This is not a top ten list, but rather a totally random list of things I like. listed in alphabetical order of course, and complete with links where possible.
1. Belgian draft horses. Every summer Belgian draft horses are a welcome sight in our town. They pull carriages and wagons full of sightseers around the downtown section. My daughter knows them all by name and loves to stop and say hello.
2. Car chases. I can think of no movie that cannot be improved or at least made more interesting by the addition of a car chase. Gone With the Wind wouldn’t seem so long if there was an exciting car chase in it, and the same can be said about Hamlet, Laurence of Arabia and countless others.
3. Cheese burgers are the kings of summer burgers, and there is no better time to have one than BBQ season which oddly is right now so have a cheese burger and be happy.
4. Construction paper is a must in our house and our daughter has cut, torn, painted, and drawn on thousands of sheets of the stuff. Wisely we have not kept everything she has created with construction paper…it only seems that way.
5. Liquid Gold Tasting Bar & All Things Olive. I’m not a fan of fancy over-the-top high-falutin’ salad dressing. I like good olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a bit of pepper on my salad. Recently this great shop opened in our town and suddenly we have access to great olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s great to wander around sampling the different varieties, and it’s well worth the extra cost.
6. Parking Karma. Like all islanders I find it hard to resist the urge to endlessly circle the block looking for a parking place in front of whatever shop I might be going to. But l find it much easier to rely on parking karma which really means parking on Prince St. or Pownal St., which are really just streets one block outside the main downtown core. There always seem to be parking spaces there.
7. Saw Horses make it so much easier to properly cut wood, and come in handy when doing many building projects. Of course to build a proper saw horse you actually need a saw horse to begin with, which is a bit of a paradox.
8. 16×20 inch stretched canvas is a size of canvas I’ve always liked when painting in a smaller format. It is not too small and not too big, just right. I usually pick up the value packs at Michael’s art supplies.
9. Soft breeze. I live on an island and there always seems to be a nice soft breeze keeping us cool or, as is the case this summer, cold. But an island breeze scented with the smell of the sea always reminds me that I’m home.
10. Richard Trim Brush. I really like these round bristle house painting brushes, and I use them instead of traditional round artist brushes. I usually get them at Home Depot. Strangely, I couldn’t find a link.
Painter's Progress 