Becoming Outdated

 Since family camping trips when I was a child I remember Dad firing up the Coleman 2-burner white gas stove and Mom, then, cooking up breakfast. The hissing, the fire, the smell. So when Wilma and I married, on our gift list was a stove for us. That one lasted 45 years and time to retire it. I've overhauled it but it's still getting temperamental. My quest begins to replace it, in kind. 

However, white gas is getting harder to find. Retail stores are phasing out these stoves, too, for the convenient green bottle stoves, which cost about a third as much. Finally was able to order one online for around $200. I tried to light it and it created a huge fireball. Got so hot that the paint on the stove caught fire. Enough pooled up gas to burn for a few minutes. 

Exchanged it for another and had the same result, which I sketched here. Raw gas spewed into the bottom of the stove. HUGE fireball 6' high. I've lit these for 55 years and know how to do it. The feed tube and shut-off valve do their job, so it's the manifold. Design or construction problem I don't know. Coleman is producing TRASH! I just created two crispy critters. 

I'll start looking on eBay for a used older one. White gas, Coleman 2-burner stoves and I are all becoming outdated.

Quilt Retreat

 Wilma taught me rudimentary sewing skills years ago. With her passing I've decided to try my hand at quilting. If I don't like it, I'll sell her sewing and quilting gear and fabric stash. A couple months ago I took my first quilting class and liked it! I have four long time friends that quilt and they heard of my exploration, so they invited me to an open quilt/craft retreat. I accepted gladly. Five of us with 20 others we don't know (yet). It's at a location near St. Joe, MO.  

I was guarded because I didn't want my gender to interfere with the group dynamics. However, everyone was great and accepting. Regardless of gender, if you took the initiative to talk with others, they were very open to return the engagement.

I got to see different set-ups: machines, rulers, templates, patterns, lights, chairs, organizers, etc. Many ways to spend money. The only regret was that many quilters brought junk food to share. I ate too much.

Fall Travel to Moab

Time to start a new journal. My first entry is a trip to Moab.

I find myself interested lately in traveling to Moab (i.e. Liz).  This time they have the Moab Folk Festival, community Day of the Dead celebration and Liz's studio hosts a Soup Bowl meal to raise funds for a local charity. Good enough reasons for me. This time I fly out. I didn't look close enough at the ticket options and selected one that required me to wake up at 2:30 a.m. 

I check out the two quilt supply shops and find they have a selection of outdoor-themed fabric I'll never find in Kansas. I have a quilt retreat coming up and need a quilt pattern. They had that, too. I chose a Rocky Mountain National Park 4-panel fabric.

Of course, we (I) need coffee time. After spending time helping in her ceramics studio we chill out at a local coffee shop.

I've purchased a second touring bicycle to keep in Moab for convenience. It arrives and I assemble it. Then we have the Moab Folk Festival. Headliner is Sam Bush, who I've followed for 45 years. The festival grounds is not that large so it's a more intimate feel that the Walnut Valley Festival back in Winfield, Kansas.

Tried a new (to me) espresso drink: affogato. That's a different way to spell heaven. 

This community really supports their soup bowl fundraiser. This year the money goes to a kids nutrition program administered through the schools. Liz volunteered me to help, so I washed pots and pans for my shift. All a good time. I got a bowl out of the effort. The day before Liz and I cooked up some broccoli and cheese soup for it in a commercial kitchen. I love cooking in a nice commercial kitchen. It's the right tool for the job, as my dad would say. 

While Liz prepared to teach a class tonight, I took my new (to me) bike for a test ride. I stopped at the Moab Springs Ranch for a coffee and a sketch. This view to the west is superb! A local told me this formation is called "The Portal". 

Time to go home. This time I found a really nice view at the first leg of the trip: Grand Junction, Colorado. This part of the country received some snow over the last two nights. A light powdering of snow stayed on the flanks of the cliffs here and by a fluke of good luck my terminal had a great view of it. This is my last sketch of this trip. 

