Burito Mariachi

Several Mexican themed restaurants have opened in and around Patchogue, like Burito Mariachi. I haven't tried this one yet, but it was bright enough to catch my attention. 

Pantaleons Farmstand

East Setauket has a nice farmstand called Pantaleons that is open pretty much year-round. Right now there are Christmas trees, wreaths, and kissing balls available for purchase.

Sunken Meadow Park

On Saturday I went to a Christmas market held at Northport High School. It was one of the better ones that I've been to recently. When I left I stopped at Sunken Meadow Park which was just a few miles away. I got my beach fix there.

 

Garden Center

 I like returning to familiar places to sketch, like the Bayport Flower House. There is usually something to sketch there.

Texas Roadhouse

 No we didn't make a wrong turn. Our last night of the trip was spent in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and we had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. I hadn't been to one of their restaurants in a very long time. The food was very good. I remember peanut shells being all over the floor the last time we went to one, but I guess with the reactions people have if they are sensitive to peanuts the policy has changed. Now there is a sealed bag of peanuts on the table...clearly marked.

The decor seems to be a bit of everything, including animal heads mounted on the walls. It is a fun place and a bit noisy at times since the staff chants and cheers at different tables. (I'm not quite sure why.) Needless to say the Texas ribeye hit the spot.

Lunch Along the Drive Home

That Sunday morning we started our trip home. Jerry found a place listed in our "road bible" located in Kingsport, TN called the "Fishermans Dock." Although we weren't anywhere near the ocean or the bay it turned out to be a fairly good restaurant. As you can see it was decorated with mounted fish...so I couldn't resist doing a quick sketch for the day.

Hotel Room Sketch & Photos

 My friend, Tina Koyama commented on yesterday's post, saying that places like this (hotels) always have patterns everywhere. The Hampton Inn in Kennesaw had patterns in the breakfast area and in the hotel room too. The Roman shades had a pattern, the chair had a pattern, and there was an abstract painting with a pattern. I don't usually like abstracts but this one had great colors and a soothing pattern.

The evening of the Celebration of Life for my brother, Joe, my sister-in-law arranged for a BBQ buffet for the family. It was nice to be able to spend time with everyone, especially since most of us hadn't seen each other in quite a few years. Many members of the family were leaving for home the next day. I suggested that we do a group shot of our side of the family so we all posed together. There are 5 "children" in my brother's family...all adults, and 3 grands (although only two were at the gathering because Sebastian lives in Egypt with him mom). Family on our side came from California, South Korea, Maine, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Indianapolis, Pennsylvania, and New York.

We did a photo of my sister-in-law, Joan's family too. They live a bit closer (North Carolina and Pennsylvania).

Joe, I know was happy to see so many of us gathered together.

Breakfast in the Lobby

The nice part of staying at the Hampton Inn in Marietta, Georgia is that several other family members were staying there too. One of my nephews came from CA and I hadn't seen him since his wedding 6/7 years ago. It was great to have a breakfast area with a lot of seating where we were able to sit around and catch up on things before going to the service. 

Cracker Barrel

When we travel by car I try to make sure our hotel has an indoor pool, so I can get some exercise once we get out of the car. It is necessary because I'm not used to eating lunch and dinner out each day...and usually the choices aren't anything like what I would have at home. 

On our second stop (Bristol, VA) Jerry wanted to have the catfish dinner at Cracker Barrel. We had stopped for lunch and I wasn't really hungry, so I just had a salad. That gave me a little time to sketch the decor in my little pad of paper. For those of you who have never been to a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store it is a bit of an experience. You enter the restaurant by walking through a "general store" that sells clothing, toys, pottery, knick-knacks, etc. You can't bypass it. Once you are seated you notice all the decorative old objects and paintings on the walls, most of which are copies of items that were around in the 1940's. While Jerry was eating his meal I had time to sketch a bit of what was on the far wall.

All the hotel rooms we had this trip had RISs (roll-in showers) for Jerry. Each was a little different so we experienced assorted situations and probably flooded the floor a bit in each bathroom. lol This was one of the showers. Jerry needs to be seated when he showers because he removes his prosthetic leg. I am fairly sure that most of these showers were designed by someone who has no experience in using them. The new thing is to have the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in containers hanging on the wall. Some have pumps and some you squeeze, and some have these containers located either far from the seat provided or behind where the person is seated. I was prepared and brought along a bar of soap in a knee-high stocking that I attached to one of the grab bars. (Thank you youTube for your suggestion!) That is what he uses at home. If he drops the soap he can get it back without my help.

Road Trip to Honor Joe - Chambersburg

We are presently near Atlanta, Georgia for the "Celebration of Life" for my brother, Joe Szalay who passed away recently.  My brother was a wonderful brother, father, grandfather, and friend to many.  We were very close, and I spoke to him often by phone. I hadn't seen him in 5 years due to Covid and other things. I miss him terribly and it has been a terrible loss to all of us in the family. Luckily Jerry and I had seen him and my SIL in Venice before they went on a cruise in October. 

Jerry and I started our trip which was about 15 hours long. We planned on stopping overnight in two locations. Our first stop was at Tru by Hilton in Chambersburg, PA. I didn't have much time to sketch but I brought a tiny pad of paper down to breakfast in the morning and was able to get a few sketches done in the breakfast area.

This lady was having a beverage at a table nearby.

House in Ink and Wash

I believe this house was part of a complex in Islip. I loved the trees covered in green ivy. 

Sayville Red

 This house is down by Sayville Beach on Foster Avenue.

Hog Farm in Autumn

I drove over to Hog Farm in Brookhaven last week. I caught it when it was open and there were a lot of people and things to sketch. 

