Landscape of Virginia

This is just a classic view of a dessert bar in a local shopping mall. I couldn't help but think of a current artist (Thym? or something like that) and his view of the pastery bars in the local bakeries up in NYC. He painted those desserts with such gusto that I could help but be reminded of him when I spotted this scene today. It's a wonderful thing, desserts in restaurants are such delights. Even with the colors used in making and their presentation.

One of the very best features of the southside of Charlottesville's Belmont section might be "Sputnuts". Which is a chain restaurant that makes it's very own receipt of potato flowered donuts. If you've never had one your in for a treat. They are excellent and people make a line out the door to get them. The place which I have often been to is very popular with our hometown crowd, it opens early and closes by noon everyday. It's original owner Richard, passed away after many many years of performing his early morning magic at this unique atmosphere. To our delight his lovely daughter has taken over the continued running of the eatery to our delight. She could usually be seen at work in the backroom kitchen of Richard's own "Spudnuts" for all the years I've been to the place. They don't cost much, about a "fin" for a dozen of regulars, but your mouth won't let you stop putting more and more of them into it...

I've been looking through some older drawings . I really didn't get a lot from them that I can show with confidence but there are a few. One has to go through a process in order to get to "the good stuff" but I did do the footwork to get to where I am today. This drawing is one I did only a few years ago as I was living near the downtown area and a section known as "Fifeville". It's housed both the working class, African Americans and otherwise has had to have much of it torn down due to street changes and old dwelling becoming just too old to stand. One was a house I lived in and painted in, it was located on King Street. I lived their from 1979 or so ( I remember the new Pope was named the day I moved in which was Pope John Paul II at the time) until I was hospitalized for my addiction and usage of drugs until I went off. I don't do that anymore but I did and it was a part and parcel of my existence during my active days of my addictio...

Fifeville by John J. Trippel via Artbreak - Share and sell art online

The time goes on. I use to be one to go out for the Sunday Morning Buffet with the all you can eat portion being one of it's main attractive features. I'd load up my plate and sit with my buddies and devour the Sunday papers with my eggs, and stuff of all kinds until I was stuffed. I enjoyed doing that after a night of partying but that was thirty or more years ago, now I just sleep late. I don't party either. But the tradition of Sunday breakfast and the paper goes on despite me not being a part of it. It was fun. I got to have a few laughs with my friends and I think that meal helped me survive my drinking and partying back then with some good food and reasonable conversation. The other Sunday morning, I was able to draw this group at their Sunday breakfast tradition happening across the street from my drawing pad.

With all this rain , you'd think all of our problems would be solved. But no, the creeks around here have risen, the tree limbs are falling all around and we've gott'n our first dose of cold wet weather for the season. But that's ok. We needed it after-all, water is a necessity and having it fall and replenish the land and it's creeks and tributaries is a wonderful gift. It simply can put one in a down mood and as long as the creeks don't rise all too far as they did here in 1963 with Camile well we'll be ok. I wasn't here then but I do know how it hurt people and their families in Central Virginia. The good thing for us is that the worst part of this storm of Ida has past and we have a sunny warm day ahead this weekend. I'm looking forward to a day of sunlight and seventy degree weather. It's be rare that we've been able to enjoy such a day this month so far. I think we've had one, maybe two days such as those this month....

Expression is one of the Constitutional beauties of our country. Today, at the Writing Wall just outside of our City Hall is our place of group conscious our place of democratic chances and proverbial "shout outs" where we met this morning and placed a drawing with meaning on it. Ours was a statement of an upcoming film event that features people of all ages with disabilities called "The Sprout Film Festival'. Here one can see we students of Post High putting the final touches on our visual expressive statement. Too bad not everyone I met agrees with our ability to do so, but what are ya gonna do?