Out for Coffee

 My grief support group still gets together socially, though a small group. Our class started with six but one washed out (it was too soon since his loss). Unfortunately two others passed away recently. That leaves three but sometimes one doesn't show up. That was the case today. Just Sherry and I.  She came ready to sketch and I just had my sketch journal and a pencil and ballpoint pen. We sketched anyway. It was a lesson for me that I'm not restricted to my favorite kit to sketch. I forgot how nice graphite is!

A happy accident in composition: the hippo seems concerned to have the Grim Reaper looking his way.

A Higher Calling

 I was in Ottawa the other day looking at bicycles at Ottawa Bike & Trail. This little town is at the junction of the Flint Hills Trail and the Prairie Spirit Trail, both rail-to-trails in the care of Kansas Dept.of Wildlife and Parks. This store is fueling a nice movement to trail riding, specializing in gravel bikes. Seems like a more nimble bike is in order for me as compared to my Surly Long Haul Trucker, which is designed as a beast of burden for loaded touring. Time for lunch. Next to the restaurant a local church is having some refurbishing done to a steeple. They are using a telescoping manlift to access it. Striking color and I love big equipment. So I had to set up my little chair and sketch a while. 

Lake Tour with Liz

 About 10 years ago I bought a touring bicycle and some panniers and tried some 'loaded touring'. At first it was 'bike overnight' stuff. I carried the tent, stove, food & water, clothes, etc. Then I tried two nights out. Still enjoyed it, so I planned a lake tour. We have five federal flood control lakes in this part of Kansas so I could create a loop route and hit them all, one day at a time. I could leave from home and return to home. I figured when I retire, I'll do that.

Then Wilma and I had health issues, I retired, she died and life was on hold for a while. Now I'm back in the saddle, literally. Love my bike. When I met Liz, she had similar interests. Her background in loaded touring far exceeded mine, but she was game to do this lake tour. Game on!

Five lakes, five nights in six days. That was the (flexible) plan. After four lakes, though, we just kinda ran out of gas. Our objective from the start was to have fun and see if we travelled well together, not to enter an endurance contest. We could have finished the tour but didn't feel the need to. So we bailed out at Clinton and pedaled home. We still ended up with 193.3 miles, which is almost like pedaling to Hays, Kansas. Looking back, we should have hit two lakes, then taken a rest day, then proceeded. We're both trying to figure out what our 68 year old bodies are capable of while being haunted with the memory of what they used to do.

Our average speed isn't worth noting. We had some rough days. No storms but some headwind. We didn't have extensive pre-trip training. I think we did just fine. We ate at some fine restaurants and the camp food was pretty good, too. And we found that we can travel well together and not kill each other.

Out With The Old

 I've probably had my smart phone for about 10 years. It's rough around the edges, the charge doesn't last as long and I'm running out of storage. AT&T has been sending me reminders that I qualify for an upgrade. So I finally succumb and replace it! I don't need a bigger screen so I opt to replace it with a similar phone. 

The monthly rate only goes up a few buck and I get more storage. The upgrade process only took about an hour yet I pushed it off for months. I donate my old phones to the Topeka YWCA for their women's shelter. I can feel good about that. I'm not real keen, though, on how our daily lives hinge on the availability of cell phone coverage and having this little computer with us at all times, and the need to replace it every few years.

Grandkids Backpacking

 My oldest granddaughter, age 8, asked her parents for an overnight backpack trip this year. Her mom made it happen! Wilma and I raised the granddaughter's mom and uncle in a camping family, which included a backpack trip when they were teenagers. I'm very pleased that it's trickling down to their kids. Her mom explored the Internet and found a respectable youth backpack. Little sis said "Me Too" but, for her, a day pack was big enough. In a millisecond I decided it was worth the drive to be there, too. I scheduled my visit with Liz so I could swing by Colorado on my way home. 

