Cactus Fish

Glass fish in a window.

boys

These boys climb way up into the trees and perform all sorts of high testosterone induced stunts. Sometimes, as a former lifegaurd, I just cannot watch them.

This was sketched at Blue Hole, in Wimberly...one of the local swimming places around the area. The creek is spring fed, the trees provide lots of shade. When it's really hot, this place is pure paradise!

girls

The girls float upstream and watch the boys heading downstream.

spin cycle

Laundry day. One of those chores you gotta do.

Oasis

I sketched this scene on a back road outside of Dripping Springs, Texas. The weather is very hot and arrid. These little tree groupings are an invitation to a break from the sun.

The competition

It's time to go to the coast. Watching the flat blue horizon is so calming and relaxing.

My only surfing experience was years ago in Galveston. Galveston is not known as a surfer's paradise, except during a tropical disturbance. I didn't get far, but it was lots of fun.

The red-headed centipede

Beware of these bugs! They average about 6" in length, usually larger. The first time I saw one of these creatures, I was using the water hose. He crawled VERY fast up a rock wall, probably startled by the water. If he had not actually been moving, I would have thought he was one of those plastic bugs from the Mattel brand gadgets my brother had as a kid (melt the plastic into a bug mold...then I promptly re-melted it in my Easy Bake Oven).

Red-headed centipedes give a nasty sting, & may kill small creatures. Here's some information for anyone crazy enough to raise one as a pet.

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Bug,%20Centipede.htm

Cactus Garden

The large pointed plants are agaves, known as century plants. They can grow very large, about 5 to 6 feet tall and wide. At maturity they grow giant, towering stalks with flowers. This is the grand show before their death. Quite the majestic plant they are!

http://www.desertusa.com/feb97/du_pcentury.html

bubbles and bees

This was a "something to do while on the phone" sketch. After drawing the clamshell, I remembered the old Flinstones cartoon...Fred and Barney's "electric" shavers were clam shells with bees in them. Could multiple bee stings shock the hair folicles, therefore eliminating the morning shadow? Maybe the stubble just disappeared in the swelling. Who could know the logic behind this ritual???

The Flinstones was one of my favorite shows as a kid.

ball moss

These little air plants grow all over the shaded branches of Live Oak Trees and electric lines. They don't harm anything, but the tend to be everywhere. After a good rain, ball moss are all over the ground.

Here's what wikipedia has to say about them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_moss

more clouds

It is hot. REALLY hot. Somewhere around 100 degrees, day after day. The upside is the great summer clouds. The downside is no rain in sight from this happy little clouds.

Cypress Creek

Cypress tree on the banks of the creek. This local swimmin' hole is relatively cool and very shady. It's a great retreat from the insanely hot sun. This is going to be a brutally hot summer.

3D art

More fun with 3 dimensional art. This one goes in a red shadow box frame. 7"x7".

Lately my focus has been on several art projects. A commissioned piece, the next modofly moleskine book cover design, a new large painting, and a few little computer graphics jobs. I am also gearing up to open an online store on etsy.com. Almost there, still working out the administrative parts. I am looking forward to this venture.

Live Oak roots

It took several visits over a couple of months to get this sketch. It's out on a rural road with only a few houses here and there. These trees are on the edge of a dry creekbed, also the boundary of someone's property (it's a BAD idea to tresspass around these parts). When I appeared, the homeowners were on the porch....watching me. I was accused once before of being a cop with the "little black book". Another time a hunter with gun thought I was "game" in a pasture. Nobody knows it's just a sketchbook. Taking a picture was also out of the question. So finally, a few minutes without lookers, I got the sketch.

The Neighbor

So far it's been a really hot & dry summer. This deer has been staying close to the houses here. She eats our kitchen vegetable scrap offerings and drinks out of the cat's waterbowl. She introduced her fawn to the waterbowl for the first time this morning. These deer are tiny, delicate creatures.

Wimberley Valley

More stormclouds over the valley.

Summer Skies

Here in the Texas Hill Country, the hot days are back with a vengence. Lately, the clouds have been spectacular. You can't beat the view from the top of a ridge, looking down into the Wimberley Valley. This area is a wonderful dichotomy of nature...the searing hot temperatures go with the rugged, rocky landscape peppered with cactus, cedar and live oaks. The poisonous snakes, fire ants, & stinging nettle are just a few of the dangers on the ground. But the curvacious rolling hills and winding rivers and creeks have a soft, feminine quality that are so pleasing to the eye. I do love this part of the world! Here is a great site for Wimberley. http://www.visitwimberley.com/

Village Ridge Luxury Living

I drew this while sitting in a Greyhound bus last week. It was early morning, going from Austin to Dallas. The countryside looked pretty much the same as everywhere, U.S.A. So out of boredom mostly, this came about...someplace "different".

And how do "they" come up with some of these names for developments and apartment complexes? Here's a website that helps you choose the name of your development. It's an amazingly quick and painless process!
http://www.teamten.com/lawrence/writings/apartment_algorithm.html

Something to crow about!

Last week I went to a Missouri and Kansas with a friend to visit his family and the places of his childhood. These are Charlie's chickens in Odessa, Missouri. They were way too interesting to not make a moleskine entry!

Something to crow about!

Charlie's chickens. These birds are beautiful! Especially Barny the rooster, who is wonderful with watching over his brood of chickens.

Odessa, Missouri.

Something to crow about!

This is the "famous" Chicken Mary's we have all heard about in Pittsburg, Kansas. It was well worth the trip! It's the best fried chicken I've ever eaten...and it comes with spaghetti! Here's a link with driving directions. http://ktwu.washburn.edu/journeys/scripts/2002/1507c.html

Something to crow about!

And, if you've had your fill of fried chicken from Mary, just walk a few yards down the road to her sister Annie's for another round of fabulous fried fowl! If you're hankerin' to have a look, here's the link to Annie's place. http://ktwu.washburn.edu/journeys/scripts/2002/1507c.html