[What follows below are the three fairly short bits that I wrote building up to and during my and my family’s recent trip to Long Beach, Washington, USA. These little slabs of NON-COM, which include artwork and weirdness and complaints and possibly even some primitive humor, originally appeared on my Steemit.com blog on these days:
“Friday—-And (Once Again) I Got Nothin’…” on 2 Aug. 2019
“Trip Day!” on 3 Aug. 2019
“Not Quite Home Yet” on 4 Aug. 2019
Hopefully, these posts will prove entertaining on their own merits, but more than that, they set the stage for my BIG post about the beach trip (complete with lots of photos), which I published this afternoon on my Steemit blog, [Editor’s note!! Steemit.com was purchased by a dictator, so I use HIVE now. It’s a decentralized blockchain controlled by the users!] and which I will be republishing on NON-COM-ARTS as soon as I can (either tonight or tomorrow… Probably tomorrow because it’s REALLY long, and I have other things to do tonight!) Meanwhile, you can enjoy these THINGIES! (Think of them as appetizers before the main course!) —RFY]
1. “Friday—-And (Once Again) I Got Nothin’…”
Wow… I try to be productive. I try to write and draw and create something every day, but SOME days, I just don’t have much in me. (Low motivation, poor energy levels…and I even have a bit of a headache…) And, overall, I’m just feeling LAZY.
I mean I HAVE finished a couple of drawings today, but I’m not (mentally) together enough to WRITE anything interesting to go along with the images. (“Thou shalt not present words without images, nor, contrary-wise, wilt thou publish an image—graven or otherwise—without words!” So sayeth the Winged Editor in the Sky!) But writing is HARD, and I want my words to be funny (sometimes scary) and clever—not boring. However, as the self portrait above clearly demonstrates, I’m just feeling FUZZY today. No good. Can’t seem to come up with any enjoyable nonsense.
I mean, the day isn’t over, yet, though…not completely… Maybe, later this evening or tonight, I’ll be struck by a BOLT of inspiration. (“Tickled by a Serpent’s Feather,” as we often say.) If so, if I’m granted the gumption to MAKE, I’ll share the fruits of that inspiration with all the good and kind and interesting people out there. If not, if the MUSES fail me, then just try to enjoy this fuzzy mess of a drawing (for a few seconds), and shed a tiny tear, then try to remember back to when I DID create something that was more entertaining… I’d appreciate that.
Maybe I need a candy bar… Or a popsicle… Somethin’…
(Meanwhile, tomorrow morning, the wife, the younger daughter, the younger daughter’s boyfriend, and I are heading to Long Beach, Washington, to experience the joys of the Jake the Alligator Man birthday celebration. [Car show, parade, musical performances, a dog costume contest, vendors, and something called the “Bride of Jake” competition!] I’ll try to post SOMETHING on Saturday and Sunday, either a quicky drawing/story combo or an update from the festivities. Keep an eye out on Monday or Tuesday for a complete write-up of the weekend’s adventures! Until then, stay klassy and super keen!!!)
Later skaters!
—Richard F. Yates (Lazy Holy Fool)
2. “Trip Day!” by Richard F. Yates (and Elise Colleen Yates)
I wanted to leave the house at 4:30 A.M. for our beach trip. It’s now 7:47 A.M., and we’re still at the house…
(Sigh…)
Anyway, we’ll be smurfing our way to the coast pretty soon—staying in a low-tier hotel (with an indoor pool, which is ginchy), and coming home tomorrow.
Elvis (aka “The Younger Daughter”) did some FOOT ART for the trip!
(I only did the digital drawing at the top of this page; nothing as fancy as Ellie’s toes.)
Anyway, I might post a few photos of the Jake the Alligator Man event later today, (if I get any good ones), but other than that, this is probably going to be IT for the day! Thanks for stopping by!!!
—Richard F. Yates (Traveling Fool)
3. “Not Quite Home Yet” by Richard F. Yates
Sitting at an indoor picnic table at a Costco (in Warrenton, Oregon) waiting for my family to finish shopping. I WAS playing the demo model for an Asteroids Deluxe 3/4 standup machine (like the Asteroids machine my kids bought me for Father’s Day,) but after I’d been there for 20 minutes, I thought the staff watching me on the closed circuit t.v. cameras were probably about ready to send the THUGS out to batter me a bit and toss me out of the building.
Now I’m chillin’ near the exits on a bench.
Yesterday, we had a lot of fun (full post to follow…probably on Tuesday), but for a little while yesterday afternoon we walked from our hotel down to the beach. It was nice, probably upper 60s (f) and only a little cloudy. (Much nicer weather than you usually find at a Northwest beach.) The only problem—AT ALL—was the sixty mile-an-hour winds!
The drinking straw on my water bottle was almost instantly covered in sand; I had to hold my sombrero onto my head at all times (lost it once and had to chase it down the beach); and when I parked in my folding chair and got out a chunk of cardboard to draw……it proved a bit difficult. One hand on my hat, the other trying to keep my drawing from blowing away (it escaped once) WHILE drawing… Yeah, I was lucky I got anything down at all!
Still, I managed a little modified seascape (Sharpie on reclaimed cardboard with digital embellishments and color, 2019), but I didn’t have the gumption to try for a second piece. Oh well…
I think, after we’re done shopping, the next stop is HOME. Good. I’m ready to be done!
—Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[And THAT was my Long Beach Pre-Show, a little warm up before the big, giant, 2,000+ word article about the entire trip. I’ll make sure I get that up on HERE tomorrow morning, first thing! So be sure to check back! Okay. That’s enough computing for me for the day! Nanoo nanoo!!!]
—Richard F. Yates
(Primitive Thoughtician and Holy Fool)
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