A Loveliness of Ladybugs...

October 30th was unseasonably warm - 83 degrees. Down at the barn I was greeted by a "Loveliness of Ladybugs." Each one of the hundred red and black creatures seeking to secure a hibernation spot to spend the wintry days ahead. 

Raised black lines on the Lovelies done with Sakura Glaze Pen. 

Sitting on a bucket out in the pasture, filling the water trough and passing time with Corey the horse, movement caught my eye. When I looked to the fence line, standing there was an eight point buck. As he moved on, I hooted loudly a few times and he stopped and looked around for the source of the sound. I don't think he saw me. He moved on and I hooted and he stopped and looked. We played this game over and over until he disappeared into the woods at the far end of the field. Corey stood close by, watched, and I'm sure, was amused. Quick sketch with Derwent Graphtints. 

Not Forgotten Friday: '49 Ford Pick-up Truck

Really stretching the art muscles lately! First landscapes and now vehicles. But this truck is special to me and when I saw that it was on the calendar in the garage, I just had to channel my inner "Lapin" and sketch it.

Art and Oatmeal with Peaches: during breakfast I sketched in the green truck. While painting it with watercolors, I added the primer red fender because that is what the '49 that my ex and I bought in California back in 1970 looked like. 

Big trip down memory lane. While inking and painting the picture, I thought of the adventures we had in this vehicle. We drove it the length and breadth of the Golden State: sleeping in the truck bed on the beach in Capistrano, using the large water container that we hauled with us to dowse a fire in Yosemite (inebriated campers trying to build a camp fire); putting my feet up on the dashboard so that they wouldn't get burnt while I watched the Mojave Dessert pass by through a hole in the hot metal floor of the truck. Yes, I've been through the dessert in a truck with no AC. Ahhh, those were the days.

Love the iconic grill! We also drove the truck from California to Connecticut in 4 and 1/2 days. Once when it was my turn to drive, I got pulled over by a State Trooper. "If you can't make this thing go any faster, you are going to have to get it off of the highway!" I got a warning, but not a ticket, for going too slow. Not my fault, no speedometer, and at that moment, no traffic to judge how fast, or slow, I was going.

While the ex was in Viet Nam, I drove the truck everyday to work. With mechanical steering, (there was no power anything - not steering, not windows, etc.) parallel parking was a bitch. There was, however, a built-in metal tool box behind the seat that could easily be overlooked. That is where I kept a bottle of Boone's Farm Apple Wine for when I picked up my friends over at the college. My friend's brother was a city cop and he laughed hysterically to see me driving around in that old green "tank" and decided to give me a handle. "Mother Trucker" signing off.