Day 6 of the Every Day in May challenge—something tart or sour. Lots of lemon and lime trees in my parents garden here in Northern California. So it just seemed natural and so right to spend time outside in this perfect sunny warm weather sketching and painting on the patio for the Day 6 challenge. 
Day 5 of the challenge—Scissors. I have way more than I need—hoarding? Most of these brightly colored handle scissors are in drawers, in the kitchen, my studio space, the hall cabinet, the bathroom and my bedside table. They are all more dull than sharp. There is only one pair in my "scissor collection" that is razor sharp for when I need to cut fabric. The rest I use to cut anything from paper to plastic to pruning plants and flowers to occasionally cutting wire. 
My father is a bit of an "Orchidholic" and they are in full bloom in the garden right now. It is sunny and warm here in the San Francisco Bay Area so I enjoyed a few minutes last evening sketching in the garden.
I bought some Schmincke watercolors the other day and tried them for the first time on this little geranium painting out in the garden. They seem to be more opaque than the Daniel Smith and Holbien watercolors I started to use when I taught myself how to use watercolors several years ago. Wonderfully bright colors so I will continue to explore and develop the technique for this brand...hopefully...
Day 4 of the Every Day in May challenge. Hand crafted salt and pepper grinders filled with sea salt and fresh pepper grounds. 
My mom watching Dancing with the Stars after starting her day at the dog park, an hour at the gym, shoe shopping with me, Jeopardy, dinner and a glass or two of Charles Shaw Chardonnay with my father and I. At $1.99 a bottle it is lovingly known as Two Buck Chuck and they have cases of it stacked up like cord wood in the garage.
And speaking of the garage. There are shopping bags filled with tennis balls lined up next to the work bench. Seems as though my father takes his walks past the Swim and Tennis Club we belonged to when we were kids. He starting picking up the tennis balls along the way and took them home and tossed them in a bag. Now there are 5 bags!!! I always ask why, we then discuss as to what to do with them and then we all walk away. Must be part of my inheritence. Jerry always said I get my hoarding tendancies from my father...sounds about right.
Day 2 of the Every Day in May challenge. A power plug from Ikea made this a much more fun thing to draw and paint.
After a long time of working through the sad days that crippled my creativity, I decided to take action to get back into doing what I used to love. Not having done much drawing and painting in almost two months, I am quite out of practice and I knew the longer time drifted the worse it was getting both in my head and what was coming out on paper. So the "Every Day in May/EDM" challenge sounded like just the kick in the butt I needed to jump start my creativity and get me sketching again. Besides, I am going to Lisbon in July for the Urban Sketchers Symposium and I need to get in sketching shape.
The Blues: I like when things are settled and dependable, but life isn’t like that and there are times when we outgrow something, it outgrows us, or things simply change. It is because of this impermanence that not only do painful times pass, but also great opportunities come. I remind myself that nothing is permanent about who I am or what I am capable of.
The Greens: I have discovered “Greenies” dental chews for dogs and Sophie loves them. Supposed they keep her teeth clean and are proven to fight gingivitus. They are not cheap, but you should see the proposal from my vet for Sophie to have her teeth cleaned—YIKES!
Influenced by the retail overload of Valentines Day, I bought a bar of dark chocolate with sea salt—YUM. A small bite a day until it was gone. Gone now—sad!
The vet said that Sophie was starting to develop a little gingivitis and I needed to start brushing her teeth everyday...EVERYDAY? Of course, she hates it, so it is not goimg so well.
One day I decide to take the Balinese mesh canopy off the bed. It exposed the skylight in the ceiling letting more light into the room. However, as soon as it got dark outside and the lights went on in the bedroom all hell broke loose. Sophie climbed on the bed and starting staring, growling and barking at her reflection in the window. The "Night Dog" had come into our lives.
Ever vigilant, she will sometimes stand on her hind legs and growl at her tormentor. She eventually tires of the "Night Dog" and falls into blissful dog sleep. Of course, the dreaded "Night Dog" comes by every night and some early mornings.
It just keeps snowing and snowing and last week it got colder and colder and colder. One morning when we awoke it was -20° and we needed to go out. Living in the city, with brick sidewalks that hold the cold and are covered with salt, make it very painful for Sophie. She would limp and hold up her paw. I would end up picking her up and carrying her to her favorite patch of grass, which is covered with two feet of snow. We finally stopped at the pet store down the block and walked home with new red boots.
At one point, I looked down and she only had on three boots—damn. We backtracked and there in a snow bank was the fourth boot. After this happened several times, the boots had to go back.
We're now using MUSHER'S wax just like the sled dogs in the Iditarod and it works great.
I spend a fair amount of time at LaGuardia airport. It is the "one-stop" between Portland and DC. I do not sketch as much as I would like when I am drifting around airports. I wish I had more discipline, but I find I spend more time reading. 
"All those vitamins aren't to keep death at bay, they're to keep deterioration at bay" (Jeanne Moreau)
A wonderful consulting job came my way around Christmas that I couldn't pass up. So since then, every week I am on plane to the Washington DC area where I spend 2 to 3 days on a creative rebranding project. I found Sophie sitting in my suitcase the first time I was packing for my new job, but when she found out that she would be going to the cottage on the beach in Cape Elizabeth she is now absolutely fine with my packing.
I am working with a corporation that sells supplements through several catalogs. It is quite interesting to be learning more about the mysterious world of supplements.
My second day in DC and just as cold as the first one. Back on the Metro to the Smithsonian and almost everyone is alseep.
I spent sevral hours exploring the exhibits in The Museum of American History. One of my favorite's was Julia Child's "Bon Appetite" exhibit. She was such a pioneer. She donated her kitchen to the museum where it was recontructed exactly as she had it in Cambridge Massachusetts, minus the asbestos linoleum. I stood for quite a while watching monitors of her old shows. What a great spirit!
Card # 3233—The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where I was absolutely awed by the story that was told as I made my way through the four floors of the building. As you enter the elevator to start at the top floor you are given an identification card. My card was # 3233 belonging to Holocaust survivor Magna Hellinger telling her story. Though all the museums are spectacular this one is truly an experience that is unforgetable.
After six hours I was back on the Metro. Suddenly we stopped and were told to get off because of problems with the brakes. We all filed off and everyone drifted across the plarform and got on the orange line. I was troubled since I knew the blue line would take me to my hotel. Why was everyone getting on the orange line and where was it going? I stayed back and waited thinking I could get a cab if all else failed.
Eventually a train for the blue line showed up and I made it safely back to the hotel.
After figuring out the Metro system where many people are sound asleep, I was off to experience the Smithsonian. It was so brutally cold that most of the famous outdoor sights were a quick walk by.
Sketching at the fabulous and most interesting Museum of Natural History.
After hours at the Museum of Natural History I faced the cold and headed off to The National Gallery.
At the end of the day, a quick sketch at the National Gallery before finding my way back to the Metro station.
On the Metro back to the hotel in Crystal City, Arlington Virginia.
Sophie and I went out to Cape Elizabeth the other afternoon to puppy sit for Sang, a nine week old Weimaranar. I was rainy and cold, but we ran around and on grass anyway—well they did. Sophie was a little disappointed that Sang wasn't better at chasing her and was more interested in eating mulch. 
After growling (Sophie) at the waterdish and a few laps around the dining room table, it was time for a dog break. While Sang slept in his crate and Sophie curled up on the couch staring at me with that "what is that creature in the crate" look, I sketched the rainy and cold view.
There many miles on my favorite running shoes. I may be time of a new pair.
