The Last of Its Kind

For pretty much all of both girls' school years, we have had a tradition of taking a picture in the kitchen on the first day of school right before they leave for the school bus (or to drive in these days).

There is a front shot.

Grace, Fall 2012, 3rd grade

And a side shot.

Grace, Fall 2012, 3rd grade

Julia is done school and this is Grace's senior year. So for one final time...

There is a front shot.

Grace, Fall 2021, Senior Year

And a side shot.

Grace, Fall 2021, Senior Year

I'm not sure if it makes me more happy or sad to see them grow up. Happy. I guess.

Marching Band (Football) Season Begins!

Last night the Garnet Valley football team (and marching band) kicked off Grace's senior season.

We always begin the season with our one non-Central League game, and Coach Ricci likes to schedule the toughest competition he can find in order to test our team, which for much of the last decade has been the cream of the Central League. Downingtown West (DW) has been on the schedule several times recently, being consistently one of the best programs in southeastern PA over the last bunch of years. They routinely have a number of division 1 recruits, which is something we don't. In 2019 we opened with DW and hung tough for a while before their combo of a division 1 quarterback and division 1 receiver put the game away. We then went undefeated through the rest of the season and (I think) three rounds into the playoffs before losing to DW again in the divisional finals.

Drum Majors' addresses, last night of band camp

So this year, we were scheduled to start with an away game at Downingtown West... We went into the game with the knowledge that we were believed to have the best team we have had in years, maybe ever, but we were still not expected to win the game. DW is huge, with 4 of their 5 offensive linemen over 6'4" tall and 250 pounds. We just don't have that kind of size.

What we do have is tremendous coaching, a great system, and a whole lot of heart.

Loading the band buses, game 1

We took the opening kickoff, ran 3 plays for a first down, and then broke a Shane Reynolds 61-yard run off right tackle for a touchdown one minute into the game. He simply outran the field. We kicked off, and on DW's first play we tipped a pass attempt straight up into the air as it left the quarterback's hand, picked it off and ran it back for a touchdown. 14-0 good guys 97 seconds in.

We run the ball. A lot. But in the second quarter, our QB completed 3 passes (out of 5 attempts for the game). These 3 passes happened to be touchdowns to Sean Gallagher of 76, 24 and 52 yards. [Our QB's final stat line for the game was 3 for 5 for 152 yards and 3 TDs - not a bad average of 51 yards per completion...]

It got real quiet in the stadium with our Jaguars dominating every phase of the game, and leading 34-0 at the half.

Then came the good stuff. The band. We are a smallish band of ~105 members (including color guard) this year, and aim to be as good as we can be without being fanatically serious about it. We welcome all...

It's hard to describe the pride that I felt as the band marched onto the field for their first abbreviated halftime performance with Grace as one of the three drum majors. In the picture below she is the taller girl on the viewer's right as they march onto the field (among the 3 in white socks and shoes). [Some day I'll learn how to edit the video to make it fit the upload limits...] It's early in the season and ridiculously hot and humid. We will wear the casual uniform of show shirt, khaki shorts, black socks and black marching shoes for the first 2 or 3 games, heat depending, before we go to the full uniform. Drum majors have white shoes and socks.

Garnet Valley HS Marching Band takes the field

The second half was fun. We scored on another Shane Reynolds TD run in the 3rd quarter to go up 41-0 before our backups allowed a garbage TD early in the 4th quarter, and then holding the ball on a 9+ minute drive to grind out the clock.

I'm still basking in the afterglow of the win. DW was considered to be the number 1 team in the whole area going into the season, and we completely dominated them in every aspect of the game. Hopefully we can stay healthy and continue to play well. I don't think motivation will be an issue. Coach Ricci, who has been our coach for a long time and is a GV institution/legend (for building us into the program we are) has announced his retirement following this season. So this is his last team. I think they will maintain their focus.

As for the band, we have second and third movements to add to the show. Nine more games. Hopefully playoffs. Three competitions. Hershey at the end of the year. It should be fun.

There is also the ever-present reminder in this as to how fast time is passing. Grace and her best friend took this picture in 9th grade. A freshman saxophone and a freshman clarinet...