There were several dogs with their owners, but very few stayed put except for this one.

Continuous Line Still Life

I enjoy doing continuous line sketches of still life items. It is a challenge to keep going without lifting the pen and seeing how you can get from one object to the next. Here is the sketch with watercolor added.

Here is the sketch just drawn as the continuous line. 

Seahorse by the Shore

I went down to Miramar Beach in East Patchogue the other day and found something I hadn't noticed before. There was a seahorse statue standing in the reeds. It was a nice surprise!

Patchogue Shore Line

 This was painted down along the shore in Patchogue from one of the parking areas that extend out with a dock as part of the marina. I turned around and faced the town instead of the water.

Lenny Bruno Display

 This is a display of assorted vegetables in front of the windows at Lenny Bruno Farm in Manorville. I liked that you could see some of the items through the windows too.

Rough Water

 Some days give us rough conditions on the Great South Bay. This was sketched from Lands End in Sayville. I wouldn’t want to be out on a boat on this day.

Michele & Nick's House

 A friend of mine and her husband live in East Patchogue on South Country Road. Most of the time when I drive into Bellport I take that route and pass by their house. It always looks so good...especially in the fall. I always say to myself that I should stop and sketch it someday. This year I did stop. Michele and Nick were down in SC at their other house and weren't home. I sat across from their house and painted it with the stunning autumn leaves. They are back up here for the holidays so I called and asked Michele if it was OK if I stopped by for a few minutes. I brought her the 5 x 7 matted painting and gave it to her. Originally she thought it was a painting I had shared on FB the other day that she loved and had reposted on her page...but then she realized it was their house. They were thrilled!! They had missed the autumn colors on Long Island while they were away. I'm so glad they were happy with it.

Michele is one of my big supporters. She reposts a lot of my artwork, encourages me, advertises my shows and events, and tries to get business for me. She's a good friend so I'm glad I was able to do something nice for her.

Port Jeff Looking Down

 Port Jeff (Port Jefferson) is quite hilly. If you are lucky enought to find parking up one of the hilly streets you get a nice view down toward Main Street.

Assorted Sketches

 These sketches were all done for items in the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts.

I needed to refresh my Procreate skills for this one.

Porch Seating

 The yellows grabbed my attention as well as the seating on the porch. Autumn colors are the best!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Here in the USA we are celebrating Thanksgiving today, so I wish you all a 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have much to be thankful for and my family, friends, and visitors are a big part of that.

This was sketched last Wednesday when the Patchogue Sketch Club met for their Thanksgiving themed night.

In the spirit of the holiday here is an old photo of my dad carving the turkey.

Bayview Farm & Market

Recently I was out on the North Fork of Long Island and stopped at the Bayview Farm & Market in Aquebogue. I had my toned sketchbook and my Posca markers with me. I stood by several displays to sketch the produce, the sign and the tractor there. The Posca markers give it a real pop of color.

Here is a closer view of the pages.

Long Island City

Recently the NYC Urban Sketchers met to sketch the area around The Long Island City Courthouse by Court Square Park. It was a very windy, chilly day, but I was prepared with a winter jacket, several layers of clothes to keep me warm, a hat, and fingerless gloves if needed. I sat across the street to sketch the courthouse and tucked myself into a corner. It must have blocked a lot of the wind because after a while I was able to take off my jacket, and I wasn't cold.

We had sketched in this area last year and both Suzala and I remembered the pulled noodle restaurant where we ate then, Xi' an Famous Foods. Mark decided to join us, and we had a great lunch...but no sketching there, just talking.

One of the oddest things in the area was a sculpture from the 1960s titled, The Sunbather by Ohad Merome. Apparently it was a big thing when it was first put in place. I think it is probably one of the ugliest sculptures I've seen. Only a few of the sketchers thought it was worth sketching. It is Pepto Bismol pink and looks like a cross between the insulation that is put between walls and the Pink Panther. lol 

I had to sketch it.

Port Jeff Staircase

 Port Jeff (Port Jefferson) is a harbor town on the north shore. Many of the streets are very steep and involve a lot of climbing. This house is down by the marina. I can't imagine arriving home with packages that need to be carried up all those stairs. I guess you would get a lot of cardio exercise.

East End Farmland

 Right now it is usually a good time to head out east to the North Fork of Long Island. This was near Wading River. A lot of the farms have cabbages, brussel sprouts, and other vegetables still growing in the fields. They add a lot of nice texture to the landscapes. There are great skies at this time of year too.

A Street to the Bay

We have so many streets that end at the bay here. They are especially nice with the autumn colors that are still on the trees. This was painted in Sayville.

Mark as a Model

 Our Wednesday night sketch group was scheduled for a model last week, but the model had an emergency and couldn't come. So our organizer, Mark posed for us. He's pretty good, and as an artist himself he came up with a few unusual poses. Most of these are 5 or 10 minute poses. I used an assortment of media.

In the pose on the right he was actually holding a chair straight up in the air.

Michele's House

 When I got home from Venice and needed some soothing color I drove along South Country Road in East Patchogue. My friend, Michele and her husband live in a pretty house along the road. The trees in front were glowing with color. I finished about 90% of this sitting in my mobile studio across the street from their house, and finished the other 10% this morning. Michele was in North Carolina at the time I started this and was missing all the wonderful color. I've got to stop by to see her now that they are home again.

Beach Dunes

 It had been too long since I went down to the beach. I didn't pick a warm day, but it was clear and sunny at Robert Moses Beach. I was happy painting in my mobile studio.

Autumn Colors Pop Up

Spots of fall foliage pop up everywhere.

 

Autumn Colors Lead to the Water

I love painting along this street in Bellport and seeing the water at the end.