Willie Nelson is Riding Shotgun

I carved this block a week or so ago, and used some sort of stamping ink I had lying around to test it out on copy paper.  I based it on the drawing I did of a row house in Georgetown last month.  I'm thinking of doing a series of them, as block prints, in analogous colors.

I'm at stop two in the great road trip of 2009, sitting on my in-laws' couch, being waited on hand and foot while my children completely ignore me.  I love this place.

Willie and I are heading out tomorrow, bright and early for the last leg of the trip, which includes an early morning breakfast with my folks, who live just down the road from here.  From there, I'll make my way to the burg where I grew up - that same town I left as soon as I could legally manage it, at the tender age of 17.  I'll revisit some old haunts, avoid a few others, and discover some new places.  In the meantime, I'm going to have SIX WHOLE HOURS OF ME AND WILLIE NELSON ON MY IPOD. 

WITH NO INTERRUPTIONS.

Okay.

I have other music, too.

But seriously.  Six hours of uninterrupted nobody but me in my immediate vicinity.

Heaven.

Sky High

On Saturday, we headed out to the Joint Service Open House Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. That's the base where they house Air Force One, and while we didn't see the President's plane, we did see the hangar in which it is housed. From a distance. Pretty cool.

The day started out dreary and drizzly, and to be honest - I didn't even want to go. I love air planes - my dad was a pilot and I grew up running around airplane hangars, BUT it was RAINING. I figured the fun stuff would be cancelled and we'd have wasted most of a morning of the day before I started my big trip. GREAT attitude, no?

So - we went anyway, with an umbrella instead of hats and sunscreen. I took one of the boys' nice point and shoot cameras instead of my big DSLR, because there wouldn't be anything worth seeing, right?

Wrong.

The clouds parted, the sun shone strongly upon our bare heads and we fried a little, until we spent a little cash on new hats and I put up my umbrella. All the scheduled attractions flew, including the amazing Thunderbirds, and an F/A 18 that went just an eensy bit supersonic right in front of us.

Which was way freaking cool.

It was one of those days where I was absolutely glad to have been wrong about going. Amazing, awe-inspiring, absolutely fantastic.

Here's a little slide show for you...great pictures, despite the teeny camera.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Soapy Shadow

I'm not overly brand loyal. I usually buy products based on their cost, rather than on their label, but there are a few exceptions. This is one of them. I go out of my way to buy this cucumber hand soap by Method. It smells heavenly and doesn't dry out my already dry skin. Lovely.

Even more lovely was the shadow it cast on my sink!

For other wonderfuly shadowy pictures, visit the links over at Hey Harriet! It's the birthday of Shadow Shot Sunday! (And looky - I'm featured in the collages! That's so exciting!)

Happy Sunday, peeps. I'm off on the road again...I'll be driving 2400 miles or so over the next two weeks...

View Larger Map

But I'll keep you posted...

On Chilling the Heck Out

Most, if not all, of my drama is self-created.  I hope you all understand that.  I don't.  But I usually catch myself before I lose it entirely.

So.  I am chillin'.  I sat on the couch last night and drew this pear that exists only in my memory.  I started with colored pencils, which were too hard for the paper, then broke out the gouache and just played a bit.  I love how gouache looks on this paper, although the paper really needs to be stretched to keep it from buckling.  Maybe, someday, I'll do that - stretch it and paint and watch the magic.

I'm also counting my blessings, out loud and in print:

• Dr. SmartyPants is AWESOME.  Seriously.  He came home last night after two nights away, ate supper and then did the dishes.  Plus?  He looks really hot in blue jeans.
• My children are healthy, creative, funny and amazingly helpful.  They vacuumed their own room yesterday.  Without complaint.  Because vacuum cleaners are cool.  And as far as I can tell, they did a pretty good job.
• My in-laws are keeping my kids AND THE DOGS for a few days so I can have a break.  They are wonderful people and we miss them and I, personally, can't wait to see them.
• My next door neighbor has been mowing our front yard in between our visits back to Tennessee.  Just because he wants to help and he's a super nice guy.
• There are only 5 days left before I get to see Melinda!  And her sweet family!  And eat crawfish!

And oh, so many more...

