 60</i>.<div><br /></div><div>I stayed inside. In fact, the forecast actually <i>told</i> us to stay indoors if possible, and to keep away from windows. Never had that in the warnings before. Turned out to be less dramatic than that, with one roof shingle making its way off the roof and into the backyard, and one plastic garbage bag from across the street making its way onto my front yard. Otherwise, we survived!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0-B9HpX5eFwAqWfmmHEZjERzGT1AzGSpaAdcqommmmFIn4dRdl8J1AEZPWzywE8rY8JeG6MhJyYJNiSvgdQCOY0YdXOW2CYl5bBYWQw3PgWkFuDvHzm_vJeRAlBYzM0-WbEXLW1LI0Hfh7RARJdFAg580I7T8UgGjT6rUn93xsGJorzjn71VXyIt/s812/1a-windy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="812" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0-B9HpX5eFwAqWfmmHEZjERzGT1AzGSpaAdcqommmmFIn4dRdl8J1AEZPWzywE8rY8JeG6MhJyYJNiSvgdQCOY0YdXOW2CYl5bBYWQw3PgWkFuDvHzm_vJeRAlBYzM0-WbEXLW1LI0Hfh7RARJdFAg580I7T8UgGjT6rUn93xsGJorzjn71VXyIt/w369-h315/1a-windy.jpg" width="369" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I got a lot of drawing done that day! I decided to return to colored pencils for a rendering of this pic, which is the ONLY officially released photo from the filming of <i>Good Omens Series 2</i>:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLd8GuuzLIRRxJs0EasnhBDvAysiduoGGCcQPUeg5YEcs6sWay7UQs-f2mox9fMwvQ-etiWz87US4u-n3_zZSPGbdvji-jIPjtUyCORk_2cxMvreqpu02TBqGLXY9DhWoRytE749OvTmAas_Gdxu0OF-xLNW8ilWop0ndmVEJPMY-XxO4xACFxx6WE/s1280/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLd8GuuzLIRRxJs0EasnhBDvAysiduoGGCcQPUeg5YEcs6sWay7UQs-f2mox9fMwvQ-etiWz87US4u-n3_zZSPGbdvji-jIPjtUyCORk_2cxMvreqpu02TBqGLXY9DhWoRytE749OvTmAas_Gdxu0OF-xLNW8ilWop0ndmVEJPMY-XxO4xACFxx6WE/w367-h206/2.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The drawing turned out okay, though I'm only about 75% happy with it. That's all right. Next year sometime there should be LOTS of new images to try out, when the second series finally airs. Sigh.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVmq8iSXH_A3mBw8eVuOOyFbqQnRTaNPsre9lmPADAuTiimX_kR5G6ydmn2c9NgPBSz6TVN-8luHV8Vx9GYowTPeizqSpqYLmzT1FZnXLi8PYsXnQWkF8djZ8XmjuGEH6X-YGSiIPB9vdrvJ9Y0zBdjJVoSUFHRvAI09Enifvlg7bZbaO0tlFrqHs/s1880/2a-promodigi4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1563" data-original-width="1880" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVmq8iSXH_A3mBw8eVuOOyFbqQnRTaNPsre9lmPADAuTiimX_kR5G6ydmn2c9NgPBSz6TVN-8luHV8Vx9GYowTPeizqSpqYLmzT1FZnXLi8PYsXnQWkF8djZ8XmjuGEH6X-YGSiIPB9vdrvJ9Y0zBdjJVoSUFHRvAI09Enifvlg7bZbaO0tlFrqHs/w352-h293/2a-promodigi4.jpg" width="352" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I did take some in-progress pics which some people enjoy seeing, so here they are. This is Aziraphale in many layers of unblended colored pencil:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfygJia1zky9gMWyjp0tp7qg70yKw2IwTaeyzYhTIfFSMw4F6TO7xfo5sP2FwkILm1CSP1c4W5C9vPkpsNQu8FdbrcSquXjn0d5YTQbpg2ikl_Tw_HUMWEohIfKlkosqDF5veX-2EH_rBvQ-oCgvCB6-cuqfkjilm1RLpLtvcEXNEheh6uJo0QSap/s407/2a-series2promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="337" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfygJia1zky9gMWyjp0tp7qg70yKw2IwTaeyzYhTIfFSMw4F6TO7xfo5sP2FwkILm1CSP1c4W5C9vPkpsNQu8FdbrcSquXjn0d5YTQbpg2ikl_Tw_HUMWEohIfKlkosqDF5veX-2EH_rBvQ-oCgvCB6-cuqfkjilm1RLpLtvcEXNEheh6uJo0QSap/s320/2a-series2promo.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here he is with the left half blended, using a bristle brush and baby oil:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6gCXoGL_TTGcvismIWkspclGRcFD6XAVCnnWw6q-0h6pBvctjZnJkyU8SyJGT2FL3a9paa4KP_2zENSdPje_mkC7hx5PKiaug2Piy96no2-SeAlJK6hG3uiQkSjMb5caTzA-_MFRjduF6GaAcC7F3xunlFGfrpr8LZGWdhrwjoBXojhVQ1IgInXT/s401/2b-series2promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6gCXoGL_TTGcvismIWkspclGRcFD6XAVCnnWw6q-0h6pBvctjZnJkyU8SyJGT2FL3a9paa4KP_2zENSdPje_mkC7hx5PKiaug2Piy96no2-SeAlJK6hG3uiQkSjMb5caTzA-_MFRjduF6GaAcC7F3xunlFGfrpr8LZGWdhrwjoBXojhVQ1IgInXT/s320/2b-series2promo.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here he is completely blended, though not yet burnished (as in the final piece above). </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pKmHA620WyYXedVfr_TH38o45yCGaYIYF7fnKBoAVxP7yirBd1FccuVd4nCFQpBd_pitq0DZOJkuyDZY3UGQQeoYCxLURNY2r10mJtXFMxOi5XK6iXZn2ABYNFFmykvHrtCQtWIbZS42_7kHYeL8ugO0BRmG2RMkTwCxzM1LrtPBcK7AFRBciWBu/s430/2c-series2promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pKmHA620WyYXedVfr_TH38o45yCGaYIYF7fnKBoAVxP7yirBd1FccuVd4nCFQpBd_pitq0DZOJkuyDZY3UGQQeoYCxLURNY2r10mJtXFMxOi5XK6iXZn2ABYNFFmykvHrtCQtWIbZS42_7kHYeL8ugO0BRmG2RMkTwCxzM1LrtPBcK7AFRBciWBu/s320/2c-series2promo.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Then we had our Zoom sessions. This is a medieval Spanish street view, using ink, watercolor, and gouache on toned paper:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzsCqVvhzEjUfEKrx20DeJtFydj7Si06iEcYX_YB__gOgL7olkUX7jXGjTgRn7sQVHi6LKbqCyt_IQ2rRu89ZUnDir8AJI1xCY8stsNQrCPdnnv0GFy1TxzKk_WpE02HKuweV1vw2-vHMLChTpnrQ5oS9N267ctzImUDs0dKt5pW1RjK62PNhSAVh/s694/3a-medieval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="458" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzsCqVvhzEjUfEKrx20DeJtFydj7Si06iEcYX_YB__gOgL7olkUX7jXGjTgRn7sQVHi6LKbqCyt_IQ2rRu89ZUnDir8AJI1xCY8stsNQrCPdnnv0GFy1TxzKk_WpE02HKuweV1vw2-vHMLChTpnrQ5oS9N267ctzImUDs0dKt5pW1RjK62PNhSAVh/w261-h396/3a-medieval.