We found a mile+ trail up to a small lake at 10, 480' not far from their northern Colorado home. The trail was an old National Forest Service access road, so navigation was easy. Uphill all the way but it was worth it.

With kids, everything is a crap shoot. However, the odds were with us. The youngest had a melt down on the way up but recovered. From then on they had a blast! Their mom and dad were basically the outfitters that made sure tents were put up and everyone was fed and watered. We introduced them to backcountry camp protocol. After supper we hung a our bear bag with their help. Clean camp. Leave No Trace. Etc.  

I was first up. After a while I hear some giggling, followed by to cheery granddaughters running out to see me. Mom and dad took a while longer, lingering in a short reprieve. The girls and I sat by the lake and watched the sun rise higher in the sky behind the mountain ridge. Then they helped me retrieve the bear bag and start hot water for breakfast. They are completely at home in the woods. Makes a grandpa proud!

To Moab!

 Time to visit Liz in Moab for the first time. I decide to drive (I like to drive) the 900+ miles.

She runs a ceramics studio there and teaches the artform. She has plenty of workspace and equipment but my eyes are drawn to the water dispenser, plants and window. Those with a membership have access to Open Studio time, so I get to meet some of her 'people'. They've created a neat little community there of similar souls that I like.

After seeing some of the sights we go to Back and Beyond bookstore. This is a neat independent bookstore that even delves into collectible books and maps, etc.  They have one of Edward Abbey's working desk with a working draft of Desert Solitaire.

In some spare time (Liz needs to be at her shop) I find a small climbing gym. It's mostly for bouldering but they do have a top-rope wall. Since I have nobody to belay me, I use their vertical treadmill (there's a real word for it but I don't know what that is). Ground floor has a couple tables to sit and chill. Vending machines with cool drinks, or they have coffee. 

So many coffee shops! (See later post for a list) I really like Sweet Cravings Bakery & Bistro. Plenty of room for indoor seating and a view to the east with large windows. A mom and pop shop that's personable.

Here's my list of coffee shops (yes, I'm addicted!). The Gonzo Inn has a small café with outdoor seating. I loved the gecko in their sign, so I had to sketch it, until I ran out of fountain pen ink. Switched to fiberpoint pen. The Moab Garage Company is laid out nicely. They even have an espresso drink that uses some ice cream. I try later to return and try it but failed to hit their open hours. Some coffee shops close too early for my yearnings.

Ahhh, on to Arches National Park! We did a driving tour, but when I had some spare time, I came back to sketch. The iconic Balanced Rock. Then on the the Window Arches. I started to sketch the La Sal Mountain profile. It's distinctive and to the southeast of Moab, Arches NP and Canyonland NP. It's functional to get your bearings. However, my sketching of it had spacing problems. The next sketch finally comes close.

On the fourth try I'm happy with my mountain range profile. The scree fall-off is unique on the south end of the range.

The Moab Music Festival happened to be going on for my visit! For over a week, every night is a musical event or music-related event. This particular night would be at this building.

We got up early to hike out to Delicate Arch. This is the iconic arch used in most publicity material. The raven was there, too. They know more than what they speak. I also listed all the activities the Liz put together for me. She would tell me the options to choose from and we kept it flexible. I was here for just over two weeks. I'll be back.

This is my favorite sketch of this trip! We were driving through Canyondland N.P. and I loved this overview of the Green River. All the white land is the same geological layer. Then erosion happens. I fell in love with the sketch potential! So, again, when I had some free time I drove out to be absorbed by it. I caught it just before sundown. These places are always vast and quiet so I have a fond memory of my time there. 

The crack down the middle of my sketchbook is what happens when a 7000 lb SUV drives over my sketchbook. My fault. Could be worse. The artwork is fine, not like it got wet or I lost it. My granddaughters were concerned but I told them it was fine (damage was done on a later visit to see family). Lesson learned: When getting ready for a hike, do NOT put your water bottle and sketchbook on top of the vehicle's tire. 

