Tranquil i-friday

I was inspired to do something for Illustration Friday this week by my little online critique group. These girls had done such stunning illustrations, I just had to join in. To see if I could come up with something pleasing for myself. I decided to paint fast and freely, using broad strokes and wet paper, rather than my usual 000 watercolor brushes. The entire process was almost completely wet-on-wet, which allowed me to get that soft-focus on the background.

The subject matter is a Yellow Crowned Night Heron, whom I photographed 3 years ago. I used to spend entire summers photographing these birds from the vantage point of my in-laws' shore house in Avalon, NJ. A flock of these giant birds took over the vacant property to the right of the house and their nests, or rookery, could be viewed from any west-facing window. I got to witness several families of herons grow together from egg-sitting to first flight (a very emotional experience, that first flight was. It is fodder for a great children's book, and some day I will write it and paint it).

I haven't been able to watch these birds so often since Maggie joined our family last year, because as a puppy Maggie had 10 too many "accidents" on her first visit to the shore house, and has since been banned. So I spend much more time beaglewatching than heronwatching. I'm happy to say that when I did visit the shore this year, new heron families abounded in the same nests they built years ago. They fly south in winter and return to the same rookery, some undoubtedly returning to the same tree where they were born, only to choose a new one to build their first nest in. You can tell who the rookies are in nestbuilding--the senior herons' are stronger and more fortified than those who are new at parenting.

I chose to paint one of these herons for "Tranquil" because when I watch birds, that is how I feel. And this particular heron sat on this tree top for an hour or so, surveying the bay waters before him at sunset. From time to time he would scratch his neck with his toe, or preen his wings with his beak, all the while keeping a steady eye on me and my camera. In this shot he seemed to be dozing off a bit, his breast feathers rising and falling with his breath, a picture of tranquility.

I will miss the beach when I head out west, that is for certain. I will miss my birds.

Pimpin' out my house

Home for sale in coveted Merwood Park, located in Havertown, Pennsylvania.


Set in the center of a quiet street, oozing with charm. Two bird families living in the birdhouses hanging on the front porch, which provides a great seat for watching the annual Fourth of July bicycle parade and Christmas Carolers in the winter.


Original inlaid oak hardwood floors, once covered in years of cigar smoke and tar, were recently sanded and refinished to show off their original glory, with natural 80 year old patina.


Birds continue to greet you throughout the home in antique, hand-tinted lithograph prints, wooden birdcages, iron bird candle holders, a signed bird print by Arthur Morris, and assorted wooden penguin cutesies.

Sky blue dining area overlooks the back yard full of birds, and leads to the kitchen...


Which was toiled over for nearly a year, after gutting the original 1950s plywood cabinets and knocking into the former laundry room. Authentic 1920s lithograph reflects the color scheme in the kitchen and dining room, brushed nickel accents throughout. Subway tiles and "Barn Red" paint were skillfully added by a good friend. Odd bathroom with shower stall located across from pantry cabinet near the back door... previous owner was an old man who found this necessary.


New wood deck extends the living space to the outdoors, which steps down to a brick patio and professionally hardscaped garden and spacious backyard, designed by a friend. Tall cedar fence provides privacy from intrusive neighbors on the left...


While cedar pickets allow views of the creek and Merwood Park, which doubles as a flood plain, which guarantees it will never be developed. Public playground, softball fields and basketball court provide summer entertainment during Little League games and the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Yard is completely fenced in which makes it ideal for a Beagle puppy to romp in.


Tall arbor with pergola leads out to small seating area overlooking the creek and park. Perfect location for a fire pit to toast marshmellows and drink cocktails at night. Shaded by a tall Pin Oak tree that grew from an acorn planted by the previous homeowners' daughter. Great location for duck feeding, birdwatching, firefly catching and wading (especially for water-loving dogs). Instills wonder and awe to children looking for tadpoles or trying to catch fish with string tied to a stick. Particularly beautiful after a snowfall.

***

That's how my description of our house would go. A bit romantic for an MLS report, which reads more like this:

"Conveniently located on a quiet street in Merwood Park. This home is in move-in condition. The original oak floors with inlaid trim are in excellent condition. Updates include a beautifully remodeled kitchen with glass front cabinets and granite countertops as well as an additional full bath. The large deck leads to a nicely landscaped and fenced rear yard which overlooks a small stream and park. The walk-up third floor provides space that could be finished to create additional bedrooms or a master suite. Due to an out of state transfer the owner is including the refrigerator,washer/dryer,2 window AC units, and may be willing to sell some furniture as well."

Heart and soul not included.

I'm a dancing Snowbird

Andrew GOT THE JOB!!!!!