If only I could remember these and all the rest BEFORE my brain explodes from the minutiae of irritation daily living brings.  Then?

Well.  That'd be about perfect, now, wouldn't it?

***edited:  PLUS - look what my sweet baby J drew for me today.  JUST FOR ME.

Fritterly

 

Fritillaria in Gouache

I know it isn't a word.  But it's really fun to say.

Frittlerlyfritterlyfritterly.

Makes my tongue tingle.

The scan doesn't show the colors as well as I had hoped - there's a lot more variation in the orange - from yellow all the way through to a deep red.  Maybe I'll try and take a photo to see if it is any better, but I always have a rough time getting reds to show up well...

***

Wednesday was...

Well.

Folks, it was a crap day.  There.  I've said it.  It really was.  It was one of those days that just takes all the wind out of your sails and punches you in the gut and then pinches your nose really hard just for fun.  I'm not much of a crier, but people...I've been close today.

Was there tragedy and mayhem?  No.  Just life.  Nothing major.  Nothing worth talking about, except as an aftermath kind of note.  It was the kind of day where kids tiptoe around hoping mom isn't going to start yet another long lecture on the reasons we need to remember math facts or how lying never solved an issue and oh my word, do you call that making up your bed?

I can't even blame it on hormones.  It's just that some days, even though I know how incredibly blessed I am to have this life - and believe me - I know it, I'm just weary.

Weary of the laundry and the dishes and the dusting and the ironing and the schoolwork and the dog poop in the backyard.

Weary of the books I read and the drawings I make and the music I play and the blog posts I write and the constant worrying about how I am screwing up my kids.

Just weary.  And maybe a bit whiny.

And very much in need of a vacation.

Just 6 days.  I can hang in there for that, I guess.

Cheesy Chihuahua. Now with Extra Fat!

Do you have any idea how hard it is to draw a muy gordo chihuahua that has wiggled his way under your leg on the couch?  It ain't no siesta, amigos. 

This dog. 

Is fat.

We can't really figure out why.  He eats about 3/4 cup of food a day - the minimum recommended, and even then, he doesn't always finish it all.  He doesn't get enough exercise, that's for sure, but neither does Oscar, and he's a lean, mean, shedding machine. 

Chico is just an old fat guy.  Excuse me.  And old fat GRUMPY guy who snarls at children. 

We went to a park nearby on Sunday, and all the little children wanted to pet the cute little fat dog and the pretty sleek big dog.  Oscar stuck out his butt and let everyone scratch it, tongue lolling about and grinning at all the cute babies.  Before we left, people were walking by, calling him by name and promising to bring him dog biscuits and toys, pointing him out to other people in the park like a doggy celebrity.  "Have you met Oscar?  Oscar is great!  Such a happy dog.  Too bad about that other one!"

Chico sat under the bench, between my feet, and growled at everyone while I explained to the littles that Chico is a mean, mean, nasty Chihuahua.  Please don't touch the mean dog.  He's mean.  And mean.

Strangely enough, he's actually mellowed a lot since we got him.  He used to snarl at the boys, too, but 5 years later, he's finally decided they might be okay.  Maybe.  As long as they don't touch him.

Or look at him.

But we keep him around anyway.  He's an excellent foot warmer in the winter - especially when we are camping.  He can stand on his hind legs and box his front paws like a circus dog.  He can snatch a chocolate bar wrapper off a side table before you can say lickety-split.  He's fiercely loyal and always on guard against delivery men and the mail carrier.

Plus, when you need a little entertainment, you can flip him on his back like a turtle and watch him flail.

That's just good, clean fun right there.

Goobers

Photo by Junebug

While walking to the Talky Beer Place:

Dr. SmartyPants:  You boys are such goobers.

Boys:  Nuh-uh.  No we aren't!

Dr. SmartyPants:  Diahn?  Why are you raising these boys to be such goobers?  What's wrong with you?

Me:  I don't know.  I can't help it.

Junebug:  Yeah.  It's because she married one!

***

I'm working on a painting, but I don't have anything to show for it right now - it's in an extremely ugly stage and I'm thinking of trying a new technique in gouache and it may be a complete failure, but I will have learned something...hopefully I'll have something to post tomorrow.

Mother, May I?