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I have no idea where the photo ref for this was taken. I painted whatever/wherever it is in just watercolor:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DHJL2WIZsctSZ38n5yg8lRfpVWvGZMkpxjRGAOy9gGtcu1pQumhcmkJlR08en4nkYqqgdAfWDs4v6WRZ3VSR-KgZJrSajkfNRc2I-0VJua9XMoH3HBe1KGk5zWuiMig_kZ484DUdBnDEzdV9FQW4C-ZsQaA055k9blxWeiAzhTOXpFn0srvLdGCS/s694/3b-windingriver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="455" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DHJL2WIZsctSZ38n5yg8lRfpVWvGZMkpxjRGAOy9gGtcu1pQumhcmkJlR08en4nkYqqgdAfWDs4v6WRZ3VSR-KgZJrSajkfNRc2I-0VJua9XMoH3HBe1KGk5zWuiMig_kZ484DUdBnDEzdV9FQW4C-ZsQaA055k9blxWeiAzhTOXpFn0srvLdGCS/w234-h357/3b-windingriver.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For more artistic fun, one of the group was working on a complex scene of mountains and icebergs and wanted advice on how to paint the shadowed areas, so I decided to paint it, too, to see if I could figure that out. For that one major shadowed area between the mountain and the middle iceberg, I just painted it first with the same colors as the non-shadowed mountain, then let that dry, and then glazed over the bottom area with a gray-blue-lavender wash. Seemed to work fine.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNU4Y_x2OFF9OekymcKpqkLv0C6S9AtlH39NEX4rRDeeReoz34WAyUOIj_vVorbapnrJJwpCqjGDvwnA1UtIiGZXmC49haBAq3-NGgKF9aQuQEKcsDirujYPGeXDg3kyS8kaUxvdxJ0JtBapRMV94HIsFjAmTD6bQf4rZwUgOEN4Yw4kX1TGYI6QB/s631/3c-iceberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="474" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNU4Y_x2OFF9OekymcKpqkLv0C6S9AtlH39NEX4rRDeeReoz34WAyUOIj_vVorbapnrJJwpCqjGDvwnA1UtIiGZXmC49haBAq3-NGgKF9aQuQEKcsDirujYPGeXDg3kyS8kaUxvdxJ0JtBapRMV94HIsFjAmTD6bQf4rZwUgOEN4Yw4kX1TGYI6QB/w295-h393/3c-iceberg.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Last but hardly least, we had another wiener walk on Saturday, and FOUR new dogs turned up. Here they are next to Truman:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLIRHrqucG3-q4TQWvXobgaKpoVCxhTC3LT-2PI6ZyAGPi_4uxK64l9IbzQl2G05YHEAt14uH6E1C2r1AxUY40OfeDUSFbXq5s24sRt8xQlvkrCnJXnEMcGptIxgJIahTVRjradJAWsRSIKS3u1G_32_6Au_43nR_UQYzHGioY4JvadEJoGz-WDsJ/s926/4a-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="926" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLIRHrqucG3-q4TQWvXobgaKpoVCxhTC3LT-2PI6ZyAGPi_4uxK64l9IbzQl2G05YHEAt14uH6E1C2r1AxUY40OfeDUSFbXq5s24sRt8xQlvkrCnJXnEMcGptIxgJIahTVRjradJAWsRSIKS3u1G_32_6Au_43nR_UQYzHGioY4JvadEJoGz-WDsJ/w381-h286/4a-ww.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pippin got to greet his girlfriend Madison:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjHX3SfTXGU1Ya8gNWUuAUN9wPGvWTpGwcAPdbz8U1U25HcKWGmThjUz39aKRrp7mI9GE1Y6g7NR_Rdv7FQauVbbEVvVR0dkvRn3EpeTiWw0gFoHBzdZhpn7XiRdLvSyNNia0fWMuest8iNu8sOIasnaMfixC0pg_1a6cQFjzSQIpUGhGj-h5rpES/s841/4b-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjHX3SfTXGU1Ya8gNWUuAUN9wPGvWTpGwcAPdbz8U1U25HcKWGmThjUz39aKRrp7mI9GE1Y6g7NR_Rdv7FQauVbbEVvVR0dkvRn3EpeTiWw0gFoHBzdZhpn7XiRdLvSyNNia0fWMuest8iNu8sOIasnaMfixC0pg_1a6cQFjzSQIpUGhGj-h5rpES/w380-h285/4b-ww.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>They are always so adorable together!</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now. Have a great week out there, everyone!</div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-17498704430974567972022-04-04T05:00:00.001-07:002022-04-04T05:00:00.164-07:00Not a Lot of Stuff<p>Last week there was a lot of stuff to post about, but this time I have very little. Didn't see any birds other than the regulars. Didn't draw or paint anything worth sharing (massive failure during our Zoom sessions--sigh.) Mostly I worked on decorating the outbuilding room, and did some garden shopping.</p><p>You may recall that the outbuilding, which I'm now going to call the Summer House, had one finished 12x12 room. New flooring and baseboards were put in, and it was ready for use. Unfortunately, the walls had been painted gray, which in my world, Simply Would Not Do. Fortunately, I had paint leftover from doing my living room--some pale blue and a lovely lavender. There wasn't enough of one color for all the walls, so I just did half and half.</p><p>Here is an in-progress pic, with the hideous gray on the far left:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ_e639WhcqThjDvZb8z5g8Q82Wot9L9xHmPvfJfj-CH4cICWoHM1OtGMOoaI0pxM_MEj00gQfh-dnRAHrxSpKdBsCVkT3ykvGJQZVsCn0ytWAUAU8SEDrX8k_WzzawOmAMbRouJA1Rqe2mRxGVvZXEeAKeecjs9uMwGfyKAAkbCYDnMKICcuRviB/s694/1a-paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="520" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ_e639WhcqThjDvZb8z5g8Q82Wot9L9xHmPvfJfj-CH4cICWoHM1OtGMOoaI0pxM_MEj00gQfh-dnRAHrxSpKdBsCVkT3ykvGJQZVsCn0ytWAUAU8SEDrX8k_WzzawOmAMbRouJA1Rqe2mRxGVvZXEeAKeecjs9uMwGfyKAAkbCYDnMKICcuRviB/w267-h356/1a-paint.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I put test patches of each color on each wall, let them dry, and then determined which walls would look best in light blue (the ones that didn't get as much natural light), and which would be good painted lavender (the brighter two walls). </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY6d1jedMJ9yvu8DrzRFR7z_y1XxlLC5GNJ5iY_KG_jQgKfBozoFdPvPCr5fEji0t362Lsm67PE4fsmGpHTU_SbXb1DCmirA3QJRMtzmYPjxzJScMd562EGm9dBY-QJEfY2tnfVRBMMTNOEh9OSKUjLcSEcCKe8EhVUHcedvcSvh7KyKj29gGqjfQ/s841/1b-paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY6d1jedMJ9yvu8DrzRFR7z_y1XxlLC5GNJ5iY_KG_jQgKfBozoFdPvPCr5fEji0t362Lsm67PE4fsmGpHTU_SbXb1DCmirA3QJRMtzmYPjxzJScMd562EGm9dBY-QJEfY2tnfVRBMMTNOEh9OSKUjLcSEcCKe8EhVUHcedvcSvh7KyKj29gGqjfQ/w359-h270/1b-paint.