sno cones

A great way to cool off a bit this summer. These are a few of the flavors from the local Tropical Sno shave ice stand.

Pink Flamingo - watermelon and cream
earth cone - blue raspberry and green apple
candyloupe - cantaloupe and cotton candy
grape - grape
key lime pie - coconut cream pie, lime and cream
Polynesian - pineapple and strawberry
tropical storm - Hawaiian punch and kiwi
peaches and cream - peaches and cream
the hippie - pina coloda, root beer and cream
sweet tart - guava and grape
pineapple - pineapple
blue and glue - Bart's blue and cream

shade

A quick sketch. The temperature has been close to 105 degrees all week. This part of the globe is very warm.

suburban sprawl, Central Texas

The pretty little village of Wimberley is slowly being encroached upon by Austin's overflow. People are moving here in droves for the quiet country charm and the beauty of our natural resources. Neither charm nor beauty will last long.

farmers' market

A few selections from the local farmers' market harvest.

New potatoes, jalepenos, yellow squash, zucchini, banana peppers, heirloom tomatoes.

the post office on a hot summer afternoon

More drawings from the air-conditioned comfort of our local post office.

oh deer

Here in the Central Texas Hill Country we have lots of deer. Too many. Kitchen compost and bird bath water keeps them close to the house during the hot, dry summer months. This deer actually comes running to the yard when she sees me. I suppose it doesn't help when I feed them apples, carrots and celery (as seen in this photo). They are almost like pets, each with his or her own quirky, comical personality. This variety are small, dainty and quite pretty.

the Post Office

The brutal summertime heat is here again and the post office is one of the coolest buildings in town. While checking mail, I have always wanted to take advantage of the cool air in this fine government building of our's. In past summers I've thought of setting up a small tv and a lawn chair in a corner somewhere. As it turns out, twenty minutes of sketching is the perfect answer. Thank you, Uncle Sam!

elephant ears

I came across these plants growing near the river, behind a tourist-based restaraunt in town (a place I never visit). There were at least a dozen different standings of these elephant ears. We have an overpopulation of deer in the area, they eat just about everything. For whatever reason, apparently deer don't care for these lush, green plants. I should get some for my yard.

root beer plant

Piper auritum of the black pepper family. The leaves have a wonderful root beer scent and can be used for cooking. I have used the leaves to wrap fish and bake. Also known as Herba Santa.

the back of the sketchbook

Random things drawn over the life of this moleskine sketchbook.

watermelon patch

Just a quick and quirky visual pun, painted with guasche.

waiting room window

An observation: when you want to pacify boredom while waiting for something, start sketching. Inevitably the wait will abruptly end, or someone will stand smack dab in the middle of your scene. It never fails. This is a doctor's waiting room. I left my chair for a moment and it was taken by another lady. In order to finish the sketch, I had to lean way over into her personal space to see the radio tower. She did not speak English, so I couldn't ask to trade seats with her.

rootball of the muscadine grape

I found this in the neighbor's yard and just had to draw it.

daisies

A friend from New England sent pictures of daisies. They so vibrant! At first, they look perfectly formed, but with closer observation, the petals are not uniform in shape and size. This was the challenge; a meager attempt to recreate those perfect, natural imperfections.

big puffy clouds

I just love these summertime clouds!

yardwork

Something I have not been able to do lately. A couple of weeks ago I brushed against the dreadful bull nettle, also known as stinging nettle. I ended up with a terrible allergic reaction that required a trip to the emergency room and a regiment of steroids. It was not fun!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle

boiling eggs

Just a quick interpretation of a pot of eggs on the stove.