I've got some catching up to do since Covid upended the lives of pretty much everyone on the planet.  I was convinced to leave California in March after making a life there for almost 35 years, moving to Boise, Idaho to be closer to family.  The adjustments have certainly been a rollercoaster ride of mixed emotions, but my daughters assured me that it's all for the best, since in their opinion, I had become stagnant.  I suppose change can be challenging, but necessary for personal growth and adding some flavor.  Anyway...some drawings to add from the last few months.

Lauren loves her Toyota pickup and has named it Elmer.  She loves traveling, new adventures, and nature.  She has equipped the shell covered bed of Elmer with a pad, blankets, and supplies so she can just eat and sleep wherever she lands.  As you can see I have anthropomorphized the truck ala Disney's "Cars" and think it looks like an "Elmer".  I enjoyed drawing this birthday card for her.

My brother, the candy maker doesn't particularly love the outdoors as a general rule, but will go along in support with his more ambitious wife.  While standing on an unstable and wobbly paddle board has become a popular choice for some, Brian prefers the leisure of sitting in a kayak with the least amount of paddling possible, hence my idea of him floating in comfort in a big copper kettle with nary an oar in sight.

Spiders are not usually what people envision as cute and cuddly, but since Shauna's birthday falls near Halloween, I thought it could be kind of appropriate-ish.  I thought of the book "Charlotte's Web" and the messages the spider would weave.  How exhausting it must be after the intricate webs are spun, and that's how I depicted my colorful spider, with an iota of humor added.

During last summers visit with Kristi in Carson City, we ventured a ride on my Goldwing around the rim of Lake Tahoe, stopping to do some kayaking, and then to play at a miniature golf park.  At one particular hole, Kristi thwacked the ball with a little extra exuberance, sending it clanking and ricocheting off various obstacles, stopping just short of making it through the fence and out to the parking lot.  While this illustration for her birthday card does not depict the exact hole from said incident, this particular dragon is on the course, and I thought it would add to the humor and fond memories of a perfect day with my daughter.

Last year, while visiting my sister in Boise, she showed me a quails nest hidden amongst one of her outside hanging plants that she had been spritzing with water, and there must have been about 8 eggs the mother was attending to.  Within a day or two, the mother had seemingly abandoned the brood just as they began emerging from their eggs.  Later in the afternoon I walked out on the porch and noticed a couple of young hatchlings laying and struggling on the ground, and couldn't figure out how that happened, so as gently as we could, scooped them up and put them back in their nest.  A couple hours later we again found a few of them on the ground.  The mother was not around to push them out, so they must have just wiggled out on their own.  My niece called some animal place to see if anything could be done to help the little guys, but was told to let nature take its course, so it was a little sad knowing that they probably wouldn't make it without a mother to take care of them.

I decided to use this life drama as a memory for Karen's birthday card.  Though not wanting to seem heartless, I couldn't help finding a bit of humor in it...just for the card.  Now I guess I'll go roast in hell...

Christmas card for 2019.  Peace, love, and understanding.  Would that we could all try for a little more of this, and a little less animosity, condemnation, and chaos.

My sister and husband bought some kayaks and love to find new lakes and rivers almost every weekend for fun and adventure.  I went with them this summer to some lakes in Teton National park in Wyoming, and we had a wonderful time, so this is what my theme for her birthday card became for this year.

A client asked me to help her with a wedding gift she was creating for her fiancé.  He starts every morning with coffee and reading the newspaper.   She found a company that could produce personal newspapers.  She wrote articles about how they met, dating adventures, fond memories, his proposal, wedding local, and future aspirations, then called and asked me to illustrate some of these moments to go along with her articles.  These are all 5X7", done in watercolor.  I struggled getting good likeness having to work so small, but she seemed pleased with the result, saying they were beautiful.

When my brother purchased a Can Am, he took it out on its maiden voyage to some far reaching Madison county farm lands, and at one point attempted to spin a cookie, abruptly tipping over.  His insane instinct was to straight arm outside the "door" to keep it from occurring, but alas, it only served to pin his arm under the upended frame whilst breaking said arm in half.  Somehow, he eventually managed to tug and wiggle from underneath his burden, staggered out to the road in pain, trying to hold his limp arm in the least agonizing position possible.  By some miracle, a couple of hunters happened by out in the middle of nowhere, and they assisted getting him back home.  His wife rushed him to the hospital for surgery...pins and scars worthy of Frankenstein's monster.  

Later in the story, his daughter attempted to drive the Can Am around their block, when the front wheels abruptly fell off.  Fortunately, she was not injured.  It was determined that the dealer, (or whomever put the thing together), had neglected to tighten the lug bolts, perhaps a factor in the fateful cookie attempt, but definitely a reason for detached, wayward wheels!

The whole point of this story is that these incidences became my inspiration for my brothers birthday card...he is turning 53, and frequently moans and groans while dealing with aches and pains that accompany the aging process.  He seems to be falling apart...just like his demon Can Am.  It just seemed so applicable to capture the events in a way that tickles my warped sense of humor!