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Then I added an area rug, some thermal curtains, and a little wall decor:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUftxGqxbc_moGzyAosd4n-Fnr00UAnXsgRuUE5lTHUzNloEoY5yqH87Nw4BEDY9hFQZWnj9v8eMXLhAkPaN13wuwE_mU30ebEGntlXH4Pk9xEjQxxDOIt4sIeyow7iZeH8yz7QVGnCQRIcYSAIohND3wMIeX1HLFxkr-pkgOKr2_5uAFdLGCBrgqQ/s841/1c-paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUftxGqxbc_moGzyAosd4n-Fnr00UAnXsgRuUE5lTHUzNloEoY5yqH87Nw4BEDY9hFQZWnj9v8eMXLhAkPaN13wuwE_mU30ebEGntlXH4Pk9xEjQxxDOIt4sIeyow7iZeH8yz7QVGnCQRIcYSAIohND3wMIeX1HLFxkr-pkgOKr2_5uAFdLGCBrgqQ/w383-h287/1c-paint.jpg" width="383" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I also had a fan, and an extra dog bed to toss in there.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RHDfHuWQ_cFu9EaS5QSgJy3P8XL2hB4KVwvF6XCMJmITMOf0gr95M1O2fgElUaPscf8lCflI7oOdL3KP42SnPaXpKMVJlA7jmXwoJqm6HCNlusmFVn8twSoZlWYLKjZ3j7LPfe9KXm9IiDRVBi4w9h85vhgBd854EUmx1Gb21C313Jt3PNBmfgZ1/s841/1d-paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RHDfHuWQ_cFu9EaS5QSgJy3P8XL2hB4KVwvF6XCMJmITMOf0gr95M1O2fgElUaPscf8lCflI7oOdL3KP42SnPaXpKMVJlA7jmXwoJqm6HCNlusmFVn8twSoZlWYLKjZ3j7LPfe9KXm9IiDRVBi4w9h85vhgBd854EUmx1Gb21C313Jt3PNBmfgZ1/w365-h274/1d-paint.jpg" width="365" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After a bit of shopping, the lawn chair soon got replaced by a quite nice sofa:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSrjzY-trKMKGndK_8mckYEIWPhFLeuZQAHy5M3shqSS7LBtbQf1Wz_Zg-4MApjcvlUt68_YjkzFNgimHBNhpMu_QIiJfeg4Ljs5TiYMzzeUyINV_pSmb_HL1OryKp--YjCkSeBLE8YByVhLGENO-nidZKwzQF1N-UxNnU71UE_dCW2_FduG84VzN/s925/1e-paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="925" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSrjzY-trKMKGndK_8mckYEIWPhFLeuZQAHy5M3shqSS7LBtbQf1Wz_Zg-4MApjcvlUt68_YjkzFNgimHBNhpMu_QIiJfeg4Ljs5TiYMzzeUyINV_pSmb_HL1OryKp--YjCkSeBLE8YByVhLGENO-nidZKwzQF1N-UxNnU71UE_dCW2_FduG84VzN/w393-h295/1e-paint.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Next came a small desk for the laptop and radio/CD player. It's a comfortable spot, and the dogs enjoy it. Now all it needs is lots more decorative items! Whee!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvu5hOlZrJH_rJoJ85bRyiSBZl1Ffu9UPUb9sWtfKiSE0n8xOSRFfwvk-tg4j92PoQEqz7EKXDMlEpWaaUlVqY4zKM7wTvw7bzk5wJTUiOtUhsTcAU4F2X115DE2NGjEmiJ7wrIIMC9dqgrcc_FY6ZTAhMvjA7TbWwAP8fPcV_wtodEpbWS5akNJuH/s841/1f-paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvu5hOlZrJH_rJoJ85bRyiSBZl1Ffu9UPUb9sWtfKiSE0n8xOSRFfwvk-tg4j92PoQEqz7EKXDMlEpWaaUlVqY4zKM7wTvw7bzk5wJTUiOtUhsTcAU4F2X115DE2NGjEmiJ7wrIIMC9dqgrcc_FY6ZTAhMvjA7TbWwAP8fPcV_wtodEpbWS5akNJuH/w420-h315/1f-paint.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As for my gardening efforts, the flowering perennials finally appeared at the local nurseries. Hoorah! Below you can see a few that are starting to bloom -- the two in the rear are penstemon (aka Beard's-tongue) and delphinium, and in front of them, lavender and lungwort (such an ugly name for a lovely plant!). The heather I planted a couple of weeks ago is in the very front left, still looking good.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrI1ymHzafSAlUdLwmeHTuWoGhpwtis1m1XAnsX2eiMyoZXTkzNrZaSagIoDx39bi7C97iDRfQv7op0mkbBK6Ou9neHGf_2ZzbJwqIdd5i_1Cf3_XSv8xTjDRQnovAL8I787It3JedhOAsihBI1Fkh54s3Ny4UKNLnfzWJApxq7uws1_6J-Jh96tN/s926/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="926" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrI1ymHzafSAlUdLwmeHTuWoGhpwtis1m1XAnsX2eiMyoZXTkzNrZaSagIoDx39bi7C97iDRfQv7op0mkbBK6Ou9neHGf_2ZzbJwqIdd5i_1Cf3_XSv8xTjDRQnovAL8I787It3JedhOAsihBI1Fkh54s3Ny4UKNLnfzWJApxq7uws1_6J-Jh96tN/w411-h309/2.jpg" width="411" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I also planted more stuff elsewhere, but it's too early for any of them to look like much, so no pics yet. Later, I hope, if they grow and bloom -- I got more lavender, a liatris, a clematis, and two rudbeckias (aka Black-eyed Susan). Fingers crossed!</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, a long time ago (well, okay, November) I started a second <i>Good Omens</i> needlepoint, using my colored pencil of Aziraphale as the pattern:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ1bNwYxCqHvOxqlSIi4dehZP2L8rfEkEU-lPTIVTAOsp2cRR10PU9TxzJVR_EbbQ9ywyET2kZXzC9PcVjubZpRUzVKbHfmUg6BIBcLppfApXDnFwcAUPHt1CK0xiY9XH7ZTnbj0RPDwGvM8pdblf_pELq9QaMxtKJUBDDpRjc738oJ8gkfvMNwTY/s400/2a-azi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="400" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ1bNwYxCqHvOxqlSIi4dehZP2L8rfEkEU-lPTIVTAOsp2cRR10PU9TxzJVR_EbbQ9ywyET2kZXzC9PcVjubZpRUzVKbHfmUg6BIBcLppfApXDnFwcAUPHt1CK0xiY9XH7ZTnbj0RPDwGvM8pdblf_pELq9QaMxtKJUBDDpRjc738oJ8gkfvMNwTY/s320/2a-azi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I really struggled with this one. The first half or so wasn't too awful but by the time I hit the two-thirds point, I was ready to give up. The complexity of the pattern and the colors, which turned out more in the orange range than I liked, were not happy-making. It was taking a long time, too -- each 2,000-stitch row averaged 9 days of work, and there were 17-1/2 rows. ARGH!</div><div><br /></div><div>But after taking a bit of a break, I decided to just plow on through and finish it, and last week, after a mere four months of effort, I succeeded! <i>Whew.