My Husband started doing caricature portraits and did his first one on himself. I think it turned out awesome, So I decided to color it, just for fun. 
Author Archives: Kelly Wood
More Coloring for Fun
Thoughts at The Break of Dawn.
There is something special about the early morning. Most of the world is asleep or just waking up. There is a silence, a stillness that is haunting and beautiful. Just before the sun begins to rise, a glorious blue gradient fills the sky. Both the sunrise and the sunset take forever here in Southern California, a striking contrast to the fast paced and busy lives we all lead. Perhaps it is even a reminder that we should slow down a little ourselves.
As it brightens a little more the sounds of birds fill the air, from the peep of a small finch to the caw of a crow in the distance. Slowly the human world comes alive as well as the river-like sounds of far off cars begin to drown the smaller sounds of nature.
Another day begins.
The Healing Ocean
After a rough week, we decided to take a trip to the beach for some healing and artistic inspiration.
The ocean has a way of putting things into perspective, while calming the nerves and relaxing the body. As I walked along the beach, admiring the view, I could feel some of the pain of the past week washing away with the waves.
Memories
“Hey Honey, How was coffee?”
“Pretty good, I met a really neat guy today, he’s a programmer and a musician. I had my back to him and he mistook me for his drummer because of my hair. We sat and talked for quite a while.”
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“I saw Hugh again today at coffee, You really should come meet him.”
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We had a table. It was our table. We would sit there for hours at the coffee shop. We would talk about music and programming. We joked and laughed and shared our lives each day. They created a business at our table. We created a friendship at our table. We shared our deepest thoughts and even, on occasion, our deepest feelings. Mike and Hugh would bring their guitars and play whatever they felt like.
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One day we took a trip to San Pedro. Hugh wanted to show us a music store he loved, that his son, Chris worked at. We had a blast. We played around with all the instruments in the store, laughed and had a great time. We spent hours there. Mike had taken a liking to a Dean bass guitar while there, and also an amplifier. Mike decided to purchase the amplifier, and was going to come back later to get it. As we were walking out the store it appeared Hugh had made a purchase too. “Here ya go,” he said, nonchalantly as he handed the dean guitar to Mike.
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I had just had outpatient ankle surgery. When I came home I proceeded to lose consciousness and fell flat on my face and split my chin open. Mike didn’t want to leave me. Hugh stopped by to visit and brought butterfly bandages to help me put my chin back together, but when he saw the wound, he suggested I get stitches. It’s a good thing too, I wouldn’t have gone and I needed 5 stitches.
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Every so often we would rent a practice studio for a few hours and play, loudly, to our hearts content. Sometimes they would play things already written, other times they would just play whatever notes they felt like. A few times I would bring my mic with me and sing along. It was beautiful to be a part of it.
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Hugh was always there to help if we needed him. He was always there to joke with, talk business with, rant with, and to share our joys and our sorrows. Hugh was always there. He was an amazing father and role-model to his children. He would tell us stories of when his boys were younger and the practical jokes he would play on them and the things they would do to get back at him.
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Hugh was humble. One day, while talking about embarrassing situations, he happened to let it slip that he had played with Graham Nash back in the 80′s. As it turned out he toured with him and even played with him on the Tonight Show. He was an amazing guitarist. He played with grace and ease. He also had a way with mixing music, and adding exactly what he knew was needed. His abilities were unmatched. You would have never known it just by talking to the guy. He always made you feel special, like you were the one with the great talent. He encouraged you and cheered you on every day.
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You are missed. You are loved. Rest in Peace, my dear friend.
Hugh Ferguson
I have been sitting here trying to think of what to write for so long that I have just decided to spill out my thoughts onto this medium as-is. My heart is aching tonight as I sit here and sit here and think about how the world seems a bit bigger and a bit more lonely. As I sit here and think about his friendly face that I have seen so many times, his joyous laugh, his mischievous smile… I will never see and hear those things again. My heart is aching tonight for his wife and his children who are struggling with a loss so big to them that it is incomprehensible. My heart is aching tonight.
There are no words eloquent enough to describe the wonderful man that was Hugh Ferguson. All I can say is that there are very few people in the world that I believe are truly good people, Hugh was one of them. He was that man that, though may have been busy, would have stopped to help a stranger change their tire. He wasn’t good because it was the right thing to do, Hugh was good because he was Hugh. He was sociable with everyone, even strangers. He was always ready with a smile, and a conversation. He touched so many lives every day just being himself.
His musical talent was amazing and his wit as sharp as a knife. He was humble… Hugh was everything I strive to be in a human being.