No News, Part II

Andrew emailed his contact this morning, rather than calling her last night. This was her response:

Hi,

I am in meetings all day in Wp, but will step out if I can. Otherwise, I'll call you tomorrow. Should I call your cell? Can you resend me that number. I know I have it, but would have to dig thru old emails.

Thanx
J



Once again, she puts him off without any indication which way she's swaying. Neither of us feel like it is a good sign. It feels rotten. Just the fact that she's putting him off yet another day. I just don't GET IT.

Not to mention that Andrew's cell phone number was clearly marked at the botton of his email, just like EVERY OTHER EMAIL HE HAS EVER SENT HER.

If she's going to dump him, then get it over with. JUST DO IT, GIRL. How does all this delaying help anyone? If you DO want to hire him, why would you want to test his patience THIS MUCH? Am I insane?

No news.

Andrew has not yet been contacted. So he's going to call them, end of day today.

We think that it is not looking good. If there were good news, wouldn't they have contacted him already?

Agony.

The heat is on.

It's Sunday night and the atmosphere over here is hot, humid, restless and anxious. Neither Andrew nor I want to talk about tomorrow. The day of doom. We are both thinking hard about what happens next if Andrew gets the job, and what happens if he doesn't. There isn't much to discuss, we're both deep in thought... which makes both of us irritable.

My car is sold and gone, officially. We were hanging onto it for the woman who bought it while she made the move from Toronto to PA. This woman has quit her big, safe, full-time job to start her own day spa in a small ecclectic village outside Philly. Living her dream. I am jealous. She has a dream, she's fullfilling it, and now she has my car. I am not usually emotionally attached to cars, but this was my first NEW, fresh off the lot with the new-car-smell car, and I had a personalized British license plate on the front, and a great stereo system and a penguin mascot in my glove compartment. So it was the first car I really liked. But you know, I'm over it already. It is really not that important. Maybe I just feel like I should be sad about it to be cool. Heh.

So now I know how to drive stick shift, and tomorrow afternoon I will drive stick shift to my dentist appointment where I will get a post and crown on one tooth, and fillings in two others. Which means I won't be able to check my email for quite a while, which means I will be in complete angst whilst awaiting news about the Big Job.

Ok, the South Park where the boys all buy ninja weapons and pretend they are big ninja warriors and Butters gets a ninja throwing star stuck in his eye is on, and I am chuckling inside. They're going to dress him up as a dog and take him to the vet for medical attention so they don't end up in trouble for playing with weapons. Tee. Hee.



Tomorrow I will also have a plumber at the house to fix our faucet and our leaky sink pipes. Drip drip drip. Think he'll be hot? Tee. Hee.

Whether or not he is hot, the weather will be. An excessive heat warning has been forcasted for the area, with high humidity and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Yuck. I think I'll stay in my bedroom with the air on and the door closed as much as possible. Well, except for the tooth thing and the faucet thing.

I'm already exhausted just thinking about it. Snowbirds do not fare well in excessive heat. Or anxiety.

You Know I'm Not Happy When...

1. When my annual hummingbird visitor, Baby Girl, makes her first appearance of the summer and I'm only mildly amused.

2. Playing games with Maggie is painful and avoided as much as possible.

3. A visit from a friend makes me realize just how miserable I am.

4. I don't want to blog, or read blogs, or message boards, or favorite sites. I don't even want to go online.

5. The house is silent; no music, no television, no singing to myself or chatty phone calls.

6. Everything in my life seems to produce some level of stress or anxiety in my tummy.

7. I want to stay in bed all day.

8. I have sharp cravings for soft ice cream and hard liquor.

9. I wish I had some kind of purpose in life.

10. Drawing--or just the thought of it--makes me nauseous.

It's this limbo I'm in that has got my happy side all tied up in knots. Not knowing. Not knowing for four more days. Fearing that the news will be bad; that the "other" candidate had the best interview of his life this week and blew them away, which will result in a polite little rejection letter in Andrew's inbox on Monday. Can I really want this so much, to start life as I know it in a completely foreign place, out in the great Unknown? I guess it's true. I have more anxiety about missing this opportunity than I do about selling my home.

I have been able to detach myself from our house, but I can't seem to kick the idea of living in those beautiful mountains. It can't NOT happen. I don't know why, I have tried to explain it to the curious and the concerned. But the best answer I have for anyone is, "I think it will be fun... an adventure." I have visions of myself with a big wooden easel, a portable kit of paints and a canvas slathered in purple, green and blue... painting the incredible landscape en plein air, having my own studio or gallery full of paintings for sale, perhaps with a group of locals or vacationers looking for an artists' retreat. I see my inner artist reborn, starting with a fresh clean slate. And I see snow. Lots of snow. Lots of snow to paint.

