Nancy

I like the tail on the pileated woodpecker who visits my suet feeders. I enjoy watching him plan his attack on his feeder of choice, using his tail for support.

1. I’ve been an observer of nature since my early childhood. I grew up in rural New England, and spent every summer at a beach cottage along the Massachusetts south coast. I’ve always been surrounded by plants, birds, rocks, and seashore critters. My main interests now are birding, gardening, and bird and landscape photography. Recently, I read Slow Birding, which inspired me to slow down and look more carefully at the natural world. Drawing/painting and making written observations fit in well with the slower approach. I’ve also watched my sister learn how to paint with watercolors over the last year, and we are taking this course together. 2. I like the un-selfconsciousness of the journalists in the video. Some of the journals are messy, some are neat, and the levels of drawing/painting skills are all over the place. But all of the journalists showed a deep connection with their work. The two approaches that resonated most with me are the box organization (I tend to be a bit messy, and structure helps) and the idea of doing a two page monthly spread. That seems manageable to me. 3. I don’t have any other bright ideas yet for journal organization, but might do some brainstorming of layout ideas.