What a lovely Mothers Day I had.  Is it Mother's Day or Mothers Day or Mothers' Day?  I never can figure it out.  And really...who cares.  It's all about the Mamas, no?

Dr. SmartyPants cooked me a lovely breakfast, and my boys cuddled up with me on the sofa and one of them even remembered to say "Happy Mothers Day" without prompting.  The other doesn't wake up quite so well and needed a reminder, but he quickly jumped into my lap and snuggled in and mumbled "Hphmuhday," and that worked just fine.

We spent the day quietly.  We walked the pups to one park and let the boys play there while Oscar was loved on by everyone that passed by and Chico growled from under the park bench.  We walked to another park and sat in the shade while the bugs played Joe and Frank Hardy and solved a few thousand mysteries.  We went home and mowed the grass and pulled a few weeds from the garden.  Doodlebug got to try his hand at mowing for the first time and did a great job (with the Smarty trailing him, holding the power cord).

I sat in the back yard and drew this iris that was blooming by the gate and soaked in the sunshine.

We all sat at the patio table and ate popcorn and read our respective books.

We watched a "Naked Science" episode about the earth's crust while we ate our spaghetti.  Mama's choice.  'Cause I'm geeky that way.

We laughed and we hugged and we rested and we loved.

It's hard to imagine that life could get any better than this.

Happy Mothers (Shadow Shot Sun)Day

For more Sunday shadows, check out the links at Hey Harriet!

We woke up Saturday morning with no idea what we would do. The weather was nicer than expected and no one wanted to mow the lawn, so I suggested we see how far it was to the coast. I guess everyone was feeling the Mothers Day love, so they played along.

Turns out...it's just an easy 3 hour drive to Ocean City, Maryland. We thought that was completely doable for a day-trip, and we were completely right. We enjoyed a couple of hours lounging around on the beach, a couple of hours roaming the boardwalk, and a leisurely dinner before we headed back.

Next time, we'll either leave much earlier - we were lazy this morning - or just plan an overnight trip. It would not be my choice for a week-long stay...too many people and shops and busy-ness...but it's perfect for a day-trip or a one night stay, and it was just what my winter-weary body needed.

I couldn't have asked for a better Mothers Day present.

Boneheaded

I needed to draw something different - something to take the sweetness out of all the flowers I've been drawing lately, and this little carnivore fit the bill perfectly. I just love me some dinosaur bones, I'll tell ya.

This guy (or gal) is an Allosaurus, from a photo I took at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The Allosaurus is quite a bit smaller than the T. Rex that everyone is familiar with, but seems so much better designed to me.  

And scarier.

***

Speaking of scary. All the rain over the last week has finally tapered off, but not before it decided to enter the basement of our townhouse. We had the heaviest rain on Wednesday night, and Thursday morning, Junebug walked upstairs and said, "Hey, Mama, why is the carpet all wet in front of the laundry room?"

Crap.

A quick call to our landlady (don't you love to call people with bad news first thing in the morning?) and all the logistics of the mess were taken care of (Thank you!) - estimates to rip out the carpet padding and set up de-humidifiers, inspection from a waterproofing company, etc. Today, the carpet people will come and get the water all gone.

The good news is that today is sunny and warm.

The bad news is that the rain is on the way back tonight and tomorrow.

Mercy.

Floral Mystery

cheap-o pens from Borders in my large Moleskine sketchbook

I'm not a gardener. I don't know a lot of flowers - just the ones that I know. You know? These - I don't know. The stalk was taller than I am and really thick. The flowers pointed straight down at the ground. There were a few scattered around the upper garden at Mount Vernon, and they were so unexpected - so tropical among the more proper tulips and boxwoods.

Any of you know what it is?

edit: it seems to be a Fritillaria Crown Imperial. Thanks to lvetopaint over at Flickr!

***

We're still enduring the deluge. I'm thinking of scaring up some gopher wood and starting a new building project.

Petal to the Metal

I broke out the gouache yesterday. It's been awhile, and I forgot how velvety it is on hot press paper. So, um, tulip-y...

***

Funny story...the boys and I went to the store today, and on the way back, they were in the back talking and cutting up and Doodlebug said something, I can't even remember what, exactly, but it had the phrase "thin, but..." in it. Junebug started laughing, "Thin Butt! Ha! Thin Butt!"  

