Appalachian Morning: Artist Trading Cards

Green, green, green! That's sums up my weekend in one wordX3. Green were the hills and trees as we drove "somewhere near" Harrisonville to the Blues and Arts Festival. What a beautiful setting: a private farm with rolling hills, shady tents, Amish basket-sellers, two stages with performers, a few farm dogs, barbequed pork, and lots of fresh air. It was hot, sure, but I lived in FL for 17 years, it never really feels that hot to me in Ohio.

Saturday evening, it was off to the 28th annual OxRoast at Ohio University. Imagine free food for anyone who showed up, and there were lots of anyones and someones there. Watermelon, hot dogs, ox (I tried it, it just tasted like roast beef), cake!, corn on the cob, potato salad...for lots and lots of people. Served efficiently and it was all excellent. The coaches were introduced and we bought portable seats with backs for our not-in-college-anymore butts for the upcoming games. The green football field was filled with children enjoying the large inflatable playthings brought in for the event. Green, again.

Green again on Sunday morning when I dusted off my bike after 16 years, inflated the tires, raised the seat a bit, put it in my van and drove a mile to a parking lot by the beautiful 14-mile long bike path that runs between Nelsonville and Athens. I had seen folks riding their bikes along the Hocking River as we sped past on the highway nearby. I looked with longing at how much fun that looked. Now I was one of those people; going slowly, yes, but going nonetheless! Thank you to whomever initiated the creation of this bike path! With a river on one side and the OU golf course on the other, with the library at one end and the stadium at the other (of the portion I was enjoying)...It was heavenly and green, green, green all around.

Everything is green, except our front lawn which awaited last night's rain. Rain it did and this morning a hush and shade lingers over the hills. The dogs are lazy and Gracie, our parrot, is quietly preening her feathers and wondering about the lack of sun.

At the top of this post, I have posted some line drawings I've done recently. Most at ATC (Artist Trading Card) size (2.5 x 3.5 inches). Below are some colored ATCs. Are you familiar with Artist Trading Cards? They don't have to be drawn, they can be collage, stamped, even beaded.