staying home

This was on our '03 calendar, and I like this toon because it captures the essence of living at our house. It is very easy to just stay home!! We have nature running past our doorstep at about 100-800 cubic feet per second!! The river running past our house adds soooo much wildlife, and entertainment. When it is warm enough, our favorite thing is having that cup of coffee sitting on our deck watching the birds, river, dogs, cat,and anything else that wanders by. Plus, Chris has done such an amazing job landscaping our house that it is fun to watch what flowers are blooming, and what vegetables are getting ready to pick. I absolutely love where I live, and I think this toon really nails that. Even though the dogs in the drawing look a little wierd, you can still tell that they are relaxed and happy lying on the deck. Everything about the drawing reinforces a relaxed enjoyment of nature. That is what our house is all about!

architectural novel

I ran into one of my sketchbooks, and in it I found a bunch of drawings I did back a number of years, which made me almost want to do a comic strip. I had the background figured out. It happened when we had one of our really good electrical storms, and all the computers in the area had to be unplugged, or risk getting fried. Phone lines went dead. It was interesting. So, I came up with this...

That concept spawned the following development for a story line. Yep, the character sounds a little familiar, but stuck in a no-win situation. At least I am not stuck designing door knobs!! So, this is my image of what it would be like working in a large architectural firm. Not my cup of tea.

So, I put the two ideas together, and came up with this little ditty below. It has some fun potential for a continuing story...perhaps a graphic novel?? The concept I like here is showing how removed from Mother Nature our society has become, and how one instant of anger from Mother Nature, and we are TOAST!! Whether it is a bolt of lightning, a hurricane Katrina, or a psunamie. Perhaps there is something to be said about living in harmony with mother nature...