Ted E. Graham...The Seagull

We named this seagull Ted E. Graham. A few weekends ago, hubby and I enjoyed several days at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and this funny seagull camped out at our beach spot with us.



Although we didn't have any food in our hands, he must have know that we had a bag of Teddy Grahams, sealed closed and tucked away in our beach bag. He paraded in front of us, then stood and stared. We thought for sure that he would fly away any minute. But, nope, he inched closer to our chairs then stood and stared at us again.

Well, what's an artist to do, but get out the sketch pad and pencils and start doodling away. He stayed in one location, but gradually made a 360 degree turn in the sand so that I could see every possible angle.

Eventually, he became bored, and acted like he was going to leave. But, I wasn't done with the drawing. So, I had to lull him back with a few of the Teddy Grahams that he was so patiently waiting for.

Hmmmmm....so I guess that WAS his strategy after all. I'm such a sucker!

This link will take you to the full blog post about Rehoboth Beach.

And, if you enjoyed this beach post, please check out my blog post from Myrtle Beach in June.

Thanks for visiting!

Carlisle's "Art, Music & Wine" Event - October 3

Mark your calendars! It's a day of art, music and wine at the gift shops on West Pomfret Street in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 3.

Stroll along the shops, taste some wine, and visit the on-site artists. 'Yours Truly' will be a working artist at Camellia's Sin Tea Parlor and Gift Shop, so please stop by and say "hello".

Should make for a fun day. Hope to see you there! Note: you can click on the flyer graphic to see an enlarged version.

Camellia's Sin Tea Parlor has been so kind to offer my greeting cards for sale in the shop. See my previous blog about the tea parlor here, the blog is filled with pictures of the delicious tea and the dear Victorian tea items for sale.

Hot Diggity Dogs and More...at Rehoboth Beach, DE

Hubby and I savored a few last dog days of summer at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware....thanks to the generosity of friends.



Hot diggity dog, this beautiful girl, Daisy, (below!) was more than happy to pose for her portrait.



A jellyfish glistens.



An endless game of fetch. The owner told me I'd have at least 258 opportunities just that day to take a picture!

The Endless Dog Game at Rehoboth Beach, DE from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

Peacefulness amid the warm, soft sand dunes.



Some fun with shells and surf-smoothed stones. Meow!



A sweetie-pie named Sadie trolling along the beach just lookin' to give someone a great big smooch.



We found ourselves strolling through this flower shop during a rainy afternoon.




Delightful, bright red cardinals were on sale there, and benefitted wildbird sanctuaries along the shore. A perfect addition to our flower gardens.



And, Jasper, the resident flower shop dog, soaked in all of the attention, then wasted no time showing us where his treats were located!

I bumped into this honey of a hot dog along the boardwalk! That's my hubby for those who don't know ;)



Out to sea.

Feather Here....Then Out To Sea... from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

And, last but not least, this fella, who we called Ted, just wouldn't leave us alone. We'll save that story for my next blog post!

If you liked this beach post, be sure to check out my July posts:

• Rejuvenating the Artist's Soul at North Myrtle Beach
• Sketches from N. Myrtle Beach
  

And, Four Ripe Tomatoes!

In my last blog post, I answered the question "What To Do With All Of Those Tomatoes?!" by offering a delicious and EASY recipe for Margherita Pizza!

Well, all of this tomato talk got me thinking about one of the illustrations I did for the children's book "Teddy, The Hungry Little Bear". It's a fruity counting book that I illustrated for the American Literacy Corporation. Quite the fun project!

Here, Teddy is ready to eat "Four Ripe Tomatoes."



The colorful illustration even depicts a tomato hornworm happily making its' way among the branches.



If you find a tomato hornworm in your garden that has bunches of white egg pouches on it's back, it's actually a good thing. Although the tomato hornworm devours many garden plants, the parasitic wasps lays eggs on the tomato hornworm caterpillar. When the wasp eggs hatch, the young feed on the caterpillar...whallah...natural pest control!

If you are interested in the book, it can be purchased from the catalog page of the American Literacy Corporation website (www.superreader.org) It makes a great gift for a child's birthday, and a super stocking stuffer for the upcoming holidays!

What To Do With All Those Tomatoes...Margherita Pizza, of Course!!

Ahhh, the deep, rich red of a juicy, ripe tomato. There's nothing like fresh garden tomatoes in salad, BLT's and tacos.


