Sketching, an Airedale and her human, then photoshopping to compensate for forgetting my "real" camera.

 After satiating ourselves at the Portsmouth, NH Barnes and Nobles (books AND panini purchases!) we took the very long way home down the coast through Strawberry Banke, New Castle (island), eventually pulling off after passing Odiorne Point State Park.  What a lovely series of coves.  Scalloped, shallow, sandy with mostly smooth stones, minimal seaweed, and at the dinner hour on a cool Sunday evening, quiet and uncrowded.

 

 It's been too long since I deliberately got outside in a new place to draw.  I can easily imagine these sketches turning into abstracts.  IF I had remembered to bring my "real" camera from home, they might have turned into more representational paintings.  Not sure that I have the imagination or talent to turn my phone's photos into anything inspiring.

There was a gulp of cormorants settled on sand bars about 50 yards out... The sand bars (at least at low tide) were walkable... by others who intuitively left their marks by erecting stone cairns.  With my eyesight, I needed my binoculars (which I DID remember!) to separate the birds from the rocks. 

My husband was most fascinated with a huge driftwood tree.  It's placement made it seem more likely it had washed up... than fallen down from the nearby woodlands.  Surprisingly, it had thoughtful graffiti

and carvings.  There was a nicely lettered directive:  dream a beautiful dream.

For the less intrepid, or less likely to try walking on water (or sand bar) there was a stone stack at water's edge.  The tide must have been coming in, because it had toppled by the time I left.

At right, the "lumps" are mostly cormorants rather than people or rocks.

A photoshopped version of me and my shadow.

 I met a beautiful, aloof Airedale named Sheena and her human, Ben.  While Ben and I chatted, Sheena found parents with toddler sons who threw a stick for her.  She could not remain aloof near a stick throwing playmate.  With Ben's OK, she also chased sticks into the waves, swimming with happy confidence.

   Can you tell I am partial to Airedales?

I am often surprised by the colors my computer filters find in my photographs.  I think this would make a nice acrylic impasto abstract.

I hope I will draw, chat, paint and photograph more.  Soon.  It is such a barometer of how things are going.