Take Me Out to the Ball Game

In the sun it was warm. In the shade it was cold. All over it was windy. I'm glad I dressed as if I were going to a hockey game. It was Chicago and the Cubs won- the one time we were rooting for the other team! (LA Dodgers) Those childhood Brooklyn-roots go deep.

Hello Out There!

It has been a VERY long time since my last post. I don't know what happened but it did. The old creative block hit me - hard! All my creative energy was consumed by the computer and there was nothing left for sketchbooks and paper.

The muse didn't give up on me and a scheduled trip to San Francisco coincided with the World Wide Sketchcrawl for Japan on Saturday, April 16. I was able to take a couple of hours to sketch with the San Francisco group at Dolores Park. And what a group it was, my guess, there were at least fifty people sketching around the Mission. Thank you all for your hospitality! And thanks to my husband and family who encouraged "Nana" to go. I'm a little rusty but hope I'm getting back into the groove.






Here are two more from the week.

What a Difference…?

Today I was putting away my 2010 prayer journal and checked to see what I had done a year ago. How many times do we hear or say "What a difference a year makes"? In this case sadly it isn't true.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you all for stopping by my blog and for your kind and encouraging comments. I really do appreciate it.

Thank you, too, for sharing your work. I learn something from each of you!

Sailing O'er the Bounty Main

Going away for three weeks in November wreaks havoc on Christmas planning and organization. I do plan to post my sketches from the trip eventually but today I had to post these randoms sketches from days at sea.





The first one is the view looking down, the second is Stromboli, and the third group are sketches from the solarium done on a day at sea.

According to the news today, The Brilliance of the Seas, the ship we were on last month, was caught in a huge storm in the Mediterranean. It's hard to imagine a ship of that size being tossed around like a toy boat but it was. We had a smooth ride the entire time and the crew was fabulous. I hope all is well on board.

Home from the Sea

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way,
where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
From Salt-Water Poems and Ballads, by John Masefield

We had a wonderful and long vacation. As I slowly dig out from the daily flotsam and jetsam of life that collected at home while we were gone for almost three weeks, I'll post some of my sketches. I sketched more than I thought I would but, of course, less than I hoped! From five glorious days in Barcelona to quick stops in Aix en Provence, Florence, Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Santorini, Amalfi and back it was an unforgettable time.

I'm looking forward to catching up with what all of my favorite bloggers have been doing.

Running in Circles

I didn't run in the Chicago Marathon (or any marathon for that matter!) but I did do some sketches. These were done at mile four on October 10. I post them now because I feel like I've been running around in circles getting ready for vacation.

The sketchbook and watercolors are ready to be packed for the road. My intention is to sketch daily. Well, you know what they say about good intentions and the road… Wish me luck!