He would have been 54 in 5 days. Today his heart gave out. Today he walks with his son. Tomorrow we will all strive to be a little more like him, But today we cry.Sunset reflecting off Honeysuckle
I was thinking about Jim Caffrey‘s Post about taking your camera with you everywhere, and his reply to me about thinking more like a photographer while I was driving home this evening. The sunset was beautiful, but nothing to stop and photograph, however as I was driving through a neighborhood my eyes were drawn to the amazing colors of the sun reflecting off the honeysuckle. The dramatic effect made me smile and I decided to stop and take some photos.
Thanks Jim.
Honesuckle reflecting the light of the setting sun
The sunset that brought forth the amazing colors.
Being Good: Motivation
The second in a series of posts on good personality traits, what they are and why they are important. These posts are a thinking exercise for me in an effort to better myself through the understanding of, and hopefully, the use of these traits in my daily life.
Motivate
- a. the act or process of motivating b. the condition of being motivated
- a motivating force, stimulus, or influence : incentive, drive
Photo by Thomas P. Peschak
The Simple Truth:
A long time ago, when we were still living in caves and hunting for our food to live, Motivation was a life or death trait. A lack of ambition was never a problem. You had to get up early, hunt for your food, search for a mate and keep your family safe; these were the only things that were important. Today motivation has lost a lot of its necessity, as over time as we have created a safe and comfortable world for ourselves. Motivation today is more about how successful a person you are, and less about life or death situations.
Motivation can affect your life in various ways, but the most important is on your stress levels. When you are motivated to do something you never worry about having to get things done at the last moment; procrastination is not an issue. You find you are more successful in your professional life because your initiative and motivated demeanor is appreciated by your employer, and can be contagious to your fellow employees. When you are motivated in your personal life you initiate connections with friends and family, and are seen as a social and communicative friend.
Honestly, motivation is something that I find myself having problems with on a daily basis. Being motivated seems to be something you either have, or you struggle with; it’s not an easily learned behavior. Being able to set goals for yourself, and go about achieving those goals in a timely fashion is important to our development. It can help both personally and professionally. It is a mixture of good time-management, drive, personal incentive and desire, and it is very important in leading a full and meaningful life.
Seagulls: Flight in Black and White
Here are a few action shots of seagulls in flight that I got the other day at the duck pond. The pictures themselves were kinda crappy but with a bit of desaturation and cropping I kinda like the way they turned out. Definitely not my best work, but I have always found flight to be such a neat thing, I had to include them here.
Being Good: Honesty
I have decided to do a series of posts on good personality traits, what they are and why they are important. These posts are a thinking exercise for me in an effort to better myself through the understanding of, and hopefully, the use of these traits in my daily life.
Honesty
- the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.
- truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
- freedom from deceit or fraud.
The Simple Truth:
Honesty is not a matter of being blunt or rude or thrash about with hard and hateful words. One only needs to tell the truth, be sincere, and be genuine to be an honest person. Honesty is one of the more difficult traits to balance due to the fact that often times it is easier, or more convenient just to lie. We deceive ourselves into thinking that in order to be kind, or in order to not hurt the feelings of others, we must be dishonest with them. In reality much harm can come from those little “white lies” we tell on a daily basis. It is also difficult to determine the purpose of some people’s questions or comments, and we sometimes trap ourselves into trying to figure out what someone may want to hear as opposed to what someone should hear, which is always the honesty.
I believe of all the personality traits one can have, honesty is one of the most important, however, without a few other traits such as being caring and considerate, honesty can be a blunt and brutal mistress. Using the ever so used example of “Do these pants make me look fat?” It’s easy to just say “No.” and be done with it, however if the pants really are horrid on her the damage could be done later down the line, and some trust may be lost with you. However the correct answer is not just a simple, “Yes,” nor is it “Those pant’s don’t make you look fat, your butt does.” While those examples may be truth in your eyes, it is harsh, rash and brutal. You can still be honest, with very little to no damage by explaining that the pants are unflattering or suggesting another pair that are flattering. Being tactful is the key.
In the end, a gentle honesty will elicit trust from others. You will find that the honesty will be appreciated and generally be returned in kind. You will find that the relationships forged with honesty will be deep and meaningful, and the conversations will be understood and appreciated by all parties involved. We need this honesty now more than ever. In this day in age where “everyone wins” and everyone should feel happy about their attempt, no matter how incompetent, personal growth has been stunted. We learn from our mistakes, but if our mistakes are rewarded, we will fail to grow into better people. Honesty and sincerity tactfully presented will allow for personal growth, and allow for humanity to grow in kind.
