Summer

I guess I needed a break from life since school ended. I am still here. I still think about my blog. And now that I have had some time to do whatever, whenever I am ready to get back into some sort of a routine which will include my blog.
Stay tuned.

Finals!

No more classes - just finals. I am looking forward to wrapping up this semester and enjoying my summer. I expect to post to my blog more frequently in the next couple of months. Until then -

Wrentit

(Edited: It has come to my attention that these birds are actually bushtits, not wrentits. As with anything, the more you look the better you become at deciphering differences. In this case the bushtit is smaller and more grey than a wrentit which has more brown on it.)

A couple of months ago I uploaded a photo of a nest which, a little bird had meticulously crafted in a Parrot's Beak (a hanging plant) on my patio. I thought at the time, in all my bird ignorance, that it must have belonged to the House Finches who were eating from the feeder on the patio. Since then, I have learned a few things about this nest and the craftsmen or craftsbirds. The little abode belongs to a pair of Wrentits. I see them several times a day scattering to and from the nest. In fact, they have recently been going in and out much more frequently.
I had some friends over Saturday and one of them said - "listen to the baby birds!" That was the first time I heard them. We have babies!! I was so excited. I didn't see any but I heard the little babies chattering away. Presumably talking to mom and dad who sent instructions from the Abutilon just outside the nest. I figured babies were on the way but I didn't realize, until that moment, that the little fluff balls had already been born.
Here is a couple of photos of mom or dad or as we just learned, helper birds, delivering food to the waiting babies. According to Audubon, the babies diet consists solely of insects. I know there are a lot of bugs in this world but I cannot believe the success these little insect hunters have. Every few minutes a wrinkled up, gnarled insect or worm is carried to the nest.
I also added a little sound bite I recorded today, which may take a while to load. You can hear the little baby squeaks and the louder, more dominant commands from the parents.

Whales

Some days aren't so great, some are good, and some days are just magical! I have had a few magical days recently and today was one of them. I arranged for a group of friends to go on a whale watching trip out of Moss Landing. I didn't know it would be 75 degrees (perfection in this area), nor did I know we would see so many whales that the captain would later say "if this is your first whale watching trip, don't do another one!" We were blessed with the majesty you only see in the open waters. What a treat!

Humpback whale

Killer whales

Killer whale

Killer whale

Branch with Nest

This was an intermediate drawing class exercise in rendering skills.

Graphite on bristol paper

My Bedroom

Another painting assignment. The mission here was to paint an interior with exit views. This is my bedroom with a little morning light shining through.

Acrylic on canvas board

Broken Mannequin

It has been a while since I posted anything. I am just trying not to fall too far behind in school. I am constantly doing school work or at least thinking about it.
Anyway - I plan to post a few pieces, in the next few days, that I have recently completed.
Here is one from my painting class. I set up this wacky little still life at school and finished it at home.

Acrylic on canvas board