Unione Sportiva Lucca (1972)

Spotted: sweet poster in Marin earlier today of the (1972) Unione Sportiva Lucca, the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

half moon bay

Half Moon Bay today was in its perfect mix of foggy/sunny splendor. Through 2014, I found myself making a point to draw more. [You can see a set of snapshots here LINK] Anywhere. I have many of my sketches always handy with me in my daily moleskine, but have found great joy in carrying a larger sketch book to meet-ups and sketch groups.



Lydia, one of my super cool creative director from work, invited me to join a gathering in Half Moon Bay. It was a gorgeous morning/day to be there!
+ for those of you outside the Bay Area, HMB is approx 30 miles south of the city, and known for the Mavericks surfing contest and the annual pumpkin festival in October :)

Here are some pictures:


Almost there, these two are quick snap shots from the passenger's window in Pacifica.
If you haven't been to the best taco bell in the world aka on the beach in Pacifica, it's a must.


It was a group of about 12 people and it was sunny at 10am, got a bit foggy then was sunny again after 1pm.
I scoped out the area for a good place to sit and draw, I think I was the only one who didn't bring a portable chair/stool but that was fine, threw my jacket down and found a nice grassy spot near the boats.

I took a quick walk around to visit fellow sketchers and their drawings or paintings, here are their set-ups:









Afterwards we did a show and tell and ate some lunch at a near by bar & grill.

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These are my two drawings, the ones with the little boats and the paddlers took approx. 2hrs, the one with the boat poles, took about 20 minutes. The pictures of where I was looking at from, are right above them both.

Hope you had a nice weekend.
Meli.

twenty XV.

Hi everyone.
Happy new year 2015.

Over the Holidays my mom's dog was a little hurt (neck) for what it seemed to be badly hurting. Luckily it was not severe and we learned that such injury is not uncommon for small/medium doggies. My mom's dog is a mutt, but her spine is prominent from a dachshund background.

While her dog was getting x-rays we had about an hour to wait for, and the nearest open coffee shop was a corner Starbucks. While we waited for a small Americano and my mom's once a year festive-flavored-pumpkin-somethings-super-sugar-latte, I stood next to a bundled-up small lady, likely in her late 80's, wearing a cloche hat and pink lipstick.

She took her hat off and carefully placed it on her walker.
We made eye contact and she smiled.

While the busy establishment seemed to have the capability to spin out of control, the corner where we waited for our hot drinks seemed perfectly still, and perfect to observe the chaotic dance.
I said hi to her, and I told her that I look forward to have hair as beautiful as hers.
She asked if I had long hair at some point.
Realizing that I currently have a pixie cut and a no sign of any white hair –with the exception of a handful– I said,
“Oh, no – hair as white as yours”
She smiled in a happy but slightly confused manner, followed by her soft words of appreciation she let me know that she had never been complimented on by a young person like me about her white hair. She was considering coloring it this week, but maybe not now then – she said, and smiled again.

Our exchange happened more than a few days, but thought it was indicative of setting a good tone in small interactions and opportunities that if we are aware, are moments that present themselves to us.
I hope that perspective continues this year.

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Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy year and that if you do something called resolutions, you accomplish or laugh them out next year :)
I am thankful to be alive and proud of my age.
I miss my brother, my father.
Time. Tears. Laughs. Loss. Love. Memories. Food. Family. Friends. Life.
These are the best gifts.

cute foto from the vet's office.

Resuming to work, back to the grind – and more more fotos soon!

Looking forward to continue to share my observations with a light and positive mood in this blog which through the years has been very nice, the everyday things, words, art and photos.
Thanks again for reading, and stopping by from time to time. I really appreciate it.

× Meli