Has it Really Been so Long?......

I haven't posted in over a month. So sad. But I have been rambling around taking photos all over. At least once a week (usually more) I take my camera out and go in search of interesting stuff. Usually birds and Sunken Meadow State Park is one of my favorite places to go. There are alot of different birds there. This past week I met the newest member of the swan family. Dad was very protective so I didn't want to get too close but Mama was showing off her little cygnet to us.


I've also recently been to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Luray, Virginia. What a beautiful place that was. I am still working on the photos from that trip and that will deserve a post of it's own.


Here's a Black-Crowned Night Heron on the Rock. A very popular perch for waterfowl at Sunken Meadow. A whole flock of Night Heron's come to roost in the trees near the rock every night. What a sight they are. They look like old men in pinstripe suits, don't they?

Art Every Day?

It sure is hard to draw something every day. I started off pretty good but now the weather is getting nicer (except for this rainy week so far) and I want to get out there and play photographer. But here are some more entries for the Every Day in May challenge. I'm playing catchup



Some salt and pepper shakers that I picked up in Germany



My favorite crafting scissors



I love how these lemons turned out though the slice is a little off. Drawn from my head with no reference.


I love my Rav.


My wonky lightbulb. I like working in ink though.


My Whatever Clock in the office where I work. It's been a real conversation piece over the years.


Flames are hard to draw I have found.


Drawn with watercolor pencils. Another drawing from my head.


Love my strawberries. This drawing didn't turn out that bad either.

Draw Some Exercise Equipment

edm103
Originally uploaded by roflute
I'm not much of an exerciser but I have to get better. One of the easiest things to do to be more active is walking. It can be done anywhere, anytime. I'm usually walking with a camera in my hand so that gets me out and about. Here are my new New Balance walking shoes. I have found this brand to fit my double width foot best. Very comfortable for my tootsies. I'll have to start breaking these shoes in since I have a walking 5K later this month. That's one way to get my butt off the sofa!

Draw a Power Plug

edm102
Originally uploaded by roflute

Ah, this one was a bit more difficult than a bar of soap. I know it is a bit wonky looking and the perspective is off. Hopefully I will get better with practice. My friend had her baby today. I am so happy for her. She had a boy like I knew she would. Always nice when something good happens in the world.

Draw a Bar of Soap

EDM101
Originally uploaded by roflute

So I haven't been very creative lately, but I have been busy. I've missed my drawing and haven't done any of the Everyday Matters challenges in quite a while since I finished my first Moleskine sketchbook. What a better way to start a new moley with a new challenge. Every Day in May. Let's see if I can draw something each day for this month. Today it is a bar of soap. It is done in colored pencils and I had a nice perfumey smell while I drew it. Normally, this soap is in my sock drawer. Happy May everyone! It was a beautiful sunshiny day here today. Spring has finally come!

Croton Gorge Park

Croton Dam
Originally uploaded by roflute
Just a short drive north of New York City is this beautiful waterfall and dam. It is called Croton Dam and it was supposed to enhance NYC's water supply. It's a beautiful stone structure with striking views of the Hudson from the top of the dam.  There are quite a few walking trails in this park along with picnic tables to enjoy a nice lunch with a fantastic view.

Super Moon

Super Moon
Originally uploaded by roflute
This past Saturday I was treated to a beautiful full moon. It is called a perigee moon and seemed 14% larger than a normal full moon. That's because the moon was at it's closest point in its orbit around the earth. I was trying to figure out a good place to get a shot of this event and decided on the south shore since the moon would be rising in the east. I ended up at Captree Boat Basin with a few of the Fire Island Lighthouse. There were quite a few other people there with their cameras, families and loved ones. We were all waiting with anticipation.  Pretty soon there was a bit of bright orange on the horizon.  Here comes the moon.  What a big, beautiful orange ball in the sky.  Like the sun but....not.  A couple hours later, I got another pic of the moon a little higher in the sky over my house.  So beautiful. 

Mouille Point Lighthouse

Mouille Point Lighthouse
Originally uploaded by roflute

Here is my latest drawing for the Virtual Paintout blog where we are exploring Cape Town, South Africa for the month of March via Google Streetview.  There are alot of fancy houses along with mountains, seascapes and poverty stricken areas too.  This lighthouse caught my eye.  It is the Mouille Point lighthouse.  You can find out more here.  If you want to see the google streetview you can do so here.

Goose Necklace

Goose Necklace
Originally uploaded by roflute
I went to one of my favorite places for nature photography recently now that most of the snow is all melted. Last Friday was a beautiful day and warmer than it's been in quite some time. Sunken Meadow State Park is a beach on Long Island Sound.  There are plenty of paths to walk and a variety of wildlife. I like to go there after work with my camera to see what kind of birds I find to take pictures of. This day I didn't find many birds; perhaps it is too early yet but there were a pair of mergansers, some red-wing blackbirds and of course, gulls, grackles and canada geese. I noticed some geese in the flock had orange bands on their necks. They don't look very comfortable but the geese didn't seem to be bothered by them. A friend on flickr posted a website where people can post where they've seen the birds with these kind of bands. So, in the interest of science, I posted my observation. I also saw a muskrat and was able to capture some nice cloud pictures. All in all a very good day!

