Painting, Planning, Walking and Rick Returns

We have a busy few weeks coming up -- it's Memorial weekend and my friend Suzanne is coming by; an upcoming Cork Poppers in another week or two and kid-sitting for a few days in mid-June. This will be a pretty laid-back weekend, planting flowers at the cemetery, picking up the house for company and just hanging out. So I'm grabbing all the peace and beauty I can get these days! 

Rick got back from the lake this week and I have to say it was good to see him! We made progress planning our England trip and just catching up. He says all is well at the cottage and I'm looking forward to getting to the lake next month.

My friend Kate came over for a play date. We started out by a walk to the Ditch and it wasn't long before we were confronted by a beautiful scent and this shockingly gorgeous tree or bush. Does anyone know what it is?

The Ditch offers a few spots to just "stop and enjoy" -- park benches or the bridge. A good spot for contemplation.

We had a good look at Harry, fishing in another spot.

And a few ducks. We haven't seen many (hardly any) females this year.

 

And look at this little guy! He was so cute -- it was a treat. 

Catch those eyes! I don't think he blinked the whole time we were there!

Speaking of the Ditch, the waterlilies are starting to bloom.

I love the detail here and might have to give painting this one a try. 

After, we went to lunch and came back home to paint for a bit. I got a couple of things done in my sketchbook, starting with the Aurora Borealis that I didn't get to see. (My manipulated photo of the totally black sky here will have to do!) Not my best but it's growing on me -- and better than the photo!

 

I also did another of Este MacLeod's ColoriCombo challenge with the required guava, green gold, pea green and light blue. Drawing freestyle is not my skill set, but I kind of like this one! (Jenna, I tried your Q-tip dot method and I like it!) 

And here's one I did a while back, but I'm not sure I ever shared it on the blog. It's from a photo we took when in Japan of a fishing boat with Mt. Fuji in the background.

 

And finally, a couple of birds. This red-winged blackbird was at the Ditch.

And this cardinal was spotted on another walk at a bird feeder. I tried to black out the window shades in the background.

 

On this Memorial Day weekend, I can't help but think of my first trip to France and visiting the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. It was powerfully moving, and when you think of the other American cemeteries in Europe, all the more overpowering.

But just as meaningful was this walk down to the beaches. A family was there and this little girl was wandering. (You can barely see her people near where the trees meet the beach about a third of the way from the right edge of the photo.) To me, she represented what people fought for at Normandy and continue to fight for today. They fight not just for their land, but their children so their world might be a better one. 

I worry about our world, the threats to democracy, the press and the corruption of our Supreme Court. I worry about Ukraine and their fight to preserve their country and for those in the Middle East who have their own wars. So my wish for this Memorial Day is a simple one.

Peace.

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