Mini-Entry about a Mini-Book

This will be short because we've just returned from D.C., and we're tired.  But there's so much to tell you about that I wanted to alert you that the rest of this week may be a travel-log with a few of the usual subjects thrown in for good measure.

First, I have to tell you about one of my birthday gifts from David's sister Nancy.  All the gifts from his sisters deserve mention but you'll understand why I singled this one  when you read the next sentence.  In my birthday box was a 4.5" x 3" composition book (you remember the black and white marble composition books?).  Here's a picture of it:

Front and Back Covers

Isn't it lovely?  I immediately popped in my purse to go to Washington with me.  Ah, you're thinking, "She wanted to use it to make notes, write a journal, or something like that."  Wrong!  This compostion book has blank pages.  Here's the first page:  The possible quilt block was inspired by the roof of the atrium where I ate my breakfast everyday.

Possible Quilt Block & Study in Perspective



The possible quilt block was inspired by the roof of the atrium where I ate my breakfast everyday.  I enjoyed that until I realized the next day that the corners (red and green) in the roof skylight weren't right-angle triangles.  They were isosceles triangles because the skylight raised to a point above the rest of the flat rooftop.  So I re-drew that later.

The bottom of this page is the view across the street from the National Portrait Gallery and is the building at the bottom of this pile of structures is the Spy Museum,  Too bad I didn't have the colored pencils when I drew this (I made no notes of building colors because I didn't realize I would buy myself some at the next museum). 

I visited the Portrait Gallery last Thursday when the heat had cooled to the mid-nineties (don't even ask about the humidity!).  When I arrived after walking four or five blocks from the Metro, I walked up the steps and pulled the doors open to be greeted by darkness and blessedly cool air.  And a guard who looked at me and said, "We don't open until 11:30" (it was only 10:45).  Out I went and spied (museum across the street was rubbing off on me) a granite bench under a tree.  It was still hot but at least it was shady!  Realizing that I hadn't brought a book with me, I pulled out my new mini-composition book and distracted myself by adding the study you see above.  It worked, too; I forgot how hot it was!

Thank you, Nancy!