The cross memorial in the Mojave desert..

This morning while reading the newspaper, I came across an article about Congress agruing about a lone, white, 6 1/2 foot cross in the desert. It was built 75 years ago on public land, in the Mojave National Preserve, to honor the World War I veterans from the area. Congress says "it raises a host of complicated issues about which religious displays violate the constitution's ban on establishment of religion and who may challenge them".

Someone had to have seen it, and then take the time and energy to bring this to Washington. For me, I cannot imagine someone taking that kind of time, for something like this...

Congress has covered the cross with plywood until they make a decision. Caretaker, Henry Sandoz, who took care of the cross for years, rebuilt it atop an outcropping, along Cima Road, south of the Nevada-California border. Hooray for Henry!!!

The story and the picture in the newspaper, inspired me. I think this may be my next painting I make for Dad...

From the desert to the sea...

One of the projects we did in art class, was to do a watercolor on Yupo paper. It has a very slick surface, unlike normal watercolor paper. It is very difficult to add layers, unless you dab on the color after it has dried. You can actually take a Kleenex and wipe the paint off. Anyway, pardon the glare, I call this one, Quiet Sleep...

I really liked using this Yupo paper. I am pleased with the way the mountains turned out..

The second one is a colored pencil drawing of a yellow cottage on the island of Oland in Sweden, on the Baltic Sea. Wish I could say I had been there, but I wasn't...my girlfriend was. She LOVED the house and told me it was her dream house. She lives in Missouri and I live in Nevada, so I asked her to send me a picture of it so I could envision it like she does...

She sent me the picture and I drew it for her for her birthday, and called it, Jan's Cottage. I ended up making several prints for her, since her relatives live on the island as well. They would take walks past the cottage because they knew how much she liked it. I also made a black and white copy of it, that I kinda like . I don't do perspective very well, so it was a huge challenge for me, but she is a great friend, so the effort was well worth it.

The roof gave me absolute fits! Burnt orange type tiles with salt weathering...

It is a charming little cottage though. I would have liked to knock on the door to see the interior and meet the family who live there.

She did not have any of the background in her picture, so she described it to me in an email, and I used creative license in creating what I thought it might look like.

Both of these were finished last year, I am still plotting along on my current projects...

Had a very productive day today. Left the house at 7:30am and had all my errands done before noon!

My sister arrives tomorrow morning...I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!

Works in progress...

Maybe now, since things are quieting down with Dad...I can finish some of my unfinished projects:

This is a colored pencil drawing for my son in law... Still have miles and layers to go. Had to stop working on this one in May when I went to stay with Dad.

I really enjoy the realism one can achieve with colored pencil. It appeals to my basic "anal" nature. I took up watercolor to release myself from the imposed obsession with detail I place upon myself.

This is my third colored pencil project. My Bighorn Ram was first, a yellow cottage on a Swedish island for my girlfriend, and this Elk.

Yesterday, I started this abstract...

It almost looks like an uphill landscape.
Not sure how I feel about it yet, but I know I really enjoy the colors...

It is so interesting the way the mind works. I see a picture or a color, some inspirational something that motivates me to create. I can see it in my mind's eye of how I think it will look...and every time, except for the colored pencil art, it looks totally different.

It's like the mixed colors, blend with the motivation and takes on a life of it's own. Leaving me as the pawn, aimlessly moving with a purpose to create. Intrigued and transfixed to discover the outcome...

I love that about Art... how it can beckon you in and take you off into the cosmos to finger paint in the sky...

This was a project in an art class I took. I still need layers of watercolor to bring out the colors and more definition.

I've allowed this one to sit and cook for so long, I hope I can remember the techniques. Our teacher provided us with an excellent lesson plan, so hopefully, it will all come back to me.

The technique she taught us was to continually turn the painting to keep the flow of the paint to run in the right direction to give the desired gradation of color...

My husband left this afternoon for his son's home in Arcadia. Tomorrow two of his sons and two of his friends leave for La Paz, Mexico for six days. My sister arrives this Thursday for 4 nights and 5 days...I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas...

I spent most of the morning visiting various blogs. It blows me away the talent that is out there in blog world...beautiful paintings, drawings, poems, words from creative writers...it's wonderful. The members of this blogger family are so friendly, helpful and supportive. Visiting the blogs is like visiting a neighbor. Dropping in for some conversation, sharing of recipes and catching up on what is new. Comments, feel like hugs to me, the cozy kind, from a dear friend...

Let him eat cake, or anything else he wants...

Mom has observed a belly developing on Dad. My sister noticed, I think we all noticed in the picture my sister emailed to all of us. My daughter even called me to comment on Little Papa putting on weight in his face. No doubt, it is from all the cheeseburgers and shakes we've been bringing him. Sounds like Mom wants to start a health campaign for Dad. She took him fresh raspberries, apple juice, mixed nuts with craisins, cherry jello and some of the gum he likes.

After Mom finished her visit with Dad, she signed consent papers so the nursing home can give Dad pneumonia and flu shots. She said he was still talking about jumping fire pits at the beach. That must have been something he used to do when he was in the service, or when he was a lot younger. He sure would never have allowed us to do that, nor would he set such a bad example.

Dad is sneaking up on age 89. Personally, I say, let him eat cake, or anything else that sounds good to him. God knows, from his life time of healthy eating, he is long over due...

You can tell by the shape of my head, its football season...