</i> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQjTuhYxQj6MzbU2WWvFJyM9DLyLbdW2jE02XTY1XWMHeG5eWkpE5dbgFLFb5emdu7tp51vFlvZduJT7n-JM83qq2_mhOQPVASnI-ChiNRbnAEGcZz0UL-U7S9Whqx5H3Rv0D1c3tsljb-4hDJxirrlbiK3PLVVgdkI4REDzfDxSnUMOVCnAG8xIg/s797/2b-azi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="797" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQjTuhYxQj6MzbU2WWvFJyM9DLyLbdW2jE02XTY1XWMHeG5eWkpE5dbgFLFb5emdu7tp51vFlvZduJT7n-JM83qq2_mhOQPVASnI-ChiNRbnAEGcZz0UL-U7S9Whqx5H3Rv0D1c3tsljb-4hDJxirrlbiK3PLVVgdkI4REDzfDxSnUMOVCnAG8xIg/w422-h356/2b-azi.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><i>THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND STITCHES</i></b>. DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE!!!<div><br /></div><div>So that was gratifying.</div><div><br /></div><div>No plans for this coming week yet, other than to try to do better drawings at the Zoom sessions, keep an eye out for more plants, and hunker down in the wind (supposed to get gusts up to 50 today--whoa!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay safe out there, and have a great week!<br /><p><br /></p></div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-49341593031050200952022-03-28T05:00:00.001-07:002022-03-28T05:00:00.163-07:00Stuff! Lots of Stuff!<p>Good weather = busy week!</p><p>First and foremost, the riverboats are back -- huzzah!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRuUjvY9qQUBSnuEgWSfus0-uTO7n9gzKDd-ZFgnMjVCkNGUr_6R_0Po1YKdpVGSUEu-9_Jn074pkNl6Q1QofWKS3GdffgXhmNvOYcRic5L5_6Xt1Jjv7MRMP5ftnuH30mPEMU0bXNxsFQ3verzu-hvMjLnioBxQIhPa8IcCQ33SWGVaUDaFcbpdS/s694/1a-rb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRuUjvY9qQUBSnuEgWSfus0-uTO7n9gzKDd-ZFgnMjVCkNGUr_6R_0Po1YKdpVGSUEu-9_Jn074pkNl6Q1QofWKS3GdffgXhmNvOYcRic5L5_6Xt1Jjv7MRMP5ftnuH30mPEMU0bXNxsFQ3verzu-hvMjLnioBxQIhPa8IcCQ33SWGVaUDaFcbpdS/s320/1a-rb.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Last year there was a shortened season -- the boats didn't start their cruises until June. I always enjoy seeing them, and this one in particular is my favorite. It's the <i>American Empress</i>, the largest of the sternwheelers on the Columbia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rfvonvAnbdxYSx3onolzmaxC0cwXOLfnqPKhlQxYddfjVnyveAtikZdCw-RD--_h1Ll49aaioUh-WWkpAhMZvDLPNwg8lV6jUhfhfnq_u2g_kDao2vOoAvc3NbsO-kGfg-EJeQMGnEpgDecUaCuj2HxiWDH8hZ-OcRvPy5uMiMjkljtJLIwhE-S1/s841/1b-rb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rfvonvAnbdxYSx3onolzmaxC0cwXOLfnqPKhlQxYddfjVnyveAtikZdCw-RD--_h1Ll49aaioUh-WWkpAhMZvDLPNwg8lV6jUhfhfnq_u2g_kDao2vOoAvc3NbsO-kGfg-EJeQMGnEpgDecUaCuj2HxiWDH8hZ-OcRvPy5uMiMjkljtJLIwhE-S1/s320/1b-rb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>So that was one exciting day's walk.</p><p>Then came the Day of the Clouds. Clouds are exciting here, because when I lived on the western side of the state (for 40 years!) the sky was clouded over so often that it became the norm, and it took an exceptionally weird cloud formation to get me to look up at all.</p><p>But here in the land of 300+ days of sunny skies, clouds are a rarity. They're more common in winter months overall, when I don't like to go out. So when they turn up in warmer times, I do get excited and like to get out in search of the best view. That happened last week -- one day I got up to let the dogs out at 6:30am, and there were fantastic clouds with the sun just starting to peep out. I dashed inside, threw on some clothes, grabbed the hounds and tossed them in the car, and away we went down to the river, arriving just in time:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyT1loSRcbmg81TtQqWk6_qQFWlP4XLEenrzGAOkgNlv7SLS_h4ZCOlV3bvT9cz1aW8KWvqjDiFJY3SrWlIZtqN_QEWgJEodJrxWM9mLx7S7CJKpON_aAtEMTbtYDL7wFhXV8zHqU3RRozTgH0A0wn_Ruf6gfjopDqFQQD7H_QkAhkl2aiQh8pam5t/s2800/2a-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="2800" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyT1loSRcbmg81TtQqWk6_qQFWlP4XLEenrzGAOkgNlv7SLS_h4ZCOlV3bvT9cz1aW8KWvqjDiFJY3SrWlIZtqN_QEWgJEodJrxWM9mLx7S7CJKpON_aAtEMTbtYDL7wFhXV8zHqU3RRozTgH0A0wn_Ruf6gfjopDqFQQD7H_QkAhkl2aiQh8pam5t/w404-h303/2a-dawn.jpg" width="404" /></a></div><p>What a glorious sunrise! And the moon was still out, too!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglph0u6vr0thxlujxpjcFQNAwtUsJQl0L8FHzBiLZlaHt3DuZQyW2FaYUWIMKJTXFHb4Pv0x-404C61J5C4IOqRV7JCzyGl41Z3kL2tG7SOQaPxSMq6pEVXdrNdh-kN4nT9AHmpSELptBuD5bdLoq7WjSjzfpdzgDqCPlYRDF0Zmn4wPFTOKXVHALT/s2800/2c-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="2800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglph0u6vr0thxlujxpjcFQNAwtUsJQl0L8FHzBiLZlaHt3DuZQyW2FaYUWIMKJTXFHb4Pv0x-404C61J5C4IOqRV7JCzyGl41Z3kL2tG7SOQaPxSMq6pEVXdrNdh-kN4nT9AHmpSELptBuD5bdLoq7WjSjzfpdzgDqCPlYRDF0Zmn4wPFTOKXVHALT/s320/2c-dawn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We took a mile long walk down to the riverboat, which was still at the dock.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPbvqDVmQSQWlwt4zulUBxxvjoHNn-6Xqri4ASo9dOcIPWHBE6AjJzJ-Quemzmb5XzRN7uNhHsMc1WL6m3rq367Fs0PjcZLJ789cMkFYK0EQtci0toxHKUHC2UffmNFkE3KQrqdPbmnIRdLKGo9AhiVET4U8Yx7GsnUovTBRMf0YyYJY8aS60YqJJ/s2000/2d-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPbvqDVmQSQWlwt4zulUBxxvjoHNn-6Xqri4ASo9dOcIPWHBE6AjJzJ-Quemzmb5XzRN7uNhHsMc1WL6m3rq367Fs0PjcZLJ789cMkFYK0EQtci0toxHKUHC2UffmNFkE3KQrqdPbmnIRdLKGo9AhiVET4U8Yx7GsnUovTBRMf0YyYJY8aS60YqJJ/w403-h302/2d-dawn.jpg" width="403" /></a></div><p>I'm delighted that I got down there when I did -- this was the sky upon arrival:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveiTVMOwOEPOI0mo6G6TxG26DTGv1M63hgcnk7MljFhjRiJVn-KZeeolnhVpHbWaWLzRdmYD3E9D9Naevl53HE26CPeYMIdwcnOVk4tFQiGv_iWFpc-BUDVttklzENMIlD6WI_enve4JsgO4xOleVXdIWAXFPsZYZATtuvJZaWBOV_6KGHsXbQ4UB/s2800/2e-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1989" data-original-width="2800" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveiTVMOwOEPOI0mo6G6TxG26DTGv1M63hgcnk7MljFhjRiJVn-KZeeolnhVpHbWaWLzRdmYD3E9D9Naevl53HE26CPeYMIdwcnOVk4tFQiGv_iWFpc-BUDVttklzENMIlD6WI_enve4JsgO4xOleVXdIWAXFPsZYZATtuvJZaWBOV_6KGHsXbQ4UB/w393-h279/2e-dawn.