My first time doing this. First, I did the blind contour* of the sailboat as a warm up, followed by a regular, sighted drawing, and finally the blind of Dad’s sculpture. Fun, instructive, freeing experience.  Goodbye, expectation of perfection. Adios, left brain.   Great surprise in the reveals. I found myself immediately appreciating parts of the blind contour but criticizing the regular drawing. Hmmm….there is something profound to be said of this appreciating the blind and criticizing the sighted thing, but I am too tired to put it in words. Maybe, expectations? Finding the beauty and wonder in chaos? Finding the flaws and imperfections in the orderly? Something to ponder. * The blind contour method involves carefully observing the outline and shapes of a subject while slowly drawing its contours in a continuous line without looking at the paper.  The goal of blind drawing is to really see the thing you’re looking at rather than retreat into your mental image of...

A previous prompt (lyrics) inspired a tribute to my mother. Today is Dad’s turn. When going through and organizing family treasures recently, I stumbled upon Dad’s army stuff . . . this manual on map reading, his ration stamp books, uniformed photos, memorabilia from Hawaii, postcards, letters, and more. My family is one that, across generations both maternal and paternal, saves EVERYTHING. Being an only child, I am the repository of all family memorabilia, and I am most definitely carrying on the family tradition of hoarding (er . . . saving) stuff. This was an interesting experience delving into Dad’s military experience. I remember him  speaking of Pearl Harbor and his time in Hawaii, but the details mentioned in this letter from a friend of his who served with him provide an interesting picture of his time there.  Though I have treasured artifacts, I wish I had spoken with him more about this time in his life.  I do remember him playing his ukulele. This last photo is...