Because nothing is funnier than butts when you are a 7 year old boy.

Doodlebug didn't get it, because he was just thinking "but" not "butt." Subtle, I know, but he's a little more literal, you see.

So. I'm trying to help him get the joke. "He's saying, 'Thin BUTT,' honey. You know...'Thin BUTT. As in, "Wow, Mama has a thin butt."

Junebug pipes up, "You don't have a thin butt, Mama!"

.....(chirp. chirp.)

Me: "Excuse me?"

.....(chirp.)

Him: "Uhm. You have a PERFECT bottom!"

.....

Suck up.

I love that.

Wait a Minute.

See... I thought it was "April showers bring May flowers."  Not "April flowers bring May showers."

The forecast for now through Saturday?  Rain.  Rainy rain rain.  Then?  It's going to rain, did I mention the rain?

I drew this parrot tulip (yes.  look closely.  it is a flower.) from a photo I took at Mount Vernon on a very sunny and warm day a week and a half ago.  It was sunny then. 

I remember the sun.  It's kind of the opposite of rain.

On the bright (sunny, non-rainy) side, it does give me ample time to draw and paint in the studio, and to play around with some different art-making activities.  I've got two or three irons in the fire right now - but you'll have to wait, now won't you? 

Eagle Eye

Technically, I started this one before Every Day in May began, but I worked on it in May, so it counts.  I drew it from a photo I took at the National Zoo a couple of weeks ago.  It always amazes me to see a Bald Eagle up close.  They are so big and muscular and fierce.  That beak is a force to be reckoned with, isn't it?

***

We were supposed to go see a German car show yesterday, but it got rained out.  It's been raining pretty solidly since sometime Saturday evening or Sunday morning, which makes all of us want to stay in our pajamas and curl up on the couch with a good book or five.  We had to get up and go to the eye doctor to get Junebug's glasses checked out, but I think we'll be changing back into the jammies here in a few minutes...or when we finish our lessons for the day.  Poor Dr. SmartyPants.  He has to stay dressed all day.

***

We went to a local pancake house for breakfast yesterday morning.  The food was good, but I was more interested in the party seated at the table next to us.  It appeared to be a mother and daughter, neither one of whom weighed more than 100 pounds.  TINY women.  I felt like an Amazon.  HUGE.  They sat facing each other across a very small table, not speaking.  Each stared at a spot slightly to the left of the other's head, looking incredibly bored and slightly irritated.  When their food was delivered, I saw that they had ordered the same thing - a GIGANTIC thing that looked like the world's largest cinnamon roll, covered in powdered sugar.  Each.  One could easily have fed a family of six.

No kidding, it was as big as the plate.  I wanted so badly to lean over and say, "Really?  Are you kidding me?  You're going to eat that?  It's as big as  bigger than your head!"  But I didn't.  Because I'm all polite and well-mannered and too busy trying to eavesdrop on their almost non-existent conversation.  Instead, I just kicked Dr. SmartyPants under the table and rolled my eyes in their direction and made faces to try and convey my shock and awe.

Yes, I am just that engaged with my family.  Thank you.  I deserve an award.

People - let me tell you - little tiny women can pack away a lot of cinnamon rolls.  They did take away a little of the monstrosities in their to-go boxes, but not a lot.  What I really wanted to do was follow them out to their car and ask them how in the world they could eat like that and stay so tiny.

But I was too busy chewing on my rasher of bacon.  Amazonian women need their strength, you know.

Grace in Shadow

Grace Episcopal Church, Georgetown, Washington, DC

For more lovely shadow shots, head over to Hey Harriet! and click on the links...

I'm back in Arlington, resting up for a busy week.  I'll be back tomorrow with some Every Day in May items.

Peace...

May Day

 

It's May!  Yippee!!  I love May.

It's the start of Every Day in May, where I'll draw or paint every day.

This is obviously not a drawing or a painting, nor was it taken in May.

However.  I drew today.  But I'm in Knoxville, many many miles away from my scanner.

So...you'll have to wait until I get back to Arlington...sometime tomorrow.

Have a spectacularly springy Saturday, peeps.

ASF* ver. 1.0 and 1.1

Sounds really technical, doesn't it? 

