A Fave Place To Imbibe

I am appalled at how little I've posted on my blog lately!  I feel so neglectful.  The stories and images are a comfort, as well as providing me a trail of breadcrumbs I can use to trace my way home when I get too far extended in my life.  When I'm lost out on the desert of "normal" reality, and have lost my creative compass coordinates!  

Jim and I spent some time a couple days ago visiting our younger daughter's jewelry display at the show on Bainbridge Island she was participating in.  Speaking of Divine Creativity! We met our other daughter there, who had come over from Seattle.  We left Crystal to her show, and the three of us travelled to Poulsbo to enjoy some Spanish Tapas at Paella Bar.  The atmosphere, food and wine are superb.  I especially recommend the bacon wrapped, goat cheese-filled dates!  Wow. 

It's amazing how much richer the participatory experience is at any location or event when I sketch it! 

(And in answer to the question of many who have seen my sketchbook, no, I do not do the entire sketch while sitting at the location.  I will get the basic rough ink drawing in, do some random patches of color here and there to remind myself, as well as lots of squinting and memorization of shadow angles, items on tables or displays or walls, and finish the sketch at home later)

Treehouse On Masa Paper

As a kid, most of my non-school and non-snow days were spent in trees.  TreeZone seemed a natural place for my sister and I to hang out, and as time went on, I think it was clear to our dad it might be safer if there was an actual supporting floor under us when we were up there. That didn't stop me from tightrope walking on long, swaying branches that bridged My Tree and the garage roof, but at least I had a place to stash my snacks and sleep above the coyotes on summer nights, once he built a treehouse for me. Popular Mechanics magazine had just the blueprints for that little Ponderosa kid fortress, and Papa put his best carpenter's hat on and went to work.  

I should tell you that the above illustration is not my childhood treehouse.  But it is someone's childhood treehouse in Scotland.  Jim and I have a few books on tree houses of the world, and leafing through them a few days ago, I had some nice visions in my head of uses to put my newly minted, crinkled and stained, Masa Printmaking Paper cards to. I don't think the blueprints for this particular treehouse were published in Popular Mechanics.  

In my next lifetime, I will be sure to inherit the estate this tree palace occupies.