Weekend in the Old Port—April 28-29

Sophie and the Pitbulls

Sophie and I live in the Old Port section of Portland Maine, a shopping/restaurant/waterfront part of town where both tourists and locals stroll, shop and enjoy good food. A lot of people have dogs. Sophie runs into the full gamut of dog breeds, many of them are Pittbulls. Some owners keep there dogs on short leashes and pull away when the little white dog comes into view, others are leashed but curious so we go wide and then there are the ones that she wants to take down. Those moments can be quite embarrassing!!!

Afternoon walk and errands. Sophie knows which shops have dog treats so she will dart in, run up to the counter and start dancing on her hind legs doing the Bichon front paw waving routine. This always scores her a treat or two and the attention of many patrons. She tends to also do this at any store with a counter and when they say they don't have treats, I have to tell them she thinks you should.

Exchange St at the heart of the Old Port is one of our routes.

Sketches April 18-22

Quick sketches from last weeks travel to work and back and then a few days home. Spring nor'easter started to blow through yesterday and Sophie didn't like it at all. Wait until she goes out this morning...

Weekly sketches April 9-13

Weekly commuting make it more difficult to keep up with sketching, especially when it comes to adding watercolor. I've starting throwing a small sketchbook and a couple of pens in my backpack. With less commitment, I am more able to sketch while waiting at an airport, on a plane, taking a walk and in meetings.

I still practice portraits whenever I find some time.

Our friend Skip Baker an expat for years, he lives in Costa Rica with his family.

My dear old dad who is struggling, but still hanging in there. Love you dad!

Cherry Blossoms

My creative consulting job takes me weekly to Potomac Maryland. Last week, after being away for three weeks, I arrived to all the glory of full blooming cherry blossom trees everywhere I turned. Quite a spectacular sight.

6 X 6 sketchbook

Yupo

Small Moleskine Watercolor Journal

Meanwhile back in Maine it is still a little brownish, grayish, greenish...

Portland Maine—March 22, 2012—Sunny 78°

March in Maine is usually cold, snowy, rainy, sleety and gray and this relentless dreary weather usually lasts through most of April. Spring is a long time coming to northern New England, but not this week. Warm, sunny, dry weather has decended upon us and though it is not normal and probably wreaking havoc with the balance of things, it is so lovely to see clear blue sky and feel the warmth of the sun.

A quick sketch of the coastline. Though the landscape is still mostly brown, some trees are starting to bud and the grass is just starting to turn green, well brownish green...

California family visit

My dear old dad hasn't been very well lately, so off I went to California to help my family get him back on his feet.

My parenst have been married for 60 years and have live in the same house for 56 years. A California ranch house built in 1956 in the scruffy hills near Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area. I often marvel how we all fit in that house, but two adults and three kids is far different than five adults. Not to mention all the strong personalities.
It was teamwork as my mom, my sister, my brother and I shared in making my dad comfortable as he recooperated.

A drawing I did of my mom at Christmas—a much happier time.

A quick sketch when I went outside one night to see the moon rising next to one of the redwood trees in my parents yard.

The good news is my dad is doing much better.

The amazing Cathy Johnson was kind enough to interview me for her blog The Artist Journal Workshop. If you have a chance here is the link to my interview and the interviews and work of so many other talented artists:

http://artistsjournalworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/02/interview-18-meet-peripatetic-jennifer.html

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 1

In my daypack I carried raingear, a lightweight parka, a camelback water bladder and an extra litre bottle of water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, a headlamp, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and a small sketch kit which included a small Moleskine watercolor journal, Staedler pens, a Pentel Pocket Brush pen, (watercolor pencils which I never used) and a small watercolor palette. My pack was not outrageously heavy but every little thing adds up, when you are hiking 4-6 hours a day….uphill.

My good intentions of sketching were slightly curtailed by the fact that we hiked all day and it was cold at night.

Day 1—After a three-hour jeep ride to the start of the climb we all waited around while they weighed our luggage. Not knowing anyone or what to expect of the days to come, I tried to calm my nerves by drawing as we all just waited—not too successful.

I had no idea that this would be one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

Every evening we would devour a plate of popcorn and drink tea with powered milk and lots of sugar. I usually managed a quick sketch before dinner and then would huddle in my tent, in my sleeping bag, wearing many layers and usually a hat while I added color by the light of my headlamp before I would finally succumb to sleep usually before nine o’clock.

Camp would come alive very early in the morning. Nature would call and we would all wait as long as possible knowing it would be a cold walk to the outhouse. I brought the “Freshette” which was an alternative to that cold night walk. I am not sure what was the lesser of the two evils…

Beautiful Shira Camp 1 at 11,000 ft. Altitude low enough that it wasn’t too cold to sit outside and sketch before tea and popcorn.

We came out of the dining tent after dinner to see the full moon peek out from behind Kili. We all just stared, as this beautiful moment was happening before or eyes. The cold night air forced me into my tent where I quickly sketched peeking out to check the moon and its light on the landscape.