Grace and BF, 9th grade

...And then recreated the same picture last week, as a senior Field Major and a senior Drum Major.

Field Major and Drum Major

She's enjoying it. But I'm not 100% sure I am ready for this and all that will come throughout the year. The last high school everything for our little girl...

Tonalist Landscape

It's been busy these days with work, two weeks of band camp, and other assorted obligations, but I have managed to find the time every now and then to squeeze in some painting time. This evening I took a break from attending band camp and helping out, and did this tonalist landscape after dinner.

Fading Light (12" by 12" oils on canvas panel)

Once again, the photo doesn't really do it justice, but I'm pretty happy with the painting. It's a 12 inch by 12 inch canvas panel, painted in about an hour with a limited range of Charvin Fine Oils.

My hope was that this would give an impression of a landscape in fading light, leading to a distant body of water under a dramatic sky. It got at least somewhat there, I think....

Two Small Sketches

The first is a desert trail scene (at left). 4by 8 inches on a canvas panel, in oils.

Desert Trail (4 by 8)

The second is an abstract landscape, 4 by 6 on a canvas panel in oils.

Abstract Landscape (4 by 6)

Both were fun and took less than 10 minutes each. I didn't have much more time than this, but at least I got to play with paint... 

Mid-August Update

Lots of stuff going on these days, and not much time to keep the blog up to date. That being said...a quick mid-August update. For those few who stumble upon it...

For our first out-of-the-house vacation in two years, we spent a Monday to Friday at the Windrift in Avalon, NJ, a place we have been to a half dozen or so times in the past. The kids liked the beach and the pool. I liked that it was cooler and more overcast than usual.

Avalon NJ beach at evening

Two weeks of band camp commence this coming Monday, and with Grace being a Drum Major, I am very much looking forward to Grace's senior year in high school. And dreading it at the same time. My baby girl is on the verge of going to college... Sigh. But I am jumping ahead.

As far as painting goes, after six weeks or so of lethargy, I have begun painting again. This feels good. The following are all first-pass works in progress, with more layers to come once the first layers dry. Be kind...they are works in process. Also, I am still struggling with the "too good" camera issue, but I am too lazy to put much time into figuring it out...

A lake through the trees. 8 by 10 stretched canvas in oils. [in process]

Lake through the trees (8 by 10)

A stream through the fields. 9 by 12 canvas panel. [in process]

Stream through the fields (9 by 12)

Sunset behind the trees. 5 by 7 "postcard" canvas panel. Painted as a practice exercise limiting myself to a 5 minute sketch. These quick exercises don't always produce the best results, but are valuable in terms of trying to focus on colors, forms and overall impression.

Sunset behind the trees (5 by 7 "postcard" in 5 minutes)

Maybe I will add some commentary on the cluster-f%&$ that is the US peoples' response to Covid. Or maybe not. Suffice to say, working in healthcare, I find myself shaking my head many times each day when reflecting on the situation we continue to face. We have effective vaccines and many people not willing to take them. So we all continue to suffer. And likely will for some time. I selfishly hope that none of this prevents Grace from having a somewhat normal senior year, but.... Let's hope for the best.

Saint Zantil's Monastery

Every now and then, I like to take a break from trying to paint a "serious" picture and take the time to paint a fantasy scene; generally something related to a Dungeons and Dragons campaign location.

Saint Zantil's Monastery (work in process)

In the semi-post-pandemic era, a few of us have started to gather and play an in-person D&D game, and after returning from a week in Avalon NJ  yesterday, I painted a few shore scenes (more on that later), and then felt like painting something fantastic. So this is that. A location in our game that the players have not been to yet, but may have reason to go to in the near future. Or not. Either way, it was a fun and quick little painting. [12" by 16" in Charvin oils]

When the base layer dries I have some touch up and detail work left to do...

Tidal Flats

The below is a 12" by 16" canvas panel depicting a view across reed fields and tidal flats to the distant treeline beyond.

Tidal Flats

I've been enamored with pink and purple evening skies recently...