My sister had a great visit with Dad. Sounds like Dad is becoming a comedian with some of the witty remarks he has been making...

When she arrived, Dad was in the Rec room watching TV with several of the other residents. My sister asked Dad if he wanted to watch the rest of the movie or go into the patio. Enthusiastically, he chose the patio. As she pushed him in his wheel chair toward the patio, Dad broke out in song. One of the aids nodded and told her Dad had been singing earlier.

When they got settled outside, she brought out the sourdough chicken club sandwich, churros and a big cup of ice water. Dad told her "she answered his prayers". He savored every bite and then kept reaching in the empty bag, looking for more churros. Luckily, she had some almonds in her purse and gave those to Dad.

She called me so I could talk with Dad. His voice sounded low and dull when he first said hello to me, so I greeted him with a loud, cheerful, " Hi Dad, how are you?" His voice immediately changed, sounding up, strong and positive. We chatted, and he seemed so normal...

Dad surprised me by asking if I remembered the day he was asleep, awoke, and saw all of us in his room? (That is when he went to the first nursing home in June. The hospital had tried to transfer him, in the middle of the night, after our specific instructions that we needed to be with him. Dad freaked out, went into combat mode, and they had to sedate him with Halidol. He was in a "Rip Van Winkle sleep", as my youngest brother called it, for 48 hours.) I was BLOWN AWAY he remembered that!

Dad said something about a nut, and I could hear my sister laughing...soon she came on the line and told me Dad was narrating the process of eating an almond, giving a play by play from the bag to his mouth...so we both were cracking up. She told me she wanted to try and reach our brother in Ohio, so Dad could talk to him. My husband and I were leaving to have dinner with friends anyway, so I said my good-byes.

My sister took a picture of Dad when he was talking to his son in Ohio. After their conversation, she showed him the picture of himself. Dad told her, "Well, you can tell by the shape of my head, it's football season!" That one really busted up my sister and gave her a good laugh.

They enjoyed the blue sky together and Dad pointed out some brown palm frawns that needed to be trimmed. He told her he dreamt of people jumping over fire pits at the beach. Dad wanted to paint the black he had been seeing all white. He repeated what he told our brother, on his last visit, how he dreams of going to church to see his friends... And, he wants to be with the family at Thanksgiving.

Dad told my sister he would be 90 on his birthday next month. She reminded him, he would be 89..and Dad quipped, "That's close enough"...

Both my sister and I think its a good idea to take Dad to church the Sunday after his 89th birthday in November. We also think we should bring Dad to my brother's for Thanksgiving. Even if it is for a little while. We don't know, this could be our last one with Dad...

We always have Thanksgiving at our second to the oldest brother's house. My daughter called to suggest we get Little Papa his very own apple pie. It would be wonderful to have him say the blessing....even if he sang it and it made no sense...

Nature's gift of a new perspective...

My youngest brother just called to share his visit with Pops, as he calls Dad. Dad had just finished his lunch, but had no trouble woofing down the cheeseburger with a vanilla shake, my brother had brought him.

They went out into the courtyard, where my brother parked Dad's wheel chair facing east, while my brother sat on a bench in front of Dad and faced west. Dad looked up into the sky, making a scowl, commenting on the dark sky, telling his son it looked like rain...

The sky was bright blue with big white fluffy clouds facing west, in the direction my brother was looking, so he changed positions with Dad, turning his wheel chair to the west. "WOW! How did you do that?" Dad asked.

My brother laughed as he watched Dad's wide eyed, child-like expression as he scanned the blue skies above him. " I didn't do anything, Pops. That's God's glory you're lookin' at." Dad agreed, still looking upward in awe.

My brother laid down on the bench so they both could enjoy the same view. He said there is no need for words as they enjoyed the nice little breeze, along with the sights and sounds of nature. They looked up through the foliage of the two big trees in the courtyard, listening to the birds chirp as they flitted to the different branches. The contrast of the green trees against the blue sky was beautiful. Dad pointed out an orange peeking out from one of the orange trees leaves...

Dad asked why my brother didn't take him to church. My brother told him that he did not need to go to church to worship God. He could worship right there in the patio. " Pops, you're a believer, so you have a direct line to God, right where you are. God is always with you Pops, you know that."

He reminded Dad that fellowship was nice in church, but Dad has so many friends there at the nursing home and this is where God wants him to be. "Yes, yes, you're right", Dad smiled. Still shaking his head in agreement, Dad told him, how fortunate he was with so many blessings. My brother noticed a peaceful, calm spread over Dad, as if Pops had just been given the gift of a new perspective...

Can't do anything but watch the cockroaches fighting...

Mom visited Dad today. Her email to all of us made it clear Dad was back to talking nonsense again. It's too depressing to record what Dad says when he is like that. I've selected the title of today's blog, from one of his comments, which, pretty much sums it up...

This past week has been very difficult for me emotionally with Dad. Its beginning to become clear to me, my grief, or mourning of Dad's condition, is impossible for me to record into words. The feeling is so intense, it brings me down into a very dark and non-productive place. I don't want to go there...I can't allow myself to go there...

I need to remove the pressure of writing about Dad when I feel so down. Maybe it would be better, to not write every day...

Even picking up my brush to paint, I find myself trance-like, thinking of Dad, feeling for Dad, and hurting for Dad...the overwhelming sadness is not allowing creativity to flow from me. I know if Dad were in his normal state of mind, he would not want me to do this to myself...I think its time for an emotional sabbatical...