I start my plants from heirloom seeds every Spring. My mom's father was in the Navy and brought them back to the USA in the 1940's. A few generations later a sampling of the seeds ended up in my hands, and I've been keeping them going for over 10 years.


But, what's a person to do when the tomatoes ripen ALL AT THE SAME TIME? One of my newest recipe finds is for Margherita Pizza. And, boy is it ever delicious.


My parents joined us this afternoon for a fresh pizza right out of the oven. Believe me when I say that "I am no cook. And, this recipe is really, really, really easy!" I've included it for you at the end of this blog post.


The bubbly, warm pizza...ready for us to dig in. G-o-i-n-g....


Going.....


Gone!



Margherita Pizza
Adapted from recipe found in the magazine "CuisineAtHome".
*Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
*Take one Boboli - already made, thin pizza crust and place it on a stone baking dish.
*Dice your garden tomatoes. Add enough over the crust to cover the Boboli, leaving about 1/2" edge around the pizza.
*Thinly slice 3-4 ounces of mozarella cheese, and cover the tomatoes.
*Drizzle olive oil over the assembled pizza.
*Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes
*Chop fresh basil leaves and sprinkle over the pizza when it comes out of the oven.
Eat and enjoy!

The magazine also stated that "The story of Margherita pizza is a colorful one. In 1889, Queen Margherita visited Naples. In her honor, a bread maker dressed up his flatbread to reveal the Italian colors - red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil. Suffice to say, it was a big hit and the rest is history." (NOTE: I cannot tell you what month or year of the magazine the article or recipe was in. I tore the article out of the magazine years ago, and the pages do not have a reference of date. Sorry!)

Do you have a great, EASY recipe for using up all of those garden tomatoes? Please share by adding it in your comment below.

Finished - Sparkle Magazine Illustrations "Too Much"!

Colors are added and illustrations for the "Too Much" story are off to Sparkle magazine. I'm liking the color combination and think that the dark hair and red shirt really make the main character pop! Even kitty can tell that she is a little overwhelmed! Enjoy~

The rough artwork can be seen in the previous blog posting of sketches.
The last illustration I created for Sparkle Magazine was all about cupcakes! You can see it here: Cupcakes

SKETCHES for Sparkle Magazine - "Too Much!"

Here are sketches for my next assignment for Sparkle Magazine about a little girl who gets overwhelmed (ie., "Too Much!"). They are rough enough to help me figure out how the characters will flow in the composition space, and some details to help me see expressions and emotions I want to convey.

The story GEMS Girl's Club gave me was packed with activity and scenes, so it was difficult to narrow down the focus to three scenarios that would be enough to complement the story.





I actually had hubby lean over and pretend he was hugging someone so that I could get the angle correct for the Dad's back in this last sketch! He was a perfect model. ;) A few dabs of color at the bottom as I consider pallette choices.



Next phase will be adding color. Stop back to see the final version!

The last illustration I created for Sparkle Magazine was all about cupcakes! You can see it here: Cupcakes

Little Dahlia - Smiles for My Windowsill

Dahlia's made it into my garden this Spring. This is a plant that I have to dig up every year if I want it's colors to grace my garden, so I don't plant them often! Regardless, when I take the time they are well worth the show.

I snipped these two beauties and put them in little jelly jars on my kitchen windowsill. As the evenings are getting shorter, they add an extra breath of pretty pink colors to my day. I couldn't decide between the two photos, so you get to enjoy both of them!

Kitty's Favorite Bath! Lap, Lap, Lap.

Ahhhh....a refreshing drink for kitty. My handsome guy knows just the perfect place to lap up cool water amid the blooming summer garden. A rainy summer has kept the baths filled to the brim.

Can't help but chuckle at this first photo...tongue caught in lapping action! >^..^<

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other kitties and gardens posts:

• Blooms Basking in the Summer Sun
• Kitties and the Rhodies
• Crazy Upside Down Kitties
• Mid May in a PA Garden
• Tip-Toe Through the Tulips
• Color of Spring Everywhere

Sketch - Creek at Stewart-Laughman Sawmill in Spring Grove, PA

My hubby is a fishing fanatic. I like to fish too, although, I have to admit, not quite as much as he does. So, over the weekend, he loaded up his fishing gear, and I decided to grab my sketch pad and pencils and head out with him.

We went to a creek in Spring Grove, PA. I plopped down on a wooden bench beside the creek and Black-eyed Susan's caught my eye.



Needless to say, we only had about an hour to enjoy the quiet time beside the creek before we packed up and enjoyed dinner with friends.