This is a pen and ink drawing I made of my home I lived in from second grade until I went to college. I took several art classes for the fun of it in college. I gave this to my mom, who had to sell the house after she and dad divorced. She couldn’t afford to live there on her own. When she moved into assisted living years ago, my brother mailed it to me along with a box of her journals and photo albums.
My dad was visiting our house in Palm Springs when the box arrived and we went through it together. He grabbed this framed sketch of mine and it’s been hanging on a wall of his home ever since. Ever since this past weekend that is — we moved him into assisted living. I told him I was taking it back. In fact, I wasn’t happy when he took it, because I didn’t give him permission. But I realized someday I would get it back, rather than make a stink over it.
He had it on a wall that got lots of sun and it is badly faded. I scanned it and used Adobe Camera Raw to get some life back into it.
Do I have a funny story about an art class in college! In addition to art, I took ballet. I was taking a drawing class and we were introduced to sketching nudes. Was I surprised when a male model was a fellow dancer from my ballet class! Did I turn red when he walked over to me during a 10-minute break stark naked and wanted to chat. I think I ran out of the room!
Here are a few other photos I scanned from “back in the day”:
A view of the Snohomish valley from our living room window.
A view from a living room window looking towards the road going down the hill. We lived on Lord’s Hill, Snohomish, Washington.
Our dog Hondo. I couldn’t find the photos of Hondo in our International Tractor trailer. I learned how to drive on the tractor and loved to carry Hondo along. Funny, I just showed those photos to my husband, which is most likely why I can’t find them.
Me and mom in matching dresses she sewed. I had a closet of more than 30 dresses that she whipped up for me. I wanted to wear jeans…
Nothing like putting a thick pair of glasses on a girl to turn her into an introvert. Oh well, I had my books as friends.
Contact lenses changed my life!
This looking back in time reminded me of a Simon and Garfunkel song:
Time, time, time
See what’s become of meTime, time, time
See what’s become of me
While I looked around for my possibilitiesI was so hard to please
Look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter
Have a wonderful weekend! Any big plans for the weekend or Christmas?
You had such great drawings in second grade… Wow! You were very cute as a child, but your journey has been amazing.
The drawing was from college not second grade! We moved into that house when I was in second grade. 😉
Oh yeah☺️☺️.
Very nice drawing. I’ve always admired being able to draw, as I’ve never had much of that talent. Did you make a career of art?
Thank you! I always loved to draw but my career was in writing. Public relations and advertising. I worked at Eisenhower, for Sunrise Company and then at Desert Comprehensive Cancer Center. Those were my big employers, but I had smaller clients along the way, too.
Well, you seem to be pretty good at writing, too. Sounds like you had a rewarding career.
I did enjoy it. It’s probably one of the lower paying jobs, but I liked what I was doing.
Liking what you do, matters a lot.
It does!
Glad you got that drawing back EA! I’m very impressed with your skills 🙂 Fun to see some of your childhood photos as well. I totally can emphathize with that moment as a teen when contacts replaced glasses. So life changing!
Honestly it doesn’t even seem like the Christmas season. It’s so warm here, so different than WA temps that I’m used to and we are sitting with daily fire and super high wind warnings, and planned power outages to prevent fires sparking because it’s so dry. It’s just a weird situation but with all the issues in WA I know it would be weird being there as well so I just don’t feel very festive this season.
Yikes. I hope all those wind and fire warnings don’t happen! I’ve been reading about the massive floods in WA. I don’t think they are very festive feeling there either!
We’ve had warm weather here too. I’m enjoying sitting in the sun reading in the afternoons.
I wore hard contact lenses, then gas permeable until cataract surgery. Now I have 20/20 vision!
My long distance vision is great after my cataract surgeries. No need for glasses to drive but I still need readers for close up reading because I couldn’t afford the multifocal lenses at the surgery time. It would be great not to have to wear the glasses but I’m used to them now.
I wasn’t allowed to get the multifocal lenses because I was too nearsighted. My Rx before cataracts was -16, then with cataracts it was -23. The doctor said I needed something simple for the best results. So, I have readers, too.
Wow, you are very talented with a pen, Elizabeth! And what a fun college story, oops! I would walk out of the room too. I like your school photos, you are so cute! I think jeans would be more comfy than a dress but I’ve never worn a dress… 😂 I remember that song, seems like it’s mid or late 1960s?
I always enjoyed drawing although I never saw myself as talented. I enjoy photography more! Thank you though for all your nice compliments 😊
You’re welcome! 😍
😊
Aww, I love the pictures of little you! You were adorable.