I was lucky on this trip to have a nice amount of sketch time. Liz is understanding, since she is a creative, too. Some trips just don't allow the time. This trip was top shelf!

Sketch Workshop Sketchout

 I spent a week at a workshop for watercolor sketching. This was at the Madeline Island School of the Arts. We had four instructors from overseas, all specializing in mobile watercolor sketching/painting. This is my third class at MISA. I just love it there! It's a short ferry hop from Bayfield, WI. On the Thursday night of our week-long workshop the instructors suggested a sketchout at a local pub. 

This is my first totally watercolor journal entry. My "standard" is watercolor pencils. I wanted this workshop because it would push me to try watercolors. I've taken a couple on-line classes in watercolor, which got me started. It also required me to buy a lot of tubes of paint. However, can one really own too many art supplies? Not. It felt great to finally start using them. Much to learn but I'm on my way.

Fountain pen, watercolors, enhanced with colored pencils. 

Amtrak to see Beth

 In late April I took an Amtrak train to visit a long time friend in Arizona. About a 24 hour ride. Beth and I were working at the same company 40 years ago. She moved to Arizona for a job and we've stayed in touch. Wilma and I visited four years ago and it was time to visit again. This time its just me.

Wilma and I had traveled in Coach before. This time I paid more to try out a Roomette. Pricey but more creature comforts and the food in the Dining Car comes with it. I found that the ability to lie flat helps sleeping a lot. 

Beth lives in Prescott. We'd start the mornings with coffee on her deck with a view. I love the dry air (as compared to Kansas). She drove me around to see the sights. That included coffee houses and a tap house. They had a bluegrass festival that weekend, too. Then on to Sedona. I wanted to see what everyone seems to know and like about that part of Arizona. 

The train has a stop in Albuquerque, both coming and going. The train refuels and takes care of other logistics. I sketched and almost missed the re-board call on the return trip.

This page shows some trip logistics. This is my fourth overnight Amtrak trip but the first one I shaved on. I wanted to see how hard it was to use a razor on a moving train. It's hard to sketch on the train so I thought it would be tough to shave, but it was fine.

I met a few interesting people, too. Dining room talk is always a good mixer. On my return, my Kansas City stop was scheduled for about 7 a.m.  I went down for breakfast and met Liz. It proved to be my lucky day. We talked until the staff kicked us out to end serving breakfast. We've been staying in touch ever since. 

Pick Only One (Really?)

 I recently downsized my 27' RV trailer to an 18' RV trailer. It's just me now and the old RV just had too many memories. Much less storage! I can't have ALL my coffee making methods on board. So . . . which one should I pick?! I can rule out the drip maker because it's just too large. I like the sentimental value of the percolator, but the French press is so darn simple, but it doesn't keep things warm. I just don't know.

Fountain pen, watercolor pencils and water brush. 

Coffeehouse Discovery

 I'm always on the lookout for new coffee shops, and I love to travel. Therefore, I combine these two interests and revel when I succeed. On a drive to son Brian's place I spied a food option listing sign on I-70 that mentioned a Casey Coffee Company. Casey, IL is JUST off of I-70. Always room for coffee, so I stopped. It's a little town of  2376 but one that is big into self promotion in a neat way without being overbearing. They have a whole list of "worlds largest" features to see. This just calls out for sketching. 

I fell in love with the world's largest mailbox. They built this thing so you can walk up the stairs and look down at Main Street from the front edge! And this thing was in view of a window seat at Casey Coffee. So I ordered a coffee and sketched. I sketched it too large just because I was too engaged with it. That happens to me.

The coffee shop is great! On my return trip I stopped for breakfast (oatmeal, choose your toppings). I'll be back.

Fountain pen, watercolor pencil with waterbrush. 

LBL Homeplace, Revisit

 I camp at Land Between the Lakes in western Kentucky a couple times a year. I always visit The Homeplace where staff interpret the history of the area. I've sketched the main house a couple times already and posted them. This is the second house. It's a "single pen" and is smaller. It was an overcast and misty day but I found a dry spot under the eves of the woodshop. Talked to a couple history interpreters and had a relaxing time sketching.

