Drawing Day '08

So I was going to head downtown for the Cleveland Sketchcrawl this morning, but the 2nd annual chalk art festival was happening on the Medina square. Much closer to home . . . gas prices . . . yeah, not a tough decision. It is Drawing Day '08, so I had to go somewhere to draw. You can get more details about that event at http://www.drawingday.com/ .

There was also a Farmer's Market that started today, so there were quite a few people. They also had a guitarist in the gazebo, and he was pretty good.

So I sat and listened while I sketched a bit. There was a nice breeze and I was even able to add watercolor on site. After sketching, I walk around the square and looked at the pastel/chalk artists working. Pam & I stopped back there in the evening to check out all the finished works and see who won.

. . . not "Forgotten"

The Trumpeter Swan was gone from Ohio for hundreds of years. Gone, but not forgotten. In the 1990's Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and other organizations worked together to re-introduce this species back to Ohio wetlands in a program that continues today.

It is a neat story about how this program was conceived, is funded and managed. You can learn more at this site: http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/swan/

When I saw this pair nesting, I remembered the work and care that went into bringing this species back to Ohio wetlands and skies. Thought I'd share it with you.

A Wee Tree . . . .

It's been so long, I almost forgot how to do this. Such a busy time of year.

So this installment is for I.F. topic . . . "Baby" this week. Not planned, but this is what worked out.

I have certainly killed my share of Bonsai in my day. I quit buying them because they just never made it. My longest lasting was a ficus that lasted a few years. The conifers never made it through a winter, no matter what I tried.