Category Archives: Sketches and Words

Stuck on Coffee Pot Road

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Don West
Stuck On Coffee Pot Rd.

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Ben and I took a scenic drive up to 10,000 ft. above sea level today, where I rather expertly got the car perched upon a patch of snow. Both drive wheels ever so slightly off the ground. It was masterful if I do say so myself.

It is now 10:52pm, we are in the White River National Forest, it is remote, about eleven miles above the valley floor (by dirt road). I saw two vehicles on the road as we drove today. Hopefully, S•O•M•E•body will come along in the morning and push us off this twelve foot long patch of snow.

Have I learned a V•A•L•U•E•A•B•L•E lesson? Yes, I think so. When one is stuck…anywhere…it is a wonderful time to clip an alpine pine cone from a tree and sketch it.

The tank is full of gas, temp. Is 46°F. Sweet Dreams…

It’s quiet up here. Really, really, Q•U•I•E•T.

My ears ring. I never knew that…

UPDATE: Sure enough, a single soul in a pickup truck came by the following morning about 9:30am and in a few short minutes I was free to hightail it home. Ben slept like a log in the car during this ordeal, as all dogs do. I hardly slept. Around 8:00am next morning I had given up hope and called a wrecker…for $500! Then this guy came along about an hour later. So I was able to cancel the wrecker and only pay for the time and travel up to that point…$125. All this by trusty cell phone of course…albeit with one bar for the signal!

By all accounts, I got off cheap and lucky. This time of year, few people travel into the highlands. I could have waited ten hours or even stayed another night…not something I was willing to risk. A Ford Focus is a nice car, but not a vehicle for sleeping in :-)

All in all, I wasn’t very wise on this little adventure to gather material for sketching, painting, and the like. So lessons were learned indeed.

No more challenging those remote, rascally, innocent looking, highlands snow patches for me…at least not in a regular sedan :-)

Posted in Plants, Sketches and Words, Stuff I find myself doing, The Great Outdoors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

I-70 Abandoned Silo

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Don West

I-70 Abandoned Silo

I-70 Abandoned Silo

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Rural America is fascinating. You come across scenes and objects that can only be described as “unusual”. In a city, structures that are no longer of use are either torn down and replaced, or repurposed for a new use. But in rural America, things are just abandoned. Usually, Mother Nature finds a way to “use” them.

I can only surmise that this grain silo was abandoned while 3/4 full of grain…or some other organic material suitable for growing cottonwood trees. It’s masonry, so in another hundred years, it may collapse and the trees will again call Terra Firma home.

For now though, it is a testament to the ever changing lives of humans and the need for structures to suit the need of the moment. Big ideas gone some other direction.

I wonder if the builder is aware it is now a very large vase?

 

Posted in Architecture, Old Things, Sketches and Words, The Great Outdoors, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Express Yourself

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Don West

Express Yourself

Express Yourself

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Remember, if you will, the sound of a fire engine siren. oooooOOOOOOOOoooooo…starts low, increases, then tails off. Remember? And also recall that ambulance and police sirens are not like that. Now that you have that in mind, get this:

The only thing that makes Ben howl is a fire engine siren. I dunno why, but if a fire engine goes by with siren blaring, he will drop what he’s doing, or wake from a dead sleep, go into another place in his mind, and howl like there’s no tomorrow.

And on pitch no less!

 

Posted in Animals, Sketches and Words, The Book of Ben | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Always Have a Couple of Toys

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Don West
Always Have a Couple of Toys

Alway Have a Couple of Toys

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Mr. Squeaky. It is amazing to me how quickly Ben can go from sound asleep to chasing my hand around the perimeter of his head, simply because I squeaked his squeaky toy.

Instantaneous is the word.

From snore to woof in two heartbeats.

It takes me two hours…

 

 

Posted in Animals, Sketches and Words, The Book of Ben | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Arches National Park

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Don West

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Arches National Park


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Back in mid-February a friend and I took a weekend trip over to Moab Utah. Arches National Park is near there along with several other marvelous sites to behold & wonder over. The theme in Arches is rock formations that are simply striking in nature.

