Flight Log: 02/02/2013

Wow it was nice again, so I got to fly for the 3rd day in a row.  No handwarmer needed at all!  Flew my Stinger II three times, and the 60 size Shoestring twice.  Both engines ran well and the planes flew nicely.  At least today more guys showed up...Bob R, Mike, Ken, and Dave.  Dick came by to say hi.  Wilfredo showed up late to fly his chopper.  The grass was short since Bob B mowed yesterday.

Flight Log: 02/01/2013

While there today, the weather at the field was not as good as yesterday.  47F and low haze kept me from flying for about 45 minutes.  After that I got in 3 nice flights on the Toledo Special.  My third flight turned out to be my last due to lack of depth perception and smarts...too rusty!  I landed fine from left to right, and thought I had cleared the right end of our protective fence.  Unfortunately, I had not, and the plane smacked into the orange netting.  Luckily there was not damage to the prop, cowl, pants, or wing tip that hit first.  BUT the tail gear must have caught the brunt of rebound from the fence because it broke the wire near a bend just below the hinge.  Anyway, I came home and found a decent wire that I hope will last as tail LG.  It may be a little too pliable because it is for control linkage use.  I had to figure out a new way to mount it since the stock tail gear is the type that goes through a plastic hinge glued into the fuselage.  Basically I just did some zigs and zags and CA'd (thick and thin) it into new holes drilled into the rudder.  Quick fix and maybe it will last.  If not, I will do something better next time.

27 days later...

I finally got to fly again after a dismal stretch of days either too cold, too rainy, too foggy, or too occupied with another part of life.  Today was a surprise with less wind and higher temperature than forecasts showed.  It was nearly dead calm, enabling me to takeoff and land from all directions, which I did for practice.  And it was about 50F when I arrived at the field.  NOBODY else was there from around 10:30 till 12:30.  Feeling somewhat rusty, I took the reliable SNAFU and also the Imagine 50.  I got in 4 flights on the SNAFU and 3 on the Imagine.  Both flew well and the engines ran great.  Couldn't ask for more except company!  Managed not to dumb thumb today after the long layoff, and it felt satisfying to get out and then return with everything still in flyable condition.

Autumn Snow

3 paintings in 3 days!  I just painted Autumn Snow, given that name since there are still leaves on the deciduous trees.  Anyway, I tried to create a painting similar to #70, which I gifted to Syl and Richard a few months ago.  I never can copy a painting, each one turns out different, but this came out pretty good and just a little different from the first.  I felt good doing this one because throughout the flocking of the trees and shrubs on the river banks, I was getting more and more adept at it.  I think the last three paintings are a step for me up to a new plateau, and I am pleased about that.

Frigid Peaks

Whoa Nelly, I painted two days in a row!  Here's my 3rd painting for 2013.  I saw Bob Ross do it on TV today, and tried my hand at it too.   I was done in just over 2 hours, some kind of record for me.  I wasn't rushing, and was surprised to see the time when I wrapped up.  It just went pretty well.  I got some more snow bush technique improvement today, first time in a long while.  Also the mountains were fun, as the snow white broke on long strokes like I want it too.  Things are getting easier, less mud mixing nowadays!

This painting is fairly monochromatic, using just prussian blue, black, van dyke brown, very little alizarin crimson, and of course white.

Mellow Creek

Painting #73 is Mellow Creek.  Bob Ross did something like it last Fri and I tried to do something similar today.  Brown mountains are challenging.  Deciduous trees are challenging.  Grassy meadows are challenging.  I felt challenged to say the least, but I want to learn so I took it on.  I scraped the mountains off once, the big tree once, and the grass meadow once.  After the redo's I am darn proud of the results.  Maybe I learned something and will do these subjects even better next time, lol.  Lots of fun anyhow, good therapy.  This is my 2nd painting for 2013.

Long Break from Oil Painting!

I finally painted again, after about a three month spell of laziness!!!  Today I painted a mountain cabin scene again, after seeing Bob Ross do something similar the other day.  His did not have a mountain in it, and I wanted to practice that so I added it to the scene.  I've done similar paintings but practice makes perfect...I just like Winter snow scenes and enjoy painting them, so what the heck.  This is my 72nd painting since starting the Bob Ross method three years ago, and it is my FIRST of 2013.  I started after 8AM and was done by noon!  I need to figure out what to do with so many paintings.  I have given quite a few away to family and friends who seem to like them.  I think I need to find a charity to take them, IF they will.