Rites of summer

 There are certain things I do every summer, unfortunately all are food related. In my physical state I’m not about to be cliff diving or bungee jumping.

Alas, I never was able to do the first on my list…roadside French fries from a mobile kitchen. There is just nothing like freshly cooked, hand cut fries. This has been a “must-do” for many years, decades really. I used to take the kids out to the road that travelled along the south shore of Rice Lake. The chip wagon was parked on the corner, where the lake road met the county road that came north from town and the highway. 

It was a busy spot, from Friday until Sunday with the summer crowd heading to or from the cottage.

Next is barbecued steak. We are not allowed a barbecue in my complex so my son always makes sure I get this treat. And his steaks are so tender, part of the half he buys from a local farmer.  Along with the steak I like hamburgers and hotdogs, though they come a distant second to that steak.

What summer is complete without a Dairy Queen blizzard? I thought I was going to miss out on this one too until my granddaughter said she was coming for a visit and what did I want for lunch. Dairy Queen!

Last is the teen burger from A&W. The restaurant chain does an annual fundraiser, held in August, where a donation is made to the MS Society for every teen burger sold. Years ago this was really done up with dining spots marked off with balloons, and music blaring but Covid changed this as it has changed everything.  My daughter and her family surprised me with dinner, and even remembered I like their onion rings over French fries.

That last one hits close to home as I have MS, and it was a difficult winter for me, but still it was an occasion worth celebrating. If there’s family I don’t miss the parking lot, the loud music or the balloons. 

Gloomy Days

 For September the weather has been all rain with grey skies, and today such gloom with high humidity. My hair has no curl whatsoever but I imagine those with a tendency to frizz and curl are hating this weather. 

I hate it because my joints ache in damp weather. An old wives tale that I can attest is true.

I’ve been painting like mad, trying to get something done to submit to the annual juried show at our local art gallery. Trying out different techniques on 8x10 canvas boards. 

I’m using faces from ten year old Vogue magazines. There is a technique using matte medium where you can transfer an image. It’s kind of hit and miss for me. One thing I forget is that you add medium to the right side and place it on canvas, so image is reversed. Once you’ve transferred the image you let it dry, then dampen it and remove paper backing, leaving the ink on your canvas.

First attempt I tried I added medium to back so just adhered it right side up. I then painted around it. 

The next transfer I remembered to put the gel on right side. Not that it made much of a difference as photo was of a reflection. 

I love faces and now have a file full for future use. A good start I think.