Animal Wednesday: Mystery Box

Well what do you think is in this big box that came from Robin?

The lilac tissue is SO her :)

WOW!!! Look at the size of this guy! He's tired after flying all the way from San Francisco.

Well, he sort of flew :)

Emma took off like a shot and hid under the pillow!

It could be that she remembers the story about her daddy (Brian) getting attacked by ravens in Bodega Bay at the same place where "The Birds" was filmed. See the schoolhouse? She just KNOWS Alfred Hitchcock sent this damn bird!

It's true, they showed no mercy.

Bliss is a lot tougher than Emma, believe it or not.

Here she is checking him out near one of her beds.

There'd better not be bird poop in there, hairy guy!

Nope. Good thing for you! I'll be watching you though.

But I love him and he apparantly loves our Rhode Island Red Rooster.

Aww, he'll find a place in Em's heart soon. And Bliss will lighten up too.

Meanwhile, guess what I named him?

Really.....guess!

He's a bit more hairy looking than feathery, probably because he's still young and downish.

Ready?

Hairy CAWnick Jr. !!

Happy Animal Wednesday, my dear friends.

Thank you Robin! I love him. Can I keep him, huh, can I?

xo

Lo♥

Illustration Friday: Fuel

methane!!

Hey, I didn't want to be a poop and not participate this week :)

And yes, those are HOT AIR balloons on the cow.

Happy Weekend everyone!

xo

Lo♥

For other illustration Friday entries, click here.

Illustration Friday: Scattered

Scattered leaves like confetti on the shallow pond.

The Koi feel celebrated by Autumn.  

For Illustration Friday

acrylic paint, colored pencils and patterned paper, 10 minutes

Animal Wednesday: Chick with attitude!

This is one of the resident chickens at Coggeshall Farm when Robin visited.

She came out to greet us....

...turned and stepped through the gate when I got too close,

And then told me to go home! hahahaha!

Could she have been more clear?

And I thought I'd throw this is seeing as I haven't posted much art lately.

I painted this chicken a few years back and sold it in California.

It's one of my best selling notecards on Etsy.

Happy Animal Wednesday, my friends!

Sunday Snippet

Today my leg felt good enough to take myself on a walk.

Mother Nature is giving us little hints of what's to come.

Personally, I can't wait for the full spectrum glow!

Back to work tomorrow, slowly but surely.

Happy Sunday, my friends.♥

Animal Wednesday with Robin

What a wonderful week Robin and I spent together getting to know one another in person. She was a delightful guest! I just took her to the airport where she'll be getting back to her life in San Francisco. Just like when Marianne left, I miss her already.

Here I am photographing her photographing a seagull!

She was fascinated by everything here, even the ordinary.

This photo was taken at Colt State Park in Bristol.

We strolled through the gardens and arboretum at Blithewold and I discovered a pond which I had never seen before. It was fun sharing something new with her.

These koi were coy! They just wanted to stay beneath the surface although the sun was calling them.

We had a wonderful lunch here in Newport.

Most of the shops have water and treats for doggies that pass by!

Lions and griffons on my favorite planter at Blithewold.

And this sweet little Viceroy we saw on the Cliff Walk.

And here's the gang at Coggeshall Farm. One burro, one horse, and an entire family of heirloom cattle. They are massive and gorgeous!

Lilac Robin is scouting for more wildlife.

Looking for shells...

The adventurer!

Marco!!! Polo!!!!! Marco??? Lolo????

And so she continues to sleuth along the water's edge.

I'm told she loves it here.

I'm sure she'll be back ;)

xo

lo♥

Illustration Friday: Hibernate

Whenever possible, hibernate with your best friend :)

A little something from the archives until I find time to make new art.

Happy Autumn!

xo

Lo♥

Missing Suki

Yesterday was a disappointment as we had to make a decision whether to drive in pouring rain for 4 hours to see Suki or to stay home.

For safety and sanity's sake we chose not to drive.

All three of us were sad, but even Suki agreed that she would not have made the drive if she were coming to us.

Later that evening the storm clouds parted.

Robin and I took Emma for a walk down the street to Cove Haven Marina.

The  post storm clouds with the glow of the afternoon light were magical.

This is my neighborhood. I wish I had a house on the water like this but at least it's right down the street.

Doesn't this look like a jigsaw puzzle?

Suki, you were with us as we took these photos and walked along the shore.

