Rachael, I met with her boyfriend at the Cowes gas barbeque cupola. She asked me to draw her, and I came up with a good likeness. She then returned the favor by drawing an impressionistic image of myself.
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I was riding my bike to a beach location to stay and stopped here to buy two scallops. I'm not a big Fish and Chips fan; I really find them generally (not specifically this shop's cooking) too greasy and the chips tasteless but just for a change I bought something. Someone just put in a huge order, so I had to wait twenty minutes to a half hour. I was watching the sun lower in the sky as I had to ride my bicycle with no lights to my destination. While I was waiting, I sketched these two customers.
You might sense some hostility in the picture. Trains are usually a lot of fun. Usually. Here are some of my not-so-great experiences coming back from Phillip Island. A week ago, the return train ended before my town, and I was stranded at night. I slept in the local park, on a board walk lookout. I had my sleeping bag and travel mattress so no biggie. The next day the linking coach ('train replacement') driver refused to take my bike and I had to wait for the next bus which had a different driver and allowed my bicycle on no problemo. In both cases there was heaps of room for bikes in the underneath compartment.
This last trip I thought I had just narrowly got that late train that would go through to my Gippsland destination, but I could not open the doors and it left without me. Unbelievable! There was no station man to make sure passengers had no problems. I ended up getting another train which did not get to my destination. Instead I stayed with a cousin who lived halfway there. Next morning I had a few hours to wait for the train.
The bonus though is that the last train trip did not cost me a cent as I had a free Seniors card return ticket. Even the ferry ride was free on the weekend trip. Why don't I drive? Well, because fuel is expensive and driving is boring. I can't draw while I drive. And I wouldn't meet half the people I meet. I haven't met any octopus monsters yet, except metaphorically.
This is the second time I have drawn this magnificent cedar, one of the first European trees on Phillip Island. it has heroically withstood the ravages of ocean winds whilst sheltering Captain Grossards' lonely grave.
There is a hill that overlooks the Cowes beach. It has pine trees, picnic tables and gas barbeques. It is a good place to perch to have a rest from 30 C heat and to draw a few pictures. I sat at a picnic table the same time a Malaysian family resident in Melbourne came there to have a picnic. I was astonished when the younger woman produced a box of packets of biscuits and chocolate bars and gave me a handful of them. When I drew my picture I included one of the men looking at the beach. They took a photo of my picture, and the intellectually impaired older boy insisted my picture taken with him.
In the two-page picture the magnificent trees are on one side, but I have scanned the drawing as two pictures.
