Washington DC and the Marine Corps Museum

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019Leave a comment

Visited the museum on my drive home yesterday after we buried Dad in Arlington Friday.

This is his quote on the wall of the Marine Corps Museum. You can read more about it on my old blog.

Dad was 96 and ready to fold up his tent and go home so the funeral was more of a wake than a sad time.

He was the first lieutenant in an amazing, terrible battle called the Battle of Fox Hill during the Choisin Reservoir campaign during November 1950.

Mom listened to the news back home saying he and all of the two regiments of the first Marine division -10000 men- were lost in frozen North Korea surrounded by 100000 Chinese.

His Marine rifle company Fox Company – about 220 men – was holding the retreat at Toktong Pass all alone, surrounded by 10000 more Chinese. Everyman was wounded but half of them survived the vicious five day battle to fight their way out on the coldest longest retreat in US Military history and enter the legends of which Marines are made.

To this day Marines and West Pointers study Dads battle plan on how to set up a defense using a small rifle company against overwhelming enemy numbers.

According to Dad one of his gunners Hector Cafferati killed 3000 Chinese but dad only wrote him up for 500 when Cafferati got his Medal of Honor because Dad thought no one would believe the real number.

You can read more about Choisin here or buy the book The Last Stand of Fox Hill on Amazon.

Rest In Peace Major Dad. Margaret xoxoxo

Good Morning from Daytona Beach Shores

September 8, 2019September 8, 20192 Comments

Sad to hit the road soon. Beautiful morning here in Daytona Beach Shores where there doesn’t seem to be any damage from Mr Dorian.

Margaret And I am already getting hot and sweaty. Not even 8!!😵😵😵xoxoxo

Key West Snow Patrol

September 6, 2019September 7, 20195 Comments

If I am not painting palms I seem to be painting chickens. And an ibis or two. I borrowed the name but the chickens really do patrol Key West. On the docks. In the streets at the crosswalks in the restaurants under your chair or even on the table.

TIP!!

Next time I am only bringing superaquabee paper unless I break down and make a sketchbook from strathmore mixed media paper. Both papers LOVE watercolor. They don’t Waffle while you are painting and they tend to dry flat. Always a plus. Plus the watercolor paint looks gorgeous on the paper.

Going to bring my long skinny one. 6×12 and either a 5×7 or and 8×10. Then I am going to sit on a corner and sell the sketches. Lol. Aka pay for our dinner and our

gas.

Try them you will love them.

Margaret off to Hogfish for some grilled hogfish salad. Sooo delish and no chickens. Just fish dockside. They stay in the water rofl.

I hurt myself

September 3, 2019Leave a comment

Hogfish w Gorgonzola sauce spinach and artichokes and mixed veg a mango martini and Pinot noir. And my sis in laws cheese tortellini with sweet sausage and bolognese sauce. OH MY so delish.

Topped with Tiramisu and a view of the Atlantic with various joggers and skaters floating by. A sailboat or two.

Best food ever in Key west at La Tratorria. AmAzInG!! That tiramisu best I have ever eaten and I have eaten a lot of them. Expensive yes but who cares food was perfection the view perfect and all divinely lickable!!

Margaret who hurt herself xoxoxo

Waiting for the storms from Dorian

September 3, 20192 Comments

Going to repaint him with a tail poor thing. Why didn’t I think to paint his tail curving behind him?! Duhh. And he needs a shadow under his body. Duh.

Already have the new sketch drawn. Since it’s suppose to pour all day tomorrow and most of Wednesday hope I will have time to paint.

In the meantime more ibis. Such funny birds. I need to go down to the Key West Wildlife rescue and draw some more. I did find some living in the Publixs parking lot under a palm tree there. They seem to like shade. So do I.

Spent the afternoon down on Key West Bight at Schooner Wharf Bar having a drink with my feet propped up enjoying the view and the breezes.

Chickens abound at most of the restaurants and Schooner Wharf was no different. Down here the chicks are brown not yellow. Can I please take one or two home. But no protected by the federal government. Only in Key West will you see a hen on the table finishing somebody’s lunch. Bytw she liked the lettuce a lot. Another hen tried to steal it from her and so began a wild chase between the chickens fighting over the lettuce.

Funny!!!

Margaret Xoxoxox waiting for the rain.

Another day another palm

September 2, 20194 Comments

Didn’t mean to make the ocean so rough. Maybe it’s an inadvertent portent of Dorian out in the Atlantic. Poor Bahamas. So relieved it’s not us.

Same colors as yesterday. The straits of Florida are painted with peacock Cheap Joes Andrews Turquoise and Dioxzine purple. I also splattered with some of those colors. Soupy brush and tap the brush NOT the Ferrell.

I took advantage of the opaqueness of cad red and yellow light to tap some flowers over the foreground greenery.

Sky. Cerulean and fab off some of to make clouds add dabs of Dioxzine purple and dab them odd again with a dry wadded Kleenex.

Painted with my saber brush a size 8 isabey sable and my 10 Charles Reid Sable.

Superaquabee paper. Really love that paper. It dries flat when you close the sketchbook. You can also lift mistakes a bit.

Out the window at the condo. Kinda like this. Think I MIGHT not paint it or add a bit of color just a little. Will think about it.

Lamy Ef noodler eelskin Black Ink stillman and birn Zeta.

Margaret whose watching Mindhunter on Netflix 😳😳😳xoxoxo

Busy perfect day!!

September 1, 20193 Comments

Since Dorian is not blowing in it seems to have cooled off with lots of great breezes. Spent the day drawing painting chasing chickens for pictures. This guy is a mean character but oh so gorgeous with his yellow gold ruff.

Superaquabee paper is great to draw and paint on. Smooth as butter and LOVES watercolor. Easier to blend on.

Eaton Street View from Cole Peace bakery window. Rough press Arches

Palm trees coming along. Used the Vlad Yesilev saber brush. Might help that I had a couple of daiquiris. 🤗

Mile high Key Lime pie from lunch the other day and our view of Higgs Beach from Saluté on the Beach.

Painted the palm tree the same way same colors as first one. Do not like this one nearly as well. Almost like the paint would stick to the paper in my Stillman and Birn Zeta.

Palm tree colors leaves cad yellow light chrome green hookers green ultramarine blue.

Water is Cheap Joes Andrews Blue and peacock blue. Dab of mineral violet.

Margaret ready to read her new Carl Hiassen book. Xoxoxo

Ibis time

August 31, 2019September 3, 2019Leave a comment

You know I love to draw a bird. And ibis are so interesting. They just about lose so you can draw them. These were drawn at the Kew West Wildlife Center here. Found out recently they live in Augusta too. Now I wonder if they are the small white birds I see flying up and down the Savannah. Anyway fascinating birds with their pink bills and legs. They love dog food. Bought a sack of kitty snacks today in hopes of feeding them and getting them to pose for me.

Cerulean and quin gold on bodies. Quin coral on beans and feet. Cerulean blue eyes. Such lovely birds.

Background burnt sienna burnt umber mineral violet quin gold hookers green

Lamy pen eelskin black ink superaquabee tablet.

Margaret sitting out the hurricane in Key West. It’s heading north to Georgia so don’t worry. We should be high and dry.

Xoxoxox

Day 3 selfie 3

August 26, 20192 Comments

Collages background with black and white polka tissue paper some old ledger paper from the family business and some scrapbook paper.

Drew on it with brown ink and then slapped paint on. I really don’t feel like painting. Too busy worrying about loading up my car and driving home at noon. And then onto Daytona by bedtime. Believe it or not we made it. 900 miles later I am sitting on a sofa in Key West and already drawing the sights. Will share them soon.