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Char and I woke up at the shop and worked on our hillbilly garden there. I finished up the turtle and made up some breakfast and checked my emails. I really wanted to go to the music festival in Columbus, Comfest, but I was worried Char would overheat. The sun was blazing! Ventured to the house and visited with the neighbors and started some chores. Gardened there. I bought a used drill and cowboy hat off a friend that was having some troubles. We took a bike ride to the BLYC. Took full advantage of the pool and had some dinner. We also made a little painting out of my purse art supplies. We had a great day but the best thing is that David comes home tomorrow!

I spent the morning selling Guitar Parts and Charlie and I spent the afternoon at my mother’s house in Zanesville cleaning and doing yard work. The hot heat of summer has arrived in Ohio. Char wasn’t much help. He ate ice cream with Nan Nan in her freezing house while I worked under the sun. It was near dark when we arrived back at the lake. I made a little start on a new turtle to cover my art for the day.

I was asked by a neighbor to make a small turtle painting for a gift. I am all about painting turtles so I was thrilled. Folk art sea turtles are my favorite. I was inspired years ago by a gift my husband gave me when he was playing music in Australia. It was a handmade necklace from a street vendor and he had wrapped in some paper with little Australian folk turtle designs on it. I still have the paper in my art supplies and pull it out often for inspiration.

Our neighbor is a big fan of author, Mary Alice Monroe. Monroe is involved with a group called The Turtle Team that help protect sea turtles. I painted four to give her a choice and because I was having so much fun. This one happens to be my favorite.

Wise turtle right here.

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Char started a new Lego shark and a I drew out a turtle sketch last night. We woke up enthusiastic about finishing our projects at breakfast before school and work interrupted our good times.

I love switching my brain off and making silly owls. No thoughts. Just get lost for about 30 minutes in circles and feathers with crazy colors. If my inspiration is low I paint owls.

Where did you come from, Mister Circle Teeth?

Worked a long, hard day and then had a lovely friend over for dinner. It rained us off the porch but we made the most of it. Baked carrots from the market, grilled corn and Jalapeño burgers. A bottle of wine.

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Char and I slept well and woke up fresh. I finished painting poorly drawn trumpets from the night before while he gobbled a homemade Mickey Mouse waffle. I then set our sights to rearrange and refresh things we had to make our outdoor space look better. Decorating your space is most certainly doing art. Sprayed some little tile stands bright pistachio green. I had bought the paint at the end of last summer but never finished my thoughts. I found 6 cans of black paint and covered the lawn chairs oxidation and rust to make them new again. Repotted plants. Char hosed off dirt and cobwebs. We soaked in all the sun possible after wading through a week of rain and storms. Weeded our beds down in the garden and planted some new herbs we grew from seeds. When we finished we showered up and picked up David at the airport. He was tired and tattered but we drove to the Pizza Cottage and had a feast and visited with friends. Good Sunday.

We had a long work day that at the end of I felt exhausted and also unsuccessful. Generally Saturday I feel beat up after working all Friday. Friday night and Saturday but with a sense of accomplishment. We both needed some rest. It felt good to get home and relax but I didn’t have a ton of energy for art.

Char has a toy trumpet he likes to blow so loudly. Ugh. He was blowing the hell out of it and as much as I didn’t want to hear it I was letting him have his joy. I started painting it with rainbows coming out and he thought that was fun so he ordered me to draw him one he could paint with hearts and music notes. We made several. All of mine were unsuccessful but I love how he painted this one I drew for him.

David was on the road. He had to fly to the snow of Colorado. Horrible trip but he was keeping a good attitude when I talked to him. The strangest meet up happened. One of my best friends from high school here in Ohio ended up being close to the venue he was playing in Colorado. It really was sweet and surreal when this photo came through of them after the show.