Virtual Travel to Sighisoara, Romania

Romania2
Originally uploaded by roflute

I didn't get to finish this drawing in time to post to the Virtual Paintout blog but I really enjoyed this picture.  It is a tiny town in Romania called Sighisoara.  If you want to see the Google Streetview, you can find it here.
This is supposedly where Count Dracula was born. 

March Forth!..... or is it Fourth?

I've been going through some photos and found this one taken last month of one of the feeder squirrels.  I wonder what it's story is.  He/she showed up at the feeder with just a bloody stump of tail.  I feel bad for it and hope that the tail grows back.  A squirrel's tail is so expressive and bushy.  So sorry, poor squirrel.

Abandoned

Abandoned
Originally uploaded by roflute

Here is my latest submission to the Virtual Paintout Challenge .  This month's challenge was Romania.  What an interesting country.  Alot of rural areas, old buildings, rundown areas.  Many places looked poor but there are also alot of pretty areas in the mountains.  If you want to see the Google streetview of my drawing, click HERE .  I have some other areas bookmarked.  Let's see if I have enough time to post another Romanian location before the month runs out.  Enjoy!

Need a Breath of Spring?

Rose Walk in Winter
Originally uploaded by roflute
February is a time when we really start to get tired of all the snow. Melt already, will ya!?! We have had our share of snow on Long Island this winter and it's not over yet I am sure. February is usually a snowy month. We shall see. So yesterday in my quest to escape for a bit from the snow, I spent some time at Planting Fields in Oyster Bay. The camellias are starting to bloom in the old greenhouse. The other greenhouses have flowers upon flowers in bloom all year long. It was so nice to see some color, some life, plants growing and showing off their blooms. One is able to sit among the flowers and just relax.  There is no admission charge right now to get into the arboretum either so it is the perfect time to go.  So if the doldrums of winter have you down, visit an arboretum or a greenhouse for a breath of spring.

Sisters Gone Swimming

Sisters Gone Swimming
Originally uploaded by roflute

It was my sister's birthday the other day and she wished for a drawing of three beach chairs. I'm always looking for things of three since we are three sisters. This drawing was made using a reference photo I took at the Jersey Shore where we go every summer. I used Prismacolor pencils on Stonehenge paper. Drawing water is quite difficult I found and will have to practice that. Also drawing sand and trying to make it look uneven, bumpy. Enjoy your day!

Bicycle in Boston

Bicycle in Boston
Originally uploaded by roflute
Found a blog called Virtual Paintout where Bill Guffey picks a location to paint each month using the Google Streetmap guy. January's place to paint is Boston. It was so difficult to pick a spot. There are so many choices, but I decided on Marlborough Street and found this bicycle leaning against a wrought iron fence.  The original is 4 X 6 inches and is done in colored pencil on brown paper (like a grocery bag feel) in a sketchbook.  Enjoy!

Hearts Intertwined

intertwinedACEO
Originally uploaded by roflute
I found this new way of drawing called Zentangle. This drawing doesn't follow all the rules of zentangle but the patterns are zentangle patterns.  This drawing measures 3 1/2in X 2 1/2in. which is ACEO size.  Enjoy!

Cradle of Aviation Museum

If your kids are bored and the weather outside is frightful, then here is an idea. Visit a museum. On Long Island, NY there are many choices. This past weekend I went to the Cradle of Aviation which is close to the Nassau Coliseum in Garden City. Lots of planes from the earliest gliders to the lunar lander module. Long Island had quite a bit of defense contractors back in the day. There are many interactive exhibits that are great for the kids. A nice way to spend a Saturday.







The defense companies on Long Island get to show some of their products. Imagine my surprise to see the box I have helped build for years on display in a museum. Who knows? My fingerprints could be on this box.

Bird Feeder Mystery

I looked out my window this morning and the squirrels were hogging the feeder once again. They don't even go very far when I try chasing them away. They make such a mess, knock the feeder over. Anyway, I noticed there is blood all over my little table that the feeder sits on. Big drops of bright red frozen blood. No feathers, no fur. I saw some blood on the patio fence too along with some squirrel droppings so I am assuming it's squirrel blood. Maybe a hawk or owl had a squirrelly breakfast? A mystery.



My feeder setup.



Are you still with us?

New Year's Resolutions

Yes, so I'm a little late on posting my resolutions for 2011. That doesn't mean that I haven't been working on them. I have three main ones. Get Healthy, Get Creative, Get Organized. So this blog is part of the creative one. I want to draw more and post my efforts. I love creating in pencil be it graphite or colored pencil. I've started doing more pen/ink stuff which is scarier since you can't erase. But I find that the more I draw, the less I erase. Here is a drawing I did in ball point pen on the back of an index card.