A Touch of Summer in April

There was a hint of summer early this morning
and we headed for the beach for a walk.
The clouds rolled in and kept it from being
uncomfortably hot!

Back in our garden, I was thrilled to
see the magnolia blooming.
As I wandered through the garden
with my camera, I came upon so many
sights I wanted to capture.
The tulips and pink hyacinths, tiny violets
and scilla, so many daffodils and
flowers that I can't remember the names of.


Also exciting were the vegetables from last
year, some very tiny parsnips, rhubarb, onions...

Then I settled down to paint birds with my cat Ellie May!

Spring!

It was wonderful to be greeted by
spring flowers when I returned to Maine.
The vibrant colors dotted the yard against a
muted background as spring slowly evolves.

Home Again

More Soon!

A Musical Family

Today my parents and I spent a
lovely afternoon with my brother
and his family.
Music filled the air.

My 13 year old niece is learning to play
the clarinet.

My brother is a classical pianist (in his spare time).

My 11 year old niece is learning to play the piano
and she loves to draw. You can see her work at
my Furry and Feathered Friends blog.

Their Mom has a beautiful voice as do the girls.

It was wonderful to be in the midst of
a busy family and share a delicious dinner with them!

Scraggly the Stowaway Cat

Years ago, I was asked to create the pen and ink
drawings of Scraggly for the book
"Scraggly the Stowaway Cat" by Tom Bradbury
of Cape Porpoise.
At the time we were renting our gallery space from
Ron Goyette, an oil painter of the sea. He and Tom
were working on this book when they realized Ron
had not put a cat into any of his paintings. His love and
specialty were the sea and ships and scenes.
( also, he was more of a dog person!)
They knew how much I loved cats and so I was
called in to draw Scraggly!


an ink drawing of
the crew from "Scraggly the Stowaway Cat"
by Nancy Cooper Funk
( the faces are all of my relatives!)

to see more about Scraggly visit my other blog:
Furry and Feathered Friends.

It is in the April 15, 2009 post.

Will post more of the sequel:
"Scraggly's New Home"
when I return home to Maine!

"The Waiting Shore"

While rumaging through the basement at
my parents' house, I came across the first
book I was commissioned to illustrate.
I was living in Connecticut at
the time. I had just had a little art exhibit
in a branch bank and didn't get any feedback
while the exhibit was on.
It wasn't until I had taken everything home,
that I received a surprise call from Mr. Albert Putnam.
He had written a book about crustacea
and was wondering
if I might be interested in illustrating it.
D and I went to to meet Mr. Putnam and his dog, Larry,
at his wonderful home in Hartford
with the wisteria blooming and grandfather clocks
chiming in every room.

I was thrilled and it was a pleasure to work
with him. He self published the little book
called "The Waiting Shore".

Doors

Among the things I love to

draw and paint are doors.
They are the welcome
signs to a world within.
I'm always on the lookout
for doors with character.

Hollyhocks

I love hollyhocks!
They remind me of Marblehead,
Massachusetts, where they even grow
out of the cracks in the sidewalks.

I had given my parents a print
of my painting of hollyhocks.

It's cheering to see it on this gray
rainy day in Connecticut.

I will be at
my parents' house another week and
maybe by the time I return home to
Maine we will have more flowers
blooming besides the crocuses.

Collecting

When I opened the door to my parents' porch
this morning, I noticed the sparrow couple
preparing their birdbox for their family to be
by collecting materials for their nest.
It's fascinating to see what materials they
discover to use.

Thinking of Lilacs

Now that I feel that spring is in the air,
I'm dreaming of lilacs!
Must have patience for in Maine we probably
won't see them blooming until the beginning of June.

An Overcast Day

Am still in Connecticut...
late this afternoon I took a little walk and
ended up at the nearby park to look for
the ducks I had seen on Sunday.
At first I was disappointed for the pond was
empty. I waited and suddenly saw movement
and was delighted to see the duck couple!

Early Spring in Connecticut

I'm visiting my parents in Connecticut
and there are more signs of spring here
than in Maine.

Sunday was sunny and mild so I
took a little walk to the nearby park.
Along the way I was happy to see some
lovely spring blooms.

forsythia just starting...

a beautiful magnolia...

a mallard couple at the park...


In the evening, we went over the mountain
to my sister's house for her family Sunday dinner.

Crocuses

Before I left for Connecticut on Saturday,
the crocuses were the colorful accents in
our yard. I'm wondering what may be blooming
when I return in about a week.

Sun and Fog

The sun was shining today as the first sighting
of the honeybees visited the crocuses.

Late afternoon, the fog rolled in
down by the sea.