Fountain pen, watercolor pencils and waterbrush. I'm still exploring use of a wash I mix in an empty half pan. I'm touching my toe into the world of watercolor painting.

The Nicest Restaurant I Never Ate At

 Sometimes travel doesn't go as planned. I had a trip to a small town in Missouri. In my spare time I could see a plan develop. A neat coffee shop close by that I can sketch in! Got there at closing time. But a neat mostly restored old mill was close! Tour closed. Restaurant open but I just ate elsewhere. Oh well. I had time to sketch nearby with a view of the mill and water rushing close by. It was a sunny day with perfect temperature and I had the time. Who needs a plan?

The steel truss bridges remind me of some bridges we have on our rail-to-trails back home in Kansas. Love the design and feel.

Fountain pen, watercolor pencils and waterbrush. I used a spare empty half pan to create a wash from pencil pigments to use for the sky (a new trick I'm trying). 

How Many Is Enough?

 Over the years, things accumulate. We've had 40 years of travel and I like to buy coffee cups to prompt the memories as I get older. Thus, a huge selection of coffee cups. Wilma and I would always disagree on how many I NEED. With her gone, I can be guilt-free on how many I NEED. 

So, I attacked my collection this week. I pulled them all down from the cupboard and set them on the kitchen island. This had to be sketched!

If you read the sketch, I ended up with 70 coffee cups. BUT some have already been repurposed to hold pens, pencils and loose change, some are hot/cold travel cups (don't count since they are dual-use), and some are easy to give away.

Final count: 31 

Yes, I concede I only NEED one. But that's no fun. I love the memories in each cup. If Wilma's ghost haunts me, I will reconsider. 

The Homeplace

 This is located in Land Between the Lakes in western Kentucky. We like to camp there. The "Homeplace" is an 1850 re-enacted farm. I stop here every time I'm in LBL. This time the house was closed for some roof repairs. So I found a comfortable rock to sit on and did this ink sketch. No pencil layout. I liked how it came out. It is in a sketchbook that I recently re-found. I was camping there last October for this sketch. This one took me a while but I love being in "the zone". I considered applying color but the pen and ink feel told me to stop.

Resting Molly

 I just re-located a sketchbook that had this sketch of my 1.5 year old Lab Molly. She is usually a ball of movement but toward evening she can stay still long enough to sketch. This was back in September. She's both frustrating and lovable to be with. This week she ate a stick of butter.

Primed and Ready

 'Tis snow season. In eastern Kansas in the last few years we haven't received many big snows. But we did last week, with lots of wind and the resulting drifts. My driveway blew shut four times. Now that I have a side-by-side with blade I can handle most of the storms we get, but this was the first true test.

Since it's just me now, I have the luxury of dedicating one of my two garage stalls to this machine, ready for action on a moments notice.

I only have this machine because I'm a volunteer in a trail group that maintains 15 miles of trail up my me. However, I will admit I have lusted for one even without the trail work.

This year I decided to help out some neighbors. I live in a rural area where the roads are on a 1-mile grid (mostly). On my 'mile' we only have twelve homes. Most of us are self sufficient and have the equipment to push snow. However, four don't. Three I know and like. The forth one drove by as I was clearing my driveway and asked to hire me. I went over (they weren't home) and their driveway was really drifted in. They could not drive into their house for four days! It was -8F with -10F wind chill but after 2.5 hours of work I cleared it. The biggest job I've ever done. Left my contact info in their door. That was four days ago. They are back but haven't thanked or paid me. Maybe I won't be helping them in the future. The other three neighbors were very thankful and I was glad to help.

The snow plow was a prime example of the brain telling me it's all black, but the eyes are telling me it has shiny very light value areas. I went with the eyes and it worked.

