Tuesday, August 25, 2015

family, sketches, and the wheel


This past weekend my sister-in-law, my niece, and my greatniece from Portland came to Wharton to visit. They came in Friday late afternoon from Crosby, about a two hour drive from here, where they had been visiting my sister-in-law's mother. It was really nice to see Kathy, Megan, and to meet Mabel who is just three years old and just the cutest thing.


My sister's daughter who lives in Katy came out for dinner Friday night and Saturday, my daughter and the twins came out to visit since they don't get to see this part of the family very often. It was a very girlie get together with my husband being the only male.

So of course we did the shops on the square. And, of course I bought more stuff to make totems. On top of the huge amount of pieces I got at the last estate sale. You'd think I'd have cleaned this little town out by now of items within my price range. And there is another estate sale this Friday. These totems seem to have become something of an obsession so maybe I'll try to sell some in the shop or else everyone is getting a totem for their holiday gift.


Last week I started on the compositional sketches for the small animal hospital that they are not building, it is already built, but are remodeling the front facade. I have two directions...formal groupings like family portraits and arrangements of heads. I'm sort of liking the heads best but then I've only done one sketch in the portrait style.


Yesterday morning, even though it is still just so hot (in the 90s all this week) after the little cool down from the rain last week, I walked out into the Little Backyard to see the bottom row of leaves on the plumerias had turned completely yellow overnight and the tallow is starting to drop a few red/orange/yellow mottled leaves and the altheas, even though they are blooming sort of half heartedly, are sporting tired and yellowing foliage. 


All signs that the wheel is turning. I imagine the pampas grass will be blooming soon if not already. These little signs that summer is winding down are soothing to my mind if not my body.




10 comments:

  1. It seems like summer has gone too fast this time of year. I get that feeling every year.Love that dahlia.

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  2. Ah- same here. Signs of the wheel turning. Exactly. We are supposed to get rain today. Oh! How I hope we do! I am having a stay-at-home-alone day and nothing would make me happier than a good storm with lots of rain.
    I love your glass-totems! I have some of the same glassware. Not a lot. The glass with the stem I do have and the boys love to drink out of it- their fancy glass for juice. They are heavy and durable and if they break- ah well. I paid almost nothing for them.
    Have a good day, Ellen. I am thinking about you.

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  3. What chubby little fingers. Three is so perfect.
    I think summer is gone, here. Temps in the sixties. In the last week of August. Something ain't right.

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  4. I'd prefer the sixties to the nineties...it is 62 here.
    Cute kid.

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  5. Summer is flying past.

    The last few days have been cool and wonderful but we are dry.

    Sounds like every one enjoyed the visit.

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  6. I would imagine that the end of summer in your toasty neck of the woods would be a relief. I'm ready for about four months of 75 degree weather, not that I'm going to get it.

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  7. Mabel is so cute holding that flower in front of her face.

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  8. We're seeing seasonal changes here too. It seems so early, but I guess it's really not.

    I love that first picture!

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  9. Girl with Flower - cute! I like the heads best - really cool arrangement! Just this morning I was thinking how nice it is to not have to run the air, but that doesn't make me less sad about summer leaving. It was never my favorite season, but now I crave the light so much that I tolerate the heat to have sun at 9:30 p.m. Sigh.

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  10. I envy your extended family connections. Mable has a sense of humor ~ I like that in a three-year old. I saw leaves changing color for the first time this week. Fall is coming....

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