Kolaches

I seem to make these every year about this time. But they're very labor intensive and this might be my last batch.

Blogger is pissing me off. It acts up whenever I try to add a photo.

Survived

The sky on Christmas night. Not gonna lie, I'm glad it's over. 

However,  I am filled with plans, goals, ideas for the new year. All in the 'self improvement' melieu. 

Lonely

It's one thing to be alone when most people are at work or school. But when you know everyone else is gathered with family and friends and you're alone ... it aches.

Art

My daughter-in-law drew a picture on the wrapping paper of her gift to me. I don't think anyone has ever given me a drawing/painting that they created. For me. I am very touched and grateful.

The Eve

... to end all Eves. This is a photo from 2013. Very festive. When I look back, I see a major shift in my universe since then. I've moved (thrice), Angie passed away, Todd remarried, Brandon is dating Abby Haney. 

I'm still adjusting to apartment living. The country is in a huge mess. I can't begin to describe the atrocities happening here. On our streets! I don't know if I'll live long enough to see us overcome all of this.

Anyway,  Merry Christmas. 

Script?

A journal should look handwritten.

Or is this better? Yes. Beyond.

Three more wakeups

Dreading Christmas Eve.  Isn't that a sad statement.  Since his remarriage,  my son has transformed his beautiful home into a chaotic space that includes six dogs and a decor that looks as though cracker barrel threw up. The new wife is (among other things) a lover of chaos. And all things macabre. 

Fa la la la, la la la la.

Journal here?

I think I might as well journal here. I downloaded an app to my phone, but I have to log in each time. Ack.

Goals for 2026

1. Survive

2. Learn to sketch faces

3. Walk more

4. Improve my handwriting 

5. Stop wishing, start doing

Passing

Astronaut Jim Lovell passed away recently. As part of my job in the Flight Crew Training Building at Kennedy Space Center, I often interacted with the astronauts regarding documentation of the simulators and various illustrations for their individual check lists. Jim was a very likable guy and one time, as we were discussing configuration drawings, one of the NASA photographers who were documenting the training sessions snapped a photo of Jim and me. I think I commented at the time that would probably be the only time I would ever be photographed with a Hasselblad camera. Unfortunately, the photo is lost - somewhere in the many years that have passed. 

Moon, waning gibbous

Lotus, loosely

Morning Looks

Saturday morning,  August 9.

 I have clicked the shutter and watered the colors.

Color

 

Pastel pencils, tools of color. 

Work space

The corner of color 

Chasing

July 27. In a few days, I'm going to level up and celebrate another trip around the sun. If I ever wondered, in my younger years, what my life and the world would be like today... I could never have imagined it. When I was battling cancer, I didn't think I would live this long. And I certainly never expected this country to fall so far.  I am ashamed of america. (and no, it doesn't deserve a capital A)

Back to the morning of getting nothing worthwhile accomplished. I wanted to print out a couple of photos on my Instax printer. The paper/film is similar to a polaroid. While looking for the charging cable (because I use it so seldom that it always needs to be charged), I came across a memory card (4GB!) from my Nikon D700. Plugged it in to see if there were any photos still there. There were a few from June 2022.

This is one that I hadn't processed .

After charging, the app couldn't find a printer.

 

Sign up and Save

The moon phase widget on the right-hand side of this page stopped working so I removed it. Technology bit me yesterday as well. Long story short, a printer firmware update caused the printer to no longer recognize third-party ink cartridges. Genuine epson ink is nearly 3 times the cost of third-party. Thanks, Epson.  

The Lion, the Witch, and the Watercolor

First, I apologize for the Comments hiccup.  Thank you, Monte and Jeri for your kind words.

I had decided to paint a lion. I sketched and I sketched and I sketched. It still didn't look great but I began painting anyway. I started with a mop brush because I wanted it to be loose. I had a great time. I brushed, I splattered and eventually, I added pastels. I stood back. He looked like the grandfather clock from Captain Kangaroo.

Still convinced that I could save it, I found a tutorial online for drawing a lion's face. Using pastels (because the opportunity for paint had long since passed), I made the shape of his face more angular. Now, he looks more like a shaggy dog. And I just noticed that his left ear got lost in the hullabaloo. Maybe it was shot off. lol

Lion #2

Try, try again. Sketched another lion. Painted him with more care and intention this time. But his face was too long and narrow. He looks like he hasn't killed a gazelle in a very long time.

Lion #3

This will be the final attempt. Maybe. I hate to give up. (A personality trait that has caused a lot of trouble in my lifetime)

Update: Success! Now I can move on to other subjects.  

Paintbrush Box

These words are on the inside of a box that contained a watercolor brush. The box is kinda cool and for some reason, I haven't thrown it away. But today's the day. I had forgotten the words printed inside the top cover. Photo taken, box tossed.  

Art therapy

A Crepe Myrtle tree/bush and a pastel hummingbird 

July Fifteenth

Mid-July

It seems impossible that we're already into the second half of the year. It's been a horrific year to-date and I don't see any improvement on the horizon. 

Horizon: the limit or range of a person's outlook or experience.

My niece reminded me of something my mother used to say: "this world and the next". Although I am almost positive that my mom was referring to heaven, it could mean other things as well.

"In essence, the phrase "this world and the next" encapsulates a fundamental human curiosity about the nature of existence and the possibility of realms beyond our immediate experience."

Why is is so difficult to take a photo of a painting and get the colors true? I'm very happy with this painting of lemons but getting the color, tone, values, etc correct in a photo was nearly impossible. Until I took a sideways shot of it. 

Lunar

 

Nowhere

More of this and that. No real theme...

From 2006. I have no idea where it was taken but I used my Fuji S3.

 This morning. Do you see a face?

And, intentionally oof

 

This and that

I seem to have a backlog of things I've created but haven't posted. Posting on Instagram is great if the image  is in landscape form. Portrait form gets cropped and I hate that. 

Trash

Sweet

Sunday Sky

Framed

Just another day

No celebration here today; it's just another Friday. Except for the harsh reality of the US ending after 249 years.

Canceled

I haven't flown the American flag since November 2016. And especially not after J6. I now see the flag as a symbol of white supremacists and terrorists. The stars and stripes have been obfuscated by evil. Democracy needs a new symbol.

 

Uncertain

 Remember, in the days of yore, when we would physically flip a calendar page for the new month? I used to print calendars and send them to family and friends as Christmas gifts. The early versions were of my paintings. Later, I switched to my photos. And then there were calendars from your bank, insurance guy, auto mechanic, sports/swimsuit/naked lady issues. 

On this July 1, I'll symbolically turn the calendar page.

BTW, no flags for me this weekend, no stars, no stripes. but that's another post.

Windblown

When I checked the porch this morning after last nights storm, I found this tiny leaf had been blown in from somewhere.

Saturday, Busy

Someone has to do it.

 

Last Friday in June

We're rapidly sliding into July. Where did June go? 

Sink Shots

This is my latest watercolor test paper. I use them to see what the color actually looks like on watercolor paper, before putting it on the actual work-in-progress. When I looked at it, I saw a bird. I added the eye.

Thursday Misc

Fruit or vegetable?

 

Unencumbered

"Not having any burden or impediment"

I am trying to paint in a more loose style, instead of trying to get a photographic representation. It isn't as simple as it sounds but I'm enjoying the effort. My early paintings were filled with detail. Now, I'm attempting to 'suggest' color, shapes, the thing. Whatever it is. 

Long ago

Crepe Myrtle

ah, summer. just get it over with.

 

Clouds and Gallus Gallus Domesticus