Watercolor Gold, and A Tractor Story
For those of you in the Traverse City area be sure to drop by North Peak Brewing Co. and have a look at Mike Hyrman’s work. He’s a fabulous watercolor artist, and has created some particularly evocative images. Rather than try to describe them, I’ll just recommend that you go down and look at them. Mike’s work will be on display for the next month and a half in the back-room/gallery at NP. Do try and get down there to see Mike’s work…it’s really remarkable.
Finally got some work done on my own portrait projects…currently doing both a graphite and charcoal portrait and one in soft pastel. The subjects are interesting and fun, and I’ll probably figure out a way to post some here on the blog….I’ll probably post a couple of works in progress, but the majority of the WIP postings will be at my favorite artist hangout, Wet Canvas.
Great weather…sunny and 70 deg today….that can only mean 1 thing…we’re in for a blizzard. Well, I changed the oil in the tractor anyway. Ok, wait…now in good blog tradition, I’m going to begin monaloguing regarding this tractor thing:
So the Deere lawn tractor (L110 for those who care) has been stored empty of gas all winter. So I goes and buys new gas, fills up me tank…and turns the key. Plans are to warm the oil enough to change it. Key seems positioned in the wrong place (don’t we ALL leave our keys in the ignition over the winter?), and no sort of sound comes out of the tractor when it is turned properly. Hmmm…battery is dead, methinks. So I check with the dealer to make sure a 2 amp charge is what it needs, then it’s off to Sears. I’m at Sears, picking out a new battery charger that I can’t afford, but that I need because I have a track record of discharging every battery in every conveyance I own at the precise time I need the frappin’ thing. I’ve picked out a nice moderatly priced behemouth, but for some reason the clerk won’t sell it to me after I discover that I’d left home WITHOUT MY WALLET. Crap. I drive home. I retrieve my wallet, which is smirking at me from the piano bench. I sit down hard on the smug leather pouch as I cruize back to Sears, and this time the clerk sells me the moderately priced beheamoth. I drive off happily, return home and hook up the moderately priced beheamouth, preparing to bask in the amber light of the 2 amp 10% charged indicator. The red light is on. Oh, no problem, that means to check the connection of the cables. I seat them more thouroughly in their appropriate places (remembering NOT TO CONNECT THE NEGATIVE CABLE TO THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL, as the owners manual shouted at me from within it’s scholarly text…). Hmm..the red light is on. I changed the cables again, unplugged the unit, plugged it in again….and VOILA….the red light is on. It is now beginning to dawn on me that the BATTERY IS DEAD. Really dead. I take it out, look inside, and I see that there is juice inside. Not electricity…juice…electrolyte….bad, scary stuff that should, according to the dire warning embossed on the battery, NEVER be splattered on your skin lest you do an impersonation of those two bad guys at the end of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Ok, so I test the charger on my car. Cute amber light. Well, it’s off to the dealer to get a new battery. Wallet in pocket. A quick trip and I’m back and installing the battery into my sleeping green and yellow beast. Hop on, turn the key and……the sound of an engine that has not run in 6 months suddenly being defibrillated back to life…belching smoke like a bullemic cigar smoker……..and I smile..life is good.
I am going to awaken the gas-powered weed-wacker……but that’s another story.
Leave me a note if you have used the KEL HM-1 mic….i’d be interested in your comments.
Next time! T