Thanks! That’s so sweet. I was a little nerd!
I was too! 💜
Here’s to nerds!
It is a great drawing Elizabeth. Loved the scanned photos too.
Thank you. I’m so glad I reclaimed my drawing and have the ability to scan it and correct it in Adobe.
You should print the reclaimed version and then frame it.
Good idea! I’ll also print and frame one for my dad.
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Amazing sketching! Also, I always love seeing pictures of people in their youth. What a little cutie!
Thank you, Erin. I’m impressed with my sketch because I don’t do that anymore. A camera is much easier. I’m having fun going through old photos and scanning them and correcting them in Adobe. That’s something I learned for my final project in my last photography class.
You have kept many pictures from your childhood. Very isolated place but very pretty. That was a good sketch. Christmas is time for memories .
I think you’re correct. Christmas is time for memories. We were three miles from the town. So peaceful, but not totally isolated.
Oh, we were about 10 miles and you know, my mom, a native New Yorker, never drove, so she relied on walking, neighbors, the school bus (when she worked at the school), and we did have some wonderful neighbors. My brothers, and I all learned to drive early. Either my dad or one of us drove. She never navigated the wheel successfully. I think at heart she was a city girl. When they moved, she was in her 40’s, so…thanks for sharing.
I can relate to your mom because I don’t like driving either. Although we had to living in the countryside.
Yes, the traffic in the Tampa Bay area is horrible, lately. I try to keep all the chores to the same day and time. Driving in the country was great! I have also driven in NYC many years ago. Glad those days are over for driving there.
The Phoenix area is awful for driving, too. I think it’s because almost nobody is from here. They bring their bad habits from all over the country. I’ve never been on the freeways without big trucks going over 100 mph.
Yeah, ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ may be a Simon & Garfunkel tune, but the Bangles Cover blows away the original!
When I was looking for the Simon and Garfunkel Youtube I noticed the Bangles version. But I’ve never listened to it. I’ll give it a try.
I remember taking life drawing classes and being amazed how comfortable the completely nude models were (also how long they were able to maintain a pose). I’m not sure that I could have had a normal conversation with any of them – male or female – if they approached me during class. 🫤
Your drawing of the house is nice. I’m glad you now have it back and can enjoy it.
Yes, that’s exactly how I felt. I was impressed with how they could maintain a pose and how comfortable they were with their bodies. No, I couldn’t carry a conversation with my dancer friend. I made an excuse to use the bathroom!
I’m excited to get my drawing back. It holds so many memories.
Looking great Elizabeth! Love the drawing too and you’re adorable!!
Thank you so much! I enjoyed my drawing classes so much, except for that one incident with life drawing. I’ve tried to pick it up again the past few years, but I’m doing more with my camera.
You have a great eye for beauty!
😊
That pen and ink drawing is remarkable! I’m glad you got it back. Love seeing these old photos. That’s hilarious about your ballet/nude crossover. Someone get that man a robe!!
I’m so glad you like my pen and ink drawing. The architect mom and dad hired was Paul Hayden Kirk from Seattle. He designed “Red Square” on the UW campus among other things. I’m happy you enjoyed my photos and laughed at that ballet nuder poser!
Wow – what a fun post full of reflections and smiles! I’m with others who couldn’t resist commenting on your artistry. What a gorgeous drawing, Elizabeth! In awe of your talents, dear one! 😊💝😊
Thank you, Vicky! It was a fun post to write. I’m so happy to have the drawing back. I’m going to order frames for it now that I’ve salvaged it with Adobe Camera Raw — one for me and one for my dad.
So awesome! ❤️🥰❤️
💕💕
Great memories.
Thanks!
The drawing of your childhood home is lovely, as is the story to go along with it. I think it’s sweet that your dad actually wanted the drawing…even if you really wanted it first.
Sweet pictures of you growing up. Weren’t we all awkward turtles? I don’t think anyone gets through life without feeling like the odd duck!
I don’t know that I could be comfortable sketching a nude person, friend or not. NOR could I be the nude model–that is the stuff of my nightmares.
Hondo looks like a cute little booger of a dog!
Thank you so much! We are back from Hawaii — already — and I’m getting a little bit caught up with blogging. I’m posting about the trip tomorrow morning.
I’m happy to have the drawing back and will get two prints of it framed. One for me and one for dad.
Yes, your description of feeling like an odd duck is so true. I was not comfortable with the nudes in the class, but I felt like, “you’re in college, don’t be so obtuse.” But the male model who I knew was too much!
Hondo was stoic and quiet, but a good dog.