Selected a bunch of sketches and paintings I'd done in and around Mystic, Connecticut, over the years to create a 2015 calendar on Shutterfly. Got two of them made as gifts for M.'s mom and grandmother. It was really easy to create, and the printing and paper quality are excellent.

M.'s annual family gathering in Mystic, CT, always offers opportunities for some sketching in between games of cornhole, kayak runs and shopping excursions.





We ended the weekend with a picnic lunch at Misquamicut State Beach, just over the border in Rhode Island.

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.





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.



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



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

Happy holidays, everyone!!

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.

Nothing says holiday like a blast of salty spray from the Sound! As usual, we packed up our presents and drove off to Mystic, Connecticut, on the Eve of Christmas Eve, to spend the holiday at M.'s family's waterfront cottage.

This year, we went to the 57th annual Mystic Seaport Community Carol Sing, benefiting the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. Everyone gathered at the Seaport's Anchor Circle to sing popular Christmas carols (with the aid of helpful booklets to remind us of the more obscure verses).

 



On Christmas Eve, we went bowling at Spare Time in Groton, with my sister-in-law and her family. We started that tradition a few years ago. She and I often take our knitting projects, but this time I took the sketchbook along, determined to capture something of the action.



I find it's really hard to draw people bowling. The experienced bowlers contort themselves into an odd stance when they release the ball -- right arm just so in front; right leg curving behind the left, toe grazing the ground -- and in a second it's over. Yes, they do it over and over again, which should be helpful, but I still haven't quite mastered the pose.





In the evening, we went to the Christmas Eve service at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. It's a smallish, intimate church, and the service included lots of singing, which I enjoyed. The musicians were in the back behind the pews, so I had to crane my neck around to draw them.



We were all given paper stars (gifts for the child in the manger) so I promptly used mine as a stencil to add some interest to the page. I was also fascinated by the people lighting the glass hurricane lamps next to the pews -- but I couldn't sketch them properly as they moved so quickly.



Speaking of things that move fast -- M.'s parents recently got a King Charles spaniel. She's a bundle of puppy energy, so I was only able to get a few quick sketches of her in during the holiday. Perhaps she'll nap more when she's older. :) Hope everyone had a good holiday!