Christmas

It's Christmas in Mystic! Starring Badly Drawn Bowlers

Sunday, December 29, 2013


Williams Cove, Mystic, CT

If you've been following this blog over the years, you know that the holidays at my in-laws' in lovely Mystic, CT (see the view across the water above) involve several traditions. Herewith, a sampling.

Tradition No. 1: Bowling on Christmas Eve with my sister-in-law's family at Spare Time in Groton, CT. Since I'm terrible at the actual knocking-down-pins bit, sometimes I bring knitting (or a skein of yarn to wind), but often I bring a sketchbook, which brings us to...

Tradition No. 2: Badly drawn bowlers. Which is probably a direct result of...

Tradition No. 3: Resolving (unsuccessfully) to practice bowling -- and sketching people in the act thereof -- at least once before the following Christmas Eve.

At Spare Time, Groton, CT

Bowling at Spare Time, Groton, CT

Yeah.

So, a few hours later, it's time for

Tradition No. 4: A CVS run to stock up on mints and Purell for Christmas Eve mass. This one started in M.'s family -- apparently the lord is more inclined toward those who take communion with brand-name fresh breath and sanitize after handshakes. We learned from last year's Smarties bulk-buy disaster and wisely chose Ice Breakers Sours in a berry flavor.

Tradition No. 5: Sketching at church. There are several points during the Christmas Eve service where we're just waiting -- waiting for a processional, waiting for the rector to read the nativity story to the young ones, waiting for everyone to place their contributions of baby food and diapers up at the manger, etc.

Christmas Eve service at St. Mark's Episcopal, Mystic, CT

Therefore I draw -- and I included a list of items to bring next year to make sitting through mass more entertaining comfortable.

Christmas Eve at St. Mark's Episcopal, Mystic, CT

Of course, next year we'll be looking at (and live-tweeting?) this Internet sensation.

Happy holidays, everyone!!

"New York City"

Around Columbus Circle

Saturday, December 21, 2013

A few quick sketches from this morning's NYC Urban Sketchers excursion. Here, I'm looking out from in front of the Time Warner building.

Columbus Circle, New York, NY

And this one's from W 56th & Eighth Ave.

W 56th and 8th Ave, New York, NY

Connecticut

Stonington at Thanksgiving

Monday, December 09, 2013

Water Street, Stonington, Connecticut
We're often in Mystic, CT, for Thanksgiving, and on the Friday and Saturday afterward we like to trawl nearby towns to start our holiday shopping. Sometimes Wickford, RI, or Niantic, CT, are in the mix, but this year we stayed a little closer -- downtown Mystic, of course, but also Westerly, RI, and Water Street in Stonington, CT. Sketched this from a bench outside a shop, wearing a warm coat and fingerless gloves.