*Action Stuffy Figure

The bugs designed these guys, right down to their hairstyles and clothing, while I've been implementing the design and sewing process.  Version 1.0, on the left with the rainbow shirt, was made using raw canvas as the face, arm and leg material.  I originally thought I would paint the face on, so canvas might be a good choice, plus I have a stockpile of it in my closet in Knoxville.

However...not soft enough.  At all.  On the other hand, I love the hair design that Junebug came up with, and we'll be repeating that, for sure.   There were also some construction issues in the neck region that needed to be worked out.

Version 1.1 is a Doodlebug design (note the sedate and conservative hairstyle...so Doodle-ish).  For the face, arms and legs on this doll, I used a t-shirt in a mocha color.  It is perfect.  Soft and cushy and stuffable.  It's kind of a pain to sew, but it is definitely worth it for the plush factor.

I based my design on a Black Apple doll, as shown on the Martha Stewart web page, with heavy modifications by the bugs, but I think Version 2.0 is going to branch out a little more.  I like that the doll can sit up, but I don't really like how the arms and legs are constructed, and neither do the boys.  So, today, we'll be going back to the design board.

The bodies of these guys HAVE to be finished before Saturday.  I'm NOT lugging the sewing machine to Arlington...

Pink Peony, Perfected.

One year ago, I took this picture at the Biltmore House, in Asheville, North Carolina. Back a few months ago, fellow blogger and Knoxville artist, Zelma Cinnamon, asked me if she could paint it.

Oh. My. Gah.

Go Look.

Seriously.

Sunday Shadow Shot, Time Corrected

Sundial at the Smithsonian Gardens, Washington, DC.

Corrected for Daylight Savings Time.  (Thanks, honey.)

Check out the other wonderful shadows over at Hey Harriet!  This project has me looking for shadows everywhere I go!

***

We're off to Tennessee today for the week.  Gotta mow the lawn and get my teeth adjusted and grab a guitar lesson for the guys and...and...and...well...everything else.

Note to self:  Make a DETAILED list.

Plus, my convertible needs driving, and the weather is shaping up to be fabulous for some top-down cruising.

More Georgetown and Other Things

As we walked through Georgetown Thursday, I couldn't help but admire the rows of lovely old houses.  These are my favorites - with their cupola on the front - tiny castles in a sea of boxes. 

***

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful and sunny and warm.  The boys and I took a day to read and do some life schooling in the morning, and then headed into the district after lunch.  We wandered around the National Mall and into the Smithsonian gardens and waited for Dr. SmartyPants to meet up with us.  It was so nice to sit out on the grass and just soak it up - the sun and the warmth and the experience of being there.

There was a whole lot of this:

Some of this:

And of course...

Perfection on a stick.

Commander Salamander, Man.

Back in 1985...whoa...excuse me while I faint a little, realizing that was 24 years ago...okay.  Got it. 

Back in 1985, I took a trip to DC with an organization called Close Up.  It was a fantastic experience - a week in DC learning about government and history, with some side trips for theater shows and sightseeing.  I can remember, vividly, wanting to go to Commander Salamander.   Ahh...Commander Salamander...home of punk rock apparel for almost 30 years.  I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how I even knew about Commander Salamander.  I mean, I was a girl from a smallish town in Louisiana, home of conservative, preppy, monogrammed sweaters and penny loafers.

I didn't have any monogrammed sweaters or penny loafers, though.  I hated them.  I embraced my punk side and pegged my jeans to better show off my hot pink Chuck Taylors.  I spiked my hair and wore outlandish eye shadow designs.  I wore lace glovelets like Madonna.  Not much has changed since then, I guess.

Anyhow, we had a day of tooling around Georgetown on that trip, and I dragged one of my hapless companions along with me to find this very store.  IT.  WAS.  AWESOME.  So very 80s punk.  I left with a pair of turquoise Chucks, salamanders printed randomly across them.

I loved those shoes.

Yesterday, the boys and I went to Georgetown for the afternoon.  As we wandered down Wisconsin Avenue, I saw the front of the store and had to go peek in.  It was filled to the brim with brightly colored punky clothing, still.  Actually, it looks like the 80s are back.  Neon colors and mini skirts and tights.  It was good to see that the integrity of the store hadn't changed.  There wasn't a penny loafer to be seen.