So how can it NOT happen? How can I be forced to accept the alternative? The alternative, by the way, is to find a full-time design job so as to secure a steady salary so that the bills that have been piling up since I went part time can finally get some attention. We'll keep looking for jobs in CO but I just can not keep up this part-time/freelance position. We've sold my car, and that helps, but it is more like a crutch than a solution. And Andrew, he needs to get out of his job before the anxiety takes a toll on him in an irreversible way. But he doesn't want to go back into marketing. But we need that marketing salary.

What to do?

Illustration Friday: Metropolitan

Detail of "Cafe Date," watercolor and ink on Arches hot press paper. Prints and dessert plates available in my Gallery.

This just so happened to be in my repetoire, so I pulled it out for this week's topic on IllustrationFriday.com. This is one in a series of eight illos I created for PoshPoochy earlier this year. Four of them are available on dessert plates, but this is the most popular one by far.

Well I have been busy... I went through my website and took care of broken links, added some new images to the Graphics section, wrote up a little bio for the new About section, and fixed all menus accordingly. Next I need to add new Illustration images, but I've done enough for today.

I'm feeling pretty blue this friday afternoon, despite the flutterings of baby birds on my front porch and in my garden. The two resident Sparrow families in my birdhouses have learned to fly at the same time, and they're very happy about the fresh sunflower seeds I put out for them near the blooming Magnolia tree. I also have nectar out for my annual hummingbird visitor, but she hasn't made an appearance yet. I miss her. I could use a dose of her energetic joy.

I have great pics and even a movie of Maggie to share but my camera battery needs to be recharged before I can retrieve the images. She was quite the patriotic puppy last weekend. Nothin' says America like a Beagle wearing a red, white and blue ribbon (though I believe the breed's origin to be British).

Speaking of British, my heart goes out to yet another beautiful city that has experienced new horrors of anger and hatred. I hope that the friends from my past who live in London are all safe and sound. Anne? Nick? Spider?

This weekend I am hoping to relax a bit at the same time that we continue preparing the house for sale, just in case things go our way on July 18th. The Rocky Mountain countdown continues.

Have a nice weekend.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me itchy

Well. On Friday Andrew and I were in our last 10 minutes of the 2 hour drive to the Jersey Shore with 2 days of relaxation ahead of us when he received an unexpected phone call on his cell phone, area code 970. As you probably guessed, that's Grand County, Colorado. He kind of stared blankly at it as it clucked in his hands (we both use a chicken clucking ringtone on our phones). "Answer it!" I whined. After a few more seconds of blank staring, he did.

It was "J," his contact at the prospective employer, which I shall refer to as "Company B." She called in response to an honestly disappointed email that Andrew had sent to J on Wednesday evening to express his disappointment at the news of the "other candidate." J wanted to repsond over the phone rather than playing more email-tag "because it's more personal." Almost all of her correspondence in this long, 4 month process has been through email, with the exception of two phone interviews, the in-person interview, and this phone call right here.

She called to express and reiterate that Andrew is her "number one candidate for the job" and that she "agrees that he would do a great job in the position" because his references "had nothing but good things to say" in addition to his marketing background, experience, etc. etc. etc. And in a way, she sounded sorry that Andrew was being put on hold once again for this new out-of-the-blue candidate. She expressed how grateful she was for his patience, because she understands how drawn out this process has been, but she needs to give this Company B employee the opportunity to interview in person, despite Andrew being her number one candidate for the job. And did she mention that he is still her number one candidate for the job?

Hrumph.

Finally, J promised that she would have an answer for Andrew on July 18th. The candidate is flying out the week of the 10th for his interview, not this week as she had hoped (I'm not surprised). We're still not sure if this guy has any advantages over Andrew other than the fact that he holds the identical position at another of Company B's resorts. Perhaps he'd be willing to take less pay, perhaps he does his job really well, or maybe he's just trying to get a cheap flight to Colorado during the summer season and see what happens. Either way, if J comes back to us with a "yes!" I can pretty much guarantee that we'll be ready to go, whereas Mr. New Candidate could not possibly be as prepared to get up and go as we are, having had 4 months to set things in motion. Maybe this will be a deciding factor, who knows. At this pace, it may not really matter.

So we're trying to keep hope because when all is said and done, Andrew really wants this job. He may have been a little fuzzy about it earlier on in the process, because it was pretty scary in the beginning. But now the idea of NOT getting the job is even scarier for both of us. Our minds are already out there, up in them there hills amongst the snowcaps and the hummingbirds. It will be painful--though not impossible--for our little brains to start the journey over again.

Oh, and the subject line up there, that refers to the sunburn I acquired over the weekend in a blur of sun, wine, shellfish and water.