An Open Spot on My Calendar

"Calibogue Sound Sunset"

Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastel Board

8 x 10"

Because it is now getting dark just about the time I am waking up and because it is flipping cold out already and because I usually detest being even slightly chilly, I almost hated to finish this drawing. It was at least keeping my mind in a warm place for a while.

I snapped my reference photo for this in July while in Hilton Head. If I recall correctly, it was about 9:30 p.m. and still around 90 degrees. I most assuredly had spent an entire day in the sun.

If you, too, are generally averse to short days and goose bumps, I hope this piece warms you up a bit. However, if you are lucky enough to already be living somewhere fabulous and temperate all year long, please do not send me a note to tell me about it unless it includes an invitation to be your houseguest for a month or two. You can make my flight reservations for right after the Holidays.

A Winning Day

Oh, yes, we are on vacation for two weeks in Hilton Head. So, I will be posting periodically (as our Wi-Fi connections permits....grrrr) and whenever I can take time away from all the fun, sun and son.

Yesterday our resort scheduled a sandcastle/sculpture contest which Cameron was very eager to enter. He was confident we had it locked down, but we took the time to sit down in the morning and plan our project carefully since we knew there would be a time limit during the competition. We have seen families in this contest before and we knew that, without a plan, chaos reigns. So, Cam came up with a brilliant plan (as seen in the sketch above) which we tackled brilliantly during the 45 minutes of competition. We even allowed Dad to help (he is not artistic at all, so he was relegated to hauling water and packing sand).

For our planning, strategy and effort, we were awarded first place and received certificates for free ice cream! We think our castle is wicked good.

Oh, and as for me, my oldest son called later that evening to tell me that I had just received notice that I had won first place in an art competition, too. (I'll tell you more about that later.) So, it was truly a winning day.