Huge stones perched high on delicate pedestals. Enormous walls of layer upon layer of sediment packed and hardened under the weight of each successive layer…then revealed by erosion…the weaker layers succumbing more rapidly.

All over millions of years. One realizes how fast and tiny our own existence is in comparison to these symbols of patience. I think about what it means to truly wait on something to happen…

Posted in Old Things, Paintings, Sketches and Words, The Great Outdoors, Travel | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Bluffs On The Roaring Fork

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Don West
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Bluffs On The Roaring Fork

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I’ve been looking at these vertical bluffs that line both sides of the valley where I live. The sun hits these particular ones just right in the evening and lights up one side with a warm glow.

Today I thought I would make a first pass at studying them with watercolor. I’ll probably do this a few times so I can get really familiar with the scene and whatever it is in it that seems to draw my attention.

I think it’s the randomness of it all…

Posted in Introspection, Sketches and Words, The Great Outdoors | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Change Challenge

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Don West
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Change Challenge

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I have a dear friend back in Atlanta who at one time enjoyed creating art. She’s a fussy lass as all southern Belles are inclined to be. And her fussy-ness caused her to never appreciate her own artistic and creative skills…particularly in painting. Having grown impatient with her own imperfections and frustrations with creating masterpieces, she, like so many of us, simply quit.

Lately, I decided I might see if she would give sketching and drawing in a journal a try. Perhaps it might open the doors to a simpler and more introspective means to express her need to create without the pressure to be perfect and attempt so-called “fine art”.

And so this challenge arose.

“Draw a quarter”. She did and sent me a photo. It was a fabulous quarter! It had a head that was too small and like mine here, was a bit misshapen. But it was Donna’s quarter and it was cool!

She’s now on her way to enjoying art again…

Posted in Introspection, Objects, Sketches and Words, Stuff I find myself doing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Down By The Tracks

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Don West
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Down By The Tracks

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When my work life was a maze of stress, deadlines, phone calls, missed meals, and keeping everybody happy but me…there were times I’d think to myself, “I should just hop a freight and leave all this insanity.” Of course I never did.

I did read about hobos & the hobo life though. And I took long drives alone & whistled or sang train & travelin’ songs. And wondered how in the world a person ever had the fortitude to actually live a hobo’s life. Or any kind of alternate life really.

These days I’ve pretty much ended up living an alternate life of sorts and I actually like it. I know what freedom is now. Sometimes I don’t know what to do with it…but I’m learning. And it’s good.

Life is simple.

Posted in Introspection, Machines, Objects, Sketches and Words, Travel | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Articulating Desk Lamp

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Don West
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Articulating Desk Lamp

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I bought a new articulating desk lamp today because the apartment I now live in is rather shadowy in its lighting. I can clamp it to the headboard of the bed, or move it to the dining table (where I never dine), and draw to my heart’s content.

There are some of you out there, you know who you are, that “suck” with a pen. Nonsense!
This is sketching for fun and absolutely not for profit…other than the peaceful feeling one gets from doing it. And the fun of sharing it with others.

There are other profits, but none are monetary in nature.

And it ain’t fine art! So loosen up!

(Is this “sucky” enough? Consider it is now world famous on the www!)

Posted in Objects, Sketches and Words, Tools I use to Sketch | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Real Nut Case

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Don West
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A Real Nut Case

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I got lazy on this one. I didn’t do my biological sciences due diligence and find out if the part of an acorn that attaches to its tree is called a “nut case”. Frankly, if it isn’t, it should be.

So, for the purposes of this journal entry, and so I can make a cool, catchy title for it, I’m officially calling the part of an acorn that attaches to its tree a “nut case”. It encases the nut & holds it in place…pure justification.

I found the little acorn while walking Ben along the Colorado river yesterday. Actually Ben found it by virtue of trying to eat it. He spit it out. So, I thought I’d give it some attention.

This was last year’s acorn. The little nut is all shriveled and fell right out of the case when Ben spit it out.

The case would make a great hat for one of those little-bitty tree frogs…very hipster…a jazz frog.

Posted in Objects, Plants, Sketches and Words, The Great Outdoors | Tagged | 2 Comments