Tag Archives: sketching

Everglades 2013

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After my visit to the Florida Everglades two years ago, my friend Shirley and I began dreaming about going there together someday, since she lives only a few hours from the Everglades and we both love nature, birds, and wildlife. This week “someday” came, and we drove to the delightful little town of Everglades City to spend two days exploring and birding and enjoying the awesome sights and sounds of marshes, swamps, and islands. On the way down to the Everglades we saw a Crested Caracara eating carrion beside the road– a first for both of us and a great start to our adventure!

The first evening we went to a small boardwalk and watched Anhingas settling in the treetops for the night. This was the first time I noticed the light purple feathers that are longer and fluffier on the back of the males’ head and neck. (click on photos to see them larger)

After watching the Anhingas, we drove along a rather bumpy 17 mile road (the same road on which I had seen a panther two years ago). We didn’t see a panther, but we did see an owl in stark silhouette against the setting sun. As we sat in the car and watched, the owl moved closer and closer, always perching in the crooks of dead trees. At one point on the drive we turned off the car, opened the windows, and sat in silence, listening to the night sounds and watching fireflies, with not a light in sight and no sounds of traffic or people. The night was brimming with life, and we sat in silence allowing it to quiet and fill our souls .

The next morning we took the Thousand Islands National Park Boat Tour- a wonderful time of fresh air, birds, and mangrove islands.

Osprey

Anhinga with a big fish
After our boat tour, we had lunch at the Havanna Cafe on Chokoloskee Island.

The view from our table
Painting the bougainvillea and palms

After lunch we cooled off in the air-conditioning of our rooms for a while, since Rowan and we were all getting overheated. Poor Rowan wears a thick fur coat wherever he goes, and right now is dressed for winter in New York, not mid-80’s in Florida.

When the sun was a bit lower we headed back out to the Big Cyprus Bend Boardwalk, which wends its way over half a mile through swampland.

Straight up a taaalll tree trunk
Barred Owl beside the boardwalk
Strangler Fig- starts life as an epiphyte, then grows downward and grows roots
Royal Palm

Mama or Papa Bald Eagle flapping on their HUGE nest
Great White Egret at the end of the boardwalk

 One of the birds we really wanted to see was the Roseate Spoonbill, and we’d heard that some had been seen at the Marsh Trail, so we headed there after our swamp walk. The Marsh Trail is open during daylight hours, and by stretching the definition of “daylight,” we got to see and hear the marsh in the fading light at the close of the day. We didn’t see any Roseate Spoonbills, but we saw and heard quite a few Black-crowned Night Herons. We also saw hundreds of White Ibis perched in a row of mangroves, but there wasn’t enough light to get a photo of them.

The next morning we headed back to the Marsh Trail before turning homeward, and we both saw our first Mottled Duck! We also saw several Roseate Spoonbills flying over and one posing nicely near the pathway.

 Blue-winged Teal and Mottled Duck

Roseate Spoonbill

On our way back to the car, we heard a White-eyed Vireo– another first for both of us! He was very hard to find in the shrubbery, but I finally saw him and got a photo.

White-eyed Vireo

Two wonderful days of birding, exploring, and shared wonder at a beautiful piece of God’s creation.

Painting with Jennifer

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I spent a day and a half with my sister, Jennifer Thompson, at her home in South Carolina. Although I had previously visited the area, it was before Jennifer lived there, so this was my first time to visit her there. Jennifer is a wonderful hostess, and we ate delicious meals she prepared, did a bit of sight seeing and gallery-hopping, roamed on a remote driftwood-covered beach taking photos, and mostly, we painted.

Jennifer photographing the dunes

I always love painting with my sister, and it was a special treat to paint her world this time. She took me to a beautiful stretch of road, where we sat on some big rocks and painted the marsh on one side of the road, then turned around to paint the beach on the other side.

 

Looking one way we painted the marsh…
…then turned around and painted the shore.

We painted the marsh and beach till we were hungry, then went to the nearby Lost Dog Cafe for a delightful lunch on the outdoor patio. Dogs are always welcome at this cafe, and there are water bowls beside the tables for the four-footed guests. There are Grackles calling in the trees, watching the diners and waiting for them to leave. When the people at the table next to ours left some food on their plate, a Grackle swooped down and enjoyed a hearty meal of bread and meat.

After lunch Jennifer took me to the Angel Oak, where we painted again. I learn so much from watching Jennifer paint. Our styles are a bit different, and seeing how adventurous she is with color encourages me to branch out.

Jennifer’s is on the left; mine is on the right

In the evening we went out to the Old Pitt Street Bridge off of Mt. Pleasant to paint the sunset, where we had an amazing 360 degree view and where we saw birds, dogs, and people strolling. By the time we got back to our car, the moon and stars were shining. A perfect close to a perfect day. Thank you, Jennifer!

