mechanical pencil and sunset

 August has been a difficult month for me.

Every time my birthday comes along, I feel time slipping away, and it makes me anxious.

I didn't do any memorable jewelry this week, but I have been filling my sketchbook.

This week, I saw a video on YouTube that inspired me to draw:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS1VTBI_FN0

It's from an undersea ocean exploration called Nautilus.

They run a live stream, 24 hours a day, and I often watch to see what they are doing. 

(usually digging in the mud 4,000 feet below the sea.)

The video is made by an artist who watches the expedition and makes notes from it.

I was especially interested in the mechanical pencil the artist was using.

Was it making a really black line? Or was it a trick of the camera?

I really want one of those pencils, but I didn't feel like going out to the store.

I already have a lot of different pencils, anyway! 

What I really wanted to do was draw.

I found a lot of mechanical pencils.

Among all these, I found some blue pencil lead, size 0.5.

I don't remember buying BLUE lead!

The penicl made very fine lines, and it made me want to make a very tight drawing. 

I made some errors, but I was pleasantly surprised at myself, that I still could draw.

I will definitely be using that pencil again, when I want to make things look technical.

The section of the front yard is still looking nice, but I have neglected the back yard.

It's too hot to go outside anymore.

Saturday, I washed my car and stopped to take a picture.

The rose at the end had some nice blooms this day.

The sky was looking good, so I drove to the beach.

I went to Seal Beach, because it is much less crowded than Huntington Beach.

When I got there, the sun was already setting.

I haven't been to the beach in a long while.

I took a long walk on the pier and went to the Seashell shop.

I had a good time, and forgot about my troubles, if only for a day.