BeeArt

This little guy/girl landed on the my cold frame plastic just as I had finished putting the plastic on the frame. I was getting ready to photograph the finished project...and I spotted this ittybittytinything....on the plastic. Not quite a honey bee...and not a bumblebee. It's a 'beetweener,' and no, this is not the scientific name. It the name I'm giving this little beeauty because I do not know what type of bee it is. The colors are what prompted me to put the cropped photo in my "ideas for drawing" folder. Sometime the idea stays in my special idea folder for months and even years...before it makes it to my "do it now" pile.

I was in the mood to draw on Christmas Eve day and spent most of the day doing fun creative stuff...like a big kid with a coloring book....only better and more time consuming! I'm so pleased with my new bee graphic...

December 25

This drawing project has been a long time coming. The original idea for the window graphic came from a photo that I took while down in Seaside, Florida, with my sister, Jessica. We walked around the quaint town by the ocean, admiring peoples porches and windows and gardens...taking photographs and enjoying the mild temperatures. It was April and the confederate jasmine was in full bloom (an entire month earlier than our confederate jasmine blush here in zone 8). This window box caught my eye, with its gorgeous deep reddish orange geraniums...and a whimsical iron sculpture of a funny little man in the garden beneath the window (not pictured or drawn here). The photo wasn't all that good. But the window and the idea of using it for a drawing subject someday has stayed with me. Flash forward 8 years; took me awhile to sit down and begin the drawing....but I did...and I like it. The original is non-Christmasy without a cutout for the photo...to be used for note card art.

Free Meal

With gratitude to Wikipedia: "The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands."

When Mom was here, 'Great Blue' visited frequently but never for periods long enough to grab our camera and get a good photograph. Most of our windows have screens on them....and if you open the door to step outside and get the better vantage, GB will fly off, playing shy guy.

After Thanksgiving, Jeff did some serious fishing, hoping to catch enough to fix us all a tasty dinner. The fish were elusive and the few that Jeff caught were left alive to swim endless circles in the lake barrel.

Fast forward a week....Mom has returned to Idaho, Jeff & Abram are out hiking the Conecuh Nat'l Forest and Kim is home alone. I was able to capture these photos from inside the house, through the one window downstairs without a screen. GB was aware of my presence but nothing would deter him from capturing this free meal.

Abram is back from Afghanistan. Jeff and I are relieved and happy. I don't think I realized just how much I was holding my breath until after Abram came home. We had no idea-until very recently-Abram would be making a little side trip to visit us in Ozark, en route to his duty station on Oahu...and while Grandma was visiting us, too...another bonus...more luck...additional blessings on our heads. Thank you, God...and to all the forces in the universe that brought about this lovely reunion. The photo above was snapped by Yvette, while we supped at Rodeo Mexican Restaurant, one of our favorite local spots to dine. A toast...to Abram. "Welcome home, son!"