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><p>And this was the sky a mere twenty minutes later:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlwulmofEgV9m3DELXhkDM53WN5NnbstAdqcndYhDRFqCneN1JeEvTwJb5CcvjwZkFPy4FtDhq8A2IlsU1zI65N9MsB4nsRaT7Ntk8IUI8lWleC4C0HTCrbF5mApjWCJTrnf4jHconRKTANxK5iPIVyFor6QuTFzo8kmhGG3uyNxgw845Co_jSvKs/s2528/2f-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1688" data-original-width="2528" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlwulmofEgV9m3DELXhkDM53WN5NnbstAdqcndYhDRFqCneN1JeEvTwJb5CcvjwZkFPy4FtDhq8A2IlsU1zI65N9MsB4nsRaT7Ntk8IUI8lWleC4C0HTCrbF5mApjWCJTrnf4jHconRKTANxK5iPIVyFor6QuTFzo8kmhGG3uyNxgw845Co_jSvKs/w407-h272/2f-dawn.jpg" width="407" /></a></div><p>Timing is everything!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa-zo643DcMo-oOmGgZzIra0iPMUzw5Yl-bfYVjlMlsrj6-kRrNuFmXl9JFL6Hc-W-lytbQSd4A4NIruHxYbPpsJjKM1VZSwXG8BXqAo1ibqMtaQk1mJBBGZTcBbuwVmLJ_PDbn5qYBNFfSpJLVdy4QQJ4usv8_uCies176AIcJyIKByu9hTSbZKJ/s1169/2g-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1169" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa-zo643DcMo-oOmGgZzIra0iPMUzw5Yl-bfYVjlMlsrj6-kRrNuFmXl9JFL6Hc-W-lytbQSd4A4NIruHxYbPpsJjKM1VZSwXG8BXqAo1ibqMtaQk1mJBBGZTcBbuwVmLJ_PDbn5qYBNFfSpJLVdy4QQJ4usv8_uCies176AIcJyIKByu9hTSbZKJ/w393-h248/2g-dawn.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaxoTzfoJC7NrSWtSqjBauU7a_vMIZbRrdRfV7hiA6kdVMafrwrk5oJZkxRM_HA7JCw0BjUTS8SdkOflNEoWJQ35ZjITdxHaPVL3cRajgUuQ4vKpPHdawfZB8BbiRKTPpYYXK-omwcGglf97e5odO5oeP1E6cjy0TS1Z9M4PoWKAPQyu6g_aNFh_W/s2400/2h-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="2400" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaxoTzfoJC7NrSWtSqjBauU7a_vMIZbRrdRfV7hiA6kdVMafrwrk5oJZkxRM_HA7JCw0BjUTS8SdkOflNEoWJQ35ZjITdxHaPVL3cRajgUuQ4vKpPHdawfZB8BbiRKTPpYYXK-omwcGglf97e5odO5oeP1E6cjy0TS1Z9M4PoWKAPQyu6g_aNFh_W/w396-h275/2h-dawn.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><p>Which brings me to my next photos. Timing is, indeed, rather key when you want to see fun things. On another expedition last week, I decided to visit both Sacajawea State Park, where I rarely go, and then to pop over to the nearby McNary National Wildlife Refuge. Alas, the State Park was <i>closed for the Winter</i> and even though it's officially Spring, the park ranger explained that seasonal Spring and the State's idea of Spring were two different things. I was allowed to park by the barrier and walk in, but that was a ways, and I had a long walk ahead of me at McNary, so I chose to turn around and go there instead. </p><p>As I drove down the 15mph road, <i>this critter</i> suddenly appeared:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wRYawdWEDOCMxD8yh4zC8EnDAAnlY7qxN7nDohzDQy39kSYJpVnmOur3CLVQvuCIweALivE5QYDDgergzSIeLUQ6f9z_j0pUOeMscCr9B51Q3SaJNDQK8p_jSE7IKM6EmwrcS33wWd2Du8YNNMY8HL1qxQysD9EwcrWlkSkyFilBUkLljNHGy2fb/s1658/3a-deer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="1658" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wRYawdWEDOCMxD8yh4zC8EnDAAnlY7qxN7nDohzDQy39kSYJpVnmOur3CLVQvuCIweALivE5QYDDgergzSIeLUQ6f9z_j0pUOeMscCr9B51Q3SaJNDQK8p_jSE7IKM6EmwrcS33wWd2Du8YNNMY8HL1qxQysD9EwcrWlkSkyFilBUkLljNHGy2fb/s320/3a-deer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Whoo! Deer! Whee! In fact, seven of them crossed the road, single file. It was fabulous. And really good timing. And I never did see anything very interesting at McNary. But you just never know what you're going to see when you're not expecting to see anything at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yGJo4FUpSzEpFGYGI9gl89qJbe6D1KMKjLeMRYHm2rpN3P76NpyW1PiDUVrPJO2huXh87X7p92L4pAcdGe1fpi0JTZ-kLcnrxX4PATi2zW_rVmX3MvVrvdCHIRM2IVISUEeUXO0fHfbwHJLje7Lc5dM2GdfdsgJ7N2t3ia5JW1zj1a6vFEQmNueX/s1270/3b-deer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="1243" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yGJo4FUpSzEpFGYGI9gl89qJbe6D1KMKjLeMRYHm2rpN3P76NpyW1PiDUVrPJO2huXh87X7p92L4pAcdGe1fpi0JTZ-kLcnrxX4PATi2zW_rVmX3MvVrvdCHIRM2IVISUEeUXO0fHfbwHJLje7Lc5dM2GdfdsgJ7N2t3ia5JW1zj1a6vFEQmNueX/s320/3b-deer.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><p>Okay, let's move on to some indoor activity. Here are the two art pieces I did last week, in ink and watercolor:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj--BewaEV6KBKTQFXuQLpwQv7Y-Mg19r0HdOTiGtdtcgY123f-b5Ctc7GMtdJnBpdvpJAVXnRc0Biy5tUmp7W0koeNzRUhp1cP8Vkdgr6bfIM3kYwDw6jdD9mW4B5LRUk448RMaqTQP44grGTGlfKjP7b4Sr5gZg4tanQg8g_j784HH9-hpgkBcuvG/s694/4a-light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="540" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj--BewaEV6KBKTQFXuQLpwQv7Y-Mg19r0HdOTiGtdtcgY123f-b5Ctc7GMtdJnBpdvpJAVXnRc0Biy5tUmp7W0koeNzRUhp1cP8Vkdgr6bfIM3kYwDw6jdD9mW4B5LRUk448RMaqTQP44grGTGlfKjP7b4Sr5gZg4tanQg8g_j784HH9-hpgkBcuvG/w295-h379/4a-light.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiQuqoOR9iUywY04WkWydFpM6ITqswMavnusEvGHIi5-QiPTpiVb4pi_I6XUcOluFyt-ojwYZHekh2gTwoa6_8PgHRUG-4fx3rSAY9G7X7PYW85wZv5CWJ8ld3aMpNVhwuzUcTA1EG6yI-m1OIERTT-RDJrrf9E3-LwrZQQMV3DvH0zgqunlEWtBJ/s966/4b-beachrocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="966" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiQuqoOR9iUywY04WkWydFpM6ITqswMavnusEvGHIi5-QiPTpiVb4pi_I6XUcOluFyt-ojwYZHekh2gTwoa6_8PgHRUG-4fx3rSAY9G7X7PYW85wZv5CWJ8ld3aMpNVhwuzUcTA1EG6yI-m1OIERTT-RDJrrf9E3-LwrZQQMV3DvH0zgqunlEWtBJ/w384-h276/4b-beachrocks.