But it made me feel a bit old.  My era is retro.  I'm vintage.  There was not one thing in that store that I would wear, now.  Not without looking completely ridiculous, anyway.

Anyone know where to find punk clothes for the over-40 set?

*whimper*

Knock Knock Jokes at the Talky Beer Place

This drawing is on the facing page of the last tulip, but I didn't have a drawing for today, so I thought I'd share it.

***

We seem to be starting a Wednesday night tradition here in DC.  There's a restaurant within walking distance of us where kids 10 and under eat free between 4pm and 7pm every day but Monday.  I guess they don't want kids in there on Mondays?  Maybe that's when they sponsor wet t-shirt contests?  Perhaps it's free shooter night?  I don't know. 

Anyhow - we tried it out a while back and the food was really great, the atmosphere was neighborly - nice hosts, nice servers, nice big gigantic bouncer dude.  Seriously - he has to turn sideways to walk through the door.  In the event of an emergency, they could use him AS the door.

Last week, we went a little later than usual, and they were having a private party in the back.  People were talking and laughing and having fun.  Right before we got up to leave, Junebug says he thinks he knows the name of the restaurant.  I ask him what it is, and he replies, "The Talky Beer Place."

Yes.  Yes, indeed.

I LIKE it.  Yesterday afternoon, I sent Dr. SmartyPants a text.  "Hey!  $2.50 Blue Moons and kids eat free at The Talky Beer Place..."  He replied, "Sweeeeet..."

And so a tradition was born.  A cheap, cheap tradition. 

***

Junebug bought a book of Jokes, Riddles and Knock Knock Jokes.  Is there anything cuter and more annoying than a kid with a book full of really bad knock knock jokes?

No, my friends.  There is not.

Here's the only reason that he's allowed to keep it up: 

Knock knock

Who's there?

Comma

Comma who?

Comma little closer and give me a kiss!

*SMOOCH*

That's hard to pass up...

Outside My Window

A beautiful pink dogwood sits right outside my window.  It's the tree that cast those lovely shadows on my walls on Easter Sunday, its buds just beginning to open and reveal themselves.  This dogwood is in full glory at the moment, petals straining open as wide as possible, enticing pollinators around the world to come and feast.  I could sit and watch the festivities all day.

***

The boys and I have a new project in the works.  We're going to be making rag dolls for an orphanage in Nicaragua, as part of a Craft Hope project.  The dolls will be traveling down to Nicaragua with Eren, from the blog This Vintage Chica, as she joins with the ORPHANnetwork.  Now, crafting isn't usually our thing, although I can sew up a mean superhero cape or one of a set of curtains before I get bored and move on to something else, but - this seemed like the kind of thing we could get behind.

My boys are manly boys.  They love cars and motorbikes and superheros and Star Wars and they wrestle on the floor until someone pulls them apart all sweaty and irritated.  I tease them about their little dolls they play with and they loudly correct me, "THEY'RE ACTION FIGURES, MAMA." 

They also love stuffed animals.  "Stuffies," they call them.  You would not even believe how much money we've spent at Build-a-Bear.  Junebug is the most avid devotee, but big brother plays right along side him.

So.

We aren't crafting dolls.

We're making ACTION STUFFY FIGURES.

We'll take photos along the way to show you what we're up to, and of course photos when they are finished.  I have a feeling there will be more dolls ACTION STUFFY FIGURES made than just the ones going to Nicaragua...

***

And lastly - thanks to everyone willing to join in with the D.I.A.H.N. Group.  We'll have to figure out a way to get together and just be freakin' nice to each other over a long weekend.  ;-)

And speaking of nice - I ran across this yesterday.  Nice!

Are You Looking at Me?

People are funny, aren't they?  I was reading a blog yesterday, a blog I enjoy for its creativity and insight and photographs.  I'm not going to link to it, because which blog it was is irrelevant, and I don't want to add fuel to the controversy that is playing out over there.  You see - the writer of this particular blog had an idea, blogged about it, and invited others of like mind to join in with her if they wanted.  She used a particular term relating to a philosophy of educating children (unschooling), and it started a little battle of words between a few people, offended at her use of "their" word.

