Squirrels, a drawing or three

Happy  Paint Party Friday!

I spent yesterday afternoon at the kitchen table drawing, while the snow fell.

Here is an old one I'd done.

We have flying squirrels, red squirrels, black squirrels all over the place! The black squirrel, sitting on the railing in the snow, JB called Slow Eddy! (That was after a major snowstorm in Bala.)

First I tried Dea's cute cartoon squirrel for a warm-up.

Then I moved on to How2DrawAnimals. I used my photographs to help with the eyes, for example, and the light. After this, I thought about a background: the dock, the flower rock and Long Lake (see below)! Finally, you can see how I put these together in a trip back through memory lane (or memory lake!). 

Our cottage, on Long Lake, Bala, Ontario –where we were from 1960 - 2010. I miss it terribly. I knew every rock, shoal and inlet on that lake, as well as the lake behind the trees in the background which fed it. I had many a wonderful canoodle there.  I walked around the lake: a sweet trip. Paddled on Mary Lake: Canoodling on a beaver dam pond - under blue skies!!

Slow Eddy!

Canada Geese on the dock

The dock

the Flower Rock

Long Lake

Rideau Ferry; Canada Geese

I could spot these geese from the Rideau Ferry bridge. It was tricky trying to find a good vantage point!
They were hiding between the island the the shoreline.

First I tried the RVCA boat launch. Lots of sculptures, closed up cottages. A pair fishing. I could hear them, not see them!



I ended up going down to where we had some wonderful patio lunches. Here is the other side of the cottage I spotted!


They are so large. Hard to believe how quickly they grow over the summer. And how far they have to go in fall.