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><p>Well, at least that was quick.</p><p>Now we move on to another exciting home project: the Outbuilding Makeover!</p><p>In my backyard there is an outbuilding measuring 12' x 24'. It was put up in 1974, and partially improved in more recent years. It has heat and light, but the previous owner's plan to add plumbing and AC were left undone before they sold the property to me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltaiEsSvsolJwQjjvXWzUH6dDl0qqH39jlWylsF5_bX3_EBDlW-7iLlMsuAXj37Hbf78zWyMD2a2UsrZuUn5aUUEGNpHK3_DbA06MeXNoWzZfgQ7XU4WDQBoDPnlnVKNKB2MnUTvWnCqp1XROVjk6t95x10mlv379qNCWdBhgG9a-fE7Ai3FQ1e7j/s873/5a-hi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="873" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltaiEsSvsolJwQjjvXWzUH6dDl0qqH39jlWylsF5_bX3_EBDlW-7iLlMsuAXj37Hbf78zWyMD2a2UsrZuUn5aUUEGNpHK3_DbA06MeXNoWzZfgQ7XU4WDQBoDPnlnVKNKB2MnUTvWnCqp1XROVjk6t95x10mlv379qNCWdBhgG9a-fE7Ai3FQ1e7j/w371-h268/5a-hi.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><p>There are two rooms. The one without a window is totally unfinished. I've been using it for storage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwDeQigaZFyTVA481MrR6dk2fgUvOcb5Ng0iJ2CWhex048lQcF7i0UJCo1fT2IkC6cjJSBZz4Q3av0qJWztN9jx5KZx7tkt-oQeRQ8IQO6cG8QSV5Mki_Nn5iA-Xl7l0XckKIfDnUEndr_5A5XhpUkTAXhxKCXvDzDO5f4_htTGfoutliQa1FFgUT/s631/5b-hi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwDeQigaZFyTVA481MrR6dk2fgUvOcb5Ng0iJ2CWhex048lQcF7i0UJCo1fT2IkC6cjJSBZz4Q3av0qJWztN9jx5KZx7tkt-oQeRQ8IQO6cG8QSV5Mki_Nn5iA-Xl7l0XckKIfDnUEndr_5A5XhpUkTAXhxKCXvDzDO5f4_htTGfoutliQa1FFgUT/s320/5b-hi.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The second room (12' x 12') had finished walls and electrical, but the floor was covered with a crappy, dirty carpet and I didn't use it for anything. I decided to change that.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PVXXOD9JPOb--XNFP1dARcC65kJS-nhJaLVB5ZopC1zpVS0jgfWkKfaRWO7okbNyP858hNkIGqtgAwjmVCJK4Ka7HvCevMzqeFNMQIfI5oT860R4odB09yNasImWd1njNKRxaKR4eiyfxrFqz9bx1kix0CrbD8ZlkcozYdMDhZYABrY3ELjxZbRI/s841/5c-hi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PVXXOD9JPOb--XNFP1dARcC65kJS-nhJaLVB5ZopC1zpVS0jgfWkKfaRWO7okbNyP858hNkIGqtgAwjmVCJK4Ka7HvCevMzqeFNMQIfI5oT860R4odB09yNasImWd1njNKRxaKR4eiyfxrFqz9bx1kix0CrbD8ZlkcozYdMDhZYABrY3ELjxZbRI/s320/5c-hi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My wonderful "can build or repair most anything home-related guy", Sergey, tore out the old carpet and the equally bad baseboards, patched up some wall damage, and put in new wood laminate flooring and new baseboards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>BEFORE</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZrsMhV5-37tbb64gKT9fHm9Qtp4-0PwG4ZYd410sVohNFWJkKyiGgMDLlRf2ijgHoqQGTDRXZwXkl8aTvYYG6riXn97RF9uM6NpaeOs9xEFwF3kaUcV9fAG_E2mLt6bUymX3fDHBqxYyBkfRRCHD_1JXgWKGs4QyL2bVsWZTHqSr4e9t-1Vtdarg/s841/5d-hi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="841" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZrsMhV5-37tbb64gKT9fHm9Qtp4-0PwG4ZYd410sVohNFWJkKyiGgMDLlRf2ijgHoqQGTDRXZwXkl8aTvYYG6riXn97RF9uM6NpaeOs9xEFwF3kaUcV9fAG_E2mLt6bUymX3fDHBqxYyBkfRRCHD_1JXgWKGs4QyL2bVsWZTHqSr4e9t-1Vtdarg/s320/5d-hi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>AFTER:</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3pFT3fjr8GcQuNOQqd-9qMc36ZffRs25QecqJr4TPMLRTTO4fncHxQrUAHOOV1ZsxrYDRGEKd9cTp5nLn-vDOQ3v6pIMeUjf51LNM1drv-eUuCxSSYlkA3sriuM5JVl_nwphhr68XnY4QtYhLtyaCV1GcQQ-7dyX70ELYjRjoW8qoVihAXto_yZh/s925/5e-hi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="925" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3pFT3fjr8GcQuNOQqd-9qMc36ZffRs25QecqJr4TPMLRTTO4fncHxQrUAHOOV1ZsxrYDRGEKd9cTp5nLn-vDOQ3v6pIMeUjf51LNM1drv-eUuCxSSYlkA3sriuM5JVl_nwphhr68XnY4QtYhLtyaCV1GcQQ-7dyX70ELYjRjoW8qoVihAXto_yZh/w407-h305/5e-hi.jpg" width="407" /></a></div><p>The dogs have given it their official approval. I added one of those mesh screens over the door that keep the flies out but let people and hounds come in and out easily. </p><p>Now I just have to figure out what to use it for...<i style="font-weight: bold;">AND</i>...I get to decorate a whole new space! Whee!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi98_3fwsPu-dkREp_hBPGOKuYoqAqjM61P0rknhl-NFT4HjDZHoAs6t3g48x-_PPR5ykQsadh5e4YBAp6CO7VE5bvTHkqnmP4Kdb41mH_urJpmS7e_4E5Rqvc58sH1tTOTabvX2CWrNT_VtozlphfAre1SsMlKaLN1jozZr-5GdoNRLLGOMiI_68/s631/5f-hi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="473" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi98_3fwsPu-dkREp_hBPGOKuYoqAqjM61P0rknhl-NFT4HjDZHoAs6t3g48x-_PPR5ykQsadh5e4YBAp6CO7VE5bvTHkqnmP4Kdb41mH_urJpmS7e_4E5Rqvc58sH1tTOTabvX2CWrNT_VtozlphfAre1SsMlKaLN1jozZr-5GdoNRLLGOMiI_68/w271-h361/5f-hi.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><p>Speaking of the Hounds, on Saturday we had a reunion with the Wiener Walking group. It was finally warm enough for a meet-up, and it was great to see the old familiar dogs (and people) again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxf1UN6eZfVYbKboI3Kyq1RKwWsFweQuObnDJPocdQcFcO2E9nz_Qxk1J3B-YcdBbJG7Re3IUVjvdHMjnS5i5WIAMvCcdQdtuo2RG9hU7_k0TsSkUxIopLVq3-RS672tprKdXzX58obbM5PEBd9glk2T4ypip1-vsMKw_9S35Uz0lell9a8WOmJTQH/s1800/6a-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1800" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxf1UN6eZfVYbKboI3Kyq1RKwWsFweQuObnDJPocdQcFcO2E9nz_Qxk1J3B-YcdBbJG7Re3IUVjvdHMjnS5i5WIAMvCcdQdtuo2RG9hU7_k0TsSkUxIopLVq3-RS672tprKdXzX58obbM5PEBd9glk2T4ypip1-vsMKw_9S35Uz0lell9a8WOmJTQH/w427-h243/6a-ww.