Laurelines

Sketching at Crook's Corner, again

Well, and eating there, too! Lucky me! Crook's is one of the premiere restaurants of the South. I had their Fresh Figs Bellevue – figs w/ country ham & a mint mustard sauce. It was surprising and delicious and fun.

It was twilight, it was August, there were, of course, pigs. 

I've sketched here often over the years. It's fun to see how the sketches vary. Below are two from several years ago. And there are several more of Crook's here on Laurelines. Could YOU resist that pig's derrière?

  Sketch from 2009

 Sketch from 2007

Sketches from France, more of them!

Oh, these're just my usual subjects: wild boar, elephants and giraffes, giant chandeliers, assorted two-legged creatures...some tamer than others. I would have drawn fountains, but my favorite ones in Paris were all dry, so most of the fun there was missing. (Wish the blog could show the elephant drawing truer to size, but, alas, non. Click on image to get to Flickr and larger sizes!)

Elephant, giraffe, rhino et al in the parade of animals, La Grande Galerie de L'Evolution, Museum Nationale de l'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.

Lots of you are familiar with Rick Tulka. My husband and I met him in Paris a couple of years ago and we had a fun lunch with him this time! Here and in the drawing of my daughter below, I used a big fat laundry pencil I bought in Lisbon. It gives a nice, robust line and you can't be finicky with it, which is good.

My daughter, right side of spread:

My daughter, left side of spread:

View across the Lot River, Cahors:

Couldn't resist this *ahem* reconstituted sanglier and friends in a vitrine at les jardins Marqueyssac:

I was wowed by this chandelier at Le Bourbon in Paris:

And not least, but last, our friend Drake, whose deadpan face is a perfect foil for his Rabelaisian sense of humor:

Hope you've enjoyed the sketches!

Next stop: Copenhagen in midNovember, a 20th wedding anniversary celebration. And then put-staying for a very long time.

Goodbye, little pupper

Five years old, more energy than any three other dogs put together, truly gorgeous, with a deliriously happy disposition, she fell in midstride yesterday morning and never got back up. Our Abby.

Turkey sketches, part three!

Gosh, these make me happy, these recent memories put to paper and words. Ephesus is one of the most poignant and magnificent places I have ever seen. To walk the roads and byways of that ancient place of power and beauty would bring tears to your eyes. It did to mine. We sailed one whole day of my trip---and since I was only there for six days that's a lot of sailing-related images! I was so taken with Sedat our driver's stunning profile, I drew him very first thing, in the car, on bumpy roads, quickly! Yet more sketches to come!