You can see Jennifer’s account of our day on her blog at http://jenniferashethompson.blogspot.com/

May Her Burrow Be Long and Warm and Dry…

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It turns out the woodchuck is probably a female, so I guess she isn’t “Charlie Brown” after all.

My little friend went home to what may be her forever home with a rehabber
last night. The rehabber and I both think she has something neurological going
on, plus she’s way too habituated to people to be releasable, so Robin (the rehabber) will
most likely be keeping her. Robin LOVES woodchucks and was so
excited to get her from me. She already has seven woodchucks, two of which are
long-term members of her family, because they are not releasable for
various reasons. One of those is litterbox trained and roams around freely in her house! I can hardly wait to go visit and see them
all!

Anyway, Robin took my little woodchuck last night, so hopefully she is settling in now and making herself at home. I really enjoyed having her here for a few days, but am not set up for long-term woodchuck hospitality, so am glad I now know someone whose door is always open to another woodchuck.

Here are some of my sketches from the woodchuck’s time here (click on images for larger view).

 I wish my little friend well, and, whether her life includes chucking wood, or forecasting weather, or simply eating to her heart’s content (no gardens, please), may her burrow always be long and warm and dry.

Winter Woodchuck! Will Work for Warmth

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What is that??!!

I was watching birds out my window, when I caught sight of something dark and furry moving in my snow-covered garden. Grabbing my binoculars, I searched till I saw it again– a woodchuck? But they go into a deep, true hibernation all winter. How could one be out now, and WHY would it be in my garden, where all is white and cold?

(Click on photos to see them larger.)

I headed down to the bottom of the yard and looked over the fence to see a young, obviously confused and very cold woodchuck. He looked at me and held up first one front paw, then the other, as if telling me he was cold and miserable and needed help. After doing a few very quick sketches, I tried to herd him out through an opening in the fence, but he kept skittering past it. Finally cornering him, I pulled off my jacket (and yes, it was indeed cold!), threw it over him, and scooped him up. I dropped him over the fence, and, without looking back, he hurried off in the direction of a nearby brush pile. I hoped he had a den there, though I couldn’t imagine why he had emerged in such unseasonable weather.

I thought I had seen the last of the woodchuck for a few months, but four days later I found him wandering in my driveway. I got out of my car for a closer look, and he came right toward me! Alarmed, I jumped back in my car and consulted with the county health department rabies expert, who said that sounded liked aberrant behavior and could be rabies, but, since I thought his coat looked healthy and he didn’t actually seem aggressive when he approached, maybe it was actually an escaped or released pet looking for help. He cautioned me to avoid exposing myself to a bite at all costs, but said I could consider capturing it.

I grabbed a couple of towels and a small dog crate and headed back out. I put the crate on the ground, whereupon the woodchuck immediately investigated it– it looked as though a crate was not something new to him. He approached me, and when he was right in front of me, I dropped the towels over him and bundled him, towels and all, right into the crate. He won me over completely when I held a finger near the front of the crate, and he tried to reach his cute little paw out to touch my finger.

Now Charlie Brown is comfortable ensconced in a larger crate, eagerly eating kale, apples, carrot peelings, and guinea pig food. In exchange for food and lodging, he poses for sketching sessions.

Reindeer Sketches

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Reindeer in Wappingers Falls?! Yes, really! Adams, my favorite place to buy most of our groceries, has had two real, live reindeer staying right at the store for the past month! They have a really nice enclosure, half inside, half outside, at the back of the semi-outdoor garden center, and they seem to really like having people visit to see them.

I went to Adams early this morning to do my Christmas dinner shopping, and spent close to an hour sketching the reindeer. These two are very social and friendly, and when the man who takes care of them went into their pen, they went up to him for attention. One of them, Star, affectionately rubbed her antlers against him and leaned up against him like a friendly dog. The other, Angel, was a bit reticent, but when he scritched her under the chin, she leaned into his hand and rolled her head back and forth the way Rowan does when I rub under his chin.

It was a bit of a challenge to sketch them, since they were fairly active, so I just got quick sketches done standing in front of their enclosure,
bundled up with mittens (the kind that open so my fingers are free but
thumb is still covered), trying to capture them whenever they stood
still for a few seconds.

I did these the way I do bird sketches; I would start one sketch, then
start another when the reindeer moved, then another, then back to one
I’d already started when she returned to a position she had been in before,
and so on. Fun, and keeps me looking closely at my subjects, so even though I don’t
come up with anything like a finished picture, I really enjoy the process.

