Summer Sun

August 1, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

I appreciate our glowing orb as much as the next person. However, given this long dry spell and 100-degree temperatures, I think it’s time for Helios to take a little holiday.

Nevertheless, here is a tribute for the first of August.

Great is the sun, and wide he goes

Through empty heaven with repose;

And in the blue and glowing days

More thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pull

To keep the shady parlour cool,

Yet he will find a chink or two

To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad

He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;

And through the broken edge of tiles

Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around

He bares to all the garden ground,

And sheds a warm and glittering look

Among the ivy’s inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,

Round the bright air with footing true,

To please the child, to paint the rose,

The gardener of the World, he goes.

—Robert Louis Stevenson

Francine

Beach Memory

July 24, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

A sketch of the beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where we were at this time last year. But we knew back in January when we replaced our ancient furnace that there would be no summer travel for us this year. So, instead we attempt to go swimming every single day, before breakfast, or before dinner. Or sometimes both! That’s two vacations per day.

To see the dangers you risk when you return from an actual trip out of town, please see Bananas.

Bob

Birthday Pie

July 6, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

Of the pies my mother made, our favorite was apple, but she could also make a terrific and unequalled lemon meringue pie: tart, deeply lemony, with high white peaks. On her own birthday, of course, she could sit down to pies made by others. This sketch is from a birthday lunch at which she decided to go for the Key Lime. Alas, her illusions were dispelled: it was too sweet. Someone else finished it and she was obliged to make do with the profiterolles. Happy birthday, Mom. In a perfect Heaven, the clouds are fluffy edible meringue.

Mom

Palisades Parade

July 4, 2011 by Sheila 2 Comments

An event we enjoy just as much as the Fourth of July fireworks is the Palisades neighborhood parade, which begins with a rousing group of bagpipers and concludes with cowboys on horseback (an arrangement cleverly designed to keep manure off the marchers’ feet).

In between are families riding their decorated bicycles; dressed-up trucks from the local firehouse, plumber and grocer; a group of fabulously energetic Peruvian dancers; local politicians distributing flyers, jewelry, and candy; the GLBT Different Drummers, with their Big Band/Swing sound and exuberant drum major; vintage cars driven by their vintage owners; home-grown George and Martha, Uncle Sams and Statues of Liberty; a huge float bearing summer campers belting out Broadway show tunes; patriotically attired dogs; and a crowned and smiling Miss Millwood, the currently favored teen queen of Millwood Place.

We wave, we cheer and clap for everybody, we go home feeling a love of country and a connection to all humanity.

Melinda

Obscure Bible Tales

July 3, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

For Sunday, this holiday weekend.

Hostas

June 26, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

Every spring these hostas miraculously emerge through a shady patch of bare earth beside the front walk: first small pale green points, then unfolding leaves, a spray of buds, and finally the blossoms. Now whenever I depart or return I am treated to a whiff of their rich heavy scent.

Cathy & Paul Quinn

Joan

Carrie

George

Parish Picnic

June 12, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

Every year in early June our church holds Sunday service outdoors, with plenty of singing and clapping, followed by face-painting, balloon sculptures, moon-bounce, and frisbee, accompanied by a vast spread of grilled hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, and brownies. That’s my kind of Sunday worship. During the homily, as I sketched the father and daughter in front of us, the priest spoke about father/daughter relationships (next week being Fathers Day), and the pair exchanged an affectionate nudge.

Mitch

June

June 1, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

It is the month of June,

The month of leaves and roses,

When pleasant sights salute the eyes,

And pleasant scents the noses.

—Nathaniel Parker Willis

Jan

Scapino at Sidwell

May 22, 2011 by Sheila Leave a comment

From time to time we attend a play at my son’s old high school. Productions range from crowd-pleasing classics like Damn Yankees and Fiddler on the Roof to more recent and edgy works by the likes of Tom Stoppard and David Ives. All are beautifully produced and well-acted, and recognizing students in the cast makes it even more fun. This month they put up Scapino, adapted from Molière’s Les Fourberies de Scapin, a zany romp inspired by commedia dell’arte, featuring star-crossed lovers, humorous mix-ups, and the classic scheming yet lovable servant who brings everything to a satisfying happy ending. The gymnastics and athletic physical humor required for the roles made it an appropriate vehicle for energetic teens. Oof.

Matthew

Magic Puzzle Boxes

May 18, 2011 by Sheila 1 Comment

I dislike shopping, unless it is for, say, dinner party ingredients, or perhaps used books at the library’s twice-yearly sale. Generally I try to purchase everything possible online. However, this is tough with shoes, so I agreed to take my daughter into a Sears store to acquire for her a pair of coveted Converse sneakers.

I remember when this meant sitting down in a chair, being fitted by a chatty salesman, and having boxes fetched from a secret room. What a surprise! no chairs, no salesman, no secret room. (This is probably the result of so many folks shopping online. Uh-oh.) Instead, we had a lengthy and baffling search through fifty boxes in order to find two matching shoes in the correct size. Like a treasure hunt. Or a bizarre dream sequence. We were eventually successful.

Father Madden