Next time, my friend.

Rhode Island is calling you.

xo

Love,

Lo and Robin ♥

Animal Wednesday: Dogs in cars

Some days I take my camera to work with me so I can catch a glimpse of sweet faces in cars along the way, like this one...look at her smile :)

And this sweet galooot! That's a string/muzzle type thing across his nose, not saliva. 

 I was eating chowder in my car parked next to him. His eyes were on the restaurant door waiting for his parents :)

I love him!

And here's my girl Emma in my car at a park in Monterey just before we moved.

How cute is she??? C'mon, you KNOW she is ;) 

Embiggen this face!

And here's my golden girl, Bliss, basking in the afternoon sun in the studio.

Okay, she's not a dog in a car but she still deserves a spotlight!

Happy Animal Wednesday!

I will visit as I can. I'm looking forward to it.

xo

Lo♥



Barrington Graffiti

This is a tree in a park near the marina where I sometimes walk Emma.

Do you know why it's smiling?

Because I finally have a day off !!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully a little art making is in my near future :)

Happy Saturday!

Animal Wednesday: Newport Animals along the way

Nice little summer place, eh?

I took a drive down the street the other day after work and thought I'd take a turn onto Ocean Drive, a known street for the wealthier residents. Some of them summer there, others hunker down all year long to enjoy the winter solitude without so many tourists..

~This is a little inlet in the bay~

~ a sweet house on the rocks~

~a boat on the quiet water~

~ a nice nestled home~

~You can't get through Newport without seeing sailboats. It's the home of the America's Cup, I believe. Many summer residents live on their yachts~

These kites were crazy! All in unison...wild!

~More of the shoreline which reminded me so much of 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach, CA.~ 

All of a sudden I was at a pasture as soon as the ocean view ended. These horses were so friendly! I love the dappled sunlight.

Three amigos :)



This is inspiration for a future painting.

And finally, a very strange cow!! Looks like he has a rugby shirt on!! And he looks a bit like a pig, no?

Happy Animal Wednesday!

And for those of you who would like to do an "O" cover, here's the link.

xoxo

Lo♥

I've been Oprah-fied!

When I lived in California I was so busy (and popular) that Brian used to jokingly call me "the second coming of Oprah." I thought it was hilarious, always wondering how the hell Oprah could juggle all that she did.

(Um...being a billionaire and having a huge staff who make a lot of money!!!!!!!!!)



I admire Oprah for being self-made, I do.

I'm self made too. I may not be successful monetarily, but I'm rich in love and friendship.

Here are 5 things I know for sure.

I am very blessed with true, amazing friends.

Ditto in the husband department. Through all of our ups and downs we still have each other's backs. And there has always been a mutual respect. I love that.

I know I always try to do my best even though I often fall short. But I do try.

I would give nine cents of my last dime to someone who needed it more than me.

I know I'm blessed in spite of the journey I've had, as well as because of the journey I've had and survived.

So here I am on the cover of "O" magazine. Big boobs, black hair, darker skin and my old red hair which is back to blonde.

I'm surrounded by dogs...yay! What, no kitties?

And I look relaxed.

Now if I could only make this horrendous sciatica pain go away.

oh yeah, Calgon, take me away!

I miss you guys!! But again, I'm trying.

xo

Lo♥

It's All Good

I thought I'd show you a part of my commute just so you know I'm still kicking.

I have always wondered how you working folks find the time to blog and still get other things done after a full week. I'm relearning, I swear. Thanks for understanding why I've been scarce.

This is the Mt. Hope bridge which I have to cross on my way to and from the market.

It's one of my favorite parts of the commute because the views from either side at the top are glorious!

This is Memorial Drive in Newport, the last road I'm on before I turn onto Bellevue where the market is. At the end of the day I come down that hill and Easton's Beach presents itself to me.  There are always swimmers and surfers and sunbathers galore.

I guess it becomes a ghost town after this weekend. That means I'll be able to find parking so I can do some exploring on my own!  This is one beautiful city.

And here is the beach in the golden afternoon sun. I didn't take this photo nor the one above because, as I've said there's been nowhere to park! So thank you to whoever took these shots. 

When Robin visits we'll paint the town! Until then I'm enjoying my job so far and the folks I work with are fantastic and welcoming.

It's all good!

I'll be popping in as I can. I miss you all!

Love,

Lo♥