When I came home I looked up some reindeer facts to learn more about them and wrote some of those on my pages.

Sketching at home and out walking

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I woke up feeling kind of on edge and crabby today, and this morning was perfect for being outside, so I headed out for the rail trail with Rowan and walked and sketched for a couple of hours. The morning and early afternoon were sunny and only slightly breezy, so perfect for being out enjoying it. By this afternoon the temperature was dropping, there were heavy dark clouds, and the wind was whipping the trees, so I’m glad I was home by then.

I also spent some time watching the birds at our feeders. These sketches are from yesterday and today.

Storm King Mountain Hike

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Warm sunshine, muted fall colors, rocks to scramble up, leaves to slip on (Oops, be careful!). Today was one of those perfect fall days when one has to be outdoors enjoying it. After church Stephen and I went across the river to Storm King Mountain and hiked a loop over Butter Hill and around Storm King, where we enjoyed gorgeous views up and down the river and of Breakneck Ridge, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Fishkill Ridge across the river.

I started a new, hiking size (4″ x 6″) watercolor journal, that I plan to fill with views from hikes in the Hudson Valley. This first entry is a sketch of the view from the trailhead parking lot after our hike. I didn’t sketch while we were hiking, because we weren’t sure how long the hike would take, and we didn’t want to be caught out on the trail after sundown.

(Click images to view them larger)

A Gray Day, a Gray Cat, and a Cup of Tea

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Today is one of those chilly, autumn days when I’d like to just sit by my window with a hot mug of tea and read a book. I had other things to do today, but I did take some time to start my day quietly. Before turning on my computer, I made a pot of white tea, picked up sketchbook and pencil, and scooped Silver onto my lap.

With hot tea to warm me inside and sketchbook to help me see the beauty outside, I ran my fingers through the velvety warmth of Silver’s fur, watching the Chickadees, Titmice, and Nuthatches coming and going outside. The bird (and squirrel) traffic at the feeders was steady and enthusiastic, perhaps making up for lost time during the storm, perhaps just increasing because the days are getting cooler. I sipped my tea, sketched my birds, stroked my cat, starting my day with a few minutes that transformed the gray of the morning from dull to cozy.

Feeder visitors- blue gray colored pencil and ballpoint pen
Silver is curious, as always
She’d drink it if I let her, but now I won’t! This cat is never boring.

Maine Retreat

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Wrapped in the warmth of a wonderfully soft, fleece blanket, steaming mug of green tea in hand, I settled on the deck and watched. Watched Chickadees, Titmice, and Nuthatches at the feeder just feet from me. Watched two loons swimming a ways across the lake. Watched the morning light transform the distant mountains from misty outlines to purple splendor to the full glory of fall colors.

So began my days last week while on retreat in a cabin on Wilson Lake in central Maine. This wasn’t my typical solitary retreat, as I went with a close friend, but it also included time for private reflection, personal evaluation, and contemplation. How could one not become quiet and thoughtful before such a magnificent display of God’s creation?
My friend Sarah and I took a week away as a writers’ retreat, and write we did (and cook, and eat, and hike, and sit on the dock star-gazing, and canoe on the lake, etc). Every day we did one or more ten minute writing exercises, which we then shared and discussed. Those conversations led to discussions of our writing styles, subjects, and goals, and to mutual encouragement as we enjoyed each others’ strengths in writing. Sarah made some long term plans and got a good start on her next writing project. I worked on various writings, including some memoir-type selections and a short article about how crating can be a stress-reducing haven for a dog, with my old dog Bilbo as an example. That article is posted on the My Smart Puppy blog.
As I always do on retreat, I spent much of my time in silence, sometimes reading, sometimes journaling– either in my private journal or my artist’s sketchbook/journal, and sometimes just quietly observing nature and musing. As I started this retreat, a friend, Cindy Steffen of the Prairie Pond Woods blog that I follow, emailed me some questions that she had recently used when she led a retreat, and I pondered and wrote on these questions throughout the week (the questions, with some modifications, come from the book The Questions of Jesus, by John Dear):
  • What are you thinking in your heart? (a clearing of the mind exercise)
  • What are you looking for? (passions? desires?)
  • What do you want me (Jesus) to do for you?
  • Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? (dealing with integrity)
  • Will you lay down your life for me (Jesus)? (what does that mean, etc?)
  • What is your name? (playing with God’s proclivity to rename and Jesus’ to nickname)
As all retreats come to an close, this one did too, but, as usual, I have come home with an inner peace and quiet that has me listening more than speaking and that holds me calm and steady in the midst of the storm raging outside.

Lake Wilson Sunset (plein air watercolor)
Artist’s journal pages (click to see larger image)