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6sZKWli546Aj_jg7mqwFViRcr-mxBUbRz1gs_43SK0gfw02XrrRe8SbLqa9ts76TR81k66wjaqsXSX1n_dSFm4sjCNrL5yobigN9SboFdO9lyvRJP9otf-X-lzpJkrP4MX_NcLsVUWojDXEwCBE-VVyG4WaUsfEiq8Y-3efp-YzSxYkye9rqkRU2/s1200/6b-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6sZKWli546Aj_jg7mqwFViRcr-mxBUbRz1gs_43SK0gfw02XrrRe8SbLqa9ts76TR81k66wjaqsXSX1n_dSFm4sjCNrL5yobigN9SboFdO9lyvRJP9otf-X-lzpJkrP4MX_NcLsVUWojDXEwCBE-VVyG4WaUsfEiq8Y-3efp-YzSxYkye9rqkRU2/s320/6b-ww.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Pippin and his girlfriend Madison had a lovely meet and greet, but then during the walk, Pippin paid more attention to newcomer Hobbes, a stunning cream piebald longhair:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtwoRvH93MdOwmo4Sgen89jDzzNK9Y680uVvgG4SIsDJX92ahK9ReEILxvo_xB1K_G1U_P3pIFdIWG3mWUTJgedk3gM9zNauveCpvtw2L0eu2PxcQq0QQVCP9-c_ua8kWuEiNZWcB8yR8xJPTQV0cZtZVjd4n7jpGnydND_CFCJLvPq8aPfs5qtKk/s1800/6c-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1547" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtwoRvH93MdOwmo4Sgen89jDzzNK9Y680uVvgG4SIsDJX92ahK9ReEILxvo_xB1K_G1U_P3pIFdIWG3mWUTJgedk3gM9zNauveCpvtw2L0eu2PxcQq0QQVCP9-c_ua8kWuEiNZWcB8yR8xJPTQV0cZtZVjd4n7jpGnydND_CFCJLvPq8aPfs5qtKk/w312-h363/6c-ww.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><p>And as usual, Truman did his best to avoid everyone:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1j-3kgW3iGGPmthPzCH8i11kO7bLptPX18hsmMEUm7NJJKFfpxtXUfuUCutnwLtLep3dpjDcAxeeJeMi0yORXDDjuUUpUyHJmN_IkH4u0mOAbvQpAXegPTUqeZnOWxCs2oM8DMrQMS3_D1p6CSxcu5yjwIddiDS7D_tKaM_L0Xlw-fdS3D9HRLilZ/s1200/6d-ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1j-3kgW3iGGPmthPzCH8i11kO7bLptPX18hsmMEUm7NJJKFfpxtXUfuUCutnwLtLep3dpjDcAxeeJeMi0yORXDDjuUUpUyHJmN_IkH4u0mOAbvQpAXegPTUqeZnOWxCs2oM8DMrQMS3_D1p6CSxcu5yjwIddiDS7D_tKaM_L0Xlw-fdS3D9HRLilZ/w377-h283/6d-ww.jpg" width="377" /></a></div><br />Not the best photos, no, but it's nearly impossible to get a herd of active wiener dogs to pose nicely. Oh well. There will now be weekly walks until it gets too hot in mid-summer, so perhaps I'll manage to get better pics at some point.<p></p><p>Whew, that was a lot of STUFF. Hope you enjoyed it, and have a great week out there! </p>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1680901681738005078.post-4494787521918499942022-03-21T05:00:00.001-07:002022-03-21T05:00:00.179-07:00The Impatient Gardener<p>It's SPRING!</p><p>It's sunny and warmer and there hasn't been a temp below freezing for well over a week, and surely that means I can plant things now, right? </p><p>Well, the gardening guides tell me to wait until all danger of frost has passed, which technically, is this area, is April 15. Bah. It's 40 degrees at night! It's going to be SEVENTY this week in the day time! I drove by a few nurseries and they were starting to put out stock -- LET ME PLANT THINGS!!!</p><p>Sigh. I went to the nurseries. What they were putting out was a bunch of annuals intended for flower baskets, some evergreen shrubs, and a few bare root roses. Not what I want! What I want is flowering perennials. So I had to settle for this lone heather (a very hardy, winter-blooming plant):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAn5-_TUiRKXHT8wifVez2AOr7MKQPG40FbRCAZCdFZGlwH-wKDj1qb4w2UQ3hL142tWkLF1PnPQYp0F-1LphfM44wqqdW4UDStns1rC9qfoSqdewy2aigfqGXhd4pigO_xGKnmuAPhrMCQn5RMSVHhiH8oLACTkSRWmVwkmbvJLPNvIdE2mFm7FeA=s631" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAn5-_TUiRKXHT8wifVez2AOr7MKQPG40FbRCAZCdFZGlwH-wKDj1qb4w2UQ3hL142tWkLF1PnPQYp0F-1LphfM44wqqdW4UDStns1rC9qfoSqdewy2aigfqGXhd4pigO_xGKnmuAPhrMCQn5RMSVHhiH8oLACTkSRWmVwkmbvJLPNvIdE2mFm7FeA=s320" width="310" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It made me happy, as I've always wanted to grow heather ever since admiring it on the Grampian hillsides in Scotland. But I want MORE plants, and I want them NOW, but apparently I have to be patient. Dang.</div><div><br /></div><div>So in the meantime, I worked on my garden decor efforts. Here is a nifty wind spinner I found, with a solar light:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjYu9tjqx2eYZerS7HuUJvgywk5363_QQJUVLZvHuqruN5erIoYMVfa1pKzg-y8XDKfsTU5CVUKEN6_Uv2psajBVHfZQ-vYMsKu9yhY9203ikh55PHyqTVD4KREAIJG7JxCJnhMRxfVZBHbruebE6xlkqEbeeelJISOMTpgcMkYtGUhjfIvW9daEZ8=s631" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="492" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjYu9tjqx2eYZerS7HuUJvgywk5363_QQJUVLZvHuqruN5erIoYMVfa1pKzg-y8XDKfsTU5CVUKEN6_Uv2psajBVHfZQ-vYMsKu9yhY9203ikh55PHyqTVD4KREAIJG7JxCJnhMRxfVZBHbruebE6xlkqEbeeelJISOMTpgcMkYtGUhjfIvW9daEZ8=w297-h380" width="297" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And I expanded the fence decorations with another repurposed coat rack and some metal wall art found at a garage sale.