Because, you see, she's not one of "them."   That she would dare use "their" word, out of the context of "their" usage was quite offensive to them.  Honestly - they were downright snide, snippy and quite belittling to this woman, who responded with grace and humility. 

Ridiculous.

And completely expected.

What is it that drives human beings to divide themselves into little packs and then snarl and bite at those who want to peek in and see what our pack is like?  What is this need to categorize every human and situation into neat piles, and then pitch a giant hissy fit when one of the piles gets shuffled?

I am a this.  You are a that. 

I am a right.  You are a wrong.  Unless you agree with everything I say, then you can be a right, too. 

Just don't buck the system.  Even when the system is set up specifically to buck the system. 

Ugh.  It's so discouraging to see smart, well-educated, well-meaning people so totally miss the boat on so many things.

So.  I have a plan.

I'm going to start a new group.  We'll call it the D.I.A.H.N. (Devastatingly Intelligent and Honestly Nice) Group.  Here are the principles.

1. Everyone has an opinion.  It may not be the same as yours.  Respect theirs and listen.  Respectfully disagree.  Hug.  Share yours gently.  Listen to them disagree.  Hug again.
2. If the only people you ever talk to have the exact same position as you on every issue...you're hiding from something.  Stretch yourself.
3. Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone.  Get over yourself already.
4. Examine both sides of an issue before you develop an opinion.  If your source of information is one-sided, find at least one additional (opposing) source and compare.
5. Feel free to acknowledge that you don't know the right thing to say or do all the time.  It's okay.  None of us do.
6. If someone wants to join you in your cause, grant some grace and don't demand that they start at the top.  Everyone needs time to build a foundation.

That's pretty much it. 

Anyone care to join?

The Evolution of Hatching

This is what happens when you sit in front of the television while drawing.  Things go awry.  Lines take on a mind of their own and take over the paper. 

If you squint and turn your head to the left a little, you can see that this is a triceratops with its head turned slightly to viewer right, sinus cavity dead center.

***

We're starting back to school today, after taking our spring break last week.  It's so hard to get going again.  This is one of those times when it is hard to be a home schooling family.  We don't have to follow anyone else's schedule, which is AWESOME, but we have to be motivated to get going. 

To top it off, it's a gloomy, rainy day.  That never fails to make me want to build a little nest on the couch, put a movie on the television and C.H.I.L.L. out, man. 

But it is not to be.  Not today. 

Time to go fetch the children...

sigh.

Spring Shadow Shot and Spring Fling

The spring shadows keep magically appearing around my neighborhood - this one across the street from my house. I love how the bud shapes dance across the peak of this roof. Check out the other Sunday Shadow Shots at Hey Harriet!

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

And, if you love cars...specifically Ferraris...watch the slide show. If you don't?

Shame on you.

Spring Hatching

One of the tulips from Arlington National Cemetery, rendered in lines. 

Many, many lines.

I'm not sure where all this hatching and pen work is coming from, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

We're off to see Ferraris today, at the Mid-Atlantic Ferrari club's Spring rally.  All my boys are excited beyond excitement.  It's another blindingly gorgeous day, and all that Ferrari red will be brilliant.

I may have to break out the color again.

Panda-monium

We spent the day at the National Zoo, exploring all the wonderful animal enclosures and the gorgeous SPRING day of blinding sunshine, azure skies and 70 degree temperatures.  OH, how I needed that...

The zoo is home to a breeding pair of giant pandas and their cub, who will be heading back to China, eventually.

Let me just say, that I don't like to embue animals with human characteristics.  I know pandas are wild animals.

But OMIGOSH how cute is that big cuddly thing?

Don't even get me started on the new gorilla baby.

It Ends in a Zero...Right?

One of my very favorite people in the world is having a birthday today. 

Go say hi and give her a big birthday hug from me, okay?

Dilapidated

We spotted this old truck at the end of a nature trail in the Smoky Mountains when we were there at the beginning of the month.  It has been parked in this clearing for 6,532 years, although carbon dating places it closer to 7,000.

Wait.

Maybe that's a stretch.