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 2

Day 3—Shira Camp 2. A short hike acclimating to 12,000 ft. I got a very bad headache from the altitude, which forced me to lie down. With my feet sticking out of the tent the sun was shining and warm as I closed my eyes after taking a handful of Advil, I recovered. We did yoga on the rocks as the sunset waiting for tea and popcorn.

Day 4—A long hike to Barranco Camp at 13,000 ft through the Barranco Valley where giant Senecio plants dot the rugged landscape.

Giant Senecio—Some are up to 30 ft tall.

Lunch and dinner we would always start with the most delicious soup. A new flavor everyday—warm and satisfying after a day of hiking.

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 3

Day 5—The long scramble climb up the steep Barranco Wall to Karanga Camp at 12,200 ft. Foggy, misty and cold.

Day 6—Barafu Hut at 15,200 ft. We had tea at 10:30 pm and left for the summit at 11:30 that night. We reached the summit at 19,341 ft around 6 am as the sun was coming up.

Sketching the mountain in the evening at Barafu Hut. To anxious to sleep.

Day 7—After summiting we rested at Barafu Hut and then the long downhill in the rain to Mweka Camp at 10,000 ft.

Day 8—After a wet night the sun came out and dried our gear for our final hike down to the Mweka Gate and the end of our adventure. A quick sketch of the porter who choose my hat and our amazing guide and leader Richard Vitalis.

Mt Kilimanjaro—the trek to the summit—Climb High, Sleep Low

Jambo everyone

I started this adventure on January 9th in Moshi Tanzania. I met my 8 fellow treking/climbing companions who were 21-32 years old (the 53 year old guy bailed on day 2)—HA! Off we went on a 3 hour jeep ride on a bumpy narrow dirt road to the start of the 8 day Lemosho Route to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro at 19,341 ft. I learned that we would acclimate to the altitude by "climbing high and sleeping low".

Day 2—we came out of the rain forest to get our first glimpse of the mighty mountain that we would eventually summit.

The mountain loomed far away as we made our way to Shira 1 Camp at 11,500 ft. Still amazed that I am in Tanzania Africa and this is the mountain that I am going to climb, while I kept silently asking myself was I going to make it to the summit?

This is my tent where I slept for 8 nights—you can't even imagine...

This was our private bathroom that went from camp to camp with us.

Day 5—Climbing the Barranco Wall with our guides Richard and Johnson. On our way to Karanga Camp at 13,000 ft.

Mt Kilimanjaro—The summit and the long downhill

I made it to the summit walking "slowly" or "pole pole" as they say in Swahili because the air is so thin. 6 1/2 hours straight up to 19,341 ft. It was about -15 with the windchill. We started at 11:30 pm on Jan 14th and summited at 6:00 am and the 15th. The guides and porters all sang beautiful songs as we climbed keeping us motivated and together as a group as it should be. I burst into tears at the top. The young ones, our guides and I all hugged, laughed and cried. I can't help reflecting that the goal had a feeling of elation, excitement and accomplishment, but the journey overflowed with heart and spirit and soul and that is what made me cry. I couldn't have asked for a lovelier group to share that moment at the top of the mountain.
I wore:
Hiking boots and expedition weight socks
2 pairs of long underwear under heavy winter sport pants,
A heavyweight base layer shirt, a fleece jacket, 2 down parkas and a Gortex wind jacket.
Heavy winter sport gloves with liners
A balaclava and a fleece hat with ear flaps
and I was still freezing

On the last day at the last camp we gave the porters gifts of thanks for without them we would not be able to climb the mountain. They carry our stuff, set up the tents, cook our meals and break down camp and move it to the next spot everyday. Many of them carry 40+ lbs on the backs and heads and many only wearing sneakers or worn out shoes. I saw one porter laden with stuff running in a pair of flip-flops.
I gave away my fleece hat to the fashionable porter posing with me in the photo above, my Therma Rest pad (the porter who got that kissed it), my heavyweight winter sport pants, insulated waterproof gloves, fleece pants, a down parka and my beloved Asolo hiking boots. They need that stuff so much more than I.

It was an amazing experience that taught me so much about survival, spirit and will. I clearly realized I am stronger than I thought, I can survive on very little creature comforts, that there are truly wonderful people and places to meet and discover all over this planet and most importantly that it is actually okay to eat some carbs...sometimes...hakuna matata.

Sketches coming soon.

Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro

Today, I start my journey to Tanzania Africa to climb Mt. Kilimajaro. It is the highest freestanding mountain in the world and is 19,341 ft. I will be 8 days on the mountain, sleeping in a tent. I am in good shape, both nervous and excited with a good dose of "what was I thinking". I am looking forward to putting one foot in front of the other, a little self reflection along the way with a good bit of exercise. With all good intentions I have my sketching kit in my pack and hope to journal my trek.

See you in a week and a half.

A California Christmas

I spent Christmas visiting my family in the San Francisco Bay Area. My parents still live in the house I grew up in. They have lived there for 55 years and married for 60—wow! Not much time for sketching except for my afternoon with Myrna Wacknov.