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6NbqVmg7BZsAlyd2t7GS__6e5mR4baGiH6rE-5jhCF1X5n5krinW_bDjstI0CJENBPWW87rAo3foF2ZJSGZtiPsCeP3GLb4gBAmt_hzgpgLQxWVKdYHhAP3Z6DjamdmSstIhEVdPjC3VOZFwuX79CgDGGongsIMrvgmTWil_HZRmm9FKH51QMiRh4=s863" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="863" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6NbqVmg7BZsAlyd2t7GS__6e5mR4baGiH6rE-5jhCF1X5n5krinW_bDjstI0CJENBPWW87rAo3foF2ZJSGZtiPsCeP3GLb4gBAmt_hzgpgLQxWVKdYHhAP3Z6DjamdmSstIhEVdPjC3VOZFwuX79CgDGGongsIMrvgmTWil_HZRmm9FKH51QMiRh4=w410-h300" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The other issue with SPRING in this area is the wind. When it warms up, the winds come calling, often blowing steadily at 15-20mph for days on end. Here we see Pippin and Truman being blown sideways on a 25mph day:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1ccBD_ZGWTk0wDWiOAMe3uFywG-qLbUKi6jw4hEXBT-x6mCvaM36bs9SIuUzKpWsUejT_Hx2y8J9zdHFUSnbkkGyS5grzXVRW1d2PtlQt-2gwjMwhhrr2qbddZJyjPtCyyiX1lihB5VjQsaXNe0XT2tS4zYlYsDidM4X1tNceWPO9M6YfOoxuEvql=s631" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="554" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1ccBD_ZGWTk0wDWiOAMe3uFywG-qLbUKi6jw4hEXBT-x6mCvaM36bs9SIuUzKpWsUejT_Hx2y8J9zdHFUSnbkkGyS5grzXVRW1d2PtlQt-2gwjMwhhrr2qbddZJyjPtCyyiX1lihB5VjQsaXNe0XT2tS4zYlYsDidM4X1tNceWPO9M6YfOoxuEvql=w329-h374" width="329" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This kind of puts a damper on any outdoor activities.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had an awful lot of windy days last week, though I did get out on one less-windy day to go look at the Sandhill Cranes again. Thus, contrary to last week's statement that there weren't likely to be many bird pics here for a while, here are two more of the cranes:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP3tKWgAU1uSZ7jy8FthCepi3sgM13PatPvJHtXH0aO2hX0hYt_CqHwIkQ31YwpmaJVY5mylzKvb10m6NGU50LDfsXvuqUIEhucyfJFtB30FYC9p5zxnOYJk7-P4C8gA28zZttStzodX-pkdiF-A1ypIuBrqW6KCRzoueThAKGfgThVmozx4WR0kkO=s1800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP3tKWgAU1uSZ7jy8FthCepi3sgM13PatPvJHtXH0aO2hX0hYt_CqHwIkQ31YwpmaJVY5mylzKvb10m6NGU50LDfsXvuqUIEhucyfJFtB30FYC9p5zxnOYJk7-P4C8gA28zZttStzodX-pkdiF-A1ypIuBrqW6KCRzoueThAKGfgThVmozx4WR0kkO=w389-h292" width="389" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFEzglKzDPiptewBQXgyplrXYSTMSsq3_f8fWZQoE_eu70ZRyXn9-Mzrv19kjeC_ZD42T5fbCeWyfLnTMrtm9N4OzFs88kj3CBu-67NqWnMoDrll1aQx1txAeu9MvuzVyMe5Rns-tV5CAuobKf3TOPB7AeFWWo5Q69E9Rpy4I0vo4wgW3wXBNmtPHO=s1635" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="1635" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFEzglKzDPiptewBQXgyplrXYSTMSsq3_f8fWZQoE_eu70ZRyXn9-Mzrv19kjeC_ZD42T5fbCeWyfLnTMrtm9N4OzFs88kj3CBu-67NqWnMoDrll1aQx1txAeu9MvuzVyMe5Rns-tV5CAuobKf3TOPB7AeFWWo5Q69E9Rpy4I0vo4wgW3wXBNmtPHO=w396-h272" width="396" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Whee!<div><br /></div><div>Okay, on to the art. We are now meeting via Zoom for our art practice sessions THREE times a week. On Wednesdays and Fridays we choose a photo to work from and do the same one (usually). On Mondays we work on whatever we want to, and it doesn't necessarily need to be finished in our 90-minute time frame.</div><div><br /></div><div>This past Monday I chose to do a freehand sketch from a photo of Crowley from <i>Good Omens</i>, to practice my people-drawing skills. I used a very cheap #2 pencil that was just lying around, on some old paper that I wanted to use up.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyA6fAoUUdlpvcaq5_KTWE-qMdehT_pZPOcb4KvffiAR4IDwKsXJdrJh_vvieP9YXjaJWznoo3g-CTykpSxzhkM3b-rCGpLfKM529RryyJAfNZkfJuz46c7Kalf4GH8AKOn8dxOFsa8Yt648ySEqiSNBWudQ055cGePnBGRcXOxwRa5ioZLYeNJdd9=s378" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="273" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyA6fAoUUdlpvcaq5_KTWE-qMdehT_pZPOcb4KvffiAR4IDwKsXJdrJh_vvieP9YXjaJWznoo3g-CTykpSxzhkM3b-rCGpLfKM529RryyJAfNZkfJuz46c7Kalf4GH8AKOn8dxOFsa8Yt648ySEqiSNBWudQ055cGePnBGRcXOxwRa5ioZLYeNJdd9=w278-h385" width="278" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On Wednesday we chose a lovely photo of a French castle, which I rendered using ink and watercolor. I quite like how this turned out.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoyqJC5jlpNbq2zGFVUb7qv-5e2tZSqRKBohf7T18B2ARati7A6eB-sOg6HIQlx_NRlbrncgZ03NX2P5TMA25msZ2p-X9fIeokZb9r81H2OcCL3UanRjN9seHNnVOVeGrT3PkhNS4oGutj_LaNHIxCypYNGdC_sgHJRcNoGGzK-uaGDdP5YFz8tfWj=s747" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="747" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoyqJC5jlpNbq2zGFVUb7qv-5e2tZSqRKBohf7T18B2ARati7A6eB-sOg6HIQlx_NRlbrncgZ03NX2P5TMA25msZ2p-X9fIeokZb9r81H2OcCL3UanRjN9seHNnVOVeGrT3PkhNS4oGutj_LaNHIxCypYNGdC_sgHJRcNoGGzK-uaGDdP5YFz8tfWj=w396-h367" width="396" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For Friday's session, due to a technical issue, we wound up each choosing our own photo from a group of landscape pics. I opted for this derelict boat, done in watercolor (no ink). </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWWXLZaY92XPaGqCdySG8jap6RxfWBTMZ44lxxomRtFAOU3rc9wm-jTcVCYp46s6ep2EmLmz_Un8OFmppTyQUPuHnzijZuEY1DbfcI7hbTaZArsGZ-Ig7Q_6nvUhfjRrihNcgAqeqoDhgwJB8QSwYMSvOoAsTKUMxm9v9tDdnzRefhCV7cq5IF8050=s694" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="482" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWWXLZaY92XPaGqCdySG8jap6RxfWBTMZ44lxxomRtFAOU3rc9wm-jTcVCYp46s6ep2EmLmz_Un8OFmppTyQUPuHnzijZuEY1DbfcI7hbTaZArsGZ-Ig7Q_6nvUhfjRrihNcgAqeqoDhgwJB8QSwYMSvOoAsTKUMxm9v9tDdnzRefhCV7cq5IF8050=w261-h377" width="261" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This coming week I am hoping to get out and about more if I don't get blown away. There are some home improvement projects happening here, and it might be noisy, so getting out a lot will be a good idea. I shall talk more about those projects next Monday!<div><br /></div><div>Have a great week out there!</div>Alex MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121919349442258779noreply@blogger.com0