In any case, it's been there a long time.  Long enough for moss to grow on the windows and headlights.  Long enough for the frame of the pickup bed to have rusted away from the cab.  Long enough that the tires are actually planted into the debris-covered ground.  Long enough that the original color is a mystery - everything having changed over to a nice uniform rust.

I imagine that entire chipmunk families have been raised in that truck, returning each year for Thanksgiving feasts of stored acorns, vowing never to sell that property, no matter how high they raise the taxes.  I imagine that the worm colony underneath it reminisces about back in 1960, when the compost layer was only an inch thick and how hard they had to struggle to eat all that hard dirt and turn it into fertile soil and you kids today don't know how good you've got it.

My imagination tends to run away with me.

I'm feeling a bit like this truck today.  I gave my folks and my niece the whirlwind tour of DC, as many stops as possible in as little time as you can manage.  My feet are walked out, my voice tired from talking and directing, my energy waning. 

What I really want to do is pick up a pen and sit down and draw something insignificant and small, and make it larger than life.

So.

That's what I'm going to do now.

Right after my nap.

The View from Here

We spent our afternoon Sunday at the Arlington National Cemetery, and I thought this view was striking.  All the headstones, in perfect military formation, laid out before the monuments of Washington, DC.  It's a quiet, solemn place, full of history and honor and grief and pride.

The grounds are beautiful - the flowers and trees maintained with a level of attention appropriate to these hallowed grounds.

 

Regardless of your political views, you can't help but be moved by the sacrifice, throughout this country's history, represented in this cemetery. 

Thank you.

Easterly

Easter morning came early to our house - we got up to attend the 8 am service at the Washington National Cathedral.  My boys and my niece managed to get up and get dressed and ready to go fairly easily.

Things quickly fell apart.

Actually, it was lovely.  Such a beautiful service, even if it was early.  The music was divine, the flowers were gorgeous, the building is spectacular.  Quite inspiring.

I hope yours was, as well.  I'll be back tomorrow morning with some photographs from our trip to Arlington National Cemetery Sunday afternoon.  We've been walking around DC all day, showing my folks the sights, and I'm too tired to write.

Peace, peeps.

Shadow Shot Sunday

I've been seeing a few Shadow Shot Sunday posts here and there, notably at Hey Harriet, the person responsible for the meme, and at Julie's place, too.  I've always loved looking at shadows, so I thought I'd play along.  It's technically still Sunday here - for another hour and a half.

I found these shadows dancing on my walls this morning, as we were getting ready to go to church for Easter services, and found that they made a lovely, if fleeting, triptych for my staircase.

And this one was captured on the hallowed grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery...the shadow of a weeping cherry, standing a silent guard over fallen soldiers.

Who?

Me.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend, everyone!

Acting Squirrely

One of the things that I'm so enjoying in our urban house is looking out the windows at all the wildlife.  It is one of life's great ironies that in the city, I look out and see birds and squirrels and chipmunks and all manner of wildlife, while in the suburbs, I have to drive to the mountains (or to Linda's house) to catch sight of non-domesticated critters.

It's a new vs. old thing rather than concrete vs. grass.  In this neighborhood of 70 year old homes, the trees stand tall and majestic, matured and proven.  Birds and squirrels like tall majestic trees.  In my Tennessee neighborhood of 4 year old homes, the trees are tiny and bendy and puny. 

No trees, no squirrels.

I know people that hate squirrels, because the squirrels like to come empty the bird feeders that are for the BIRDS.  I lived in a townhouse once where we had a feeder on the back patio.  The squirrels would come and hang upside down from the patio cover to eat the bird seed.  I thought it was hilarious.  But I love squirrels.  I think they have great attitude.  They're cheeky, and not just when they're storing nuts.  I like watching them leap across the fences and chatter at each other. 

I imagine they curse fluently.

***

Things are coming together for me to take a trip that I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT.

I could just leave you hanging like that, I suppose.  Like a squirrel at a a bird feeder. 

Upside down with all the blood rushing to your head.

And then I'd take a picture of you.

But I'm nicer than that.  I'll tell you this much.  It involves her and this  and probably this and maybe a couple of these and none of these.  (Although I love the last bit and think they are amazing, but sometimes a girl has just got to get away - stopitIfeelguiltyenoughalready.)

Well, look at that. 

I guess I told you everything you need to know.