I did notice that the next door neighbor's had three pomegranate trees, the branches laden with fruit bursting open with juicy red seeds. And like the rest of the neighborhood I helped my self to an armful, but I waited until dark. I brought them inside and painted them while we cooked dinner.

I brought my dog, Sophie, with me. Being only 14 lbs she fits easily in a carrier and under the seat on the plane. She was fairly appalled when I shoved her in a carrier and then gave me the face through the mesh openings. Once on the plane she fell asleep only to wake up once and of course give me the face, again. Once in California, she had a great time romping at the dog park everyday and having many people to pay attention to her, take naps with and laps to crawl in.

On our walks around the neighborhood I noticed these wonderful Ponerosa pine cones and once again was stealing from the neighbors.

We had the best time.

My amazing family.

Sketching with Myrna Wacknov

Myrna posing with our sketches

I was fortunate enough to meet up with an internet friend, the talented and accomplished artist and teacher, Myrna Wacknov of Creativity Journey, while visiting my family in California. We met at the Cantor Museum at Stanford University and had a great time discussing art and creativity, looking through each others sketchbooks and sketching materials and sharing thoughts and ideas. With a bottle of ink in the middle of the table we experimented with drawing instruments while sketching each other in the warm California sun.

I sketched Myrna with a natural bamboo pen and ink. Then used the dreaded waterbrush to add watercolor.

Myrna sketched me with a wooden coffee stirrer and then added watercolor with a sable travelbrush along with a container of water. I had major brush envy...

Thank you Myrna for an outstanding creative sketch/visit.

Walking in the Maine woods

Walking through the woods to the lake, there is a spot where the ground is covered with a thick soft layer of pines needles from a grove of Eastern White Pines. We can not hear our footsteps and these lovely pine cones are scattered everywhere. I gathered as many as would fit in the hood of my parka.

Portrait of a friend.

Home

Every week I communte to Potomac Maryland for work. An hour plane ride and on a good day it is only 45 minutes from the Baltimore airport to work. The traffic in the greater DC area is unbelievably conjested and the slightest drizzle can turn an hour commute into 2+ hours. You can imagine what it must be like when it snows. Last winter some of my collegues had an 8 hour commute home. I, on the otherhand, was stranded and not getting home at all.

It is always wonderful when I look out the window and see this view. The islands dotting the Casco Bay and Portland harbor. A beautiful sight and a sigh of relief, knowing I will soon be home.

A fall weekend in the country

I spent a weekend in the Belgrade Lakes Region in central Maine. Beautiful lakes dotted with cottages and surrounded by mountains to the north and west. We hiked the trails through the woods and along the lake on that warm November day. I haven't had much time to sketch at all recently with work and travel, so my drawing skills have taken a hit.

But I did learn to drive a tractor...

Hiking in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

Living in Maine has given me the opportunity to spend wonderful times hiking in the spectacular White Mountains of New Hampshire. One of my favorite things to do is a long hike with friends and stay overnight at one of the AMC huts along the Appalachian Trail. Upon arrival, I usually race into the hut to secure one of the highly coveted lower bunks and then I can enjoy the rest of the day and the amazing views.

View looking east towards the Presidentials and Mt Washington

We hiked the Gale River Trail to Twin Mountain and stayed overnight at the Galehead Hut. A beautiful hike straight up a rocky trail to 4,000 ft along the Gale River. Warm early summer day at the bottom and quite cold and wintery at the top. Temperatures dipped into the 20's that night and we awakened to a dustimg of snow on the peaks.

Hiking with my wonderful friend Patti and her brother Peter. We had so much fun being outdoors, putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the spectacular views as we acended to the hut. The walk back down the next day had the challege of being a little icy and slippery, but at the bottom it was warm and sunny and we were starving so we enjoyed a picnic before heading home.

These boots have taken me miles in the mountains and are amazingly comfortable, but it is always great to take them off at the end of a long day on the trail. I always bring something cozy and comfortable to wear around the hut at night.
I sketched as the siblings played cribbage.

Here I am at the top with prayer flags woven by my friend Sarah Haskell for her project Woven Voices—Messages from the Heart. Her amazing prayer flags are woven by a community of weavers from written messages of peace. They are hanging all over the world unraveling and releasing messages of hope, peace and renewal. The flags hung outside the hut overnight, however, I could not leave her flags up on the mountain because of "Leave No Trace". Soon, I will take these flags to another mountain...

Down by the sea

My little white dog, Sophie, absolutely loves the beach, but has never had much of an inclination to go in the ocean or any other large body of water. She will race up and down along the waters edge, roll in seaweed and any other unidentifiable beach debris, snatch and eat a sea urchin that the tide has pushed onshore and I have found her in a pile of mussel shells and seaweed chewing on the bone of a bird. Never much more than a toe getting wet, she can make the most of a walk on the beach.

One afternoon, my friend Patti carried her out and set her in the water and she swam like hell back to the shore. Her little legs started going before she even hit the water—hilarious!