Celebrate Clumsy

 Before things green up is the best time to do trail work. We needed to scope out trail conditions of part of our Landon Trail south of Overbrook. I was checking out a culvert and fell, hyperextending my wrist. Got the job done but need to baby my wrist for a few days. This drainage is not a real creek. It's just run-off from a pasture, so it will be dry most of the year. Cattle can use it to cross between pastures. The railroad built this in 1930 and it's still rock solid. 

When I sketch, I don't use pencil first. "Lead Free". It's faster but riskier. I concentrated drawing the hand so much that by the time I was drawing the wrist, I was getting sloppy and not checking my proportions often enough. Thus the long skinny arm. I still like lead free. Every time I look at this it reinforces the idea that I need to stay aware of proportions the whole time I'm sketching. This was drawn with my long Lamy fountain pen. I sure like that pen!

Anyway, it was still fun to sketch it. When the quick-med place put on the brace I immediately knew I had to sketch it. I'm right handed so the sketching subject could just sit there as I sketched. I liked the straps and grommets, too. It gives me a gothic bowler rock singer look. 

Maintenance Work

 Finally took time to sketch. The pasture cedars are more visible now since the grass/hay hasn't greened up yet. They keep on living, even though they are stunted from being mowed all the time. I pulled one here to get some satisfaction and noticed the intricate root work and decided I needed to sketch it.

The railroad spike is from our Landon Trail. Seems impossible to pick them ALL up. They're sneaky. When I do find them, I carry them out so bicyclists and horse riders don't get hurt.

Now I need to bind my next sketch journal. This sketch is just on a sheet of drawing paper. We'll see if my binding notes are good enough to do it again. It's been quite a while.

January USKC Sketch Crawl

 It's been a few years since I've made it to a Kansas City sketch crawl with Urban Sketchers KC. Wilma and I went a few times before. She liked to kill time as I sketched and enjoyed the common meal afterwards. It was time to get back in the saddle. As I've said before, I'm not an urban type guy, but we don't have a Rural Sketchers organization. I like the KC group, even though I'm pretty much anonymous. We gathered at the Kansas City Museum (never heard of it). It's a restored mansion in old Gladstone just north of downtown, with a focus on telling KC history. 

We had over 30 sketchers, which is more than I've ever seen! Too large to be personal but if I knew anyone I could fit in. The architectural details with all the hardwood trim were great! Some great stained glass windows, too. I found their Library & Gentlemen's Retreat with a great fireplace and oak trimmed book cases with leaded glass doors. The owner, Mr. Robert Long, preferred this room to all others.

We sketched from 10-noon. I met in the lobby at five 'till noon for our "throw down". It's my favorite part, where we network and share our work. Nobody there?! Only three other sketchers who didn't know where anybody was, either. I found out later they all met in a room upstairs that I didn't know about. I packed up and left. Ate at a restaurant I liked that was a former sketch crawl location and drove the 65 miles home. Still a nice outing, just diminished because of failed communications. 

My scan came out too light. I used Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, with a light tough. Not good for contrast in reproductions but fine on the original.

Sketching has made the short list of things I want to continue. I want to keep doing the hobbies that let me enjoy today rather than rely on the future to enjoy life. 

The Home Place

This was a camping trip back in April. Wilma died three months prior. I'm hoping I can still enjoy camping without her so this is a trial run. Long story short, I'll continue camping. I miss her and would rather do this with her, but in her absence I still enjoy it.

The campground I chose was in Land Between the Lakes. We've camped there a few time and always loved it. That also gave me a chance to visit Paducah, for the National Quilt Museum. I always loved going there. They have good coffee shops and craft beer, too.

 I still intend to return to sketch journaling. It will be sporadic but I can't give it up. 

 

Get'n Out

 It's been about two years since my last post. It's been oh so long but oh so heavy. Sketching was not in me. Wilma's surgery went well, but, long story short, the cancer came back in spades, and she was diagnosed with behavior variant frontotemporal dementia. Each one is fatal, but, combined, they are more quickly fatal. She didn't stand a chance, and passed away January 20. It sucks! My prostate cancer surgery went well. It's a wait-and-see game but the prognosis is good. Enough gloom and doom. I only share it because health impacts sketch journaling. On to sketching.

Urban Sketchers Kansas City had scheduled a January sketch out at Boulevard Brewing Company in KC (60 miles from me). I was planning on going but they cancelled. After the funeral I thought I really need to get out sketching for therapy. So, I went solo. I got down on the drive, thinking of Wilma, but once I got there and started sketching, enjoyment came back. It was a calming and enjoyable outing. 

Today I'm working on my yearly planner. I use the bullet journal technique in a Midora Traveler's notebook. I use a fountain pen to lay out all the months by hand, then do daily entries with fountain pens. There is some hand stitching to build the booklets as I like them. I found this process to be calming and enjoyable, too. I think I'll continue with the fountain pen and journaling adventures.

4th of July Campout

Usually, by this time of year our extended family has had two camp-outs, but not in a COVID-19 year. We finally make it out for our July 4 traditional camp-out. Bathrooms were open this time but labeled "Use At Own Risk". We use the one in our trailer. Most of our regulars were here but, as we are all growing older, fewer are still active campers. I had the chance to get jamming in with Ed to entertain the clan by fireside. This is a high point for me! It's the perfect setting.

On the second night Ed was busy with other family obligations.  We had a fire at our camper and some others came over but left early. I had some time by our fireside to do some solo playing. However, it was into the Quiet Hours (10 p.m.-6 a.m.), and a park ranger came over to shut me down after a half hour. A regular occurrence for me. I'm always amazed that playing and singing is considered illegal behavior. It's acoustic! The sound doesn't travel that far and I may not be professional but I can hold a tune, but we are still breaking the law.

Trivia - it's never too hot for a fire! We sweat through the day but we love the fire at night. And my wife and I had Smores one night. Timeless!

A New Routine

I think this place will be seeing a lot of me in the following months. It is the Cancer Center. Today is just a bone scan to assess any possible spread of the cancer. The radioactive injection is three hours before the actual scan, and I'm on my own for that time. So - SKETCH! I set up my lawn chair out in the parking lot and bought a high-end coffee from the Roasterie kiosk and immersed myself in the process. It's been too long since I've sketched. It's like meeting an old friend to spend time.

Trivia - this building does not have a blue roof on the middle section. I felt that the grey on brick color scheme needed to be spruced up. Seeing the finished sketch I don't think blue was the correct accent color, but it's still better than grey on brick. I'm always amazed at how hard cars are to sketch. I have long realized I just need to go out and sketch them more often, like my need to sketch people. Just don't seem to get it done, though.