woodland flowers

Lillies of the Valley and woodland Violets.  They smell so wonderful and they are everywhere.

I finally got a new Moleskine brand sketchbook. I just love these little books.  The paper is thick and buttery smooth.  The size is perfect, 5.5 x 7".  These pages will inspire me to make more art.  It's like reuniting with an old friend.

beach house trio

Foreshadowing of the seasons to come.
3x5" min-art.

miles of inlanders at the beach

I am re-reading Moby Dick by Herman Melville.  It's appropriate reading now for being in his territory.  Here is a quote that made me laugh.  It's oh-so-true.

But look!  Here come the crowds, pacing straight for a dive. Strange!  Nothing will content them but the extremest limit of the lande; loitering under the shady lee of yonder warehouses will not sufice.  No.  The must get just as nigh the water as they possibly can without falling in.  And there they stand - miles of them- leagues.  Inlanders, all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets and avenues - north, east, south, and west.  Yet here they all unite.  Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all the ships attract them hither?

campfire

 Cooking fire in the woods of Cape Cod.  Firewood is plentiful.

Wimberley lavender farm

We're not in Kansas anymore.

Wimberley lavender farm

The lavender are in full bloom right now. The farm is west of town, not far from the town of Blanco, Texas.

downtown Drippin' Springs

A quick location sketch, inked later. It's too hot out there already.

snowflakes

Another quick version. I've been busy with other projects, so I've had not much time for the-Fun-Of-It drawings lately. I'm working on designing, and then painting a 2'x12' mural, and several smaller signs. It's a great project, so I'll have more on that later. Stay warm out there!

Pool Closed

Too cold to swim, the end of the season.

hot fudge Sunday

Brush pen, color pencils, moleskine.

lawn sprinklers

Becasue of the extreme drought here in central Texas, the grass is brown. We're under water usage restrictions, so green grass really stands out. This illustration is my attempt to make light of the drought conditions. Hand-drawn, Photoshop colors.

feed me!

I know we're not supposed to feed the wildlife, but with the drought and extreme heat, the deer have little natural food to forage. Everyone in town is feeding them, including me. In the mornings they stand in my yard, endlessly gazing at me while at my desk. It's alittle unsettling to be constantly watched, with their thin craning necks and big, watery unblinking eyes . How could I not feed them? They love bananas, apples, carrots, iceberg lettuce and corn tortillas. Oddly enough, they don't care for celery.

cold front

This cold front swept through for a few hours. The morning was cooler, down to 72 degrees. By afternoon, the front was gone, so the temperatures were back to blazing above 100 degrees. Still no rain.

big puffy clouds

These big clouds moved over during the morning. They were too spectacular to miss a sketch.

corkscrew plant

Juncus effusus. I came across this plant at the local nursery and had to get it. The plant's wildy twisted and

intertwined stems make it look cartoonish. The tag that came with it says its a bog plant that needs plenty of water. I'm keeping it on my shady porch as an oasis from the hot parched land.

the smell of rain

Yesterday, rainclouds blew through Wimberley but left hardly a drop of rain. I was 9 miles north visiting a friend while it poured down rain for over an hour. Driving home, I could see where the rain stopped, just a mile or 2 north of where I live. It was strange to step out of my truck with rain soaked shoes into the dry, dusty soil at home. Please rain soon!

a need for rain

The Blanco River runs through my town of Wimberley, Texas. This river is usually a beautiful emerald green with fast moving water. These days it hardly flows. Central Texas has been going through a terrible drought the past 2 years. This summer has felt the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the Austin area. It's difficult to have such heat with nowhere to swim. Bacteria levels in the water are higher than most people dare to risk. This part of the globe is very warm these days.

the post office #3

More drawings from the post office. It is blazing hot outside and this is one of the coolest buildings in town. It's usually the women that stop and go through their mail, but lately, even the guys are lingering longer.

Farmers' Market

The pickings are slim for August because of the extreme temperatures and drought in central Texas. According to the Austin news weatherman, this is day 47 of temperatures over 100 degrees (with plenty of humidity). This is the worst drought in 60 years.

Peppers, onions, cucumbers, jalepenos, squashes, eggplant, tomatillos.

house on a hill

I had a day off while recently working in Salt Lake City. According to my pedometer, I walked twelve and a half miles that day. This is a house on North State Street, which is on a very steep incline. The grand state capital of Utah is at the top of the hill. I recommend the hike (or drive) to the top for the view of the city below.