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LAKE POST #4

This little plastic device is the clever way to visually identify when you have a fish on the line. You bait your hook, cast it into the water and the bobber will float until the fish bites, at which point the bobber sinks. There’s nothing quite like the feeling when you see your bobber suddenly plunge under the water.

LAKE POST #3

It’s pretty special to see a bald eagle and we had a front row show. We were standing on the dock and a Sunfish was floating on top of the lake. An eagle flew right in front of the dock and attempted to grab the fish with it’s talons. You could even hear the flapping of the wings it was so close. In honor of that sighting, I drew an eagle feather that at some point had been found in the yard and was on display inside.

LAKE POST #2

This was the end of a pine branch down by the dock. I always like seeing the tree variety around a northern lake. Birch, maple, oak, and lots of pine. I swear the air smells better up there thanks to all these giants.

LAKE POST #1

It has been a family tradition to find a monarch caterpillar over the 4th of July and some years we have had no luck. This year, was a special one as we found 4! The first two were discovered on the day we arrived. It is so amazing to watch the metamorphosis process. We now have 3 in the chrysalis stage (one transformed on the 5 hour car ride home) and 1 that is into the heavy eating of milkweed.

This is an Astilbe blossom, also known as false spirea or false goat’s beard. It looks very fuzzy in person, almost like a giant bottle brush but in a beautiful shade of light pink. Some years I have had the stalks grow and the buds emerge but never open. I got lucky this time.

Also, a note to my very few followers…. I am headed up North tomorrow and will not be bringing my computer. I will still be drawing each day, fishing lures, bobbers, life vests, paddles, kayaks and all other fun “lake stuff”. I will post the drawings when I return in a week. Happy July!

If you were to pick a side to draw of a quarter, I’m sure you would go the head route as well. But I fear that I have done President Washington a disservice in my sketch. He looks a bit more like the Night King from Game of Thrones (yes, the leader of the white walkers) than our first distinguished President.

<sorry>

This is my right wireless earbud. I have this very cheap pair of earbuds for running because they wrap around my ear. They are awful. I don’t even know the brand other than they appear in my bluetooth settings as “MPFLOW LITE”. Despite cleaning the contacts and seating them perfectly in their charging case, 90% of the time, only one of them decides to charge, the right side. Just yesterday, I was thrilled to discover that both were functioning at the start of my jog. Then 3 minutes in, from the left earbud, I heard the computerized female voice with a slight British accent state “powering off”. #*!%!#

The best stuffed animal brand around is Jellycat and my son recently bought this small frog, named Fergus. I love that his eyes manage to have a little twinkle despite his frown. I also love the seam that goes directly down the front. I also love that there was no price listed on him in the store so the owner sold him to my son for $10 (full retail price is $33!!). Yes, I think that last part is what I love the most.

I was at my daughter’s piano lesson again and her teacher had an old cello case. I started to draw it and realized I bit off more than I could chew for a 30 minute lesson. I switched to one of the latches on the case instead. Brass with a nice patina and worn in all the right places. I’m sure there is a more technical term for this type of closing mechanism but I’m going with case latch.