Denver REI Store Visit

 REI is an outdoor gear store that is not focused on going out in nature and killing things. I say that as a hunter and fisherman, but it's true. I've been an REI member for over 40 years, and Denver has one of their flagship stores. If at all possible, on Denver visits I spend some time here. On this mid-December trip I had a couple hours to kill so I went. 

There is SO MUCH STUFF in a retail store like this so I needed to focus on something. The climbing wall wasn't being used but it always draws my attention. I found a spot on the stairs I could draw from, and incorporate people in the sketch (a weakness of mine that I'm working on). Very enjoyable time. The only drawback was the price of parking in their parking lot. I was over 2 hours here so the charge was something like $20. Rather punitive if you ask me. I spent plenty of money inside and outside of the store.

I have a thing for maps and compasses. In Topeka, Kansas nobody has a serious compass. So, when I'm here I always check on them. This one was sketch worthy. Using one is a fading skill. I use a GPS, too, but you're depending on battery life to keep you alive and I don't like that. Worse yet is a trend of depending on your cell phone GPS and map to keep you alive. Never!

Sketchout with a friend

 A good friend of mine, in a similar place in life, has done formal art many many years ago, before marriage and before kids. Then life happens. She wasn't familiar with the type of sketching I do in my journals. I figured we could go out to a coffee shop and I could show here what I do and give her some supplies to do it. She didn't buy into my no-pencil-layout ink first approach but that's OK. Once she laid pencil to sketchbook I could see it reignited those past days of emersion into the creative process. It made my day!

More Bookbinding

 I decided to make each of my five grandkids a sketchbook for Christmas. Then I could sit down with each one and design a vinyl sticker to customize their book using my Cricut machine.

First I tore down 25 sheets of Mohawk Superfine (regular bond) paper. I always feel good after they are gathered into signatures and holes punched ready for hand sewing. This is the first feeling of accomplishment.

Then sewing the signatures together, creating the textblock, then the case, casing the signatures, then book cover treatment. Five for the kids and two to use up all the paper. The finished products:

Then we must have customization from each grandkid:

The kids (ages 3-9) loved them! 

The Ships

 After my night at the Androy Hotel I address the purpose of this part of my journeys: visit the shipping lane at Duluth at the southern tip of Lake Superior. I've been here a few times before and it's a trip requirement. The big lakes have a ship culture. The big lake freighters can exceed 1000' in length, carrying various cargos but an emphasis on iron ore and coal. Internet has a site with the canal schedule. I have two freighters I can witness: the Hon James LO Oberstar and the American Century.

First up is the Oberstar at 8 am (give or take). She was built in 1959 and is the same class of freighter as the Edmund Fitzgerald, at around 700'. The control tower is at the bow. Therefore she probably has a fuel oil boiler that drives huge steam pistons to drive the propeller. They always have steam exhaust just like a steam locomotive has. I sketched her live (August 19) to see how far I could get. They come through the canal very slow, but still not enough time to do it justice. 

I had some time before the American Century came through so I sketched the walkway that the public can access. Trying to apply what I learned at the week workshop. People are tough but I'll slug my way through this skill. I learned here that the walkway does not fade away into the sky (like my brain was telling me) but it fades at just under eye level. Oops.

Then it's time for the American Century. She was built in 1981 at 1000' long. This is the standard modern size of the lake freighters. For her I took pictures with my cell phone so I could do a realistic drawing back home. Being a newer ship, she has diesel engines that probably drive electric motors that drive the propeller shafts. These are much quieter and exhaust is minimal. Very impressive! 

My usual sketching process uses fountain pen linework without pencil layout. Then watercolor pencil with a waterbrush. For this one I used just a little pencil layout. Then a fountain pen with a (new) fude nib. Seems to be the craze now. I hate crazes, but this one works out just fine. I can vary the thick to thin linework. I also used a trick I learned from the watercolorists at the workshop. I created a wash using pigment from the pencils in a clean half-pan with added water. This was for the water and sky. I also wanted to fade the colors of the bow as the ship gets longer and has subdued tones.