November 26

66 years ago today I was born to a mother of Scottish descent and a father, of English. Ancestry stays on your mind here. You can feel it in the landscape and the people.

Started my day with a walk and a sketchpad. Attempted a few drawings of sheep but I am skilled at capturing moving targets.  Met a lovely woman with her dog, Sammy, on the road. Her first question was What is your sir name? I said Taylor and Lynch (on my father’s side- knowing my Mom’s family was from Scotland ), Oh, she said, of course, Taylors and, well, the Lynches live just over the hill. WHAT? Of course, there are Taylors and Lynches everywhere, but it did put a skip in my step as I headed back to town.

On the way back, I walked through the town park and walked under the shelter. Boats!

Had a lovely birthday lunch with Irish artists Ruth and Helen...at Mary's, of course! I learned about their childhood holiday traditions - a big holiday for the Irish. We shared a bottle of white wine with our meal and treated ourselves to chocolate pie.  I mentioned the conversation about Lynches on the road, commenting that my grandmother's name was Ida Lynch. Of course, that is Irish, they said!  Spend some time in the studio the rest of the afternoon, And - Guinness with friends at 8 PM. Will close with this sign I saw in the park today.