WELL, GRIMPIES MAUDE, GOT MANY OLD SKETCHES?

Yep, I do. Because I went away on vacay and let other sketches (of Beaver Island and Grand Rapids) slide in instead. So I have some posting to do. But I see there haven't been many posts from others in my absence, so I guess I am not alone. So I am going to catch up. Here is one from the lovely, formal Tuscan

Rose Garden.

Guns & Roses

Well, not really - roses first then guns. Nicely differing landscape over the past 2 weeks with Sandri's classic gardens (complete with warm white sand between my toes) then Fort Casey (foreboding on a good day, but dark clouds and a brisk wind made it chilly and intimidating).

Fun Happy Hour included Anacortes Sketchers Missy & Kalena, and Gnat's friend Mary from Nebraska-who-used-to-live-on-Whidbey-and-just-moved-back.

Tuscan Rose Garden ... eh I should say, "The Dog at the Tuscan Rose Garden"?

This is Mikey, the sweet and gorgeous yellow lab at the Sandri's Tuscan Rose Garden.  It was a very fun day. The Sandri's garden will be on the Whidbey Island Garden Tour this Saturday, and I hope to go and capture the roses and other plantings in their beautiful ornamental garden. But ... being the animal nut that I am, I just couldn't see past Mikey on Sketching Friday!  He was awfully sweet! That scrunched face drove me crazy. But ... the plants and the metal works make it a very artful and well choreographed garden! Totally worth visiting.  AND the Sandri's were uber sweet themselves.   Many thanks to them for opening their gardens to us! (Metal works  by Todd Eugene, Whidbey+Works ... and he'll have pieces for sale at the Tour!).