Here I am.

I'm back. Kind of. I think.
That oil bottle is a little out of kilter, but hey, so am I. I have spent the past couple of weeks sitting in the hospital and nursing home with my mother. She is unhappy and confused, and so are we as we try to make everything okay for her.

So - I am trying to get back to real life, get the creative juices flowing again and get some work done.

These little "paintings" were done on Yupo (synthetic paper - actually plastic) with watercolor pencils. What fun! They aren't good paintings, but I did discover how fun it is to shove the watercolor pencil around on the Yupo. I kind of like what it does. I dipped the pencil in water and then drew with it, then manipulated the color with a damp brush. I am not a fan of Yupo, but I may try something a little more serious using watercolor pencil on it. I do have some paintings I really should be working on, but a little bit of play never hurt anyone, right?

Lunch

I know this isn't a food blog, but look at those colors!

This was lunch one day last week in California. I couldn't pronounce the name of the restaurant, and I don't remember what the dish was called - it was a vegetarian "bowl" with a very flavorful, spicy peanut sauce. It contained soybeans, sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, rice . . . The yellow cubes on top of the crispy tortilla are pieces of very sweet mango. As Rachel Ray would say, "Yummo!" I thought I could carry the flavor around in my head and try to duplicate it when I got home, but it is gone. It is like trying to match a color from memory.
Speaking of food - I really do need to make a grocery run. We have been back for several days, and really need to get back to normal. I keep blaming my lack of routine on jet lag, but I guess that excuse is only good for so long, and I think I am beyond it.

Edited after Amy's comment to direct you to the colorful website of the restaurant. It describes the flavors as from the Southwest, Asia, California, and Latin America. I think every one of those was represented in the bowl I had. So if you are heading to California to try the Aqui restaurant, I suggest you don't lay over in Chicago unless you have a couple extra days to spare.